Is your software ready to sell on Microsoft Marketplace? Eight checks before you list

Updated 13 Nov 2026

The short answer. Your software is ready for Microsoft Marketplace when you sell it to businesses, it fits an offer type Microsoft can bill for, your company can be verified, and someone owns the work after you list. Some of Microsoft's incentives also need your product to run mainly on Azure. At WeTransact, we tell some companies to wait, and the eight checks below show who.

In plain words. Microsoft Marketplace is a store where your customer buys on the Microsoft agreement it already has. Microsoft sends the invoice and pays you the rest.

Listing is only the start. The checks below ask whether you have the product, the paperwork, the customers and the people to make a listing worth having.

Is your software ready for Microsoft Marketplace?

Founders ask us this before they spend a single hour in Partner Center. Good. It is the right question to ask first.

Most business software can be listed. That is not the hard part. Going live is the start, not the finish: a listing doesn't bring you customers on its own.

In our experience, ready means three things. A product businesses already pay for. An offer Microsoft can bill for. And a person who owns the work after you go live. The third is where most companies fall short.

So we recommend being honest about it. If nobody will run the deals and the work with Microsoft, wait. A listing nobody tends does not help you.

The two questions that decide it: do you already sell to businesses that buy through Microsoft? And who in your company owns Marketplace the day after you go live?

Probably yes, if you sell business software on a subscription or usage basis and are deciding whether to list. For the basics first, read our guide to what Microsoft Marketplace is and how it works.

Not yet, if you have no paying business customers, or nobody to run enterprise sales. See "When to wait" below.

Be careful, if your product is hardware, an app for consumers or an add-in for Teams, Outlook or Excel. Check 2 explains why.

Is Microsoft Marketplace right for my company? Eight checks

Each check has what to look for, why it matters and what to do if the answer is no. Checks 1, 5, 7 and 8 are partly our judgment. We say so where it applies.

1. You sell software to businesses and can invoice them

What to look for. You sell to companies, you charge by subscription or by usage, and you can name a price. Microsoft describes Marketplace as connecting businesses and government agencies with partner solutions. In our experience, a company that already invoices business customers is ready on this check, and one still looking for its first paying customer is not.

Why it matters. Microsoft bills your customers for you, so you need prices and a product people already pay for. To sell this way you also need a tax profile and a payout profile in Partner Center, Microsoft's admin website.

If no. Microsoft Learn, Microsoft's official documentation site, says that if you only plan to list free offers, you need no tax forms or payout profile. Start with a free or "Contact me" listing, and come back when you have paying customers.

2. Your product type fits an offer type Microsoft can bill for

What to look for. Microsoft Learn lists the types it can bill for: SaaS (software customers use online), virtual machines, containers, managed applications, Dynamics 365 apps, Power BI visuals and Dragon Copilot apps. Professional services can be sold only through a private offer.

Why it matters. Microsoft says by policy it does not support the sale of hardware. Add-ins for Teams, Outlook and Excel follow a separate submission guide. Microsoft's FAQ gives a Teams app as an example that can be monetized through a transactable SaaS licensing service.

If no. Use a "Contact me" listing so customers can reach you, and sell outside Microsoft.

3. You meet the technical requirements for SaaS

What to look for. For free, trial and paid SaaS listings, Microsoft Learn requires sign-in with Microsoft Entra (Microsoft's sign-in system) and a landing page. For paid listings only, it adds the SaaS fulfillment APIs (the messages between your product and Microsoft) and a webhook. Its transact page also says a SaaS application must be multitenant, meaning one product shared by many customers. "Contact me" has no technical requirements.

Why it matters. Microsoft says the landing page and webhook must run 24/7, because that is how you learn about purchases.

If no. List with "Contact me" first. For the build, Microsoft points to its SaaS Accelerator, a community-led reference implementation. A platform partner can also run orders and day-to-day work with you. Our separate post on the listing timeline and checklist lists the technical items.

4. Your company can be verified in Partner Center

What to look for. Microsoft checks that your business is legally registered at the stated address, and that your contact, identity and domain details are right. It takes three to five business days in most cases.

Why it matters. Until verification ends, Microsoft says you may not be able to publish content or manage key settings.

If no. Fix your registration records first. Microsoft says names and addresses must match official records exactly, with no abbreviations or spelling errors.

5. Someone owns the Marketplace work after the listing

What to look for. Microsoft's FAQ says customers find offers in products, in the store, through Cloud Solution Provider resellers (Microsoft's reseller network) and through Microsoft's sales teams in co-sell. Resellers see your offer only if you opt in. Co-sell has eligibility rules. In our experience, a listing alone does not bring customers.

Why it matters. Someone must follow up leads, create offers and register co-sell deals. Microsoft's FAQ says successful publishers often pursue their leads. Our guide to co-selling with Microsoft covers the rules.

If no. Name one owner before you list.

6. You have real Azure activity, billed and not funded by credits

What to look for. Microsoft's FY27 incentives guide (version 18, 20 October 2026) says you do not have to move to Azure to join the program. Selling is stricter: Microsoft's certification policy says a SaaS offer that is listed and purchasable in the Azure portal must be "primarily platformed on Microsoft Azure". Our guide explains whether you must host on Azure to sell on Microsoft Marketplace.

