# Apple Developer vs GitHub

The clearest difference is rating: GitHub at 4.8 against Apple Developer's 4.0. GitHub also leads on review sentiment (63% vs 35%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Apple Developer's advantage is device support (5 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Apple Developer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per month and GitHub sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

GitHub holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GitHub has 37K ratings behind it against 2.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of Apple Developer's written reviews are positive against 63% of GitHub's.

Apple Developer ships an update every 2 months, GitHub weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Apple Developer | GitHub |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apple-developer/id640199958/reviews) | **[4.8 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/github/id1477376905/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K | **37K** |
| Positive reviews | 35.4% of reviews | **63.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #7 | **#2** |
| Size | 26 MB | 175 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [GitHub](https://appshunter.io/developer/429758986) |

## What reviewers say

### Apple Developer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apple-developer/id640199958)

**Currently charting:** #7 Top Free · Developer Tools, #184 Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Access the latest developer news, features, and videos from Apple. Stay updated on new frameworks and technologies, and catch up on past event content.

**Highlights:** Developer news and features, Latest Apple frameworks and technologies, WWDC videos, Offline video downloads, Apple Developer Program enrollment

**Features:** iMessage stickers, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WeatherKit 1 million calls | $49.99 | per month |
| Xcode Cloud 100 Hours | $49.99 | per month |
| Apple Developer Program | $98.99 | per year |
| WeatherKit 2 million calls | $99.99 | per month |
| Xcode Cloud 250 Hours | $99.99 | per month |
| Xcode Cloud 1000 Hours | $399.99 | per month |
| WeatherKit 50 million calls | $2499.99 | per month |
| Xcode Cloud 10000 Hours | $3999.99 | per month |
| WeatherKit 100 million calls | $4999.99 | per month |
| WeatherKit 150 million calls | $7499.99 | per month |
| WeatherKit 200 million calls | $9999.99 | per month |


### GitHub

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/github/id1477376905)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Free · Developer Tools, #4 Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Manage your code projects, review changes, and collaborate with your team on the go. This app allows you to stay updated with notifications, respond to issues, and browse files and code from anywhere.

**Highlights:** Browse notifications, Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests, Review and merge Pull Requests, Organize Issues with labels and assignees, Browse files and code, Discover trending repositories

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GitHub Pro | $3.99 | per month |
| Copilot Pro | $10.00 | per month |
| Copilot Pro+ | $39.99 | per month |
| Copilot Max | $99.00 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app design
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Helpful for on-the-go tasks
- 🚀 Efficient for reviewing PRs and issues

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find features
- 🔍 Lacks key features like code editing and wiki support
- 🔍 Intercepts GitHub links, forcing use of app

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to switch accounts
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating between app and website
- Notifications not always loading correctly
- Inability to view all files in large pull requests
- Crashes when trying to perform certain actions

**Requested features**

- Add support for multiple accounts
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Implement code editing and file management
- Integrate GitHub Actions and Insights
- Allow viewing and managing GitHub projects


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Apple Developer free?

Apple Developer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is GitHub free?

GitHub is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Apple Developer or GitHub?

GitHub is rated higher. Apple Developer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while GitHub averages 4.8 from 37K ratings.

### Do Apple Developer or GitHub have ads?

Neither Apple Developer nor GitHub shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Apple Developer or GitHub?

Apple Developer ships an update every 2 months, and GitHub weekly. Most recently, Apple Developer was updated on September 24, 2026 and GitHub on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Apple Developer or GitHub?

Apple Developer currently peaks at #7 in the App Store charts, and GitHub at #2. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*