PhonePe, a Walmart-backed Indian fintech startup, has launched Indus AppStore. The app store will offer localized services for Indian users, including support for 12 Indian languages, a dedicated payment gateway, and a dedicated customer support team based in India. Here are the details.

PhonePe Indus App Store

One of the key features of Indus AppStore is that it does not charge developers any platform fee or commission on in-app purchases. This is a significant departure from Google Play Store, which charges a 15-30% commission.

PhonePe Indus App Store

PhonePe is also offering free app listings for the first year, followed by a nominal annual fee. This makes it a very attractive option for start-ups and new app launches.

The platform also has a dedicated platform for start-ups and new app launches called “Launch Pad”. This will provide them with better visibility and search optimization, helping them to reach more users. App publishers will also be able to boost brand awareness via engaging videos.

The Indus Appstore is designed to provide developers with an alternative distribution channel to tap into the Indian Android market and to assist them with high-quality user acquisition through multilingual app discovery.

For this, PhonePe has also partnered with up with several phone manufacturers to distribute the app store on their phones. The startup also said it has established an India-based team to offer support to developers. 

PhonePe believes that Indus AppStore will provide a credible alternative to the Google Play Store for app developers in India. The company believes that the Indus AppStore’s localization features and developer support will attract developers, particularly start-ups and new app launches.

The company’s push into the app store market is the latest in a series of moves by the company to expand into new categories. Earlier this year, PhonePe launched an e-commerce app, and last month it unveiled Share.Market, an app that allows users to open trading accounts and invest in stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Related: