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How to publish an app on the App Store and Google Play without being a developer

Publishing an app on the stores doesn't require coding skills. It requires method: two developer accounts, a complete store listing, screenshots, and a little patience during review. Here is the full path, the real costs, and the traps that cost people weeks.

Eyal Ouaknine · Published on November 12, 2026 · 7 min read

Can you publish an app on the App Store without knowing how to code?

Yes. Apple and Google never ask to see your code. They ask for three things: an app that works, a developer account in your name (or your business's name), and a listing that describes the app honestly. The app itself can come from an agency, a freelancer or a no-code tool: what matters is the final file you submit and the information that goes with it.

The technical part (building that file, signing it, uploading it) is exactly what no-code tools handle for you. The admin part stays yours: creating the accounts, paying the fees, filling in the listing, answering Apple's or Google's questions. That's the part that takes time, and it's the part this article walks through.

How much does it cost to publish on the App Store and Google Play?

Store fees are fixed and public. You pay them directly to Apple and Google, whatever tool built the app.

Store fees, paid directly by the app owner (checked in November 2026).
Item	App Store (Apple)	Google Play
Developer account	$99 a year (Apple Developer Program)	$25, one time
If you stop paying	The app disappears from the App Store	Nothing to renew
Review	Every version is reviewed, often within one to two days, with no guarantee	The app is checked before it goes live
Special requirement	Organization account: a D-U-N-S number	New personal account: closed test with 12 testers for 14 days

On top of these fees comes the cost of the tool or provider that builds the app. In France, an agency charges between €7,000 and €50,000, with a median of €30,000 (La Fabrique du Net study of 283 projects in France, 2026). On the no-code side, the public plans that let you publish to the stores start at around $36 a month with Adalo and €40 a month with GoodBarber on annual billing (checked in September 2026, excluding Apple and Google fees). The details are in our article on how much a mobile app costs.

How do you create an Apple developer account?

This is the longest step on the Apple side, especially if you want to publish under your company's name. Allow a few days if everything is ready, longer if a document is missing.

Create an Apple ID with two-factor authentication turned on, from an Apple device or on Apple's website.
Choose the account type. Individual: your own name appears as the seller on the App Store. Organization: your company's or nonprofit's name appears, but Apple asks for a D-U-N-S number.
If you choose Organization, request your D-U-N-S number (free, allow a few days). Make sure the name and address match your business records exactly.
Enroll on the Apple Developer Program page and pay the $99 for the year.
Once the account is active, invite the person or tool that will submit the app for you, rather than sharing your password.

For a barber or a restaurant run as a sole proprietorship, an Individual account is often enough. For a nonprofit or a club, an Organization account is clearer for members: the app is published under the club's name, and it doesn't depend on a volunteer who might leave.

How do you publish on Google Play with a personal account?

Google is cheaper, but it has added a step many people discover too late. With a new personal account, you must first run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before you can apply for production access. Those testers must have accepted the invitation and installed the app.

Line up your 12 testers before you even create the account: family, loyal customers, board members of your association.
Ask them to open the app several times over the two weeks, not just on day one.
An Organization account skips this test, but it also requires a D-U-N-S number (free, a few days).
The $25 is paid once, in the Google Play Console.

For a padel club that already has 80 members, finding 12 testers takes an evening. For a shop that's just starting out, it's harder: in that case, an Organization account is often worth the few days' wait for a D-U-N-S number.

What do you need to prepare for the store listing?

The listing is what your customers see on the store, and what Apple's and Google's review teams read. An incomplete listing is one of the most common causes of rejection or delay.

Name and subtitle: your business name, and one sentence that says what the app is for.
Description: what the app actually lets people do, with no promise it doesn't keep.
Icon and screenshots in the sizes required for phones (and tablets, if the app is offered there).
Privacy policy: an online page explaining what data the app collects and why.
Data questionnaire: Apple and Google ask you to declare the data you collect (email, name, location…).
Age rating, category, contact address and support website.
Demo account if the app requires a login: the review team must be able to sign in and see everything.

