Apple Developer Individual vs Organization: Which to Pick

Short answer: If you do not already own a company, enrol in the Apple Developer Program as an individual. It is the same 99 USD, you pay on the day you sign up, and you can convert to an organization later. If you already run an LLC, Ltd or similar legal entity, plan to add teammates, or think you might sell the app one day, enrol as an organization from the start so the company, not you personally, is the seller.

Every fee, rule and quote below comes from Apple's and Google's own pages, checked on 10 Nov 2026. The advice is ours and marked as such.

TL;DR#

• Same price: 99 USD per membership year for both.
• Different seller name: your legal name, or your legal entity's name.
• Organizations need paperwork: a real legal entity (no DBAs), a D-U-N-S Number, signing authority, a domain email and a working website.
• Teams are an organization feature.
• EU privacy: individual traders' address (or P.O. Box), phone and email appear on EU product pages.
• Google Play mirrors it: personal vs organization, US$25 once, with a 12-tester closed test for new personal accounts.

Disclosure: ZeroRaised publishes this guide and is a launch site for bootstrapped products. We have no commercial relationship with Apple or Google. This is not legal or tax advice; check entity questions with an accountant in your country.

Individual vs organization at a glance#

For App Review and launch day, see our guide on how to launch an app on the App Store.

What is the same#

The fee. Apple's enrolment page says the program is 99 USD per membership year and "Prices may vary by region and are listed in local currency during the enrollment process." Fee waivers are only for those who are "a nonprofit organization, accredited educational institution, or government entity and meet certain requirements" (Apple enrolment).

The commission. The App Store Small Business Program "features a reduced commission rate of 15% on paid apps and Apple In-App Purchases." Apple says it "is intended for small businesses and individual developers", and both new developers and those who "made up to 1 million USD in proceeds in the prior calendar year" can qualify. One catch: "Developers must identify any Associated Developer Accounts to determine proceeds eligibility", so two accounts do not get you two thresholds.

What changes: the five real differences#

1. Whose name is on the App Store#

For an individual or sole proprietor, Apple says "your personal legal name will be listed as the seller on the App Store" (enrolment support). Apple warns that "Using an alias, nickname, or company name as your first or last name will cause a delay in the approval of your enrollment" (Apple enrolment).

As an organization, "Your organization's name will be displayed as the seller name of your apps on the App Store."

Our read: for a game or utility, a personal name is fine. For a B2B or finance app, a company name looks more established and keeps your name off every listing.

2. You need a real legal entity#

Apple is strict here: "Your organization must be a legal entity that can enter into contracts with Apple. We do not accept DBAs, fictitious business names, trade names, or branches" (Apple enrolment). Its support page adds that to show an organization as seller, "your organization must be recognized as a legal entity and you must be enrolled as an organization."

So a UK sole trader or a US sole proprietor trading under a brand name enrols as an individual. Whether to incorporate is a bigger question than the App Store (tax, liability, accounts), so treat Apple as one input, not the reason.

3. The organization paperwork#

To enrol a company you need all of these (Apple enrolment, enrolment support):

• A D-U-N-S Number. Apple says they are "free in most jurisdictions." Use Apple's D-U-N-S lookup tool to check; if there is none, you can submit your details to Dun & Bradstreet "for a free D-U-N-S Number" (D-U-N-S help).
• Legal binding authority. You become the Account Holder and "must have the legal authority to bind your organization to legal agreements."
• A domain email. "Your work email address needs to be associated with your organization's domain name." A Gmail address will not do.
• A website. It "must be publicly available and functional", on a domain associated with the organization. Apple's enrolment page adds that social media links and pages with minimal content are not accepted.

Apple may also ask for "business documents that are notarized", so make sure your company details match your D-U-N-S record exactly.

4. When you pay and how long it takes#

Individuals "can review the license agreement and purchase a membership at the time of enrollment." Organizations "purchase a membership once Apple Developer Support verifies the enrollment information" (enrolment support). If you pay by card as an individual, "you must use your own credit card to complete your purchase."

The D-U-N-S step is where organizations lose time: "please allow up to 5 business days to receive your number from D&B", then "up to 2 business days for Apple to receive your information from D&B" (D-U-N-S help). Apple does not publish how long its own verification takes, so do not set a launch date yet.

5. Team access#

Apple's roles page is clear: "If you're enrolled as an organization, you have the option of adding additional members to your team." For individuals: "If you're enrolled as an individual and add users in App Store Connect, users receive access only to your content in App Store Connect and are not considered part of your team in the Apple Developer Program" (Apple roles).

Our read: once a contractor needs to manage certificates or ship builds, you want an organization.

The EU address question#

For EU-based individuals this can decide the matter. Under the EU Digital Services Act, Apple asks every developer to declare whether they are a trader: "Even if you don't distribute apps in the EU, you'll still need to declare a trader status" (Apple DSA requirements).

If you are a trader, what gets published depends on your membership type:

• Individuals: "You'll need to enter the following for display on your App Store product pages:" an "Address or P.O. Box", "Phone number" and "Email address". A P.O. Box needs documentation such as "a receipt or bill".
• Organizations: "The address associated with your D-U-N-S Number will automatically display", plus a phone number and email.

