Apple Developer Account Types: Individual vs Organization

Pick an individual Apple Developer account to ship alone, an organization account to show a company name; D-U-N-S takes about 7 business days.

Choosing an Apple Developer account comes down to who publishes. If you build apps on your own and don’t mind your real name showing on the App Store, enroll as an individual. When your details are correct, you usually get the confirmation email within 24 hours of paying. If you have a company, want the company name on the App Store, or need to share a development team with colleagues, enroll as an organization. Request a free D-U-N-S Number first, which alone can take up to about 7 business days, followed by Apple’s organization verification.

The Apple Developer Enterprise Program is only for organizations with 100 or more employees that distribute apps internally to their own staff. It can’t publish to the App Store, and almost no developers need it. Below is a comparison of the three account types, how to look up and request a D-U-N-S Number, how to move from individual to organization, and where enrollment commonly gets stuck. The rules are as of October 2026.

What do the three account types cost and allow?

	Individual	Organization	Enterprise Program
Who it’s for	Individuals, sole proprietors, single-person businesses	Legal entities such as companies, nonprofits, educational institutions and government entities	Organizations with 100+ employees whose apps are for internal staff only
Seller name on the App Store	Your legal name	The legal entity’s name	Not on the App Store
Can publish to the App Store	Yes	Yes	No
Team members	No team members. You can give up to 50 users access in App Store Connect, but they aren’t part of a team and don’t get membership resources	Invite members to the team, with roles for certificates, App Store Connect and all membership resources	Manage members under Program resources on the developer website
Annual fee	US$99	US$99	US$299
D-U-N-S Number	Not needed	Needed (except government entities)	Needed
Review	With correct details, you pay right after enrolling	Apple verifies the organization and your signing authority, emails you, then you pay	Document checks, use-case verification, an interview, ongoing evaluation and reverification at every renewal

For what else it costs to publish an app, see What an individual developer needs to publish an iOS app, and what it costs. Sources: enrollment help, Add and edit users, Enterprise Program.

Which Apple Developer account should you choose?

Your situation	Choose	Why
Independent developer who builds and ships alone	Individual	Fastest to enroll, no company documents
You build products alone but don’t want your real name on the App Store	Organization	Only organization accounts show a company name. Individual accounts always show your legal name
Agency or startup with several developers	Organization	Individual accounts can’t add team members, so colleagues can’t share the team’s certificates and device slots
You build apps for clients and publish them under the client’s name	The client enrolls its own organization account	The seller name, proceeds and agreements belong to the account owner, and you’re invited as a team member
Sole proprietor	Individual	Apple puts sole proprietors and single-person businesses in the individual category
Apps only for your company’s own employees	First check whether an organization account is enough	Apple asks you to consider the App Store, custom apps through Apple Business, Ad Hoc and TestFlight first, and the Enterprise Program only if none of them fit

What does an organization account need?

An organization account has five requirements beyond an individual one. Missing any of them stalls Apple’s verification.

A legal entity. It must be a legal entity that can sign contracts with Apple. DBAs, fictitious business names and branches aren’t accepted. A branch enrolls under its parent company.
Signing authority. The person who enrolls becomes the Account Holder and must be an owner, founder, executive, senior project lead or an employee authorized by senior management. If you aren’t a founder, provide a contact who can confirm your authority.
A work email. Use an email address on the company’s domain, not a free email service.
A company website. It must be publicly accessible and working, on a domain associated with the company. Sites that are only social media pages, have very little content or show a registrar’s parking page aren’t accepted.
A D-U-N-S Number. A nine-digit number assigned by Dun & Bradstreet. The next section shows how to look it up and request one.

Apple may ask for notarized business documents during verification. The Apple Account you enroll with needs two-factor authentication and your legal first and last name. Creating that Apple Account with your company email is a good idea.

How does Apple’s D-U-N-S lookup tool work?

A D-U-N-S Number is free in most regions, and Apple provides its own lookup and request tool, so you don’t need to pay a third party to get one.

Step 1: check whether your company already has one

Many companies already have a number without knowing it. Open Apple’s D-U-N-S lookup tool and enter the following.

Legal entity name
Headquarters address
Mailing address
Your work contact information

The name and address must match your business registration. If a number turns up, write it down and go straight to enrollment.

Step 2: request one if nothing is found

If nothing is found, the tool lets you submit your company details to Dun & Bradstreet and request a number for free. D&B staff may contact you directly to ask about your business type and number of employees, so have your business registration documents ready. If the lookup page shows region-specific instructions, follow them.

Step 3: wait for the number to become active

Stage	Time stated by Apple
D&B assigns the number	Up to 5 business days, and expediting doesn’t shorten it
No result after two weeks	Email D&B through the D&B support page
Apple receives the new number	Up to 2 business days, after which you can enroll the organization
Apple receives changes to your D&B record	Up to 2 business days

So if you start from nothing, allow one to two weeks for the number, plus Apple’s organization verification, for which Apple gives no standard duration. See Apple’s D-U-N-S Number help.