Why does Apple reject an app?

The rules are public: they're the App Store Review Guidelines. For a small business app, rejections rarely come from the content. They usually come from practical details.

The app crashes, or a button leads to an empty screen or a "coming soon" page.
The demo account doesn't work, or wasn't provided.
The app looks too much like a plain website in a wrapper, offering nothing more than a browser would.
The app lets people create an account but not delete it from within the app.
The listing promises a feature that isn't there, or the screenshots don't match the app.

A rejection isn't a disaster: Apple explains why, you fix it, you resubmit. But each round trip can cost a few days. So leave yourself some margin before an important date, like the start of a season or a launch night.

How long does it take to get on the stores?

Starting from scratch, here's a realistic timeline when everything goes well. It depends mostly on the type of account you choose.

Step	Typical time
D-U-N-S number (Organization account)	A few days
Creating and verifying the Apple and Google accounts	From a few hours to a few days
Preparing the listing, screenshots and privacy policy	One or two evenings
Google closed test (new personal account)	14 days minimum
Apple review of the first version	Often one to two days, no guarantee

The practical takeaway: allow two to three weeks from start to finish if you publish on Google Play with a personal account, and start the admin steps while the app is being built, not after.

Do you really need to be on the stores from day one?

Not always. An app shared by web link opens in one tap from WhatsApp, Instagram or a QR code on the counter, and it can be added to the phone's home screen. For a restaurant testing a takeaway menu or a club managing its bookings, it's often the best way to check that customers actually use it before paying Apple's fees.

The stores bring something else: the trust of an "official" icon, visibility in store searches, and notifications on the lock screen. They're worth it once the app has found its audience. To compare both approaches for your business, read app or website for my business.

And with Yatsury, how does publishing work?

Let's be precise. Today, Yatsury publishes your app by web link (with a QR code, and it can be added to the home screen), free for up to 50 members. Publishing on the App Store and Google Play is in preparation and coming soon: it isn't available yet.

It will be included in the Yatsury subscription (€24 a month with no commitment, about $26, or €240 a year), with no publishing fee from us.
Apple's fees ($99 a year) and Google's ($25 once) are still paid directly by you, on your own accounts: the app stays in your name.
Step-by-step guidance will cover the stages in this article: accounts, listing, testers, review.
In the meantime, you can build the app, try it and share it by link right now, then publish it on the stores once that opens: try the Studio, no account or credit card needed.

If store publishing is essential tomorrow, a tool that already offers it, such as Adalo or GoodBarber, is the better choice today. If you first want an app that works and customers who use it, start with the web link. Examples by business: restaurant, sports club, shop.

Build your app now and share it by link, no developer account needed. You can prepare the stores while your customers try it out.

Try it for free

A word from the founder

For my first app, three steps took longer than I expected: creating the Apple developer account, preparing the listing with its screenshots, and then getting through Apple's review. None of them is insurmountable, but together they're discouraging. That's the step we want to go through with you, one stage at a time.

Eyal Ouaknine

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a Mac to publish on the App Store?

Not if a tool or provider builds and submits the app for you. You manage your Apple account and your listing from a web browser.

Can you publish on the App Store for free?

No. Apple charges $99 a year for the developer account, and Google $25 once. An app shared by web link, however, costs nothing on the store side.

What is the 12-tester requirement on Google Play?

With a new personal account, Google requires a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before production. An Organization account, with a D-U-N-S number, avoids it.

Does Yatsury already publish to the stores?

Not yet: it's in preparation. Today, the app is published by web link and QR code, and can be added to the home screen.

Apps for your business

Sources

Apple Developer Program
App Store Review Guidelines (Apple)
Google Play Console
Google Play Console Help: testing requirements for new personal developer accounts
La Fabrique du Net: study on the price of a mobile app in France (283 projects, 2026)
Adalo and GoodBarber public plans, checked in September 2026