Ask HN: Should I register my iOS Dev Account as an Individual or Business?
What are the main differences? Pros & Cons? What materials are necessary to register as a company?
5 comments
As a company your apps will be published by your company name, you can allow up to 5 users to work under your account. As an individual you have 1 login and apps are published under your own name (with a trading as name, which can be set only once). If you think you'd ever want to change to a company account in the future then do so from the start as it can be a huge pain to get changed in the future.
In the UK you need to provide company registration details to register as a company and Apple will give you a quick call to confirm that you personally have the authority to enter in to a contract on behalf of your company.
Edit: It's most likely obvious but worth pointing out that should there ever be a legal issue with any of your apps then these would be aimed at your company rather than yourself if registered as a business. For example, a Lodsys patent dispute would have been sent to a Ltd company in the UK rather than the individual who owns it. This being the better scenario as a Ltd company is limited in liability by its value rather than the owners worth unless a personal guarantee is given.
In the UK you need to provide company registration details to register as a company and Apple will give you a quick call to confirm that you personally have the authority to enter in to a contract on behalf of your company.
Edit: It's most likely obvious but worth pointing out that should there ever be a legal issue with any of your apps then these would be aimed at your company rather than yourself if registered as a business. For example, a Lodsys patent dispute would have been sent to a Ltd company in the UK rather than the individual who owns it. This being the better scenario as a Ltd company is limited in liability by its value rather than the owners worth unless a personal guarantee is given.
[deleted]
Thanks! I understand some of the implications associated with brand recognition, but I was curious about the legal side of things so that helps. Also, does anyone know how likely it is or how often these lawsuits occur regarding mobile app development?
Not totally sure what the pros/cons are, but if you want to register as an corp, you'll need to provide the proper paperwork to Apple.
I suppose one pro is that your personal name doesn't show up on your app listings, just your corporation's name.
I suppose one pro is that your personal name doesn't show up on your app listings, just your corporation's name.
I created an LLC and filed as a company. When you do this, you also need a tax ID number from the IRS and a bank account. The bank will also require your tax ID and LLC/corp papers. Sounds like a hassle but it wasn't actually too bad.
Did you use a lawyer and/or an accountant to setup the LLC? Or did you use one of those legal template websites?