"Once verified, Apple will publish this information on your App Store product page when your app is distributed in any of the 27 territories of the EU."

Apple says a hobbyist who "developed your app with no intention of commercializing it" may not be a trader. But as a non-trader, "consumers in the EU will be informed that consumer rights stemming from applicable consumer protection laws won't apply to contracts between you and them."

Our read: if you sell from home, get a P.O. Box with paperwork, or enrol a company whose D-U-N-S address is not your home.

Switching from individual to organization later#

You are not locked in. Apple's account help says: "If you'd like to update your membership from an individual to an organization, please submit a request." You "will need to be the founder/cofounder of the organization", provide its D-U-N-S Number, and may be asked for business documents (updating your account information).

One warning on the same page applies once you are an organization: "Changing your organization name will update your vendor name across all your apps. This will reset the identifierForVendor (IDFV) for existing users on their next app update." Apple adds: "This change cannot be undone." It does not say whether converting from individual resets IDFV, so ask support first if your analytics rely on it.

The alternative to converting is an app transfer to a new account. Apple's criteria include "The app must have at least one version that was released to the App Store", and neither account may be "in a pending or changing state". Transfers are also how you sell an app.

Google Play: the same choice, different rules#

"Google Play offers two developer account types: personal and organization", with "the same core functionality" (Google account types). The fee is "a US$25 one-time registration fee" (Play Console getting started).

• D-U-N-S for organizations. "To create a developer account for an organization, you must provide a D-U-N-S number." Google's verification help adds: "This process can take up to 30 days so you should plan ahead" (Google verification).
• Testing for new personal accounts. "Developers with personal accounts created after November 13, 2023, must run a closed test for their app with a minimum of 12 testers" who "have been opted in continuously for at least 14 days" (Google testing requirements). Our guide on how to publish an app on Google Play walks through that test.
• What is public. Personal accounts show legal name, country and developer email, and "If you decide to monetize on Google Play then Google will display your full address." Organizations show legal name, legal address, developer email and phone (Google verification).
• Some apps must be organizations, including financial, health, VPN and government apps.
• No switching button. The account type is "read only"; you open a new account or transfer apps (Google account details).

Our read: an organization skips the 12-tester test on Google Play and, if the company address is not your home, keeps your home address off both stores. That can justify forming an entity earlier if you monetize on both.

Which one for you#

This is our editorial advice, based on the rules above.

Typical enrolment steps#

Typical steps, not guaranteed timings. Only the D-U-N-S waits are Apple's numbers.

Mistakes and checklist#

Avoid: enrolling a trade name as an organization, a nickname on your Apple Account, details that do not match your D-U-N-S record, a placeholder website, and renaming your organization casually (IDFV reset).

• Do I have a legal entity today? If yes: D-U-N-S lookup, domain email, real website, signing authority
• If individual: Apple Account in my legal name, my own card ready
• EU trader status decided, and which address will be shown
• Small Business Program enrolment after joining
• Android: personal (12 testers) or organization (D-U-N-S check)

When the account is live, our guide to launching a bootstrapped app covers the launch itself.

Frequently asked questions#

Is an Apple Developer organization account more expensive than an individual one?#

No. Apple's enrolment page says the program is 99 USD per membership year, and prices may vary by region in local currency. The fee is the same for individuals and organizations. Apple offers fee waivers only to nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions and government entities that meet its requirements.

Can I enrol as an organization with a sole proprietorship or DBA?#

Not as an organization. Apple says your organization must be a legal entity that can enter into contracts with Apple, and it does not accept DBAs, fictitious business names, trade names or branches. A sole proprietor enrols as an individual, and Apple's support page says the personal legal name is then listed as the seller.

Can I switch from an individual to an organization Apple Developer account later?#

Yes. Apple's account help says you can submit a request to update your membership from an individual to an organization. You need to be the founder or cofounder of the organization, provide details such as its D-U-N-S Number, and you may be asked for business documents.

Will my home address be shown on the App Store?#

It can be, in the EU. If you declare yourself a trader under the Digital Services Act and you are enrolled as an individual, Apple asks you to enter an address or P.O. Box, phone number and email for display on your product pages in the 27 EU territories. A P.O. Box needs supporting documentation. Organizations show the address associated with their D-U-N-S Number instead.

Does Google Play have the same individual vs organization choice?#

Yes: personal and organization accounts, both with a US$25 one-time registration fee. Organizations must provide a D-U-N-S number. Personal accounts created after 13 November 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 days before production access. Google shows a personal account's legal name, country and developer email, and the full address if you monetize.

Launch it where bootstrappers look#

ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC. Once your app is approved, submit it to ZeroRaised for free. For more practical guides on shipping without investors, join the ZeroRaised newsletter.

Sources#

• Apple Developer Program enrolment, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Apple enrolment support, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Apple D-U-N-S Number help, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Apple updating your account information, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Apple roles, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Apple EU Digital Services Act trader requirements, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Apple App Store Small Business Program, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Apple app transfer criteria, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Google Play: choose a developer account type, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Google Play Console: get started, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Google Play: testing requirements for new personal accounts, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Google Play: verify developer account information, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Google Play: developer account details, last checked 10 Nov 2026