Can you publish an app for free? What Google Play and the App Store really cost
Short answer, not quite. Google Play charges a one time fee and Apple a yearly one. Here is what each store costs, who can get Apple's fee waived, and what you can do for free.
You cannot publish an app for free on Google Play or the App Store, but it is cheaper than many people think. Google Play charges a one time fee of 25 USD, and the App Store charges 99 USD a year (as of October 2026). After that, listing a free app costs nothing more, and you can build and share an app for free before you decide to pay.
Key facts
- Google Play: 25 USD, once, for the developer account. Prepaid cards are not accepted (Google).
- App Store: 99 USD per membership year, shown in your local currency (Apple).
- Fee waiver: Apple can waive the fee for eligible nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions and government entities (Apple).
- Free alternatives: a web app installed on the home screen, or a share link, needs no store and no fee.
- With Snapp: building and testing are possible on the Free plan. Publishing to the stores needs a paid plan.
- Install it as a web app (PWA). People add your app to their home screen from the browser. It opens full screen with its own icon. No store, no review, no fee. See How to install your app on any device.
- Send a link. Anyone with the link can open your app. See Share your app with others.
- You can build, preview and change your app.
- You can install it as a PWA and share it. A share link works for 24 hours from your last share; sharing again restarts the 24 hours.
- You cannot publish to Google Play or the App Store. That needs a paid plan.
- Get started with Play Console (registration fee)
- Apple Developer Program enrollment (fee and fee waivers)
- Apple Developer Program renewal
- Snapp pricing
Can I publish my app for free on the Play Store?
No. To publish on Google Play you need a Play Console developer account, and Google charges a one time registration fee of 25 USD. It is not yearly, and there is no extra fee per app. Google takes a share only when you sell something, such as a paid app or an in-app purchase.
If your account is a new personal account, Google also asks for a 14 day closed test with 12 testers before the app can go public. That costs time, not money: see Google Play's 12 testers rule.
How to publish an app to the App Store for free
For most people, you can't. The App Store requires an Apple Developer Program membership at 99 USD a year. Apple says that if your membership expires, your apps are no longer available for download and you cannot send new apps or updates; people who already installed them can keep using them (Apple).
The exception is the fee waiver. Apple says nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions and government entities that meet its requirements can request one. Individuals and ordinary businesses are not on that list.
What publishing really costs
| Cost | Google Play | App Store |
|---|---|---|
| Developer account | 25 USD once | 99 USD a year |
| Per app | Nothing | Nothing |
| When you sell | The store takes a share | The store takes a share |
| Free apps | No fee beyond the account | No fee beyond the account |
Free ways to get your app on people's phones
If you are not ready to pay yet, you still have options:
These are good for testing an idea with friends or a small group. To show up in Google Play or App Store search, you need the store.
What Snapp's Free plan includes
On Snapp's Free plan you can build apps and preview them on your phone. New accounts get 15 credits, and on up to 5 days a month Snapp tops your balance back up to 7.5 credits when you open it, enough for one new app. A change to an app takes about 3 credits.
On the Free plan:
Paid plans start with Starter at 24.99 USD a month: 150 credits and 3 store builds a month, plus permanent share links and code export to GitHub (US prices as of October 2026; the stores show local prices). Snapp then publishes into your own developer account: it prepares the store page, fills in the store forms, builds the app and follows the review.
So the cheapest way to get an app on both stores in your first month is the two store fees plus one month of Starter. If you only want Android, it is 25 USD once plus Starter.
Frequently asked questions
Is there any way to publish on Google Play without paying 25 USD? Not to Google Play itself. The fee is required for every developer account. You can share your app as a web app for free instead.
Do I pay Apple again for each app? No. One membership covers all your apps. You pay again each year to keep the membership.
Can I publish a free app and earn money later? Yes. Free apps cost nothing beyond the account fee. If you add in-app purchases later, the store takes a share of each sale.
Can I try Snapp before paying? Yes. The Free plan lets you build and preview apps, so you can see your app working before you pay for a plan or a developer account.
See what you can build for free at snappai.co.
Sources
Last updated: October 2026.
Snapp Team
Articles and content from the SNAPP team