How do you migrate an individual membership to an organization?

Yes. Apple supports upgrading an individual membership to an organization membership if you’re a founder or co-founder of the company.

Get your company’s D-U-N-S Number as described above.
As the Account Holder of the individual account, submit a migration request on the developer website with your company details and D-U-N-S Number.
Provide any business documents Apple asks for.

Apple’s account information help doesn’t say how long migration takes. If you aren’t a founder, you can’t use this flow. Instead, have the company enroll its own organization account and move the app over with an app transfer. The Account Holders on both sides start and accept the transfer, and the app keeps its ratings and reviews, users keep getting updates and the Bundle ID stays the same. See Overview of app transfer.

Changing the name on your Apple Account doesn’t change the seller name shown on the App Store for an individual account.

Who is the Enterprise Program for?

The Enterprise Program costs US$299 per year and is for developing proprietary apps used only inside your organization and provided only to your own employees. It differs from the standard program in these ways.

A higher bar. 100 or more employees, a legal entity, a D-U-N-S Number, a public website associated with the company and an applicant with signing authority.
Restricted use. Apps are for your employees only, and you must have measures in place so only employees can download them. They can’t go on the App Store and can’t be given to customers or the public.
Stricter review. Apple verifies your use case and confirms that the App Store, custom apps through Apple Business, Ad Hoc and TestFlight can’t meet your needs. Applicants go through an interview and ongoing evaluation, with reverification at renewal. Apple can decline applications at its discretion.

Apps for the public, apps for clients and beta builds should all use the standard Developer Program.

What if enrollment gets stuck?

Issue	What happens	What to do
The name isn’t your legal name	Review is delayed	Change the first and last name on your Apple Account to the legal name on your ID. Don’t use a nickname, an alias or a company name
Two-factor authentication is off	You can’t start enrolling	Turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple Account in Settings on your iPhone
You’re under the age of majority where you live	You can’t enroll in your own name	A parent or guardian enrolls with their own Apple Account
Paying with someone else’s credit card	Enrollment is delayed and Apple asks for a government photo ID	Individuals should pay with their own card
Paying with Apple Account balance	Payment fails	Gift cards and account balance can’t pay the membership fee. Use a linked bank card or credit card
Payment fails when enrolling on the web	The card is declined	The web credit card form needs a card that can be charged in US dollars, or enroll in the Apple Developer app instead
Your identity was already verified	Verification fails on another account	Identity verified in the Apple Developer app is tied to that Apple Account, so enroll with the original account
The organization website doesn’t qualify	Organization verification fails	Set up a proper website on the company domain with a company description and contact information
D-U-N-S details don’t match your business registration	Verification fails	Ask D&B to update the record, wait 2 business days for it to reach Apple, then submit again
No confirmation email after payment	The account isn’t usable	If nothing arrives within 24 hours, contact Apple Developer Support with your Enrollment ID

Individuals can also enroll in the Apple Developer app. Depending on your region, you verify your identity with a government-issued ID and a photo of yourself, and you have to complete the whole flow on the same device. See Apple’s help for enrolling in the app.

Once your Apple Developer account is active, the next step is getting a certificate and provisioning profile. See Get an iOS certificate, p12 and provisioning profile on Windows. All three account types use the same certificate and profile structure for signing. When you use KXBuild on Windows, Linux or macOS, put them in the keychain folder as described in Certificates and signing.

FAQ

What’s the difference between an individual and an organization Apple Developer account?

An individual account shows your legal name on the App Store, can’t add team members and needs no company documents. An organization account shows the company name and lets you invite members, but needs a legal entity, a D-U-N-S Number, a company-domain email and a website. Both cost the same and both can publish to the App Store.

How do I get a D-U-N-S Number, and how long does it take?

Check Apple’s D-U-N-S lookup tool to see whether your company already has a number, and if not, request one for free in the same tool. D&B assigns it within 5 business days, Apple receives it within 2 more, and then you can enroll the organization.

Can I change an individual developer account to a company account?

Yes, if you’re a founder or co-founder of the company. Submit a migration request on the developer website with the D-U-N-S Number, and Apple may ask for business documents. If you aren’t a founder, have the company enroll its own organization account and transfer the app to it.

Can an enterprise developer account publish to the App Store?

No. The Enterprise Program is only for distributing proprietary apps internally to your own employees, requires 100 or more employees, and involves Apple’s verification and ongoing evaluation. To publish on the App Store, enroll a standard individual or organization account.

Can other people develop with me on an individual account?

You can’t add them to a development team. An individual account can give up to 50 users access in App Store Connect to manage app information or view data, but they don’t get certificates or other membership resources. If several people need to share certificates and devices, enroll an organization account.