Olune

Launch: the app stores · Stage 4: ship and find users

Shipping a vibe-coded app to the App Store and Google Play: fees, rules and which tools can do it

Which AI builders can put an app in the App Store and Google Play, what each store charges, the review rules that reject AI-built apps, and Google Play's 12-tester test for new accounts. Fees and rules checked on Apple, Google and vendor pages on 2026-10-13 and 2026-10-14.

Updated

Key takeaways

  • As of October 2026, Apple charges $99 a year and Google Play $25 once. On the US stores, Apple takes 15% if you join its Small Business Program and 30% if you do not (on subscriptions, 30% only in a subscriber's first year). Google charges 10% plus a 5% billing fee on every sale up to $1 million a year once you enroll in its 15% service fee tier.
  • Bolt builds with Expo for both stores, Replit with Expo for the App Store (its docs show no Google Play upload), Rork builds native Swift and Kotlin apps, Vibecode submits native Swift apps to App Review for you, Base44 wraps your web app in a web view, and Lovable has no store path. With Cursor, Claude Code, Codex or Windsurf, the build and upload are yours to run, for example with Expo's EAS.
  • A new personal Google Play account must keep 12 testers opted in to a closed test for 14 consecutive days, then apply for production with answers on the app's target audience and how it gives users value. Google says the review after that usually takes 7 days or less.
  • Apple's review rules judge the finished app, and none mentions AI-written code. Our pick (editorial) of the rules a fast AI build tends to miss: more than a repackaged website (4.2), not a copy of a crowded category (4.3(b)), a working demo login, in-app account deletion, and consent before personal data goes to a third-party AI.
  • Olune has no App Store or Google Play data, so search both stores yourself. Even a narrow search, sleep schedule apps for night shift nurses, returned 17 distinct App Store apps in the first 20 Google results (Google US, 2026-10-14).

Can your tool ship to the stores?

What each tool's own docs and pricing pages say about getting an app into the App Store and Google Play, as of October 2026. Every route also needs your own paid Apple and Google developer accounts, priced in the next table.

Can your tool ship to the stores?
ToolApp Store (iPhone)Google Play (Android)What it buildsPlan and catches
BoltYes. Builds with Expo, then TestFlight and the App Store.Yes. Google Play internal testing, then production.One Expo (React Native) code base for both stores. Put "mobile app" in your first prompt: Bolt says web projects "do not easily switch over to mobile".Bolt's Expo guide names no plan. You need paid Apple and Google developer accounts.
ReplitYes. Its Launch feature builds, signs and uploads the app to App Store Connect, then TestFlight.Builds and previews Android. We found no Google Play upload step in Replit's docs.Native iOS and Android apps with Expo. Replit's payments guide uses RevenueCat for in-app purchases.The upload guide names no plan. Your Apple ID must be enrolled in the Apple Developer Program.
RorkYes. Builds on Rork's machines and submits to TestFlight and the App Store, with no Mac or Xcode needed.Yes. Signs the Android App Bundle and sends the release to Google Play.Native apps: Swift with SwiftUI for iPhone, Kotlin with Jetpack Compose for Android.Pro, $20 a month, builds native apps. Free runs Design mode only. iOS builds and cloud simulators cost extra credits.
VibecodeYes. A native Swift app is built and signed on Vibecode's cloud Macs, uploaded and sent to App Review for you. A React Native app goes to App Store Connect through Expo Launch, and you submit it for review yourself.No built-in flow. On the Pro and Max plans you can download a React Native project's code and upload it with your own Play Console account.Native Swift and SwiftUI for iPhone and iPad, or React Native with Expo for iPhone and Android. Its web apps do not go to the stores.App Store submission needs Plus, $20 a month, and the code download for Google Play needs Pro, $50 a month. Builds use credits. No Mac or Xcode needed.
Base44Yes, as a web view. It generates the App Store file (IPA) and you submit it in App Store Connect.Yes, the same way, with a Google Play file (AAB).Your published Base44 web app inside a native wrapper that opens only its URL.The store scan works on Free. Downloading the store files needs Builder or higher, $40 a month billed annually. Base44 does not submit for you.
LovableNo. Publishing always deploys to a web URL.No built-in path.Web apps. Its docs suggest an installable PWA, or a Capacitor shell built outside Lovable around your published URL.The Lovable mobile app lets you build from your phone. It does not turn your project into a store app. Rork documents importing a Lovable project to rebuild it as a native app.
Google AI Studio (Build mode)Not mentioned in its docs.Publishes to the Play Store for internal testing.Native Android apps in Kotlin with Jetpack Compose, plus web apps.The docs state no Build mode price. Paid models and Cloud Run hosting may cost.
v0No. We found no store path in its docs.No.Next.js web apps deployed on Vercel. A PWA is the closest route to a phone.No store route to price.
Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, WindsurfThrough your own build step. Expo's EAS Build runs iOS builds on Expo's cloud Macs, and EAS Submit uploads to App Store Connect.EAS Submit uploads the .aab to Google Play Console. For a new app, its first release goes to internal testing.Whatever you ask for in your own repo: Expo, Swift or Kotlin.Expo's Free plan includes up to 15 Android and 15 iOS builds in a low-priority queue, plus store submission. Starter is $19 a month plus usage. The manual iOS route is Xcode on a Mac.

Prices checked on vendor pages 2026-10-13. "We found no path" means the docs we read describe none. The vendor may still offer one. Plans and credits for the browser builders are compared on Lovable vs Bolt vs Replit.[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]

What it costs to be on the stores

Fees as of October 2026, in USD. Apple figures are for the US and most other storefronts. China mainland, Japan and Apple's alternative terms in the EU differ (see the note below). Apple's percentages are of the price minus applicable taxes. Google's 2026 fee table took effect for US, UK and EEA users on 2026-06-30, and for Australia and Japan on 2026-09-30.

What it costs to be on the stores
FeeApple App StoreGoogle Play
Account to publish$99 a year (Apple Developer Program)$25 once (registration fee)
Subscriptions, small developer15% with the Small Business Program, from a subscriber's first billing cycle. You keep 85%.US, UK, EEA, Australia and Japan: 10% plus a 5% billing fee on auto-renewing subscriptions, for new and existing installs.
Subscriptions, without that program30% in each subscriber's first year (you keep 70%), then 15% once they pass one year of paid service.Still 10% plus 5%. Every row of Google's 2026 table charges that on subscriptions. Markets still on the old fees: 15%.
Paid apps and one-time in-app purchases15% with the Small Business Program. Without it, Apple's standard commission is 30%.First $1 million of annual earnings: 10% plus a 5% billing fee once you enroll in Google's 15% service fee tier. Google's Standard row: 20% plus 5% for users who first installed on or after the rollout date.
Who gets the small-developer rateDevelopers new to the App Store, or with up to $1 million in proceeds in the prior calendar year. You must enroll, and the rate starts 15 days after the end of the fiscal month Apple approves you.Your first $1 million (USD) of earnings each year. Google's table links this row to its 15% service fee tier page, which says you enroll in Play Console: a payments profile, an Account Group, then accept the tier's terms.

Prices checked on vendor pages 2026-10-13. Outside the US: since 2026-03-15, Apple's China mainland storefront charges 25%, or 12% with the Small Business Program. In Japan, Apple charges a 21% commission (10% in the Small Business Program) plus a 5% fee when Apple In-App Purchase processes the payment. Not covered here: sales tax handling by the stores, and any Apple fee on US links to your own website.[19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28]

What the store cut means for a small app

Worked from the fee table above, at list rates as of October 2026, before tax.

  • Per subscriber at $4.99 a month. With the Small Business Program, Apple keeps $0.75 (15% of $4.99) and you keep $4.24. Google Play in the US keeps the same $0.75 (10% plus 5%), with or without its 15% tier. Without the program, Apple keeps $1.50 (30%) in each subscriber's first year and you keep $3.49.[20], [21], [27]
  • Per one-time purchase at $4.99. With the Small Business Program, Apple keeps $0.75 (15%) and you keep $4.24. Without it, Apple keeps $1.50 (30%). Google keeps $0.75 (10% plus 5%) on your first $1 million a year once you enroll in its 15% tier, and $1.25 (20% plus 5%) at its Standard rate for new installs.[20], [22], [23], [27], [28]
  • For a whole small app. Scenario C on our costs page prices every monthly line of a small mobile app on both stores, with and without Apple's Small Business Program. Our call (editorial): enroll before your first sale.

Rules that reject AI-built apps

Apple's App Review Guidelines (last updated 2026-06-08) and Google Play's policies, as read on 2026-10-13 and 2026-10-14. Apple's guidelines never mention AI-written code. They judge the finished app. Tick each one before you submit.

  • Apple 4.2: more than a website in a shell. Apple wants features, content and UI that "elevate it beyond a repackaged website". Our call (editorial): that is the main risk for a web view (the Base44 route) or a Capacitor shell around a Lovable URL. Google Play does not allow apps that lack "adequate utility as mobile apps". Our suggestion (editorial): add something the website cannot do, such as offline use, notifications or the camera, before you submit.[29], [11], [13], [31]
  • Apple 4.3(b): not a copy of a crowded category. Apple says not to submit apps "indistinguishable from what's already widely available". It names dating, flashlight, sound effects, wallpaper, simple timers and fortune telling as categories that need a meaningfully different or improved experience. Google Play's spam policy bars apps that merely repeat the experience of apps already on Google Play. See when your app idea already exists.[29], [30]
  • Apple 2.1: a reviewer can log in and the backend is on. If the app has a login, give App Review a working demo account and keep your backend running during review. A built-in demo mode can replace the account only with Apple's prior approval. Remove placeholder text first: Apple says it rejects builds that crash or show obvious technical problems. Google asks for working login credentials when you apply for production access.[29], [35]
  • Apple 5.1.1: privacy policy and account deletion. Link a privacy policy in App Store Connect and inside the app. If people can create an account in the app, they must be able to delete it in the app too.[29]
  • Apple 5.1.2(i): consent before data goes to a third-party AI. If the app sends personal data to an outside AI model, say so clearly and get explicit permission first. Check this one if your AI feature sends what users type or upload to a model from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or another provider.[29]
  • Apple 4.8: an equal login option next to Google Sign-In. If the main account uses a third-party login such as Google Sign-In, also offer a login that limits data to name and email, lets people keep their email private, and does not track them for ads without consent. Apps that use only their own account sign-in are exempt.[29]
  • Payments: digital features go through store billing. Apple 3.1.1 requires in-app purchase to sell features or subscriptions inside the app. Google Play requires its billing for in-app digital purchases unless you enroll in a program for eligible regions. Base44's docs warn that a store app using Stripe for digital content inside the app is rejected, while Stripe for physical goods and services is allowed. On the US App Store, a button or link that sends buyers to your own website is allowed under 3.1.1(a).[29], [32], [11]
  • Upload requirements that old templates miss. Since 2026-04-28, Apple only accepts builds made with Xcode 26 or later on the iOS 26 SDK. Since 2026-08-31, new apps and updates on Google Play must target Android 16 (API level 36); Google offers an extension to 2026-11-01 on request. An older starter template or Expo project may need upgrading first.[33], [34]

Copy before you submit

Two texts to copy. Fill in the brackets of the first and paste it into the App Review notes in App Store Connect. Paste the second into Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Windsurf or your builder: it asks for a report and no changes. Both are our suggestions (editorial). The rules they check are in the list above.

1. App Review notes

Demo account: [email] / [password]. The backend stays on during review. What the app does that our website cannot: [offline use, notifications or camera]. Delete account: [menu path]. AI feature: the app sends [what] to [provider] after the user agrees on [screen]. Privacy policy: in App Store Connect and at [menu path].

2. Ask your coding tool to check the build

Read this project as an App Store reviewer would. List every place where an account can be created but not deleted in the app, where personal data goes to an outside AI model before a consent screen, where a third-party login has no equivalent private-email option, where digital features are sold without in-app purchase, and where placeholder text or dead links remain. Give file paths. Do not change any code.

Google Play's closed test for new accounts

This applies to personal Google Play developer accounts created after November 13, 2023. The rules below are from Google's Play Console Help, read on 2026-10-14.

  1. Step 1: Register and verify

    Pay the $25 registration fee and verify your identity: Google may ask for a government ID and a credit card in your legal name. New personal accounts must also verify access to an Android device with the Play Console mobile app.[26]

  2. Step 2: Try internal testing first (optional)

    Internal testing reaches a small group of trusted testers, and you can use it before app setup is complete. Internal testing does not count toward the 12 testers and 14 days: only a closed test does. Our call (editorial): use it to catch crashes before the 14-day clock starts. Bolt, Rork, Google AI Studio and Expo's EAS Submit all put a new Android release on this track first.[35], [1], [6], [14], [17]

  3. Step 3: Finish app setup, then start a closed test

    A closed test needs your app setup complete in Play Console. Add at least 12 testers. Google suggests friends, family, colleagues, classmates and communities where your future users already gather.[35]

  4. Step 4: Keep 12 opted in for 14 days in a row

    At least 12 testers must stay opted in continuously for the 14 days before you apply. A tester who leaves and rejoins starts a new 14 days. Our call (editorial): recruit a few more than 12, so one dropout does not cost you the run.[35]

  5. Step 5: Collect feedback and fix what it finds

    Read the Testing feedback page in Play Console and fix what testers report. When you apply, Google asks you to summarize that feedback and say what you changed because of it.[35]

  6. Step 6: Apply for production

    Apply from the Dashboard and answer three sections: your closed test, your app, and its production readiness. The first asks whether testers used all the features and whether their use matched how real users would behave. The second asks for your target audience, how the app gives users value, and an estimated install range for its first year. Add working test login details if the app needs sign-in. Google says review usually takes 7 days or less. Fewer than 12 opted-in testers or weak tester engagement can mean more testing. Our arithmetic: plan on about three weeks from the day your twelfth tester opts in.[35]

Check the store before you build

Store review checks whether your app is complete and follows the rules. It does not check whether anyone wants it. Each step below is one search and costs nothing.

  1. Step 1: Search the US App Store through Google

    Search site:apps.apple.com/us followed by what your app does, and count distinct app ids (the number after /id in each link). The /us removes most other-country pages, but the same app can still show twice as an iPad, Watch or other-language page. A narrow search can still be crowded: on 2026-10-14, site:apps.apple.com/us sleep schedule app for night shift nurses returned 17 distinct apps in the first 20 results (Google US), and 9 of them had both sleep and shift in the app name. The same search on 2026-10-13 returned 18, so treat the count as rough.[37]

  2. Step 2: Search Google Play the same way

    Search site:play.google.com/store/apps followed by what your app does, and count distinct package ids (the text after id= in each link). The same nurse search returned 20 distinct apps in the first 20 results on 2026-10-14, though several were shift calendars or alarms rather than sleep planners. Open each result before you count it as a competitor.[38]

  3. Step 3: Read the top three apps' low-star reviews

    Our method (editorial): search inside each store in your buyer's words, open the top three results, and read the 1 to 3 star reviews. Specific complaints about named apps are where a gap shows up. The five-search check adds Product Hunt and Reddit.

