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To sell software online, first decide who it serves and how customers will receive it. Then match the pricing, sales channel, checkout, delivery, and support to that model. A hosted SaaS subscription, a downloadable license, and a mobile app-store sale each bring different billing and distribution needs.
1. Define the buyer and the problem
Start with a specific customer and a problem your software solves. Talk to prospective buyers or otherwise validate that the problem matters before investing heavily in a polished sales funnel. The buyer’s needs affect the product, price, support expectations, and best route to market.
2. Choose how customers will get the software
Decide what the customer is purchasing, how access is delivered, and how long that access lasts. Those choices determine what your checkout and operations must support.
| Route | Often suited to | Decisions to make |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted SaaS subscription | Software accessed as an ongoing hosted service | Recurring billing, plan changes, cancellations, failed-payment handling, and retention |
| Downloadable or perpetual license | Desktop or specialist software installed on a customer’s device | License terms, download and update delivery, activation, support, refunds, and future updates |
| Mobile app store | Apps distributed through a mobile platform | Store rules, distribution and payment terms, customer relationship, and current agreement |
| Cloud marketplace | Business software sold to buyers who procure through a cloud marketplace | Eligibility, procurement fit, pricing dimensions, metering, support, and seller obligations |
| Direct website checkout | Sellers seeking control over their product presentation and customer relationship | Traffic acquisition, payment methods, tax and invoicing needs, fraud and support burden, and subscription flexibility |
These routes can overlap, but each adds operational work. Stripe’s SaaS guide distinguishes SaaS from mobile-app platform billing. For a cloud marketplace, review the AWS Marketplace Seller Guide before committing to its onboarding and pricing requirements. Apple distribution is governed by Apple’s Developer Program License Agreement. No route is established as the universal winner; weigh reach and buyer expectations against control, eligibility, fees, and the support capacity you have.
3. Set a price and billing structure that fit the product
Choose a price based on the value customers receive and the way they use the software. Do not copy a competitor’s price without checking whether the products, customers, and included service are comparable. Test willingness to pay with likely buyers.
Possible structures include flat-rate, tiered, per-seat, or metered pricing. A free tier, trial, bundle, discount, or prorated plan change may make sense in some cases, but each adds rules to explain and administer. For business customers, consider whether they need invoices and whether your invoicing process can handle their region.
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A billing system should support the selected pricing logic, collect appropriate payment methods, and handle subscription changes if you sell recurring access. Stripe’s online payments guide for software businesses describes these needs and discusses billing options; it is a vendor’s guide, not evidence that Stripe is the right provider for every seller. Compare providers for geography, payment methods, tax workflow, disputes, security responsibilities, portability, and total cost.
4. Build a product page buyers can evaluate
Explain who the software is for, what it does, which platforms it supports, and what is included. Show the product in use where helpful. State material limits and support terms in language a prospective customer can understand.
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- Make trial conditions, plan limits, and important purchase terms easy to find.
- Explain what data the product collects or shares and how customers can make relevant choices.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s app-marketing guidance says, “Tell the truth about what your app can do.” It advises marketers to consider the impression statements create for an average user, substantiate objective claims, make necessary disclosures clear, and honor privacy and security promises. The guidance is U.S. material; sellers should check requirements that apply in the places where they operate and sell.
5. Choose direct sales, a marketplace, or both
A direct website can give you more control over positioning and checkout, but you are responsible for bringing prospective customers to it and managing the transaction workflow. Marketplaces may fit buyers who already procure software there, but a listing is not just a marketing page: eligibility, technical onboarding, metering, support, and marketplace terms matter.
Mobile app stores have their own distribution agreements and payment conditions. Apple’s license agreement includes different terms for particular cases and programs, so do not assume a single commission rate applies to every app or region. Check the current agreement, product category, geography, eligibility, and applicable program before relying on a rate. Compare each channel’s reach, fees, restrictions, buyer workflow, customer relationship, and support load against your capacity.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.6. Make checkout and delivery work end to end
Map what happens from order to working access. A buyer should know that payment succeeded and receive the promised product without unnecessary friction.
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- Take payment securely. Configure checkout for the price structure, payment methods, and regions you support.
- Deliver what was purchased. Create an account, grant hosted access, send a license, or direct the buyer through the relevant store or marketplace flow.
- Confirm the transaction. Send a receipt and clear instructions for access, activation, or installation.
- Handle changes and problems. Set up a process for cancellations, refunds, failed payments, and subscription changes, and explain how customers can get help.
For recurring plans, make plan changes and cancellation workable rather than treating billing as a one-time checkout problem. Stripe’s guide identifies these as software-billing needs; sellers should assess providers against their own workflow rather than assume a specific vendor’s features or terms will fit.
7. Show the full price and recurring terms before purchase
Display the amount customers will pay and make renewal terms clear before they commit. Do not hide mandatory charges until late in checkout. Optional charges also need appropriate disclosure before payment.
For covered U.S. offers, the FTC’s unfair-fees FAQ says mandatory fees generally belong in the total price. It says optional payment-method fees still require clear disclosure and must be included in the amount shown before payment. The rule took effect May 12, 2025. Its application depends on the offer; check relevant state and local rules and requirements outside the United States as well.
8. Treat privacy and security as part of the product
Collect only the information you need, describe collection and sharing honestly, protect the data you hold, and follow the privacy and security commitments you make. Consider these practices on the product page, during onboarding, and wherever customers are asked for permissions. The FTC’s app-marketing guidance recommends privacy by design, transparency, meaningful user choices, and honoring stated practices.
9. Measure the buying and customer experience
Track measures that help identify where customers struggle and whether the software is delivering ongoing value: visits, trial-to-paid conversion, activation, retention, failed payments, refunds, and reasons for support requests. Use what you learn to improve the product, onboarding, sales page, and billing flow. There is no universal conversion or revenue result established for these steps; outcomes depend on the product, customer, channel, and execution.
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