AppExchange Checkout

appexchange_checkout
Manage online payments the easy way with AppExchange Checkout. Powered by Stripe, Checkout lets customers buy your solution directly from AppExchange with a credit card or bank transfer. Billing and debiting are automatic, and funds get deposited to your bank account as soon as the transaction completes.

If you're looking to level up your Checkout experience, combine it with the tools installed in your Partner Business Org. Checkout's built-in integration with the License Management App (LMA) keeps licenses up-to-date automatically when customers upgrade, renew, or cancel. Likewise, the service's built-in integration with the Checkout Management App (CMA) lets you visualize your subscription data in a customizable dashboard and notify customers and team members when the status of a subscription changes.

To learn more about Checkout and the CMA, visit Trailhead. After you earn your badge, review the What You Need to Know and Resourcestabs for tips, best practices, and other information for getting started. Have questions? Ask one of the experts in the AppExchange & ISV Business Enablement Group. 

1. Checkout, powered by Stripe, collects credit card information, manages trial periods, processes charges, and automatically updates licenses in your License Management Application (which should be installed into your Partner Business Organization).

2. Checkout supports six pricing models:

  • per user per month
  • per company per month
  • per user per year
  • per company per year
  • per user one time
  • per company one time

It also offers coupon support, giving you substantial pricing flexibility.

3. To use Checkout, you must distribute your app as a managed package. Checkout is not compatible with OEM apps at this time.

4. Signing up for Checkout is easy – no merchant bank accounts or payment gateways are required. 

  • Start on the Publishing Console
  • Select 'Paid, using Checkout' in the Pricing tab 
  • After you agree to the terms and conditions, you can create your Stripe account
  • Connect your checking account, authorize the AppExchange to use your new Stripe account, and you’re ready to use Checkout! NOTE: If your app is free, you can skip this step

5. To activate Checkout for your app, first create your subscription plans in Stripe, then go back to your publisher home screen to edit your listing and choose which plans to offer on the Pricing tab. After you select your plans and associate them with your listing, your app is ready for Checkout. Customers who buy your app on the AppExchange will be asked to provide their credit card information. If they install your app, they’ll be charged according to the payment details you specified.

6. The fee to use Checkout is 15%. For credit card purchases, Stripe also charges a fee of 30 cents per transaction.

7. Stripe is working quickly to expand global support. See the list of supported countries here. If your country isn’t currently listed, sign up to be notified when Stripe is available.

8. Use the Checkout Management App (CMA) to visualize AppExchange Checkout data and set up automated email notifications to keep customers and team members in the loop whenever activity occurs.
Q: How do I sign up for Checkout?
A: Signing up for Checkout is easy – no merchant bank accounts or payment gateways are required. 
  • Start on the Publishing Console
  • Select 'Paid, using Checkout' in the Pricing tab 
  • After you agree to the terms and conditions, you can create your Stripe account. 
  • Connect your checking account, authorize the AppExchange to use your new Stripe account, and you’re ready to use Checkout! NOTE: If your app is free, you can skip this step.

Q: Can I have multiple listings for one application?
A: You can have two listings, but only if you have two separate packages. A package can only be associated with one listing.

Q: What is the Checkout Management App (CMA)?
A: The Checkout Management App (CMA) is a new app installed into your Partner Business Org that brings the power of Salesforce to AppExchange Checkout. A dashboard lets you visualize AppExchange Checkout data, so it’s easy to see how your offerings are performing. Automated email notifications keep customers and team members in the loop whenever activity occurs.

Q: Do you support pricing that is not per user per month, for example, a price of $5,000 per year per Salesforce instance?

A: Yes, Checkout now supports the following pricing models:

  • per user per month
  • per company per month
  • per user per year
  • per company per year
  • per user one time
  • per company one time

Create your pricing plans in Stripe, then configure which plan(s) to offer to customers on the Pricing tab for your listings on the AppExchange.

Q: Can I have multiple pricing plans available on my listing?
A: Yes. AppExchange Checkout now supports multiple pricing plans on a single listing. For example, you can offer your app per user per month and per company per month, or offer a recurring plan as well as a one-time plan.

Q: How do I manage my pricing plans for Checkout?
A: To get your app ready for Checkout, first create your subscription plans in Stripe. Per month and per year payment plans are currently supported. Go back to the Publishing Console, edit your listing and choose the plans to offer on the Pricing tab. You can also add one-time payment options from the Pricing tab which will be billed through Stripe. Select the plans you want to offer on your listing. For each plan selected, define whether it is per user or per company (the unit) as well as the display order, if multiple plans are selected.

