Which marketplace should you list on first? AWS Marketplace, Azure Marketplace and Google Cloud Marketplace all charge a 3% fee on standard public SaaS offers. The real differences sit in private-offer fees, committed spend, reseller routes and co-sell. This table shows them side by side.
| Dimension | AWS Marketplace | Azure Marketplace | GCP Marketplace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard public SaaS transaction fee | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Private-offer fees | Depend on deal size, renewal status and offer type | Depend on offer type and terms; a discount applies to eligible private-offer renewals | Depend on deal size, renewal status and offer type |
| Buyer billing | Through the buyer's AWS account | Through the buyer's Microsoft billing account | Through the buyer's Google Cloud billing account |
| Committed cloud spend | Eligible purchases can count toward qualifying AWS commitments | Eligible purchases can count toward a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) | Eligible purchases can count toward Google Cloud commitments |
| Negotiated deals | Private offers | Private offers | Private offers |
| Reseller route | AWS Channel Partner Private Offers | Azure multiparty private offers | Marketplace Channel Private Offers |
| Co-sell route | AWS partner programmes, such as ISV Accelerate | Microsoft co-sell programmes | Google Cloud partner programmes |
Fees shown are standard transaction fees for public SaaS offers, not operating costs. Check current seller terms before forecasting margins. Reseller routes are subject to eligibility and market availability. Co-sell routes have separate eligibility rules.
- The standard fee for a public SaaS offer is 3% on all three marketplaces. Private-offer fees depend on deal size, renewal status and terms.
- Eligible purchases can count toward a buyer's committed cloud spend on all three. Eligibility is set per product and per buyer agreement.
- Each marketplace has a reseller route and a co-sell route. Each has its own eligibility rules, and none guarantees sales.
- Launch where buyer demand and the buyer's purchasing route point. Check hosting and eligibility rules first: Google Cloud Marketplace requires software hosted primarily on Google Cloud.
The Answer Nobody Wants to Hear
Every VP of Sales who is new to cloud marketplace eventually asks the same question: Which marketplace should we list on first? And every experienced marketplace practitioner gives the same answer: It depends where your customers are.
But that is not the full answer. You must also understand the mechanics of each marketplace before you decide. The sections below cover each one, with the facts we could check in the primary documents.
AWS Marketplace: Fees, ISV Accelerate and Committed Spend
AWS Marketplace fits ISVs whose buyers already buy and govern software through their AWS account.
If you want a faster path through the analysis, the Marketplace Fee Calculator is free and takes under five minutes to model your net revenue across AWS, Azure, and GCP fee structures.
Fees
AWS charges a 3% listing fee on public SaaS offers. Private-offer fees depend on total contract value: 3% below $1M, 2% from $1M to below $10M, and 1.5% at $10M or more. All renewals of private offers are 1.5%. Channel Partner Private Offers add 0.5%. Some countries add a regional fee; South Korea adds 1%. Server products (AMI, container and machine learning) carry a 20% fee. These rates apply from January 5, 2024.
ISV Accelerate
ISV Accelerate is a co-sell programme for partners that sell through AWS Marketplace. It is not a fee programme: it does not lower your listing fee. To join, you need a product that is generally available in AWS Marketplace, Validated or Differentiated status in AWS Partner Central, and a minimum level of launched opportunities in the past 12 months. Check the current criteria on the programme page.
Committed spend
If a buyer has an AWS spend commitment, eligible AWS Marketplace purchases can count toward it. Buyers often call this an Enterprise Discount Program (EDP) or a Private Pricing Agreement. Eligibility depends on the product and on the buyer's own agreement. Ask the buyer's procurement team early.
Payouts
AWS disburses funds only after it collects payment from the buyer. You can choose daily or monthly disbursement. Money usually reaches your bank one to two business days after the disbursement date.
Azure Marketplace: Fees, Co-Sell and MACC
Azure Marketplace fits ISVs whose buyers are Microsoft-centric and buy through a Microsoft billing account. Microsoft's current documents call the storefront Microsoft Marketplace. This guide uses Azure Marketplace for the Azure-focused offers that buyers search for.
Fees
Microsoft charges a 3% standard store service fee when a buyer purchases a transactable offer. Microsoft lets you apply a 50% discount to the transaction fee for qualifying private-offer customer renewals.
Co-sell and MACC
Microsoft uses co-sell statuses: co-sell ready, and Azure IP co-sell eligible for Azure offers. Azure IP co-sell eligible status lets you submit co-sell referrals. It also lets your offer contribute toward a customer's Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC). MACC enrolment works per offer. The licence must be used only in Azure. Free and bring-your-own-licence offers do not qualify.
Payouts
Microsoft generally pays monthly. The buyer's agreement type, such as Enterprise Agreement or Cloud Solution Provider, changes the exact timing.
GCP Marketplace: Fees and Commitments
Google Cloud Marketplace is often the first choice for products that sit close to Google Cloud's data and AI services. Confirm this with live buyers before you commit.