  4. Step 4: Check Apple's named categories

    If your app is a dating app, flashlight, sound effects app, wallpaper app, simple timer or fortune teller, Apple says it will not accept it without a meaningfully different or improved experience.[29]

  5. Step 5: Write the difference in one sentence

    Our call (editorial): if most results do the same job, write one sentence on what yours does that they do not, and for whom. If you cannot, the store is the smaller problem. That sentence is also what 4.3(b) asks for, and the angle Olune's competition score looks for.

Store first or web first? (our call, editorial)

Written for a solo builder with AI coding tools, no audience yet, building in spare time. If you have not yet seen anyone want the app, a web version reaches people the same day: no annual fee, no review queue, no 14-day test. A PWA can still sit on a phone home screen.

Go to the stores first when the app depends on what only a phone does well, such as offline use, the camera, notifications or widgets, or when your buyers look for this kind of tool in an app store. Then pick a tool from the first table that builds for the phone from day one. Bolt, for one, says web projects do not easily switch over to mobile later.

Before the $99: check who would pay for the app

You now know what the stores charge. The open question is whether anyone will pay for the app. Describe your app and who it is for, and Olune scores the idea free. A free sign-in then runs the research: search demand, public complaints in Reddit threads found through Google, and competitors from Google and Product Hunt. You get Cook it, Sleep on it or Kill it, with the reasoning. It does not search the stores, so do the two store searches above as well. 3 a day, no card.

Free score, no account. The research needs a free sign-in.

Run your app idea, then pick the store

Google's production form asks for your target audience and how the app gives users value. Answer both before you build. Write what the app does, who it is for, and what the apps already in the store miss. Olune scores it free, and a free sign-in runs the research on demand, complaints and competitors. Kill is a normal answer and comes with 3 to 5 pivots instead of a Build Kit. The analysis is LLM-assisted and can vary between runs. 3 a day, no card.

Free score, no account. The research needs a free sign-in.

Common questions

Can Lovable make a mobile app for the App Store?

Not on its own: Lovable's docs say publishing always deploys to a web URL and there is no built-in flow to the App Store or Google Play. The docs suggest an installable PWA, or a Capacitor shell built outside Lovable around your published URL, which then has to pass Apple's 4.2 rule on repackaged websites. Rork also documents a path that imports a Lovable project and rebuilds it as a native app, as of October 2026.

Can you publish a Vibecode app to the App Store?

Yes. Vibecode's docs say it builds, uploads and submits a native Swift app for you, while a React Native app reaches App Store Connect through Expo Launch and you submit it yourself. You need its Plus plan or higher and your own Apple Developer account at $99 a year, and there is no built-in Google Play flow, as of October 2026.

Can I publish an app to the App Store for free?

No. As of October 2026, the Apple Developer Program costs $99 a year and a Google Play account costs $25 once. Testing on your own phone can be free: Bolt's Expo guide says you can test with Expo's development tools, and the paid accounts are for store distribution. A PWA is the free way onto a phone, but it is not in either store.

Why was my app rejected under guideline 4.2?

A 4.2 rejection means Apple judged the app not useful, unique or app-like enough, for example a website in a native shell. Add features the website cannot offer, such as offline use, notifications or the camera, and say in the review notes what the app does that the site does not. Saying it in the review notes is our suggestion (editorial). Apple's submission checklist does ask you to explain non-obvious features there.

How do I get 12 testers for 14 days on Google Play?

Ask people you know and people in communities where your future users gather, which is what Google's help page suggests, and recruit a few more than 12 in case one drops out. All 12 must stay opted in for 14 consecutive days, and internal testing does not count. Paid tester services show up in Google results. We have not tested them, but Google's form asks whether testers used every feature and behaved like real users, and Google can require more testing when engagement is low.

Can I sell a vibe-coded app?

Yes. We found nothing in Apple's App Review Guidelines (read 2026-10-13) that rejects an app because AI wrote the code; review judges the finished app. To sell features or subscriptions inside the app you must use in-app purchase on the App Store and Google Play billing on Google Play, apart from buttons and links to your own website on the US App Store (Apple 3.1.1(a)) and Google's alternative-billing programs for eligible regions.