Why it matters. Microsoft Learn says Azure credits do not count toward the $100,000 of Azure consumed revenue (ACR) behind co-sell eligibility. Microsoft says sponsorship use does not count toward ACR milestones either. The pages we read do not say whether your own development use counts, so ask Microsoft before you plan on it.

If no. If all your Azure use is covered by credits, wait on the incentives that need paid use. You can still sell through Marketplace. See our FY27 incentives guide and Azure sponsorship post.

7. Your target customers have a MACC or buy through Microsoft

What to look for. A MACC is a customer's promise to spend a set amount on Azure. Microsoft Learn says eligible Marketplace purchases count toward it, but only when the offer is Azure benefit eligible and the purchase is made in the Azure portal. Credit card checkout in the store does not count. Microsoft Learn also says Azure IP co-sell eligibility is a prerequisite for an offer's MACC eligibility. In our experience, the easiest first buyers are customers who already have a MACC or already buy software through Microsoft.

Why it matters. A MACC lets a buyer pay you from budget that already exists. Customers without one can still buy by credit card or on an Azure invoice, according to Microsoft.

If no. Ask your best prospects whether they buy through Microsoft today. Read the MACC explained and our guide to resellers.

8. Someone can run enterprise deals

What to look for. In our experience, enterprise deals need a named person who owns the conversation from first call to private offer. Microsoft's FY27 guide says you choose the accounts and register each deal yourself.

Why it matters. Microsoft Learn says private offers, deals made for one customer, are how you set custom prices and terms. Someone has to negotiate them.

If no. Assign or hire the owner first. Our 10-week co-sell plan shows what each role does.

When to wait

Waiting can be the right decision. Wait if:

• You have no revenue yet from paying business customers.
• Nobody can own the enterprise sale, or the Marketplace work after listing.
• All your Azure use is covered by credits, and Azure-based incentives are your reason to list.
• Your company is not registered, or cannot yet pass verification.
• Your product is hardware (Microsoft does not support selling it) or aimed mainly at consumers (Microsoft describes Marketplace as serving businesses and government agencies).

Meanwhile, you can publish a free or "Contact me" listing, and prepare your tax and payout details.

Does listing on Microsoft Marketplace actually generate revenue?

It can, but the listing is not the cause. The revenue comes from deals you work. Microsoft bills your customer and pays you 97% of the license fee. QS Solutions reports $120K+ in Marketplace sales within weeks of launch. Read how to reach $100,000 of billed sales.

Why not do this in-house?

You can. Microsoft documents every step. Many teams do it themselves, with operations, finance and developer time. Our step-by-step guide lays out the work.

A platform partner takes some of it on. With our team, you go live in 5 days, across 3 sprints, and need about 2 hours of hands-on time from your team. That figure is ours, not Microsoft's. Orders, payouts and day-to-day work run in our platform with our team helping. 1 in 10 SaaS offers on Microsoft Marketplace already run on WeTransact.

Frequently asked questions

Should I list my software on Microsoft Marketplace?

List when your product is business software, your company can be verified and someone will own the work afterward. If those answers are no, waiting is better.

When should I not list on Microsoft Marketplace?

Wait if you have no paying business customers, nobody to run enterprise sales, or you sell hardware or software aimed at consumers. A free or "Contact me" listing is a lighter first step.

Can I list before I have paying customers?

You can publish a free or "Contact me" listing. We recommend waiting to sell through Microsoft until you have paying business customers.

Can I sell hardware on Microsoft Marketplace?

No. Microsoft says Marketplace does not support the sale of hardware.

What if my product is a Teams, Outlook or Excel add-in?

Microsoft has a separate submission guide for those add-ins. Its FAQ gives a Teams app as an example that can be sold through a transactable SaaS licensing service.

What does a SaaS offer need technically?

Sign-in with Microsoft Entra ID and a landing page. A paid listing also needs the SaaS fulfillment APIs and a webhook, and Microsoft Learn's transact page says a SaaS application must be multitenant.

Sources: Microsoft Learn, "Microsoft Marketplace FAQ", "Microsoft Marketplace transact capabilities", "Plan a SaaS offer for Microsoft Marketplace", "Understand the verification process in Partner Center", "Co-sell requirements", "Azure Consumption Commitment Benefit", "ISV-to-customer private offers" (ISV, independent software vendor, means a software company), "Set up Microsoft Marketplace payout and tax profiles", "Transacting on Microsoft Marketplace" and "Microsoft Marketplace step-by-step submission guide" (all read on 8 November 2026); Microsoft's FY27 Partner Investments material (version of 20 October 2026) and Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace FAQ (September 2026). QS Solutions reports its own result. Microsoft may change its programs at any time.

Want the full picture?

Everything here is also in our complete guide to Microsoft FY27 Marketplace incentives, with plain-words notes for newcomers. Get the complete FY27 guide

Not sure which incentive fits your company?

Ask for your free Microsoft Incentives Assessment: a personalized report of every incentive your company can claim, what each is worth, and the order to claim them. Free, no obligation. No Partner Center login needed to start. Ask for your free Assessment