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I am looking to port a tool from the Mac app store over to Windows, the platform where I spend most of my time these days. I've spoken with the author of the original app and we've begun talking about licensing options should I decide to sell the application, and it seems like it would be feasible.

I've never sold software independently, let alone on Windows. That I know of, there is not (yet) an equivalent app store for Windows (maybe one coming with Windows 8).

Assuming my product was done today and I was ready to go to market, what options do I have for selling software for Windows as an independent developer or Micro-ISV? I know can sell it through my own website and accept PayPal, but are there options that will offer more visibility, similar to that of the Apple app stores? Any options to avoid?

yannis
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technomalogical
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  • As an aside, there _is_ an app store coming for window 8, due in February; have a [blog entry](http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsstore/archive/2011/12/06/announcing-the-new-windows-store.aspx) – Clockwork-Muse Dec 08 '11 at 22:50

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Most Windows software is sold independently. Though if you are new to selling software often its a good idea to start off with one of the original 'app stores' - otherwise known as shareware registration services or payment processors - if you dont want to manage the sales process and downloads yourself.

Depending on the nature of your software, there may be sites that sell products specific to the industry/interest your software serves who retail software. That would give you very targetted exposure.

GrandmasterB
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  • Thanks. This is sort of a niche product, not really related to any particular industry. I have heard good things about [Kagi](http://kagi.com) and will probably give them a try. – technomalogical Dec 14 '11 at 18:04