AppsOnAir alternative for sharing iOS and Android test builds
· 10 min read
AppsOnAir (by Logicwind) is a mobile DevOps suite. Sharing test builds over the air is one of its six products, next to CodePush updates for React Native, deep links, push notifications, a force update SDK and an in-app feedback SDK. If you use several of those, one vendor for all of them can make sense. If what you really need is to send an .ipa or .apk to testers and clients, you are paying for a suite to use one part of it. This guide is for that second group: what the build sharing part costs on each side, how the two tools differ for testers, and where AppsOnAir is still the better pick.
A note on sources. AppsOnAir facts below were read on their own pages on November 3, 2026: the plans and pricing page, the OTA Distribution page, their OTA documentation and FAQ, and the CLI page. Their pricing page shows a few blocks with different numbers; we quote the main comparison table. AppForShare is the tool we make, so read our parts with that in mind.
Who AppsOnAir suits
AppsOnAir makes the most sense when you want more than build sharing from one account:
- CodePush. JavaScript and asset updates to React Native apps that are already installed, sold as a replacement for Microsoft App Center CodePush, which was retired on March 31, 2025.
- AppLink. Deep links and deferred deep links, positioned as a Firebase Dynamic Links replacement.
- Push notifications to your app's users, priced by monthly active users.
- AppSync. An SDK that checks at launch for a forced update, an optional update or maintenance mode in store apps.
- AppRemark. An in-app feedback SDK in beta: shake, capture a screenshot, draw on it, send.
Those are products for apps already in the App Store and Google Play. AppForShare has none of them. If you need two or three, keep AppsOnAir for those and judge the build sharing part on its own, which is what the rest of this guide does.
What build sharing alone costs
As listed on the AppsOnAir pricing page on November 3, 2026, Pro is $59.97 a month ($53.97 a month billed yearly) and includes 5 team members. Pro Plus is $134.97 a month ($121.47 a month yearly) with 20 members. Those prices also cover the CodePush, AppLink and push quotas, whether you use them or not.
On AppForShare, Pro is $12 a month or $120 a year for one person. Team is $39 a month or $390 a year with 5 seats, and each extra seat is $6 a month. Lower regional prices apply in South Asia, Southeast Asia and other listed countries, where Pro is $5.99 and Team $19.99 a month. A first Pro subscription can start with a 7 day free trial.
| Team size | AppsOnAir (monthly billing) | AppForShare (monthly billing) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | Pro, $59.97 | Pro, $12 |
| 5 people | Pro, $59.97 | Team, $39 |
| 20 people | Pro Plus, $134.97 | Team with 15 extra seats, $129 |
For 20 people the gap is small, and AppsOnAir includes more products in that price. For one to five people sharing builds only, the difference is large. A full plan by plan breakdown is in AppsOnAir pricing in 2026.
Build sharing side by side
AppsOnAir figures are as listed on their pricing page and docs on November 3, 2026. AppForShare figures come from our pricing page.
| AppsOnAir | AppForShare | |
|---|---|---|
| Share without an account | No. An account, a workspace and an app come first | Yes, guest uploads up to 50 MB, 3 day links |
| Free file size and link life | 300 MB, links up to 30 days, 1 app | 150 MB, 7 day links |
| Password on the link | Pro and up | Free and up, per build |
| Paid link life | Up to 90 days per link | Live while you subscribe |
| Largest file | Pro 1 GB, Pro Plus 2 GB | Pro 2 GB, Team 4 GB |
| Several links per build | Yes, each with its own expiry and password | Pro up to 3, Team up to 20 extra links per build |
| Android App Bundle (.aab) | Not listed; the FAQ names .apk and .ipa | Yes, on Free and up, turned into one installable APK |
| Tester feedback | Created in the AppsOnAir mobile app, or the AppRemark SDK | From the install page or an in-app link, no app or sign in |
| Downloads | Listed as unlimited | Monthly bandwidth: Free 10 GB, Pro 40 GB, Team 150 GB |
| Deleted builds | Cannot be restored, per their FAQ | Restorable for 7 days |
Read the table by job. A few points deserve more than a cell.
No account before the first link
On AppsOnAir, the first upload comes after sign up, a workspace and an app record. That is fine for a team that will stay. It is slow when a freelancer just needs to send one build to a client today. AppForShare takes a guest upload with no account; a free account then adds a password, 150 MB files, 7 day links and the total install count per build.
Passwords and how long links live
AppsOnAir's free plan has no password on install links, as listed on November 3, 2026; passwords start at Pro. Every AppForShare account, Free included, can set a password per build. On the paid side AppsOnAir caps each link at 90 days, with a renewal option, while AppForShare Pro and Team links stay live for as long as the plan is active. If you want a link to stop on a date, Pro and Team have link controls: pause, stop date and install cap.
