How free app distribution tools pay for themselves
· 7 min read
Serving a test build is not free for anyone. A 200 MB build installed by 50 testers is 10 GB of downloads, and the host pays for that storage and bandwidth every time. So when a build sharing tool is free, it is fair to ask how it pays its bills. The answer tells you a lot about what will happen to your builds, your testers' data and the service itself over time. This article sorts the models we see in this market, with dated facts from each vendor's own pages, and the questions worth asking any of them. AppForShare is one of the tools in this list, with a subscription model; read our part with that in mind.
Model 1: advertising
The oldest model for free web tools: show ads, sell ad space or share data with ad partners.
- InstallOnAir shows Google AdSense and sponsor slots on install pages, the upload success screen and the dashboard, and its privacy policy says personal data is shared with ad partners such as Google, as read in November 2026.
- Loadly (loadly.io, run by Pgyer) says in Article 10 of its terms that free online services and content rely on advertising revenue, and allows personalised ads with an email opt out, as read on November 3, 2026. We saw no ads on the pages we read, so we do not claim its install pages carry them.
What it means for you. The install page is where your tester or client sees your work. Ads there are part of what they see. Ad tags can also mean third party scripts and cookies on the page your testers open. For a personal test that may not matter; for a client delivery it often does.
Model 2: paid services next to free distribution
Some vendors give distribution away and earn from other services sold to the same developers.
- Pgyer's distribution page says there is no paid plan and no trial period, as read on November 3, 2026, and lists paid add-on services next to it: publishing Android apps to more than 20 Chinese stores, app testing, and software copyright registration. The same company runs a task and bug tracker and a monitoring product.
What it means for you. Free distribution is the entry point. It can be stable for years if the paid services do well. The limits on the free part are set by what keeps people in the funnel, not by a published plan, so they can change. Pgyer's verification page, for example, gives storage amounts that apply when there is no valid paid package, which hints at paid storage even though no paid plan is listed.
Model 3: one off payments per build
A small payment buys more for one build, without a subscription.
- InstallOnAir sells extensions per build: one more month for $1.89, six months for $4.99 or a year for $9.99, stackable, as published in November 2026, and a $2 upload credit for one upload up to 1 GB.
- Diawi sells pay as you go add-ons in euros next to its plans: more installs, longer link life, bigger uploads, a custom address and a custom domain.
- AppForShare Free has one such option: $2 once keeps one Free link live for 60 days, one link per account at a time.
What it means for you. You pay only for the builds that need it, and the price is clear. It suits a freelancer who keeps one or two builds up for a client. It gets fiddly when many builds need care at once.
Model 4: subscriptions with a free tier
The free tier is small and the paid plans fund the service.
- Diawi: a free account (20 MB, 1 day, 2 installs per app) and plans from EUR 2.99 to 299.99 a month, as read November 2, 2026.
- AppForShare: guest uploads and a Free plan (150 MB, 7 day links, a password per build), then Pro at $12 a month and Team at $39 a month with 5 seats, with lower regional prices in many countries. Free and guest install pages show a small card of our own, "Testing an app of your own?"; Pro and Team pages do not. There are no third party ads on our install pages.
What it means for you. The free tier is limited on purpose, which can be annoying. In exchange the limits are published and the vendor's income comes from you, not from your testers' attention. If you stop paying, you know what happens: on AppForShare, links follow Free rules and stay live 7 more days.
Model 5: build sharing inside a suite
Distribution is one product among several sold together.
- AppsOnAir (by Logicwind) sells OTA distribution next to CodePush, deep links, push notifications, force update and a feedback SDK. As listed on November 3, 2026, its Free plan allows one app and 300 MB builds, and Pro is $59.97 a month with 5 members.
- Firebase App Distribution is free inside Google's Firebase platform, whose paid services are billed separately.
What it means for you. The suite funds the free part, and the free part pulls you toward the suite. If you use the other products, one vendor can be simpler. If you only need build sharing, you are paying for, or locked into, more than you use. See mobile DevOps suite vs build sharing.
A summary table
| Model | Examples (dated above) | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising | InstallOnAir; Loadly's terms allow it | Personal tests at no cost | Ads and ad scripts on the page clients see |
| Paid services | Pgyer | Teams that also buy those services | Free limits that are not a published plan |
| One off payments | InstallOnAir extensions, Diawi add-ons, AppForShare $2 link | A few builds kept up longer | Cost and effort across many builds |
| Subscription | Diawi, AppForShare | Teams with steady builds | Small free tiers |
| Suite | AppsOnAir, Firebase | Teams that use the other products | Paying for or depending on more than you need |
Questions to ask any vendor
- How do you make money? If the pricing page does not say, read the terms. Loadly's answer, for example, is in Article 10.
- What do my testers see? Open one of your own install links on a phone, signed out, and look at it as a client would.
- Who runs it, and which law applies? The terms name the company and the courts. AppsOnAir's name an Indian company, Loadly's a company in Xi'an under Chinese law, ours ZenTalk LLC in Texas.
- Can I delete a build, and when is it really gone? Loadly says uploads made without an account cannot be deleted. AppForShare keeps deleted builds 7 days for restore, then removes the file.
- What happens if limits change? A free service can add limits; Loadly's help page says install limits may come later. A paid plan can change price; ask how you will be told.
- What data do you keep about testers? Check the privacy policy for install data, IP addresses and how long they are kept. Ours: IP addresses stored hashed, install analytics kept 13 months (privacy).
None of these models is wrong. Free with ads is a fair trade for a weekend test, and a suite is a fair choice for a team that uses it. The point is to pick the trade on purpose. For the free options side by side, see free InstallOnAir alternatives and Loadly alternative.
Common questions
Why are some app distribution tools free forever?
Because something else pays: ads, paid services sold to the same developers, or a larger product suite. Read the terms to see which.
Does AppForShare show ads on install pages?
No third party ads. Free and guest install pages show a small card of our own about AppForShare; Pro and Team pages do not.
Is a paid plan safer than a free one?
Not by itself. It changes who the vendor works for and makes limits clearer. Check the same points for any vendor, paid or free.
