appstorelogocleanApple today announced the official availability of fee waivers for its Apple Developer Program for nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions, and government entities in the United States who plan to distribute free apps on the App Store.

Qualified organizations are able to apply for the waiver, which will provide a free annual membership to the Developer Program. Apple normally charges developers $99 per year.

Apple's plan to offer free developer memberships to government and nonprofit apps in the United States was first highlighted in late December when its App Store guidelines were updated.

Apple's new Membership Fee Waiver webpage includes details on which organizations are eligible for the discount. Requirements include a EIN/Tax ID number, a D-U-N-S number, and legal entity status. Apple will review each fee waiver request.

Entities that receive the fee waiver may not publish paid apps or apps with in-app purchases, and members of the Apple Developer Enterprise Program are not eligible. The program is also not available to individuals and sole proprietors/single person businesses.

Fee waivers are currently limited to the United States, but Apple says waivers will be added for other countries "as they become available."

Top Rated Comments

OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
97 months ago
Why all this legal mess? Make it free to distribute free apps, end of story.
No thanks. Then you end up with so much garbage that it'd take months to get your app approved.

Legit developers are just fine paying $99 a year for what they get in return. We make it back in minutes.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrono1081 Avatar
97 months ago
How about waiving the stupid fee for individuals who develop non-commercial apps? $99 is a lot if you just want to make an app for iOS that only you use.
You've been able to do this for years now. Tim Cook announced it in I think 2013 or 2014 that you no longer had to pay for a developer account if you were just learning and were uploading to your own device.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kasakka Avatar
97 months ago
How about waiving the stupid fee for individuals who develop non-commercial apps? $99 is a lot if you just want to make an app for iOS that only you use.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cosmosent Avatar
97 months ago
NOT that Apple will act on it, but I sent an email to Tim Cook yesterday, requesting that Developers be allowed to sell their iOS apps off their own website ... even said that I'd be OK if Apple took a 15% cut if they handled all of the financial transactions.

Such a move would significantly help App Developer companies with Unique & Innovative apps.

As many know, the iOS App Store is now almost strictly "curated," AND that Apple / Tim Cook has had, and continues to have, a complete Stranglehold on App Discovery.

--> Offering "Independence" from their iOS App Store would be the single-best thing Apple could do for their Developer community. <--

Apple's recent attempts to try to Prop-up the App Store, such as Pre-Orders, which basically ONLY applies to Games, and the expansion of Search Ads, which in general is a very stupid thing, won't save the iOS App Store.

The ONLY way the iOS App Store gets fixed is if the significance of Ratings are directly tied to Usage ... if a User rated the app, but then hasn't used it for 30 days, that rating disappears from the Rankings algorithm.

That would clean-up the Rankings mess in a heart beat, but for whatever reason, Apple either can't, or won't, fix it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kapangas Avatar
97 months ago


--> Offering "Independence" from their iOS App Store would be the single-best thing Apple could do for their Developer community. <--

No.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FelixDerKater Avatar
97 months ago
Apple is changing.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
iOS 26 Hold Assist

Google Says iOS 26 Copies Three Android Features

Tuesday June 17, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
In a new ad, Google says iOS 26 copies three Android features that have been available on Pixel phones for years: Live Translate, Hold Assist, and Call Screening. The video, part of the ongoing #BestPhonesForever series, shows an iPhone and a Pixel 9 Pro talking to each other on a fictional podcast. "I announced live translation for text messages," the iPhone says. "And it turned out...