Individual or company? Decide early

By the endYou have decided whether your app will be published under your own name or under a business, and written it in your notes.

When your app reaches the stores, it is published by someone: you as a person, or a business. The stores show that name to everyone. Both Apple and Google ask you to choose when you open a developer account in Part 12. This step makes you choose now, because changing later is slow and can stop your work for weeks.

This is not legal or tax advice. It explains what the stores ask for, so you know which questions to take to an accountant or lawyer where you live.

Why decide now

The store shows a seller name under your app. With an individual account, that is your personal legal name.
Moving an individual account to a business later is a request to Apple with paperwork. It can take weeks, and new versions may have to wait until it is done.
If the app's brand is a company but the seller is a person, Apple can hold the app back.
Note that if you joined as an individual, changing the name in your Apple Account later does not change the seller name on the App Store.

Apple: individual or organization

Apple's paid membership is the Apple Developer Program. It costs $99 a year either way. You can join as one of two things:

Individual. You need an Apple Account with two-factor authentication turned on, your legal name in that account, and being an adult where you live. A sole proprietor counts as an individual. Then your own legal name is shown as the seller of your apps on the App Store.
Organization. You need a registered legal entity (Apple does not accept DBAs, fictitious business names, trade names or branches), a D-U-N-S Number, a public website on the organization's own domain, a work email address on that domain, and the legal authority to sign agreements for the organization. Then your organization's legal name is shown as the seller of your apps on the App Store.

A D-U-N-S Number is a nine-digit business ID. It is free, and takes up to 5 business days to get the number, then up to 2 more business days before Apple can see it; longer if the details need fixing. Apple's own lookup page is developer.apple.com/enroll/duns-lookup/. Only a registered legal entity can get one in its own name.

To switch from individual to organization later: you submit a request to Apple; you must be the founder or co-founder of the business, give its D-U-N-S Number, and you may be asked for business documents. Apple gives no time estimate.

Google Play: personal or organization

Google's one-time fee is $25, paid once, and you must be at least 18 years old. You manage it in the Play Console.

Personal. For a student, hobbyist or one person. Expect identity checks: a government ID and a card in your legal name may be asked for, and you must prove you have an Android device using the Play Console app on it. New personal accounts must also pass Google's testing rule: a closed test with at least 12 testers who stay opted in for 14 days in a row, before Google lets a new personal developer account publish for real. After that you apply for production access, and Google's review is usually seven days or less.
Organization. For a business. You need a D-U-N-S Number (free from Dun & Bradstreet), a legal name and address that match the Dun & Bradstreet record, and a verified phone number and email address that are shown on your public developer profile. Some kinds of app must be an organization: apps about money (financial products), health apps, VPN apps and government apps.

Good news on Google's side: the developer name shown on Google Play does not have to match your legal or business name, and it can be changed later. And a personal account can be changed to an organization account later, but an organization account cannot be changed to a personal one.

Three common situations

You alone, first app, no business registered. Individual (Apple) and personal (Google). Most first apps start here. You can still charge money.
You already run a registered business and the app carries its name. Organization on both. Look up or request the D-U-N-S Number this week, so it is ready before Part 12.
You plan to start a business for this app but haven't yet. Talk to a professional first. Registering a business has costs and tax effects that differ by country. If you decide to register, do it before Part 12. If not, start as an individual and plan the move for later.

Ask Claude to prepare your questions

Pick the message closest to your situation. Change any word that doesn't fit.

A collector

A weekend seller

A registered shop

Write your decision in your notes under "Publishing as:", with the business name if there is one.

If something goes wrong

I'm not sure if my business counts as a legal entity. A business name you registered to trade under, without forming a company, is not one. Apple's D-U-N-S lookup tells you how your business is recorded. If it says sole proprietorship, Apple wants you to join as an individual.

I want the app under a brand name, but I'm an individual. The app's name and icon can be any brand you own. Only the small seller line shows your personal name. If that bothers you, the business route is the fix.

I'm under 18. Apple lets a parent or guardian join and share the account with you. Google needs the account holder to be 18.

I already have an individual Apple account and now want a business one. It can be moved. Start the D-U-N-S Number now and expect the move to take weeks. Don't plan a launch in the middle of it.