Updraft alternative: storage pricing, iPhone registration and store steps compared
· 9 min read
Updraft is a build distribution service from Apps with love AG in Bern, Switzerland. It first shipped in 2012, and it does the same core job as AppForShare: you upload an .ipa, .apk or .aab, you get an install link and a QR code, and you send it to testers and groups by email. Its higher plans add re-signing, App Store and Google Play upload, single sign on and your own storage, and it sells to European companies that want their files hosted in Switzerland. People look for an Updraft alternative for a few reasons: storage billed per gigabyte, iPhones that still have to be added on Apple's site by hand, or store work that ends at the upload.
A note on sources. Updraft details are as listed on getupdraft.com and docs.getupdraft.com on November 9, 2026, with prices in US dollars. Plans change, so check the pages again on the day you decide. AppForShare is the tool we make, run by ZenTalk LLC in the United States, so read our parts with that in mind.
What Updraft does well
- Re-signing of iOS and Android builds on its Professional plan, including a new display name, version or build number, with no Xcode needed.
- Single sign on with SAML and OpenID on Enterprise, with identity provider groups mapped to permission groups.
- Hosting in Switzerland, or your own S3 or Google Cloud bucket on Enterprise. The company also says it holds ISO certifications (their claim).
- Unlimited users and testers on every plan, with no seat count.
- Windows packages (.msix, .msi, .appx and others) and macOS .dmg and .pkg files next to mobile builds.
- A subdomain and an organization logo on every plan, the free Starter plan included.
- No maximum file size. On Starter, the 500 MB of storage is the only cap.
If your company needs hosting in Switzerland, or you store under 1 GB and want to pay $5 to $10 a month, Updraft is a sound choice.
Side by side
Updraft figures as listed on November 9, 2026.
| Updraft | AppForShare | |
|---|---|---|
| Company and hosting | Apps with love AG, Bern, Switzerland; files hosted in Switzerland, or your own bucket on Enterprise | ZenTalk LLC, United States; Google Cloud in the United States (us-east4) by default, the EU (europe-west) or your own bucket on Team |
| Price | Starter free; Pay as you go $5 a month plus $5 per GB stored; Professional $49 a month plus $5 per GB; Enterprise on quote | Free; Pro $12 a month ($120 a year, $5.99 regional); Team $39 a month ($390 a year, $19.99 regional) |
| Storage | 500 MB on Starter; paid plans billed per GB stored | Included: 2 GB Free, 25 GB Pro, 150 GB Team |
| Installs | 100 a month on Starter, 1,000 on Pay as you go and Professional; its FAQ says there is no download limit | No install cap; downloads of 10, 40 or 150 GB a month |
| Largest file | No limit stated | 150 MB Free, 2 GB Pro, 4 GB Team |
| Users | Unlimited on every plan | 1 seat on Free and Pro; Team includes 5 seats, then $6 a seat; testers need no seat |
| iPhone devices | Free UDID page; you add devices and remake profiles on Apple's site | UDID finder; an onboarding link collects devices; one click registers them on Apple and remakes the profile (Pro); Hands free does it on its own (Team) |
| Re-signing | iOS and Android, Professional | iOS, with a new profile and no rebuild: Pro and Team by hand, automatic inside Hands free on Team |
| Single sign on | SAML and OpenID, Enterprise | SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect, Team |
| Desktop builds | Windows and macOS packages | macOS .dmg, .pkg and zipped .app; Windows .msix, .appx and .msi (Pro and Team) |
| Store steps | Upload to TestFlight and a Google Play track (Professional) | Readiness check on every account build; TestFlight and Google Play upload, listing editor, reviews and release status (Pro and Team) |
| CI and AI tools | curl upload with the API key in the URL, Gradle plugin, fastlane actions from git, Bitrise step, GitHub Action, Jenkins plugin | npm CLI, GitHub Action, fastlane and Gradle plugins, scoped tokens that can expire, MCP server (Pro and Team) |
| Trial and billing | No trial; Starter is the free way in; monthly billing | 7 day Pro trial; monthly or yearly |
Storage: priced per gigabyte or included
This is the biggest difference in price. Updraft charges a $5 base fee on Pay as you go and $5 for each GB you keep stored for a month, billed on use. Its own example: 1 GB for a whole month costs $10, and under 500 MB you pay only the $5 fee. A small app with a few builds kept is cheap there. Storage grows with every build you keep, though, and 25 GB stored for a month comes to about $130 by the same formula.
AppForShare includes storage in the plan: 25 GB on Pro for $12 a month and 150 GB on Team for $39. Pro and Team can also clean up old builds on their own (keep the newest N, or remove builds older than a set age), so storage does not creep up. The numbers are worked through in Updraft pricing in 2026.
