Program Overview — Apple Developer Program vs. Apple Developer Enterprise Program

Northwestern University maintains two Apple Developer Program memberships. Each serves a different purpose and audience. This article explains the differences and helps you determine which program — and which service request — is right for your project.

At a Glance

	Apple Developer Program (App Store)	Apple Developer Enterprise Program
Apple Documentation	developer.apple.com/programs	developer.apple.com/programs/enterprise
Primary Purpose	Distribute apps to the general public via the App Store	Distribute internal-use only apps to Northwestern employees
App Store Distribution	✅ Yes	❌ No
TestFlight Beta Testing	✅ Yes (up to 10,000 external testers)	❌ No
Enterprise (In-House) Distribution	❌ No	✅ Yes — via MDM (e.g., Jamf) or secure internal systems
Developer ID Signing (Mac)	✅ Yes — distribute Mac apps outside the Mac App Store	❌ No
Ad Hoc Distribution	✅ Yes (limited to 100 registered devices per device type)	✅ Yes
App Store Connect Access	✅ Yes	❌ No
Push Notifications (APNs)	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
All App Capabilities	✅ Full access (In-App Purchase, Sign in with Apple, CloudKit, etc.)	⚠️ Subset — no In-App Purchase or App Store–specific features

Important: Both memberships are managed centrally by Northwestern IT. Individual developers and departments do not need to enroll in or purchase their own Apple Developer Program memberships. See the Developer Guide for how you will receive the signing assets you need.

What Can You Do Under Each Program?

Apple Developer Program (App Store)

The Apple Developer Program enables Northwestern to:

Publish apps on the App Store — Make iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS apps available to the general public worldwide through the App Store.
Beta test with TestFlight — Distribute pre-release builds to internal and external testers using TestFlight.
Sign Mac apps with Developer ID — Distribute macOS applications outside the Mac App Store, signed with a Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple.
Access App Store Connect — Manage app metadata, pricing, availability, analytics, and user reviews via App Store Connect.
Use the full range of Apple capabilities — Including In-App Purchase, Sign in with Apple, CloudKit, Apple Pay, push notifications, and more.

Apple Developer Enterprise Program

The Apple Developer Enterprise Program enables Northwestern to:

Distribute proprietary, internal-use apps — Deploy apps directly to Northwestern employees through a secure internal system or Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution such as Jamf.
Use enterprise-compatible capabilities — Including push notifications, networking, and background modes.
Bypass App Store Review — Enterprise apps are not submitted to the App Store and do not go through Apple’s App Review process. However, Northwestern still requires an internal security and privacy review.

Apple’s restriction: The Enterprise program is strictly for internal-use apps distributed to your organization’s employees. It must not be used to distribute apps to the general public, contractors outside your organization, or partners. Misuse can result in Apple revoking the membership. See Apple’s eligibility requirements.

Available Service Requests

Based on the programs above, Northwestern offers three types of service requests:

#	Service Request	Program Used	When to Use	Article
1	Mac App Signing (Developer ID)	App Store Program	You have a macOS application that needs to be distributed outside the Mac App Store (e.g., direct download from a website)	Request: Mac App Signing
2	App Store Publishing	App Store Program	You want to publish an app on the public App Store for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, or visionOS	Request: App Store Publishing
3	Enterprise App Publishing	Enterprise Program	You need to distribute an internal-only app to Northwestern employees via MDM or a secure distribution system	Request: Enterprise App Publishing

Not sure which one you need?

Will the app be available to the general public? → App Store Publishing
Is it a Mac-only app distributed via direct download (not the App Store)? → Mac App Signing
Is it for Northwestern employees only? → Enterprise App Publishing

What Happens After Your Request Is Approved?

Once your service request is reviewed and approved, Northwestern IT will provision the necessary signing assets (certificates, provisioning profiles, and — if requested — push notification credentials) and share them with you through a secure channel.

See the Developer Guide — Certificates, Profiles, and Code Signing in Xcode for detailed instructions on how to use these assets in your Xcode project.