The Apple Developer Enterprise Program is a separate $299/year membership for organizations that need to distribute proprietary apps to their own employees without listing them on the App Store. It is not a replacement for the regular Apple Developer Program. Most teams that think they need it actually do not.
How it differs from the regular program
- Apple Developer Program
- $99/year. App Store, TestFlight, Developer ID. Open to individuals and organizations.
- Apple Developer Enterprise Program
- $299/year. In-House distribution to employees only. Organization-only, requires 100+ employees, strict review.
Why Apple is strict about it
Enterprise distribution bypasses Apple's review and lets a certificate sign apps that can be installed on any iPhone given a profile. Apple has revoked Enterprise certificates from companies that used them to distribute consumer apps, and the revocation usually takes everything else they had signed down with it.
Better alternatives most teams should consider first
- TestFlight with internal testers (free, up to 100 internal testers, no review for builds from the same App Store app).
- Unlisted App Store distribution (the app is on the App Store but not searchable, distributed by direct link).
- Apple Business Manager with custom apps (private B2B distribution through the App Store).
- Ad Hoc distribution to a fixed device list of up to 100 iPhones per year via the regular Apple Developer Program.