A TestFlight alternative with no review queue
Drop an .ipa and testers can install it over the air minutes later — no App Store Connect record, no Beta App Review. Android builds go out from the same dashboard.
Upload a build free| Feature | App Dropper | TestFlight |
|---|---|---|
| Time from build to installable link | Minutes — the link works as soon as the upload finishes | Hours to days for external testers, waiting on Beta App Review |
| Android .apk builds | Same dashboard, same link format, same tester list | iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS and visionOS only |
| Apple Developer Program membership | Needed only to sign the build, as it always is | Required, plus App Store Connect setup for every app |
| Who can install | Anyone with the link, or invite-only, or password-protected | Up to 100 internal and 10,000 external testers, by invite |
| Device limits | Ad-hoc builds install only on provisioned UDIDs (100/year/type) | No UDID list — TestFlight handles provisioning for you |
| How long a build stays installable | 3 days signed out, 7 on Free, 30 on Pro, or pinned on Pro | 90 days from upload, then the build expires |
| Tester feedback | Ratings, comments and screenshots, per build | Screenshot feedback and crash reports, per build |
| Uploading from CI | One CLI step, or the public REST API | Xcode, altool or Fastlane, then the processing wait |
Feature comparison as of September 2026, based on Apple’s published TestFlight documentation. Apple may have changed the terms since — worth checking directly if a specific limit is decisive for you. TestFlight is a trademark of Apple Inc.; App Dropper is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.
Where TestFlight still wins
TestFlight is free, first-party, and reaches up to 10,000 external testers without you collecting a single device UDID. If your beta is public, or large, or the point of it is to rehearse the App Store submission, use it. App Dropper is built for the part of the cycle that comes before that: the build you want in a colleague’s hands this afternoon, the client demo, the QA pass that should not cost a review cycle. Ad-hoc distribution has its own ceiling — 100 devices of each type per membership year, each one provisioned in the profile — and that ceiling is the trade you are making for the speed. Most teams end up running both.
Common questions
Tap a question to see the answer.
Can I really install an iOS build without TestFlight?
Yes. An .ipa installs over the air straight from its share page — no App Store Connect record, no Beta App Review, no TestFlight invite for the tester to accept. The one Apple rule that still applies is provisioning: an ad-hoc build only installs on devices whose UDID is in the profile it was signed with, and an Apple Developer account allows 100 devices of each type per membership year. App Dropper reads the device list out of the binary at upload time and shows the count on the install page, so a failed install is quick to diagnose. Enterprise-signed builds carry no such restriction.
So when is TestFlight still the right tool?
When you need scale or you are close to shipping. TestFlight reaches up to 10,000 external testers without collecting a single UDID, it is free, and a build that has cleared Beta App Review is a build that has cleared something close to the App Store's own bar — which is worth knowing before you submit. App Dropper is the better fit earlier in the cycle: the daily build going to a handful of people, the client demo, the QA pass you do not want to spend a review cycle on. Plenty of teams run both, and there is nothing to migrate either way.
Do testers need to install another app?
No. The link opens in Safari and installs from there. There is an optional App Dropper tester app if you want push notifications for new builds, a list of everything you have been invited to, and in-app feedback, but nothing about the install flow requires it — unlike TestFlight, where the tester app is the only way in.
How does Android fit in?
TestFlight has no Android side at all, so most teams run it alongside a second tool and keep two tester lists. App Dropper takes .apk and .ipa in the same dashboard: one project per app, testers invited by email, and a permanent install link for each. Builds are filed by bundle ID automatically, so the iOS and Android versions of a release each keep their own history without any manual organising.
Is there a free plan, and what does it include?
Yes, with no card to start. Free covers builds up to 150 MB, 5 apps with 10 testers each, 2 GB of storage, 5 uploads an hour, and keeps each build for 7 days. Tester invites, feedback, push notifications, CI uploads and iOS over-the-air installs are all included on it — Pro raises the limits rather than unlocking the distribution flow. Pro is $9 a month, or $90 a year.
Does the link change every time I upload a new build?
No — the link belongs to the app, not to the upload. It always resolves to the newest build, and every earlier version stays reachable from that same page's history, so you can paste it into a brief or a Slack channel once and never update it again. That is the part TestFlight cannot do: each TestFlight build expires after 90 days and testers go back through the app to find the current one.
Can I automate uploads from CI instead of dragging files in?
Yes, on any plan. One step — npx appdropper upload build/app.ipa, with an API token in the APPDROPPER_TOKEN secret — works on any CI that runs Node 18 or newer, and there are ready-made integrations for GitHub Actions and Fastlane. All of them are clients of a public REST API at appdropper.io/api/v1 if you would rather call it yourself. Upload tokens carry one scope and reach only the apps you tick, so handing one to a client's pipeline does not expose the rest of your account.
More detail in the Knowledge Base: share links and expiry and Free vs. Pro limits.
Nothing to migrate
Keep TestFlight for the public beta if you want it — drop your next build on App Dropper and you have a link in the meantime. See how IPA uploads work or head straight to the pricing page.