Almost a year ago, we launched the Frappe Incubator program to support Frappe community developers in creating high-quality web applications using the Frappe Framework. This initiative provided monetary support, system design assistance, and marketing help to launch these apps on our marketplace. We successfully supported six amazing projects through this program.
Our broader vision is to provide a robust platform for all open-source applications built on the Frappe Framework. To achieve this goal, we launched the Frappe Cloud marketplace almost three years ago. Today, it hosts nearly 200 apps, including popular ones like ERPNext, India Compliance, POS Awesome, Raven, and many more. However, we've noticed that many developers are hesitant to publish their apps on the marketplace due to monetization challenges. Instead, they often keep their apps private or sell them to individual customers. We aim to change this.
Revenue Sharing Program
At Frappe, we believe that open-source is the future and all software in the world should be open-source. However, we also recognize that developers need sustainable revenue. After nearly a decade, we've found a way to monetize our open-source apps via Frappe Cloud, and we want to extend this opportunity to all community developers. We encourage developers to publish their apps on the Frappe Cloud marketplace for broader community use. To facilitate this, we're introducing a revenue-sharing program for all free apps on the marketplace. We announced this at the last Frappeverse conference and received a positive response. Now, we're excited to share the details of this program.
Program Details
Eligibility: All free apps on the Frappe Cloud marketplace are eligible for the revenue-sharing program. Developers must opt-in to participate and receive Frappe team's approval.
Revenue Distribution: We will share 25% of our top-line hosting revenue with all app developers on the Frappe Cloud marketplace. Revenue will be distributed based on app complexity, dependency on other apps, and required marketing efforts etc. Each app will receive a rating (1-10) based on these factors. The rating will be decided by the Frappe team. For any paid site, revenue will be shared among installed free apps proportionally based on their rating. For sites on dedicated servers, the server cost will be distributed among all installed sites first, then among the installed apps.
Payment: Payment will be made quarterly. But to encourage participation, for the first quarter (April-June 2024), we will make payment monthly to the eligible app publishers. Payment will be made via bank transfer or Frappe Cloud credits will be granted. The payment will be disbursed on crossing a certain threshold.
Program Review: The revenue-sharing program will be periodically reviewed, and terms may be adjusted based on community feedback and generated revenue.
Effective Date: The program will be effective from April 1, 2024. Developers will soon be able to see their accumulated revenue on their Frappe Cloud dashboard.
We are excited to announce the very first payout to the developers for the month of April. Below are the apps which have crossed the threshold for the month.
- India Compliance by Resilient - $578
- Healthcare by Earthians - $147
- Raven by The Commit Company - $59
Are you a Frappe developer? Do you have an app that you want to publish on the Frappe Cloud marketplace? If yes, then this is the right time to publish the app. We are excited to see your apps on the marketplace. For details on publishing an app, check the marketplace documentation.
