How much does it cost to sell on Microsoft Marketplace? Fees by offer type (2026)

Updated 11 Nov 2026 · FY27 (1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027)

The short answer. Microsoft Marketplace charges no listing fee and nothing to publish. When a customer buys your transactable offer, Microsoft keeps a 3% store service fee from your payout. Microsoft says a qualifying private offer renewal gets 50% off that fee. At WeTransact, we recommend asking "is this a renewal?" before every private offer.

In plain words. You pay Microsoft nothing to be on the store, only a percentage when a sale happens, taken out of your payment. A transactable offer is one where Microsoft invoices the customer, collects the money and pays you. Microsoft calls the 3% a "store service fee" in some places and an "agency fee" in others.

You may know the store by its old names, Azure Marketplace and AppSource. Microsoft merged them into Microsoft Marketplace.

Does this apply to you?

Probably yes, if you sell business software and want to know what Microsoft Marketplace costs before you list. We checked every number against Microsoft Learn, Microsoft's official documentation site, on 8 November 2026.

Not yet, if you only want a "Contact me" listing. The customer fills in a form, and you sell outside Microsoft. Nothing is billed through Microsoft, so there is no fee to work out.

Be careful, if you sell through resellers, or in countries where you handle sales tax yourself. Both change what you pay and what you file.

What is free

Microsoft's Marketplace FAQ says there is no cost to publish offers and no listing fee.

Offers that are not transactable carry no store service fee. That means free listings, bring-your-own-license listings (the customer already owns the license) and "Contact me". Microsoft's FAQ ties the fee to customers buying a transact offer.

Joining Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace, Microsoft's FY27 program for its incentives, is free at the no-cost level. FY27 runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027.

A transactable SaaS plan can also include a free trial of 1 to 180 days. The customer pays $0 and the subscription turns paid unless they cancel. You pay the Azure cost of the trial, because for SaaS the Azure usage is billed to you.

The store service fee: 3%, and what it covers

Microsoft Learn says Microsoft charges "a 3% standard store service fee" when customers buy your transact offer. Microsoft acts as your agent. You stay the seller. You set the price, the terms and the support.

The fee pays for Microsoft's side of the sale. Microsoft's pages say it handles billing, payment and collection, pays you, and manages tax payment in many countries.

Two details matter when you do the math:

• The fee is on your license fee. In Microsoft's examples, the 3% applies to the software license price. For virtual machines, Microsoft also bills Azure usage and keeps that usage cost.
• Microsoft deducts it at payout. The customer sees the full price. Microsoft's SaaS example bills $100.00 and pays out $97.00.

Microsoft also deducts any withholding tax, and in a few countries it may collect tax on the fee itself.

How the fee differs by offer type

Transactable SaaS

This is the usual case. On flat-rate and per-user plans, the fee is 3% of what Microsoft collects for your license. Microsoft's example is a $100.00 monthly license, where Microsoft keeps $3.00.

You carry your own Azure bill. Microsoft says SaaS publishers must treat Azure usage and license fees as one cost, usually bundled into the price. See Azure Marketplace pricing models explained.

Other transactable types

Microsoft also lists Azure applications, containers, virtual machines, Dynamics 365 apps, Power BI visuals and professional services as transactable. For virtual machines, containers and Azure applications, the customer's Azure subscription pays the infrastructure, shown separately from your license.

Microsoft's virtual machine example: you charge $1.00 an hour, Azure usage is $0.14, and the customer pays $1.14. Microsoft pays you $0.97 and keeps $0.03, plus the $0.14.

For professional services, Microsoft says they are sold only through a private offer. The pages we read give no separate rate and say software license fees carry the 3% "unless otherwise specified". Check Partner Center before pricing services.

Private offers and renewals

A private offer is a transactable sale with negotiated terms, so the standard fee applies. Microsoft's pages show no separate fee to create one. See private offers on Microsoft Marketplace.