How do I publish a Bolt app to the App Store?

Bolt builds mobile apps with Expo and publishes to TestFlight and then the App Store, as of October 2026. Put "mobile app" in your first prompt, because Bolt says web projects do not easily switch over. You also need a paid Apple Developer account.

Do I need a Mac to publish an iPhone app?

No, if a cloud service builds it. Expo's EAS Build runs iOS builds on Expo's cloud Macs and EAS Submit works from Windows or Linux, and Rork and Vibecode both say you do not need Xcode or a Mac to publish. The manual route, building and uploading with Xcode, needs macOS.

Sources

Each number in brackets on this page points here. Prices and limits change; the date is when we read the page.

  1. [1]Bolt support, Expo (mobile apps, TestFlight, App Store, Google Play) · accessed
  2. [2]Replit docs, Upload your app to App Store Connect · accessed
  3. [3]Replit docs, Start your first mobile app (native iOS and Android) · accessed
  4. [4]Replit docs, Add payments with RevenueCat · accessed
  5. [5]Rork docs, Build a native iPhone app with Rork · accessed
  6. [6]Rork docs, Build a native Android app with Rork (releases land in internal testing first) · accessed
  7. [7]Rork docs, Plans and subscriptions · accessed
  8. [8]Rork docs, Convert your Lovable app to a mobile app · accessed
  9. [9]Vibecode docs, How to Publish an App to the App Store · accessed
  10. [10]Vibecode docs, Plans and Credits · accessed
  11. [11]Base44 docs, Submitting your app to the app stores · accessed
  12. [12]Base44, Pricing · accessed
  13. [13]Lovable docs, Publish (mobile apps, PWA, Capacitor) · accessed
  14. [14]Google AI for Developers, Build mode in Google AI Studio (last updated 2026-08-20) · accessed
  15. [15]v0 docs · accessed
  16. [16]Expo docs, EAS Build · accessed
  17. [17]Expo docs, EAS Submit · accessed
  18. [18]Expo, Pricing (EAS plans) · accessed
  19. [19]Apple, Enroll in the Apple Developer Program · accessed
  20. [20]Apple, App Store Small Business Program · accessed
  21. [21]Apple, Auto-renewable subscriptions · accessed
  22. [22]Apple Newsroom, Apple announces App Store Small Business Program (2020-11-18; standard 30% commission) · accessed
  23. [23]Apple Developer Program License Agreement, Schedule 2, section 3.4 (commissions) · accessed
  24. [24]Apple Developer News, Adjustments to the China storefront of the App Store on iOS and iPadOS (2026-03-12) · accessed
  25. [25]Apple Developer, Payment options on the App Store in Japan · accessed
  26. [26]Play Console Help, Get started with Play Console (registration fee, verification) · accessed
  27. [27]Play Console Help, Service fees · accessed
  28. [28]Play Console Help, Changes to Google Play's service fee in 2021 (15% service fee tier, enrollment) · accessed
  29. [29]Apple, App Review Guidelines (last updated 2026-06-08) · accessed
  30. [30]Play Console Help, Spam policy (repetitive content, webviews) · accessed
  31. [31]Play Console Help, Functionality, Content, and User Experience policy · accessed
  32. [32]Play Console Help, Payments policy · accessed
  33. [33]Apple Developer, Upcoming requirements · accessed
  34. [34]Android Developers, Target API level requirements for Google Play apps · accessed
  35. [35]Play Console Help, App testing requirements for new personal developer accounts · accessed
  36. [36]r/vibecoding, a builder on iOS review after a vibe-coded build (posted 2026-08-15, self-reported) · accessed
  37. [37]Google search, US: site:apps.apple.com/us sleep schedule app for night shift nurses (first 20 results, run 2026-10-13 and 2026-10-14) · accessed
  38. [38]Google search, US: site:play.google.com/store/apps sleep schedule app for night shift nurses (first 20 results) · accessed

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