Microsoft drops $99 fee for organizations to publish apps on the Microsoft Store

Microsoft has removed the $99 onboarding fee for organizations creating developer accounts on the Microsoft Store, expanding the policy it first introduced for individual developers last September. Companies can now register and start publishing apps without upfront costs, while new Microsoft Entra ID support allows them to sign up with existing work accounts and connect their developer account to their organizational identity.

Microsoft has also redesigned the onboarding flow with clearer requirements, upfront validation, real time status updates, and email notifications. The company says many verification checks are now automated, which should reduce the time between account creation and app submission. To speed up verification, Microsoft recommends having a D-U-N-S Number ready, though organizations can also upload supporting business documents if manual review is needed.

The Microsoft Store already supports a wide range of app types, including Win32, Universal Windows Platform, Progressive Web Apps, .NET MAUI, and Electron apps. With these changes, Microsoft is mainly reducing the cost and verification friction for companies that want to publish through the store, while hopefully making it more relevant against other popular app stores like the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.