Selling a paid AppExchange app and giving a free one away need almost the same things. Two differences: a way to charge (the License Management App), and the $999 security review fee. That's it.

Pro Tip

TL;DR: A paid AppExchange app requires Partner Program membership, a managed package with a namespace, the License Management App (LMA) to enforce licensing, and a passed security review costing $999 per submission (Salesforce ISVforce Guide). Free apps need the same managed package and review. They just skip the LMA and the fee.

Six things have to be true before you can charge for an app on the AppExchange. Miss any one and the listing stays a draft.

1/ Salesforce Partner Program membership, with the Partner Program Agreement accepted and a Partner Business Org provisioned 2/ A managed package. Paid distribution needs a managed (not unmanaged) package so it can be licensed and upgraded 3/ A registered namespace, the globally unique 1 to 15 character prefix on your components 4/ The License Management App (LMA), installed in your Partner Business Org to issue, track, and enforce customer licenses 5/ A passed security review. Paid apps pay $999 per submission (Salesforce Trailhead) 6/ A published listing built in the AppExchange Partner Console

Most of the work is shared. Both paid and free apps need a managed package, a namespace, and a passed security review. Only two requirements are unique to paid apps, and that's where most of the confusion lives.

Pro Tip

"Paid" doesn't add a pile of new engineering. The deltas are licensing (the LMA) and the fee. The managed package work is identical, which is why a no-code platform that generates the package applies equally to free and paid apps. Build the bundle right once. Switching from free to paid is plumbing, not a rewrite.

The LMA is a free Salesforce app you install into your Partner Business Org. It records every install of your package. It lets you set the license model (seat-based, site-wide, free trial). And it lets you activate, suspend, or expire a customer's access. Without it, you literally can't enforce who has paid.

So in practice, the LMA is the line between "interesting demo" and "commercial product."

You don't have to write code for the LMA. You install it. You configure it once. You connect it to your managed package. Most teams set it up in an afternoon.

No. Every requirement describes an artifact (a managed package, a namespace, an LMA registration, a passed review), not who produced it. A no-code platform generates the managed package and namespace and prepares the code against the security review's checks, leaving you with the partner-program and LMA setup. Those are configuration tasks, not coding. See our guide on building a managed package without a Salesforce developer.

Partner Program membership, a managed package with a namespace, the License Management App to track licenses, a passed security review ($999 per submission), and a published listing in the Partner Console (Salesforce ISVforce Guide).

Both need a managed package and a passed security review. Paid apps also need the License Management App to enforce licensing, plus the $999 review fee and a 15% revenue share on sales. Free apps skip both.

A free Salesforce app installed in your Partner Business Org that records installs and lets you issue, track, and enforce customer licenses. Required to sell a paid app because it controls who has access.

The security review is $999 per submission. Salesforce takes a 15% revenue share under the ISVforce model. Build cost is separate. That runs $25,000 to $150,000+ if you hire developers, or a subscription if you generate the package no-code.

About the author. Sunny Chauhan is the founder and CEO of Appnigma AI, a no-code platform that generates Salesforce AppExchange-ready managed packages. He helps SaaS teams meet AppExchange publishing requirements without an engineering build.

Publishing a paid Salesforce AppExchange app requires Partner Program membership, a managed package with a namespace, the License Management App to enforce licensing, a passed security review ($999 per submission), and a published listing. The License Management App and the fee are the only requirements unique to paid apps. Free apps need the same managed package and review. Appnigma AI generates the managed package no-code.

• How to get your app on the Salesforce AppExchange

• How to build a managed package without a Salesforce developer

• How does the AppExchange revenue share work

• What is a managed package in Salesforce

1/ Salesforce ISVforce Guide, publish and manage your listing 2/ Salesforce Trailhead, ISV Security Review module 3/ Salesforce ISVforce Guide, License Management App

What's the one paid-app requirement you keep getting tripped up on?