> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.viral-app.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Expo Account

> Set up Expo for building and deploying your app

# Expo Account

Before you can build your app for the App Store, you need an Expo account. This is free and takes about 5 minutes.

<Check>
  **Already have an Expo account?** [Skip to Service Accounts →](/quickstart/create-accounts)
</Check>

***

## What is Expo?

Think of Expo as the bridge between your code and the App Store.

When you write a mobile app, your code needs to be "compiled" into a format that iPhones can understand. This compilation process is complex — it requires Apple's Xcode, specific certificates, and a lot of configuration.

**Expo handles all of this for you.** You write code, Expo turns it into an app.

### The Two Parts of Expo

| Part                                | What It Does                                                       |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Expo Framework**                  | The tools you use to write your app (already included in the kit)  |
| **EAS (Expo Application Services)** | Cloud service that builds your app and submits it to the App Store |

<Info>
  **You don't need to understand how Expo works internally.** Just know that when you're ready to publish, you'll run a command and Expo handles the rest.
</Info>

***

## Why Expo?

Without Expo, publishing an iOS app requires:

* A Mac with Xcode installed
* Managing certificates and provisioning profiles
* Understanding Apple's complex build system
* Hours of configuration

**With Expo:**

* Build in the cloud (your Mac specs don't matter)
* Certificates managed automatically
* One command to build: `eas build`
* One command to submit: `eas submit`

<Note>
  Expo is used by companies like Microsoft, Shopify, and Discord. It's production-ready and trusted.
</Note>

***

## Create Your Expo Account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Expo">
    Visit [expo.dev](https://expo.dev/) and click **Sign Up**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Account">
    Sign up with email or GitHub. Use an email you check regularly — Expo sends build notifications here.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Email">
    Check your inbox and verify your email address
  </Step>
</Steps>

That's it for now. You'll connect your account to the project later during setup.

***

## Expo Pricing

Expo has a generous free tier:

| Plan                     | Builds           | Best For                |
| ------------------------ | ---------------- | ----------------------- |
| **Free**                 | 30 builds/month  | Most indie developers   |
| **Production (\$99/mo)** | 100 builds/month | Teams, frequent updates |

<Tip>
  **30 builds/month is plenty.** A "build" is when you create a new version of your app. Most developers use 2-3 builds/month (development, testing, production).
</Tip>

***

## What About EAS CLI?

Later, during project setup, you'll install the EAS command-line tool:

```bash theme={null}
npm install -g eas-cli
eas login
```

This connects your local project to your Expo account. Don't worry about this now — the setup guide will walk you through it.

***

## Expo vs App Store: What's the Difference?

People sometimes confuse Expo and the App Store. Here's the distinction:

|                  | Expo                        | App Store                     |
| ---------------- | --------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **What it does** | Builds your app             | Distributes your app to users |
| **Who runs it**  | Expo (third-party company)  | Apple                         |
| **Account cost** | Free                        | \$99/year                     |
| **Required?**    | Yes (or you build manually) | Yes (to publish publicly)     |

**Think of it this way:** Expo is the factory that makes your app. The App Store is the store that sells it.

***

## Next Step

<Card title="Create Service Accounts" icon="key" href="/quickstart/create-accounts">
  Set up Supabase, RevenueCat, and MixPanel
</Card>