Microsoft Store drops registration fees for companies as part of onboarding overhaul

Microsoft is urging developers to embrace the Microsoft Store. Three changes that are rolling out make it free to create an account, add support for signing up with an organization's work account, and streamline the onboarding experience.

Last September, Microsoft got rid of fees for individual developers. Now, companies have received the same treatment. Before the change, companies needed to pay a $99 onboarding fee to get started on the Microsoft Store.

Onboarding is also easier, thanks to support for Microsoft Entra ID. Microsoft VP Giorgio Sardo highlighted that many have requested support for using an organization's work account to sign up.

Those who take advantage of the removed fee and broadened signup options will be met with a redesigned onboarding experience that's meant to clarify steps developers need to take.

Winning over developers

Microsoft is on a mission to fix Windows 11, and part of that effort is improving the app experience. Well-known developer Rudy Huyn is building a new team to work on Windows apps.

The Microsoft Store is in a much better state than when it launched in 2012 with Windows 8, though it was known as the Windows Store back then. The Microsoft Store now supports Win32, UWP, PWA, .NET MAUI, and Electron apps. That support opened the floodgates for legacy apps and desktop apps to enter the Microsoft Store.

The option for developers to host apps on their own servers lets them distribute apps and updates through systems they already rely on rather than paying for Microsoft’s hosting.

Improved search, better developer resources, and other changes have attracted big-name companies to the store.

Our Senior Editor Zac Bowden called the Microsoft Store a "must use app store." I've lamented the fact that the current version of the Microsoft Store did not ship a decade ago.

Removing the registration fee for individual developers last year was a step in the right direction. Dropping the fee for companies takes it one step further and may help persuade remaining holdouts to add their apps to the Microsoft Store.

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