The first step to publishing an app on the App Store is to register for an Apple Developer account. Both individual and company accounts cost 688 CNY per year, but they differ in the application process, required materials, and permissions. Which account type you choose depends on your developer identity and team structure.

Individual Account

Individual accounts have the fastest registration. After submitting materials, you usually receive an approval notification within about 1 day. Registering with personal identity information, the app page on the App Store will show the individual’s name. It is suitable for independent developers or personal studios.

The limitation of an individual account is that it can only be used by one person; you cannot add team members. An account can register up to 100 test devices.

Company Account

Company accounts also cost 688 CNY per year and, like individual accounts, display the company name on the App Store after publishing. They are suitable for teams with a formal entity. Company accounts allow you to create a development team, add members, and set different permissions: Admin Legal (super administrator), Admin (administrator), Member (regular developer), and No Access.

Applying for a company account requires a D-U-N-S Number. If you don’t have one, you need to apply, which takes approximately 7-14 business days. The overall registration cycle is longer than that for individual accounts, generally ranging from 3-4 business days to two weeks.

Enterprise Account

Enterprise accounts cost $299 per year and are used for internal app distribution within an enterprise. They don’t require App Store review, but the apps cannot be published on the App Store. Currently, new applications are essentially not accepted.

Account Registration Process

On the Apple Developer website, register an Apple ID using your email address, fill in personal information as prompted, and verify your email and phone number to complete registration. Then download the Apple Developer App on your iPhone or iPad, log in, and select an account type. For an individual account, submit your name, ID number, address, and other information, complete facial recognition, and pay 688 CNY.

Company accounts also require the D-U-N-S Number and company qualification documents. Since 2020, registration must be completed through the Apple Developer App; the web portal no longer supports new registrations.

What to Do After Registration

After successful registration, you can create certificates and provisioning profiles in Appuploader. Certificates are divided into development certificates (for debugging on real devices) and distribution certificates (for publishing to the App Store). On the certificate management page, click Add, select the type, enter a name and password, and the tool will automatically generate a P12 file from Apple’s servers. It is recommended to enable certificate synchronization for easy sharing within the team.

Provisioning profiles are created on the provisioning profile management page, and you need to bind the Bundle ID, certificate, and test devices. The development provisioning profile requires the UDID of test devices, which Appuploader automatically reads when connected. Distribution provisioning profiles do not require binding to devices. Free accounts can also create certificates, but they are only valid for 7 days and cannot be used to publish apps on the App Store.