The renewal discount

Microsoft Learn's page "Agency fee discount for renewals" says a 50% discount can apply to the transaction fee for renewals of customer private offers and multiparty private offers. It applies to the entire term of the offer. Half of 3% is 1.5%, our arithmetic, since Microsoft's page does not print it.

Microsoft counts a customer renewal as at least one of these:

• Renewal of a current private offer or paid Marketplace deal.
• Renewal of a paid agreement still in effect outside Marketplace that you are moving onto it.
• An upsell to an existing paid customer, whether the first deal was on or off Marketplace.

A private offer for a new customer does not qualify. Three rules trip people up:

1. You tick a box. You self-attest the renewal when you create the private offer, and the lower fee then applies automatically.
2. No second chance. Microsoft says you cannot add it later through Partner Center or support.
3. Date cut-off. Offers created before 1 October 2024 are not eligible. For an older deal, the customer must turn off auto-renewal or cancel, and you create a new offer with the box ticked.

Our rule: nobody sends a private offer without asking "is this a renewal?" Miss the box, and you pay the standard fee for the whole term.

Reseller deals: who pays the fee

Microsoft's channel overview says that, for every type of sale, the partner creating the private offer pays the 3% agency fee.

• CSP private offer. A Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) is a reseller in Microsoft's partner program. You set a margin, which creates a wholesale price. Microsoft pays you that wholesale price less the fee.
• Multiparty private offer. You and a channel partner sell together. Microsoft pays the channel partner with no agency fee and pays you with it applied, based on the partner price you set.
• Resale enabled offer. You authorize a channel partner. Microsoft pays the partner minus the fee, and the partner pays you outside Marketplace, as your own agreement says.

More on channel partners on Azure Marketplace.

What else costs money

Microsoft's fee is not the only line in your budget.

• Your own Azure bill. Microsoft's FAQ says that if the solution runs in your Azure subscription, as SaaS does, you pay those costs and should price them in.
• A platform or service you choose. You can set up Partner Center yourself. We only do Microsoft Marketplace, with three plans: WeLaunch (self-serve, €149 per user per month), TransactCertified (guided, €12,000 per year) and TransactStellar (fully managed, €50,000 per year). We charge no per-deal fees, so Microsoft's 3% is the only per-sale cost.
• Premium membership. Optional, with hands-on Microsoft support. It costs about $1,500 a year. Checkout shows the exact amount.
• Customer non-payment. Microsoft may pay you before it collects. If a customer never pays, Microsoft says it can deduct the amount from future payouts or ask for a refund.
• Tax work. Where Microsoft calls a country "publisher-managed", you handle tax registration, calculation and invoices.

When you get paid

Microsoft Learn says payouts happen monthly, typically sent by the 15th. Timing depends on the customer's contract:

• Enterprise Agreement (EA), the contract big customers hold with Microsoft. Payout comes in the next cycle after the customer invoice. Microsoft says it often comes before it collects from the customer.
• Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) and CSP. Payout becomes possible once Microsoft collects from the customer. For credit cards, Microsoft adds a 30-day escrow period.
• Non-standard terms. For terms such as Net 45 or Net 60, Microsoft says payout times move accordingly.

Add bank time: about one business day for PayPal, two to three for ACH or SEPA, seven to ten for a wire. Payouts start once sales reach $50.00.

In our experience, a payout takes around two to four months from the purchase. It is a cash-flow lag, not an extra fee. Plan your cash flow for it.

A worked example: a $50,000 deal

All figures are made up, and the fee is the one Microsoft states. We ignore tax, currency and bank fees.

1. A new customer buys through a private offer for $50,000.

• Fee: 3% of $50,000 = $1,500.
• You receive $50,000 − $1,500 = $48,500.

2. The same customer renews at $50,000, and you ticked the renewal box.

• Fee: half of $1,500 = $750.
• You receive $50,000 − $750 = $49,250.
• Forgetting the box costs $750.

