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A mobile app for your community radio: three ways to get one, and what you pay
Published on 25 October 2026 · Checked on 24 October 2026
A community radio can be a listing in an aggregator app, go through a white-label provider or have its own app built. In all three cases, someone publishes the app on the App Store (US$99 a year) and Google Play (US$25 once). Whoever publishes it then rebuilds it whenever the app stores raise their requirements.
Three ways to get your station onto listeners’ phones
An aggregator app gathers many stations under its own name: your station is one listing among others. A white-label provider sells the same app template to several stations, each under its own name. Custom development means a developer or an agency builds an app for your station alone.
For a nonprofit, two questions matter: under what name the app appears, and who publishes and updates it.
| Approach | Name shown in the stores | Who publishes and updates | Cost we found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregator app | The aggregator’s | The aggregator’s publisher | None found |
| White-label | Your station’s | Depends on the contract | None found |
| Custom development | Your station’s | Depends on the contract | Average quotes of €2,300 and €4,000 (two public requests, 2020 and 2021) |
Quotes found on 24 October 2026 on two requests posted by stations on Codeur.com, a French freelance platform: these are quotes offered, not prices paid.
Publishing on the App Store and Google Play: what the stores require
To publish, you need a developer account with Apple and with Google Play, in the name of whoever publishes. As of 24 October 2026, the Apple account costs US$99 a year and the Google Play account US$25, once.
A nonprofit that publishes its own app enrols as an organisation. Apple requires the organisation to be a legal entity with a D-U-N-S number, which is free in most countries. You also need an email address on your own domain and a public website. Google Play also asks for the D-U-N-S number. On the App Store, the nonprofit’s name is shown as the app’s seller.
Apple waives the annual fee for nonprofits that are recognised by an authority in their country and sell nothing in their apps. Apple’s page does not name France: apply to find out.
A personal Google Play account created after 13 November 2023 must first have the app tested by at least 12 people for 14 days. Apple rejects an app that is only a repackaged website (guideline 4.2).
| Store | Account price | For a nonprofit | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Store | US$99 a year | Legal entity, D-U-N-S number, email on your domain, public website | Fee waiver possible for recognised nonprofits; Apple rejects a plain repackaged website |
| Google Play | US$25 once | D-U-N-S number | Recent personal account: testing by at least 12 people for 14 days |
Rules read in Apple’s and Google Play’s documentation on 24 October 2026.
After launch: the updates the stores require
A published app must be rebuilt whenever the stores raise their requirements, even if nothing changes for your listeners. In 2026, they did so in April and in August.
Since 28 April 2026, Apple only accepts apps built with Xcode 26. Since 31 August 2026, Google Play requires every update to target Android 16. An app that targets a version older than Android 15 is no longer offered to new listeners on newer phones.
So before you choose, ask who makes these updates, how often and at what price, over several years.
Before you sign: the questions to ask
These questions apply to every offer, ours included.
Which account is the app published on, and under what name does it appear in the stores?
Who makes the updates Apple and Google Play require, and are they included in the price?
Can you change the logo, colours, texts and shows yourselves, without waiting for a new version?
Does the app play your stream as it is? The guide streaming your radio online explains what an app expects from a stream. Do your podcasts come from your RSS feed? See publishing your shows as podcasts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a radio app for free?
Publishing under the station’s name has a cost. As of 24 October 2026: US$99 a year with Apple, unless a recognised nonprofit gets a fee waiver, and US$25 once with Google Play. Building the app and keeping it updated cost extra.
Can the FSER fund a station’s app?
The FSER is the French state fund for local radio. The French Ministry of Culture’s page does not say whether an app counts as equipment. The equipment grant covers 50% of the amount spent, including VAT, up to €18,000 per 5-year period, and must be requested before the purchase. Ask the FSER before you order.
Can a nonprofit publish the app under its own name?
Yes, if it opens its own developer accounts as an organisation. On the App Store, the nonprofit’s name is then shown as the seller. It needs a D-U-N-S number, free in most countries, which both Apple and Google Play ask for.
Is a web version of our site enough for the App Store?
No. Apple’s guideline 4.2 rejects apps that are only a repackaged website or a list of links.