Getting listed on the Salesforce app marketplace, AppExchange, takes four things: a managed package, a Partner Business Org, a passed Salesforce security review, and a completed listing. Joining the partner program costs nothing. The build and the review are where the months go, and the review queue is the part of the timeline you do not control.
If your customers use Salesforce, chances are you've heard of the Salesforce App Marketplace, officially known as the Salesforce AppExchange. It's the go-to place for companies to discover apps, integrations, and add-ons that extend their Salesforce environment.
Listing is a distribution decision, not a marketing one. It gives your product a credibility signal enterprise buyers already trust, it shortens procurement because the security review has been done for them, and it is the entry requirement for Salesforce co-selling.
In this article:
- What the Salesforce app marketplace is
- Why listing there matters
- Why most companies struggle to get listed
- What the four steps to a listing involve
What Is the Salesforce App Marketplace?
It goes by several names and they all mean the same product. Salesforce Marketplace, Salesforce app marketplace, Salesforce app store, and SFDC marketplace are all informal names for AppExchange, which is the official one.
The Salesforce app marketplace (a.k.a. AppExchange) is Salesforce's official cloud-based marketplace where customers search for, try, and install apps that run inside their Salesforce CRM.
It's the largest B2B app marketplace in the world, with over:
- 4,600+ apps and components
- 10 million+ installations
- 150,000+ Salesforce customers
Apps listed here range from industry-specific solutions to customer service tools, document automation, analytics dashboards, and much more.
If you're new to AppExchange, check our guide, Navigating Salesforce AppExchange: A Beginner's Guide.
Why the Salesforce App Marketplace Matters
If your product integrates with Salesforce, being in the AppExchange is no longer optional, it's a growth multiplier.
1. Enterprise Trust
Every app must pass a Salesforce Security Review. That means customers see you as a trusted vendor, which smooths procurement and IT approval.
2.Faster Sales Cycles
Native Salesforce apps are easier to demo, install, and activate. This helps sales teams remove integration objectionsand close deals faster.
3. Distribution Channel
Buyers actively search the AppExchange when evaluating new tools. Being listed gets you inbound leads from Salesforce users every day.
4. Partner Ecosystem
AppExchange listings are the first step to becoming a Salesforce partner, opening up co-marketing, co-selling, and visibility across Salesforce's industry solutions.
Learn more about partner environments in our article, What Is a Partner Business Org (PBO)?.
What getting listed actually requires
Despite the benefits, the process of getting listed is long and technical.
To get on the Salesforce app marketplace, you need:
- A managed package built in Salesforce using Apex, Lightning, Metadata API
- To pass the Salesforce Security Review
- To manage packaging, versioning, upgrade paths, and installation flows
For most teams, that means:
- 3 to 6 months of dev work
- Hiring or contracting Salesforce engineers
- Delays to roadmap features
- High cost of consulting and compliance
You can also explore the full process in our post, Salesforce Managed Package: Complete Guide to Implementation and Best Practices.
The four steps, in order
Here is what each of the four steps actually involves.
Step one, the managed package. Your product has to be packaged in Salesforce so the platform can version it, push upgrades to installed orgs, and pull it if something goes wrong. This is the step teams underestimate, because a working integration and a packageable one are not the same artifact.
Step two, the Partner Business Org. This is the Salesforce org that owns your package and your listing. It arrives with the partner agreement, and it is free.
Steps three and four:
- Step three, the security review. Salesforce runs static analysis over your code and tests the running app. Enforcing object and field permissions correctly is the single most common reason a first submission comes back.
- Step four, the listing itself. Screenshots, a demo video, pricing, support terms, and a description that has to clear a Salesforce marketing review as well as a technical one.
- Only after all four does a customer see an Install button.
- At Appnigma we build and submit these packages for customers, and the pattern is consistent: the code is rarely the bottleneck, the packaging decisions made early are.
- Pick your namespace before you write anything, because you cannot change it later.
Why an API integration is not enough
This is the point most teams discover late. Middleware and API-based integrations connect to Salesforce from outside it, which is fine for moving data and useless for a listing.
AppExchange only accepts software that installs into the customer's org, which means:
- The app has to ship as a managed package, not as a connector configured in someone else's tool
- It has to run inside Salesforce, against the customer's own data and permissions
- It has to survive a security review that inspects the code, not just the traffic
- It has to be upgradeable by you, centrally, across every org that installed it
An iPaaS recipe meets none of those conditions, however well it works.
Who Should Care About AppExchange Listings?
If you're any of the following, the Salesforce app marketplace can give you an edge:
- SaaS founders selling to enterprise customers
- Heads of Sales or Product looking to unblock Salesforce deals
- RevOps or Growth leaders trying to scale integrations without engineering
- Alliances & BD teams aiming to co-sell or partner with Salesforce
The sales reason is simple. When a buyer asks whether you integrate with Salesforce, a listing turns the answer from a roadmap item into something they can install before the call ends.
That is the whole return on the exercise, and it is why teams put up with the review queue.
The short version
The Salesforce app marketplace is where companies go to find secure, native apps that work seamlessly inside Salesforce. But getting listed the traditional way is slow, expensive, and code-heavy.
Plan for a managed package, a partner org, a security review, and a listing, in that order.
Start the partner paperwork on day one, because it is free and it is the only step with no queue behind it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Salesforce Marketplace?
It is AppExchange, the official Salesforce app store. Customers reach it from inside their own Salesforce org, and the apps they install run against their own Salesforce data rather than as a separate product they log into somewhere else.
Is AppExchange the same as the Salesforce Marketplace?
Yes. AppExchange is the product name. Salesforce Marketplace, Salesforce app store, and SFDC marketplace are informal names people use for the same thing.
How many apps are on the Salesforce app marketplace?
Salesforce publishes figures in the range of 4,600 apps and components with over 10 million installations across roughly 150,000 customers. Treat any specific count as a moving number and check the AppExchange listing pages for the current one.
How do I get my app on the Salesforce app marketplace?
Join the Salesforce Partner Program to get a Partner Business Org, build your product as a managed package in that org, submit the package for security review, and then complete the AppExchange listing. Customers can only install once all four are done.
How long does it take to list on AppExchange?
Months rather than weeks for a first listing. Building and packaging is the largest block of time, and the security review adds a queue on top of it. Teams that have listed before are faster because the packaging groundwork already exists.
Can I list an integration that runs outside Salesforce?
No. AppExchange lists software that installs into the customer's Salesforce org. An integration that only talks to Salesforce over the API from your own infrastructure cannot be listed, no matter how well it works.
What does it cost to list on the Salesforce app marketplace?
Joining the partner program is free. Each security review submission carries a fee, resubmissions included, and Salesforce takes a share of net revenue once you are selling. The build itself is usually the largest line item.
What is the most common reason apps fail the security review?
Not enforcing object and field level permissions in code. Salesforce checks that your app respects what the running user is actually allowed to see, and code that queries data without that check is the failure reviewers report most often.
