Skip to content

Buying a Distribution Certificate

Distributing certificates offer the perfect balance between flexibility and simplicity.
If you chose to buy a distribution certificate from a service, you can sideload apps without the usual restrictions.

Requirements

  • Money lol
  • Patience to read though subreddits and look for reviews so you can figure out a reliable service.
  • Patience to figure out why that Specific app isnt installing.
  • Signing app to sign and install the app.

Additional Info & Limitations

  • Reliability depends on the service.
  • Distributing certificates are officially meant for companies distributing internal apps, but sideloading services resell access for personal use which is against Apple's Tos.
  • Hyperlinks inside apps (e.g., Reddit links opening the Reddit app) do not always work.
  • There’s always a risk of certificate revocation by Apple. This means you will need to rebuy a new certificate.
  • Certificates expire yearly, and some sellers may rotate them earlier if revocation occurs.
  • Changing the app’s icon while installed is not supported. That needs to happen before installation.
  • in-app link opening (e.g., https://reddit.com → Reddit app) are not supported. However, URI schemes (e.g., reddit:// → Reddit app) will work.
  • Certificates usually last one year or a bit shorter depending on when you were enrolled.

Certificate and Signing Services

Here are a few community-recommended and personally tested services. Prices are approximate and can change over time:

Certificate Services

  • FlekSt0r — €15 for the certificate
  • Krave Sign — roughly €7, really popular and good, though was hit very badly by revokes by apple so they temporarily shut down their service all together.
  • Signulous — around €20, quite pricy but the community seems to trust them.
  • AppTesters — €15 with a “lifetime” option (renewed yearly). Redditors say after being revoked they had to wait a long time to get there new cert
  • DxSign — Currently out of stock but usually €5, + €3 for revoke protection, but has mixed reviews and website seems out of date at the time of writing.

Most of the time its a gamble as to witch service to chose, all ican say would be my option. You can read

Signing Services

Important: Many other sellers exist, but trust is crucial. Stick to reputable names that have been verified by the community. Avoid any service that asks for full Apple ID credentials or uses Telegram for payment without a proper website.

Tips

  • Use multiple services if you want redundancy — when one cert gets revoked, you’ll still have working apps from another.
  • Always check community discussions (like the r/sideloaded or r/AltStore subreddits) before buying from a new provider.
  • Avoid services that promise “never revoked” or “permanent” certificates — Apple can revoke any enterprise cert.
  • If your apps suddenly crash on launch, your certificate has likely been revoked. Just reinstall them once your provider issues a new one.
  • For maximum stability, combine this method with AltStore or SideStore to manage backups and app lists.

Summary

Buying an Enterprise Certificate is the best middle ground between free and paid developer accounts:

  • ✅ No PC required
  • ✅ Works on multiple devices
  • ✅ Instant installs through browser links
  • ⚠️ Can be revoked anytime by Apple
  • 💰 Costs vary (€5–20/year)

It’s the ideal option if you value ease of use, speed, and low cost, while accepting the occasional risk of revocation.