Three Reasons to Consider Developing for Windows Instead of Apple or Google

February 25, 2013

We know that most PC developers don’t really make any money from their apps. We also know that, among the developers who do, those building Mac apps make more than those building for competing stores such as Google Play.

In total, Apple has paid out more than $7 billion to developers. And while exact numbers fluctuate, most studies affirm that Mac developers earn more money on average than their Android developer counterparts.

Why is this? Well, Apple’s App Store is currently superior to competing app stores in terms of both quality and quantity. So when competitors simply copied the tech giant’s business model—70% to the developer, 30% to Apple—they weren’t even attempting to differentiate.

Microsoft, however, is endeavouring to do just that. In order to encourage developers to build great apps for its latest, Windows 8, the company has made some modifications to Apple’s 30% cut model.

First, revenue sharing on the Windows Store begins at 70%, but when an app achieves $25,000 in revenue, the developer begins raking in 80% for the lifetime of the app. This means for smashing successes—such as top apps that Apple developers have made serious money from—developers could see thousands of dollars more in their pockets. Even for lower tier apps, an extra 10% per app purchase can very quickly add up.

Another differentiating factor is how Windows allows developers to choose their business model, including time-limited trials, in-app purchases, and third-party transactions. This is a degree of flexibility that Apple just doesn’t provide.

And finally, the Windows Dev Center offers a dashboard that helps developers improve their apps by monitoring success. The dashboard allows users to view reports on their app’s downloads, revenue, usage, transactions, customer ratings, market trends, and more.

Right now, most developers will still make more money building apps for Apple than Windows. But Microsoft is taking the right steps toward a developer-friendly platform and down the road, the pros could very well start to outweigh the cons.