Top Marketplaces for Solo Developers

#1: Shopify App Store

The Platform That Lets You Keep 100% of Your First Million

Best For: Building scalable SaaS apps that solve real e-commerce problems

Why It Made The List

This is the platform that I’ve had the most experience on. I’ve built 6 apps on Shopify between 2020 and 2022. There is so much potential here for a solo developer to flourish.

All subscriptions and payments run through Shopify’s internal billing system, so you don’t have to rely on a third-party provider such as Stripe or Paddle.

From a developer perspective, the appstore ecosystem has improved dramatically since I’ve built an app there. You have technologies such as Remix, MCP, checkout flow, web pixels etc.

Some base understanding of ecommerce is encouraged as this will help formulate ideas. But Shopify’s developer experience is among the best in the industry - even applying the latest tech into an existing problem set can net a sustainable business.

If you are unsure what to create in the store, keep an eye on their forums where merchants are constantly asking for solutions for their problems.

Also Shopify are quite prolific when it comes to broadcasting new technologies on their platform - keep an eye out for their engineering blog.

My only regret is not sticking with Shopify longer. During Covid, I pivoted towards BigCommerce as they offered me a partnership.

Unfortunately, Bigcommerce has seen a significant decline in the last few years, and they are really only focusing on large enterprise merchants, which limits the number of customers for SaaS applications.

The Earning Potential

Here's what makes Shopify extraordinary: You keep 100% of the revenue on the first $1 million USD your app earns. After that, Shopify takes just 15%—significantly lower than Apple's 30% or other major platforms .

Real-World Success

Developers building marketing apps, inventory tools, and customer support solutions consistently build six-figure recurring revenue businesses on Shopify. The platform's API-first approach means you can integrate deeply with checkout, admin, and storefronts .

The Catch

You're responsible for your own marketing, support, and compliance. Competition exists, but merchants actively seek specialized solutions.

Get Started

Create a free Shopify Partner account, explore the extensive API documentation, and identify merchant pain points that need solving .

#2: Framer

Framer is the site builder trusted by leading startups and Fortune 500 companies. Build fast and scale with an integrated CMS, Analytics, Localization, and SEO.

Best For: Building apps, plugins, templates that enhance website builder capabilities.

Why It Made The List

Framer is an interesting one. From a developer perspective, it is a marketplace ecosystem early in its infancy - its plugins marketplace was released in late 2024.

It is growing rapidly. I created an analytics application and a UI component on it with positive results. However, I would recommend thinking more outside the box - as this is a platform that’s more focused on the design (think animations, transitions etc) and so your development strategy should reflect that.

That's not to say you won’t find success with more conventional apps. There is an awesome example here of a successful app that converts Framer components into React ones.

Some other things I like about selling here:

Transparency

• There is complete transparency on how many people have installed an application
• No commission charge for customers using your apps.
  • You do have to setup your own provider though - most go with Lemon Squeezy.
• A generous partner program for referring folk to Framer (50%)

#3: Webflow app marketplace

Webflow is the agentic web marketing platform for high-performing brands.

Why It Made The List

Firstly, I want to acknowledge that I do not have experience building on this marketplace. However, I have run multiple sites through Webflow and I enjoyed the slick yet somewhat limited experience.

However, that limited experience is the reason why I think this marketplace has so much potential.

There are definitely a huge number of pain points to solve for Webflow's users. Browsing through the Webflow forums would be a good way to get some research on what could be useful to build.

There is no official billing infrastructure to charge your users on Webflow. You will have to lean on Stripe or Paddle for that integration. On the plus side, that means Webflow does not directly take a cut of revenue earned.