Fees
Google charges a 3% revenue share on standard offers. Private offers follow a schedule by deal size: 3% below $1M, 2% from $1M to below $10M, and 1.5% at $10M or more. Channel shifts, migrations and native renewals are 1.5%. The schedule applies to new transactions from April 21, 2025.
Commitments and channel offers
Google says 100% of spend on Marketplace services may count toward a buyer's minimum commitment. Exclusions apply, for example services that do not run on Google Cloud and professional services. For Marketplace Channel Private Offers, drawdown is 100% of the final price, up to a 25% cap on the commitment, from June 9, 2025.
Which marketplace should you launch on first?
Buyer demand decides, once your product is eligible. Check hosting rules first. Google Cloud Marketplace requires you to verify during onboarding that your software is hosted primarily on Google Cloud, using one of Google's approved hosting patterns.
- Prioritise AWS Marketplace when your target customers want AWS procurement and have eligible committed AWS spend.
- Prioritise Azure Marketplace when your customers favour Microsoft procurement and your reseller relationships align with Microsoft.
- Prioritise Google Cloud Marketplace when your buyers run their data and AI work on Google Cloud and your product meets Google's hosting requirement.
Then test the assumption with live opportunities. Talk to your top 20 prospects and customers. Ask each one three questions:
- Which cloud do you buy software through?
- Do you have a committed-spend agreement, and is our product eligible?
- Who owns procurement, and which purchasing route do you prefer: direct, private offer or reseller?
Neither a listing nor programme membership guarantees sales or referrals. A listing makes it possible for a buyer to purchase. It does not create demand.
When to list on more than one marketplace
Start with the marketplace where you have the strongest buyer evidence. Build a solid listing and a repeatable private-offer process. Add the second listing when the first one produces live deals and you know what the process costs your team.
Build a channel, not just a listing
A listing is the on-ramp. The channel is what turns it into revenue: private-offer process, billing reconciliation, a reseller route and a co-sell motion. Many teams stop after the listing goes live.
Here is what we see in our own work:
- Track record. Automatum has delivered 80+ marketplace listings to date across AWS, Azure and GCP. That count is listings, not ISVs.
- First-mile work comes first. An Australian education-analytics ISV (about 50 staff) came to us for its first AWS Marketplace listing. The first job was not pricing or co-sell. It was a dedicated AWS account, set up before we configured the listing, with an AWS contact on the email thread. Active onboarding took about two and a half weeks.
- The on-ramp is where early demand sits. Of our first seven AWS listing and onboarding engagements, four closed. The buyers were small ISVs (roughly 10 to 50 staff) that paid a fixed fee for account setup, listing configuration and pricing changes with AWS. This is a small sample from our own book. It is not a market benchmark.
Co-sell, committed spend and reseller routes describe the destination. For most ISVs the first job is a correct, live listing. Then build the routes around it.
Build a channel, not just a listing. Automatum runs listings, private offers and billing across AWS, Azure and GCP, so your team can focus on buyers.
Book a Working Session →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the topics covered in this guide.
Which cloud marketplace has the lowest commission rate?
For standard public SaaS offers, AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud each charge 3 percent. Private-offer fees differ. AWS and Google Cloud tier them by deal size, down to 1.5 percent for large deals and renewals. Microsoft keeps its 3 percent fee and offers a 50 percent discount on the fee for qualifying private-offer renewals. These are transaction fees, not operating costs. Check current seller terms before you forecast margins.
Does AWS ISV Accelerate reduce my AWS Marketplace fee?
No. ISV Accelerate is a co-sell programme. AWS Marketplace listing fees depend on offer type, total contract value and renewal status, not on programme membership. The ISV Accelerate programme page does not describe any fee reduction.
Which marketplace has the best co-sell program?
No programme is best in every case. AWS ISV Accelerate, Microsoft co-sell statuses such as co-sell ready and Azure IP co-sell eligible, and Google Cloud partner programmes each have their own eligibility rules. Neither a listing nor programme membership guarantees referrals or sales. Choose the one where your buyers already work with cloud sellers.
How does committed spend differ across clouds?
On all three clouds, eligible purchases can count toward a buyer's committed cloud spend. The rules differ. On AWS, eligibility depends on the product and the buyer's agreement. On Azure, the offer must be enrolled in MACC, which requires Azure IP co-sell eligibility. On Google Cloud, Google says 100 percent of Marketplace spend may count toward a minimum commitment, with exclusions such as services that do not run on Google Cloud. Always confirm with the buyer's procurement team.
Which marketplace should I launch on first?
Launch where buyer demand and the buyer's purchasing route point. Confirm eligibility first: Google Cloud Marketplace requires software hosted primarily on Google Cloud. Prioritise AWS when your customers want AWS procurement and have eligible committed spend. Prioritise Azure when they favour Microsoft procurement and your reseller relationships align. Confirm the preferred purchasing route, commitment eligibility and procurement owner with live opportunities.
Can I use the same pricing model across all three marketplaces?
The pricing concept can be the same, but the technical implementation differs. Each marketplace has its own metering API, dimension constructs, and billing reconciliation cycles. Plan for separate integration work on each platform.
Keep building your marketplace motion
Deep dives on each cloud marketplace and multi-cloud strategy.
