Apple Developer Program licensing covers the agreements under which Apple licenses its developer tools, SDKs, certificates and distribution services. Apple publishes the agreements, with translations, on its developer terms index.[8] Xcode and the Apple SDKs can be downloaded free under the Xcode and Apple SDKs Agreement.[3] Letting a third party use an app built for iOS, watchOS, iPadOS, tvOS or visionOS, or distributing a Mac app through the App Store, requires a separate agreement: the Apple Developer Program License Agreement (DPLA).[3] Organizations that distribute proprietary apps only to their own employees may instead qualify for the Apple Developer Enterprise Program.[5] Both programs are sold as annual memberships. Xcode Cloud, Apple’s hosted continuous integration service, is metered in compute hours.[4][6]
Editions
| Option | Price (USD) | Distribution rights | Governing document |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Apple developer account | Free | Test on the developer’s own devices using Xcode; distribute macOS applications and libraries that comply with the Xcode agreement | Xcode and Apple SDKs Agreement[3][4] |
| Apple Developer Program | $99 annual membership | App Store, Custom App Distribution, TestFlight, Ad Hoc to Registered Devices, Developer ID outside the Mac App Store | DPLA[1][4] |
| Apple Developer Enterprise Program | 299 USD per membership year | Proprietary Internal Use Applications to employees and Permitted Users | ADEP License Agreement[2][5] |
| Xcode Cloud | 25 hours a month included; from US$49.99 a month | Hosted build and test | DPLA; Xcode Cloud overview[1][6] |
The catalog records six price rows with no part numbers: Apple Developer Program annual membership, Apple Developer Enterprise Program annual membership, and four Xcode Cloud tiers of 100, 250, 1,000 and 10,000 compute hours a month. The Xcode Cloud tiers cost US$49.99, US$99.99, US$399.99 and US$3,999.99 a month respectively.[6] Enterprise Program fees may also be charged “in local currency where available”.[5]
Metrics
| Apple term | Catalog row | Unit | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorized Developers | Authorized Developer | User | The licensee’s employees, contractors and members of its organization (and, for universities, faculty, staff and Authorized Student Developers) who each have an active Apple Developer account, need the software to develop and test, and are bound to protect Apple Confidential Information.[1] |
| Authorized Test Units | Authorized Test Unit | Device | Apple-branded hardware owned or controlled by the licensee and designated for its own testing and development; if permitted, also units of Authorized Developers used on its behalf.[1] |
| Registered Devices | Registered Device | Device | Apple hardware owned or controlled by the licensee, or by affiliated individuals, specifically registered with Apple under the Program.[1] |
| Deployment Devices | Deployment Device | Device | Authorized Test Units plus Apple products owned or controlled by the licensee, its Permitted Entity, employees or Permitted Users, but only where the licensee can remove or disable the Internal Use Application.[2] |
| Annual Program fee | Membership year | Membership | The annual fee set on the Program website, payable for each Program account.[1] |
| Compute hour | Xcode Cloud compute hour | Hour | “An hour of time used to execute a specific task in the cloud”; running five 12-minute tests equals one compute hour.[6] |
The membership fee is charged per Program account, not per developer. What the agreements count are the people on the team, the test devices and the distribution targets.
Counting / floors
Tools licence (effective 2026-06-08). The Xcode and Apple SDKs Agreement grants a “limited, non-exclusive, personal, revocable, non-sublicensable, non-transferable, and internal use license”. It allows a reasonable number of copies on Apple-branded computers the licensee owns or controls.[3] Use is “authorized only for execution on an Apple-branded product running macOS”. The software may not be made available over a network for use by several computers at once without Apple’s written permission.[3] Without a membership, macOS applications and libraries may still be distributed, but apps built with the other Apple SDKs may not.[3] Catalog proof: Xcode and SDKs run only on Apple hardware, not over a network, Xcode without membership: macOS distribution allowed, other platforms need the DPLA.
Team access (effective 2026-08-18). The developer account and its services may not be shared with anyone who is not an Authorized Developer on the team. Each team member must have their own Apple Account or credentials, and the licensee is responsible for all activity in the account.[1] Catalog proof: Developer account access only for Authorized Developers, each with own credentials.
Test devices. A Provisioning Profile may be installed on each Authorized Test Unit, up to the number the licensee has registered and acquired licences for.[1] While a test unit runs pre-release Apple software, only Authorized Developers may have access to it.[1] Catalog proof: Test provisioning limited to registered Authorized Test Units.
Ad Hoc distribution. Apps for iOS, watchOS, iPadOS, tvOS and visionOS may be distributed to people within, or affiliated with, the licensee’s organization, on “a limited number of Registered Devices (as specified in the Program web portal)”.[1] Each company, organization, educational institution or affiliated group may acquire only one Block of Registered Device Licenses, unless Apple agrees otherwise in writing.[1] Catalog proof: One Block of Registered Device Licenses per organization.