Several links for one build
This used to be an AppsOnAir advantage. Since November 2026, AppForShare Pro can add up to 3 extra links per build and Team up to 20. Each is its own short link with a label such as "Client A", its own password, stop date, install cap and install count, and removing one does not touch the others. See several links per build.
Feedback without an app
On AppsOnAir, build feedback is written in their mobile app by a signed in workspace member, or from inside your own app through the AppRemark SDK. On AppForShare, testers send a bug or idea with up to 5 screenshots from the install page, on every account plan, with no app and no sign in (see tester feedback). From inside a test build, the in-app feedback link is a web address your app opens from a debug menu or a shake; the card has shake samples for Swift, Kotlin, React Native and Flutter. There is no SDK, which also means no automatic screenshot of the current screen: the tester attaches one from the phone.
Android App Bundles
If your build pipeline makes .aab files, AppForShare turns the bundle into one universal APK testers can install, on Free and up. It is signed with your workspace's test key, or with your own upload key on Pro and Team. A test key APK cannot update the Play version, so testers uninstall that one first. See .aab upload.
Where AppsOnAir is ahead
Said plainly, as listed on November 3, 2026:
- A bigger free tier. 300 MB files and links up to 30 days, against our 150 MB and 7 days. Their free plan also allows only 1 app and 550 MB of storage, but for a single app the limits are more generous.
- Downloads listed as unlimited. AppForShare plans have a monthly download allowance.
- A native tester app. AppsOnAir has a tester app in the App Store and on Google Play that installs builds, shows build details and gets push notices. Ours is a home screen web app on Team (see tester app).
- CLI on the free plan. Their CLI page says it is free for every workspace for a limited period. Our CLI and CI tools need Pro or Team.
- More seats on the middle plan. AppsOnAir Pro has 5 members; our Pro is one person, and 5 seats means Team.
- The suite. CodePush, deep links, push and store force updates from one vendor.
Two former gaps are closed: several links per build (above) and Google Chat. AppsOnAir lists Google Chat and a generic webhook; AppForShare Pro and Team post to Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Google Chat and signed generic webhooks.
Where AppForShare is ahead for test builds
- Install help. Before the tester taps Install, the page warns when the iPhone runs an iOS version that is too old, when the profile has ended or when the build is App Store signed, and lists fixes for common failures. AppsOnAir's install page lists provisioned UDIDs. See install help.
- Channels. One stable link per channel, such as Beta, that always opens the newest build, with rollback and a custom address (Pro). See Beta and Live channels.
- Retire a broken build. On Pro and Team you can retire a test build: its link takes no more installs, its page sends testers to the newest build, channels skip it and the update check reports it. See retire a test build.
- CI tools. A token based CLI, a GitHub Action, a fastlane plugin, a Diawi compatible upload API and an MCP server. As read on November 3, 2026, AppsOnAir has one CLI with a browser login and no public upload API for builds.
- Store readiness check on every account build, with how to fix each issue. Guidance only, not a promise of approval.
- Install pages in 7 languages, including Hindi, Urdu and Bengali.
Who runs each service
As read on November 3, 2026, AppsOnAir's terms and privacy policy name Logicwind Ventures Pvt. Ltd., Indian law applies, and personal data is processed in India. AppForShare is run by ZenTalk LLC in Houston, Texas, and files are stored on Google Cloud in the US. Neither is better by itself; it depends on what your clients expect. Ask any vendor for evidence behind the security badges on its site before you rely on them.
Switching in an afternoon
If you only move the build sharing part, there is little to carry over:
- Upload the builds still in testing again. Old AppsOnAir links keep working until they expire there.
- Replace per link expiry with a password and, on Pro, a stop date, or extra links per client.
- Give testers one channel link so they stop getting a new link per build.
- Swap the CLI step.
npx appforshare initwritesappforshare.config.jsonwith your iOS and Android output folders, andnpx appforshare uploadwith no file sends the newest build of each platform in one run (CLI 1.11.0, Pro and Team). - Keep CodePush, AppLink and push on AppsOnAir if you use them. Only the builds move.
The step by step guide is Move from AppsOnAir, the longer checklist is moving test builds off AppsOnAir, and the full comparison is AppForShare vs AppsOnAir.
Common questions
Is there a cheaper AppsOnAir alternative for test builds only?
For build sharing alone, AppForShare Pro is $12 a month and Team is $39 a month with 5 seats. AppsOnAir Pro is $59.97 a month with 5 members, as listed on November 3, 2026, and that price also covers CodePush, deep links and push.
Which free plan is bigger?
AppsOnAir's: 300 MB files and links up to 30 days for one app, without a password. AppForShare Free gives 150 MB files and 7 day links with a password per build.
Do testers need an app or an account on AppForShare?
No. They open the link on the phone and install. Feedback is sent from the install page or from inside the test build through a link.
Does AppForShare have CodePush or deep links?
No. AppForShare shares test builds. If you need those products, keep them where they are. For the difference between installing a build and updating code in an installed app, see OTA install vs CodePush.