3. A reseller sells $50,000 to the customer on a multiparty private offer.

• You set the partner price at $40,000. The reseller adds $10,000.
• Fee: 3% of $40,000 = $1,200. You receive $38,800.
• Microsoft pays the reseller its $10,000 margin with no agency fee.

On the first $100,000 you bill through Marketplace, the fee is $3,000. Microsoft Learn also counts $100,000 of cumulative Marketplace billed sales as one route to Azure IP co-sell eligibility, alongside other requirements. See how to reach $100,000 of Marketplace billed sales.

What incentives and credits can offset

Only one kind of FY27 incentive is cash. The rest is credit or help. Our FY27 incentives guide covers them all.

• Cash. AI Build & Publish pays $4,000 to $80,000 for publishing an AI SaaS offer on Azure. You need more than $100,000 of billed sales or a $1 million Azure commitment, plus a sales target. See AI Build & Publish for Marketplace.
• Azure credit. Azure sponsorship gives credit for your deals and free trials. It cuts a cloud bill and never reaches your revenue, so it does not pay Microsoft's fee.
• Co-sell. Microsoft's sellers can introduce you to customers once you are eligible. It is not a payment. See co-selling with Microsoft.

Our FY27 guide walks through a made-up company's first year, with fees and incentives side by side.

More on this topic

• Azure Marketplace Secure Payment Tools
• Checklist for Building SaaS Tiered Pricing Plans
• How to Build Revenue Projections for Azure Marketplace
• How to Validate Metered Billing APIs on Azure
• Maximizing Financial Efficiency for Startups via Microsoft Marketplace
• Optimizing Revenue: Innovative SaaS Pricing Strategies
• Proactive Churn Reduction Tactics for SaaS Models
• Why Your CFO Loves Microsoft Marketplace: A Game-Changer

Frequently asked questions

Is there a listing fee for Microsoft Marketplace?

No. Microsoft's FAQ says there is no cost to publish and no listing fee. You pay a 3% store service fee only when a customer buys a transactable offer.

How much does Microsoft charge to sell on Azure Marketplace?

Microsoft charges a 3% store service fee on transactable sales, deducted from your payout. For the steps, see how to sell on Microsoft Marketplace.

Do private offers cost more than public sales?

No. Microsoft's pages show the same 3% fee. A renewal can get 50% off it.

What is the renewal discount?

It is a 50% discount on the fee for renewals of customer and multiparty private offers, for the offer's whole term. It covers only offers created from 1 October 2024 and cannot be added after creation.

Does a free trial cost me anything?

Your customer pays nothing during a SaaS free trial. You pay the Azure cost of running it, because for SaaS the Azure usage is billed to you.

Can Azure credit pay Microsoft's fee?

No. Azure sponsorship credit cuts a cloud bill and never reaches your revenue, so it does not pay Microsoft's fee.

Sources: Microsoft Learn, Microsoft Marketplace FAQ; Microsoft Marketplace transact capabilities; Agency fee discount for renewals; Payout schedules and processes; Payout details by region; Overview of channel-led sales through Microsoft Marketplace; Multiparty private offers (overview and for software companies); Resale enabled offers overview; Configure CSP private offers; Tax responsibilities for Microsoft Marketplace (checked 8 November 2026). Microsoft's FY27 Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace incentive amounts (guide updated 20 October 2026). Payout timing in our experience is our own estimate. Microsoft may change its fees 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

The other FY27 incentives

• Azure sponsorship
• AI Build & Publish for Marketplace
• AI Build & Publish for the Agent Store
• Customer Assessment & POV
• Customer Migrate & Modernize
• Co-selling with Microsoft

Based on Microsoft's FY27 Partner Investments material and the Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace pages on Microsoft Learn. Microsoft may change its programs at any time, and every payout needs Microsoft's approval. Amounts are in USD.