An Apple Developer account costs $99 per year, requires identity verification, and only really makes sense if you actively publish apps to the App Store. For most people who just want to install an IPA on their own iPhone — a beta build, a custom app, an internal tool — there are simpler routes.

Below are the three legitimate options in 2026, ranked from easiest to most technical.

Option 1: Use an Apple Distribution (Enterprise) Certificate

The Apple Developer Enterprise Program issues In-House distribution certificates. A single signed IPA built with one of these certificates can be installed on unlimited devices with no Apple ID prompts, no UDID registration, no friction. One tap and the app appears on the home screen.

You don't need to enroll in the Enterprise Program yourself — that requires a D-U-N-S number, a registered company, and Apple's manual approval (which has become extremely difficult in 2026). Instead, you can use a signing service that already holds a valid Enterprise certificate. Read more: how the Enterprise certificate actually works.

Best for: beta testing, internal apps, distributing to friends or clients, situations where you can't or don't want to ask users for their Apple ID.

Option 2: Use an Apple Development Certificate (Short-Term)

A Development certificate is the same kind of credential Xcode generates when you build to your own device. It signs an IPA so a specific Apple ID + device combination can install it, and the build remains valid for seven days.

This is cheaper and lower-risk than Enterprise (no revoke risk from Apple), but it has tradeoffs: every device that installs the app must be registered with its UDID, and the user has to sign in with an Apple ID and trust the developer profile under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management.

Best for: personal testing, single-device installs, short-term use where revoke risk is unacceptable.

Option 3: AltStore / SideStore (Free, Technical)

AltStore and SideStore use Apple's free developer provisioning (the same one Xcode uses for personal projects) to re-sign apps every seven days from your computer. It's free but you must:

  • Install desktop software (AltServer on macOS/Windows)
  • Keep your computer and phone on the same network
  • Re-sign apps every seven days manually or via background refresh
  • Limit yourself to three apps simultaneously

It's the cheapest option, but it requires consistent technical effort and breaks when Apple changes how free provisioning works (which they do regularly). For a less hands-on comparison, see AltStore vs SideStore vs TrollStore.

Which option should you pick?

Quick decision matrix:

  • Distributing to many people or unknown users? → Enterprise certificate.
  • Just testing on your own phone, short-term? → Developer certificate.
  • Comfortable with technical setup, single user, free? → AltStore/SideStore.

If you'd rather skip the setup entirely and have a signed IPA delivered to you within minutes, both Developer and Enterprise signing are available as a service.