Microsoft

Microsoft Store Allow Developers To Post Progressive Web Apps For Free

Progressive Web Apps, or PWAs for short, can now be published for free on the Microsoft Store for a limited time. The group announced this and waived the developer fee until September 15th.

A new initiative for developers

This is how it can now be read in a blog post by Microsoft. Microsoft had previously launched an initiative in which the company was working with Open Web Docs to update the documentation on developing progressive web apps on the MDN website. Most of these documents had not been touched for years.

Now the PWAs will be pushed as part of this partnership. PWA developers can apply now.

Microsoft will allow them to publish apps to the Microsoft Store for free. The company works with the PWABuilder team, which has developed tools that make it easier for developers to turn a web app into a PWA. In the blog post, Microsoft explained that from now until September 15, select developers whose apps meet certain requirements can receive a token.

Conditions

With this token, the transfer to the Microsoft Store is then possible free of charge. Usually, the fee for registering a Microsoft Store account is around $19.

According to Microsoft, the apps must meet the following requirements:

  • You must have a PWA that is installable, contains all required manifest fields, and implements at least two desktop extensions
  • You must live in a country or region where the Windows program is offered in Partner Center. The full list of countries can be found here
  • You have a valid Microsoft account that you can use to sign up for the Microsoft Store on Windows developer account
  • You do not have an existing Microsoft Store on Windows developer/publisher account
  • Use the Store Token to create a Microsoft Store on Windows developer account within 30 calendar days of Microsoft sending you the token, using the same Microsoft account you used to sign in here
  • Schedule an application to be released to the Store this calendar year (before 12/31/2023 at midnight Pacific Standard Time)