Install caps as listed
Updraft's pricing table lists 100 installs a month on Starter and 1,000 on the paid plans. Its FAQ says "No. Updraft has no limit for number of downloads" and, about the Starter limit, "You can still fully use Updraft. We will inform you". Which one applies past the number is not stated, so ask them if you expect more.
AppForShare has no install cap. It counts the bytes testers download each month: 10 GB on Free, 40 GB on Pro and 150 GB on Team. A 50 MB build installed 1,000 times is about 50 GB, which is more than Pro's 40 GB. In that case Pro can add 50 GB for $10, or Team covers it. Nothing is billed without you asking. See download limits on app sharing services.
iPhones: registering devices and re-signing
Any link service can only install an ad hoc iOS build on iPhones whose UDID is in the provisioning profile. On Updraft, the tester sends a UDID, you add it in Apple's developer portal, remake the profile by hand and then either build again or re-sign the existing build with the new profile on Professional. Its roadmap lists certificate and profile management as not started.
On AppForShare Pro, an onboarding link saves the tester's iPhone, and with one click you register it on Apple with your App Store Connect key and make the ad hoc profile again with it. From the build page you then re-sign the build with the new profile, no rebuild. On Team, Hands free does all of that on its own: when a tester's iPhone enrolls and the project has no GitHub iOS build, it re-signs the newest build and emails the tester when it is ready.
The two re-signing features are not the same. Updraft can also change the display name, version and build number, and it re-signs Android files with a new package name if you want one. AppForShare re-signs iOS builds only, keeps the bundle ID, version and build number as they are, and saves the result as a new build. The original build, its link, its SHA-256 and any client sign-offs stay untouched. On Android, AppForShare signs the APK it makes from your .aab with a test key or your own keystore. More in re-sign an IPA with a new provisioning profile.
After testing: store steps
Updraft uploads an iOS build to TestFlight and an .aab to a Google Play track on Professional ($49). AppForShare does the upload on Pro ($12) and adds what comes around it: a store readiness check on every account build with a fix for each issue (guidance, not a promise of approval), a Security scan and a malware check, the listing editor, reviews, the App Store review card, TestFlight groups and Google Play releases with rollouts. See store upload.
Single sign on, storage location and desktop builds
These used to be reasons to pick Updraft. They are now on AppForShare too, on the plans below.
- Single sign on (Team): SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect, a company domain proven by a DNS record, identity provider groups mapped to roles and tester groups, and an option to require single sign on for that domain. On Updraft it is part of Enterprise, priced on quote. See single sign on.
- Where build files are stored (Team): new uploads go to our storage in the United States, our storage in the European Union (Google Cloud europe-west) or your own bucket. The setting covers the .ipa, .apk and kept .aab files; builds already uploaded stay where they are. See storage location.
- Desktop builds (Pro and Team): macOS .dmg, .pkg and zipped .app files, Windows .msix, .appx and .msi files, with a download page that shows what was read from the file. See desktop builds.
- A workspace address (Pro and Team): install pages on
yourname.appforshare.iowith your workspace name and icon. Updraft gives every plan a subdomain and logo.
Which tool when
- Under 1 GB stored and a small budget: Updraft Pay as you go, at $5 to $10 a month.
- Files hosted in Switzerland, or many people who each need their own sign in: Updraft.
- Several GB of builds, and iPhones you want registered on Apple for you: AppForShare Pro ($12) or Team ($39).
- Re-signing and TestFlight or Google Play upload without a $49 plan: AppForShare Pro.
- Single sign on, EU or own storage, and a fixed monthly price: AppForShare Team.
Moving from Updraft
The curl upload curl -X PUT https://app.getupdraft.com/api/app_upload/<app key>/<API key>/ -F [email protected] becomes npx appforshare upload app.ipa --notes "..." --channel beta with an APPFORSHARE_TOKEN secret, and Updraft environments map to channels or separate projects. The steps for Gradle, fastlane, testers and devices are in moving from Updraft, and the full table is on AppForShare vs Updraft.
Common questions
Is AppForShare cheaper than Updraft?
It depends on storage. Updraft charges $5 a month plus $5 per GB stored (as listed on November 9, 2026), so under 1 GB costs $5 to $10. AppForShare Pro is $12 a month ($5.99 in regional countries) with 25 GB of storage and 40 GB of downloads included.
Does Updraft limit installs?
Its pricing table lists 100 installs a month on Starter and 1,000 on paid plans, while its FAQ says there is no download limit. AppForShare does not cap installs and meters downloads per month.
Can both re-sign an iOS build?
Yes. Updraft re-signs on Professional. AppForShare re-signs an iOS build with a new ad hoc, development or enterprise profile on Pro and Team, and on Team Hands free does it on its own after new devices are added.
Who runs each service?
Updraft: Apps with love AG, Bern, Switzerland. AppForShare: ZenTalk LLC, United States, a member of the Google for Startups Cloud Program.
See AppForShare vs Updraft for every row, and moving from Updraft for the steps.
