Everyone budgets for design and development, then gets surprised by the line items that show up after the app is built. Publishing to the App Store and Google Play isn’t free, and the account fees aren’t the only cost — there’s testing time, review delays, and ongoing commission on anything you sell.
Table of Contents
This guide gives you the official fee for each platform side by side, what a full launch actually costs on Android versus iOS, and the extra costs — accounts, testers, compliance — that trip up first-time publishers.
Quick Answer
The Apple Developer Program — the official membership required to publish on the App Store — costs $99 per year (a separate Apple Developer Enterprise Program for internal-only company apps is $299/year). The Google Play Console — the official account required to publish on Google Play — costs $25, paid once, with no annual renewal.
Those two fees are the entire mandatory cost of publishing. Beyond them, both stores take a commission when you sell a paid app, in-app purchase, or subscription, and Google requires new individual accounts to complete a 12-tester testing period before they can go live.
Apple Developer Program Fee (Official): $99/Year
To publish on the App Store you need an Apple Developer Program membership, officially priced at $99/year on Apple’s own developer.apple.com/programs page. It’s a flat fee regardless of how many apps you publish or how much revenue they generate, and it renews automatically as an annual subscription until you cancel — so it’s easy to let it lapse right before a launch if you’re not watching for the renewal charge.
Nonprofits, accredited educational institutions, and government entities can apply for an official fee waiver through Apple. Setting up an organization account (instead of an individual one) also requires a D-U-N-S number, which is free to obtain but can take a few days to a few weeks to process — worth budgeting for if you’re publishing under a company name.
Google Play Console Fee (Official): $25 One-Time
Google Play’s official developer registration fee is $25, charged once when you create your Play Console account — confirmed on Google’s own Play Console Help pages. There’s no annual renewal, no per-app charge, and no monthly cost. Once verified, that single account lets you publish as many apps as you want for the life of those apps.
The catch for new developers: personal accounts created after November 2023 can’t jump straight to production. Google requires a closed test with at least 12 opted-in testers who stay active for 14 continuous days before you can apply for production access — testers have to actually open and use the app, and dropping below 12 active testers can reset the clock. Organization accounts and personal accounts created before November 2023 are exempt.
Apple Developer Program Fee vs. Google Play Console Fee, Side by Side
Put next to each other, the two official fees aren’t structured the same way at all: Apple’s $99 is a recurring annual charge tied to your membership staying active, while Google’s $25 is a single upfront charge that never comes due again. Miss Apple’s renewal and your apps come off the App Store; Google’s fee has no renewal to miss.
Both fees are per developer account, not per app — publishing five apps under one Apple account still costs $99/year total, and five apps under one Google account still costs $25 total, ever.
How Much Does It Cost to Publish an App on Android (Google Play)?
For a free app, the total mandatory cost to publish on Google Play is the one-time $25 Play Console registration fee — nothing else is required by Google. If you’re a new individual developer, factor in the time (not money) to line up 12 testers for a 14-day closed test before you can request production access.
If your app sells anything, Google also takes a commission (covered below), and after production access is granted, Google’s review of your submission typically takes about a week.
How Much Does It Cost to Publish an App on the Apple App Store?
For a free app, the total mandatory cost to publish on the App Store is the $99/year Apple Developer Program fee — that’s your entire ongoing platform cost if there are no in-app purchases. The $299/year Enterprise Program is a separate product for private, internal-only distribution to employees and isn’t required for (or usable for) public App Store listing.
If your app sells anything, Apple takes a commission on top of the membership fee, and app review can add review-queue time to your launch timeline.
Commission: What Apple and Google Take From Sales
Apple runs a simple split: 30% standard, dropping to 15% for developers enrolled in the App Store Small Business Program (available if you earned $1 million or less in App Store proceeds the prior calendar year). Subscriptions also auto-drop to 15% starting in their second year, regardless of program enrollment.