Term and fee. The DPLA runs to the first anniversary of the Program account’s activation date. It then renews automatically for one-year terms, as long as the licensee pays the renewal fee and complies with the agreement.[1] The annual fee is non-refundable, must be paid up before apps are submitted, and can be waived by Apple.[1] Apple may terminate the agreement if the licensee or an Authorized Developer fails to cure a breach within 30 days.[1] Catalog proof: Developer Program term one year; fee annual and non-refundable.
Hardware tie. The Apple SDKs may not be installed, used or run on a non-Apple-branded computer. Apple operating systems and Provisioning Profiles may not be used with devices other than Apple-branded products.[1] Catalog proof: Apple SDKs only on Apple-branded computers.
Enterprise Program
Internal use only (effective 2026-06-08). An Internal Use Application is software developed “on a custom basis for Your own in-house business purposes”. It is for internal use only, for example not downloadable from a public website, by employees or Permitted Users.[2] Beyond what §2.1 permits, such apps may not be made available to third parties in any way.[2] Permitted Users are employees of a Permitted Entity, Contract Employees, and others Apple approves in writing. For educational institutions they include faculty, staff and students, and for hospitals credentialed and referring physicians and clinicians. “Gig workers” paid per piece or per task are excluded from Contract Employees.[2] Catalog proof: Enterprise Program apps only for employees and Permitted Users.
Demonstrations. Demo Recipients may use Internal Use Applications only on the licensee’s or a Permitted Entity’s premises, under the direct supervision of employees or Permitted Users, or elsewhere under their direct supervision and physical control. The agreement gives a sales presentation as an example.[2] Catalog proof: Enterprise Program demos only under direct supervision.
Eligibility. The organization must have 100 or more employees and be a legal entity; DBAs, trade names and branches are not accepted. It must use the program only for proprietary internal apps, have systems that limit downloads to employees, and pass Apple’s verification interview and continuous evaluation. It also needs a D-U-N-S Number and a public website on its own domain, and it is verified again at each renewal.[5] The Enterprise agreement runs to the next anniversary of activation and renews for one-year terms, subject to the renewal fee.[2] Catalog proof: Enterprise Program eligibility: 100 or more employees and verification.
Virtualization & partitioning
The developer agreements have no virtualization clause of their own. The macOS SLA allows up to two additional virtualized macOS instances on each Mac for software development and testing during development.[7] The Xcode agreement expressly prohibits running any part of the Apple Software on non-Apple-branded hardware.[3] Build servers, whether physical or virtual, therefore need to run on Apple hardware. Details are in macOS licensing.
Cloud / BYOL
Xcode Cloud (effective 2026-08-18). Program members may use up to 25 Xcode Cloud compute hours a month. A purchased compute-hour subscription replaces those 25 hours for as long as it lasts; it does not add to them.[1] An upgrade takes effect immediately, with a refund for the time left in the month on the original subscription. A downgrade or cancellation takes effect at the next billing date. Apple may calculate or deny refunds based on usage.[1] Apple may onboard members to Xcode Cloud, or offer them subscriptions, “as capacity permits”.[1] Catalog proof: Xcode Cloud: 25 included hours replaced by a paid subscription.
Xcode Cloud use limits. Running a member’s Xcode Cloud Content inside Xcode Cloud is limited to testing that content, and mining cryptocurrency is prohibited. Builds provided by the service do not count as a distribution for contractual or licensing purposes. Apple may limit, suspend or revoke access, or end a build, if it believes a term has been breached.[1] Catalog proof: Xcode Cloud execution limited to testing; no cryptocurrency mining.
Third-party Mac hosting. Continuous integration on hosted Macs outside Xcode Cloud is governed by Section 3 of the macOS SLA, which allows leases of at least 24 consecutive hours for Permitted Developer Services.[7]
Programs
- Apple Developer Program and Apple Developer Enterprise Program. Described above.
- Custom App Distribution. Delivery of Licensed Applications through Apple Business Manager, Apple School Manager, or as Apple otherwise permits, to specific organizations or for the developer’s own internal use. Paid custom apps require Schedule 3.[1] See Apple Business and volume content licensing.
- Xcode Cloud. Requires Apple Developer Program membership.[6]
- MDM. Attachment 10 of the DPLA limits MDM to in-house management of the licensee’s employees’ devices, or of Authorized Test Units, unless Apple has selected the licensee as a third-party MDM developer.[1]
Out of scope
This article does not cover App Store commissions and payment Schedules 2 and 3, TestFlight tester limits, which are set on the TestFlight website, WeatherKit and other metered services, or the European Union alternative marketplace terms. It also omits Apple Developer Program fee waivers and the Apple School Manager equivalent of Custom App Distribution.