Google’s commission is not a copy of Apple’s. In most of the world it’s still tiered: 15% on a developer’s first $1 million in annual Play revenue and 30% above that, with subscriptions at a flat 15%. As of June 30, 2026, Google began rolling out a different model in the US, UK, and European Economic Area that unbundles the old single rate into a 10% service fee plus a separate 5% billing fee on a developer’s first $1 million in earnings for developers who use Google Play’s own billing system, with lower combined rates if you use alternative billing or link out to the web; subscriptions are billed at that same 10%+5% rate. Starting September 30, 2026, developers enrolled in Google’s Apps Experience or Games Level Up programs qualify for reduced rates on top of that structure — 15% (down from the standard 20%) on transactions from new installs and 20% (down from 25%) on transactions from existing installs, with subscriptions unaffected at 10%. Google has said it plans to extend this overall structure to more markets, including Australia, Japan, and Korea, through 2027. Because the exact rate now depends on your region, revenue, program enrollment, and payment method, check Google Play Console’s Service Fees page for your specific situation rather than assuming one percentage.
Does Google Play Have an Annual Fee?
No. Unlike Apple’s $99/year membership, Google Play’s $25 developer fee is charged exactly once — there’s no yearly renewal, no subscription, and no recurring charge tied to keeping your account or apps live. Your Play Console account stays active indefinitely once the one-time fee is paid, even if you never publish another update.
Tips / Common Mistakes
Budget for both fees before you start, not after your build is finished — the $99/year and $25 one-time charges are trivial next to development cost, but they block you from submitting anything until paid, and Apple’s yearly renewal is easy to forget and let lapse right before launch.
If you’re a new individual Google Play developer, line up your 12 testers early. Recruiting people willing to install a test build and actually use it for two straight weeks takes longer than most teams expect, and it directly delays your launch date.
Don’t assume Apple and Google charge the same commission, and don’t assume you automatically qualify for a reduced rate on either platform — check the current thresholds and, on Google Play, your region, program enrollment, and billing method, since the rate isn’t applied by default just because you’re a small developer. Factor in review time on both sides when you set a launch date.
app store and google play publishing costs FAQs
What is the official Apple Developer Program fee?
$99 per year, per developer.apple.com/programs. It’s an auto-renewing annual membership required to publish on the App Store, plus a separate $299/year Enterprise Program for internal-only company distribution.
What is the official Google Play Console registration fee?
$25, paid once when you create your Play Console account. There’s no renewal and no per-app charge — one account covers unlimited apps for life.
Is there a Google Play annual fee?
No. Google Play’s only account charge is the one-time $25 registration fee. Apple, by contrast, does charge an annual $99 membership fee.
How much does it cost to publish an app on Android?
For a free app, just the $25 one-time Google Play Console fee. New individual developers also need to complete a 12-tester, 14-day closed test before production access, and any paid sales incur Google’s commission.
How much does it cost to publish an app on the Apple App Store?
For a free app, just the $99/year Apple Developer Program fee. Any paid downloads, in-app purchases, or subscriptions also incur Apple’s commission on top of the membership.
Do I have to pay Apple or Google every time I update my app?
No. Updates are free once your account is active — Apple’s $99/year and Google’s one-time $25 cover unlimited app updates, not per-release charges.
What percentage does Apple or Google take from app sales?
Apple takes 30%, or 15% if you qualify for the Small Business Program or after a subscription’s first year. Google takes 15% on the first $1 million in annual revenue and 30% above that in most markets, with a 10%+5% service/billing split now rolling out in the US, UK, and EU, and further reduced 15%/20% tiers for qualifying Apps Experience or Games Level Up program developers starting September 30, 2026.
Can I skip Google Play’s 12-tester testing requirement?
Only if your account is an organization account or a personal account created before November 2023 — those are exempt. New individual accounts must complete the 12-tester, 14-day closed test before requesting production access.
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