Q: Do customers have to purchase my app through the AppExchange or can I add them as customers in Stripe?
A: Do not add customers to your plans in Stripe. The AppExchange will not be able to associate those customers with your listing/app and therefore no provisioning of the app will be done through the LMA. Customers should always purchase your app through the AppExchange.

Q: Can my customer switch between payment plans on the AppExchange?
A: No, customers can’t switch payment plans through the AppExchange. They must contact you and you’ll need to manually switch them to the new plan within Stripe.

Q: Does a license automatically become inactive if a credit card is declined?
A: You specify what happens if a credit card is declined in your Stripe account settings. You can choose whether to retry the payment or deactivate the subscription. If the subscription is deactivated, the license will also become inactive.

Q: Does Checkout replace the LMA? Will the LMA still control license status (Active/Trial) or are licenses active for any purchase made through Checkout?
A: Checkout does not replace the LMA. Checkout works with the LMA to control whether an app is active or inactive, as well as how many licenses an organization has. Checkout automatically creates and updates license records in the LMA, as necessary. You cannot directly edit the license records created by Checkout. To change any of these records, first update the corresponding subscription information in Stripe. Checkout will then automatically update the records in the LMA. 

Q: Does Checkout support payment in multiple currencies?
A: The list of currencies currently supported by Stripe can be found here. When you first sign up for Stripe, you choose a default payment currency based on your country (for example, USD if you’re in the United States). You can enable other currencies in your Stripe account settings. When customers purchase your app, Checkout charges them in this currency and deposits money in this currency into your bank account.

Q: Is Checkout available for all countries?
A: Stripe is working quickly to expand global support. See the list of supported countries here. You can use Checkout if you are based in a country listed on this page. If your country is not currently listed, sign up to be notified when Stripe is available in your country.

Q: Does Checkout support Value Added Tax (VAT)? How do you configure VAT?
A: Yes. If you want to charge VAT on app purchases, enable VAT on the Publishing page of the Partner Community (see Company Information tab) after signing up for Stripe. In your Provider Profile, check Charge Customers EU VAT. Enter your VAT number and the VAT percentage that should be charged. Customers will be charged VAT where applicable. Note that VAT is not supported for one-time payments at this time and Stripe does not have VAT support so VAT can only be applied to purchases completed through the AppExchange.

Q: Is there a minimum revenue share? For example, if the 15% falls below $1.00, is the revenue share still 15%?
A: There is no minimum charge for apps sold via Checkout. The fee for Checkout is always 15% plus Stripe’s per transaction fee (currently 30 cents per transaction) even if that falls below $1.00.

Q: Does the revenue share apply to non-Checkout processed transactions?
A: The revenue share applies only to Checkout transactions, that is, any charges in your Stripe account linked to your Publishing Console. As a Checkout partner, you agree that all purchases of your app will take place through the AppExchange and will be a part of revenue sharing.

Q: Are Checkout partners subject to the AppExchange Partner Program terms, including any changes to % net revenue requirements (PNR)?
A: The % net revenue for Checkout partners at this time is 15%. If there are changes to future terms of service, we will communicate that change directly to Checkout partners, and we will provide an update on the Partner Community.
Q: How does billing work when customers add/remove licenses during the month?

A: Licenses added or removed part way through a month are charged a prorated amount for that month.

Q: How does Checkout affect existing processes, such as lead management, Trialforce and trial licenses? For example, how will Checkout signup interact with lead processing?
A: Checkout doesn’t affect the way leads are sent to you, nor does it affect Trialforce configuration. However, it does change the way AppExchange trial licenses are managed. When a customer signs up for a trial using Checkout, the checkout trial user is listed as Active in the LMA.

Q: How should I handle invoices for my customers?
A: Stripe generates invoices that customers can view directly on the AppExchange on the My Account page. You can also configure Stripe to email receipts to customers for each charge made to their credit card.

Q: If an Admin installs the app, can someone else in the company go to their AppExchange account to Buy Now?
A: Any user who has permissions to install apps can complete the Buy Now actions, provided they also have the “Manage Billing” permission. This is the same permission required to view the My Account page or to purchase apps using Checkout inside the Salesforce app.

Q: Can you preview the checkout screen before publishing an app?
A: There is no way to preview it; however, with the app installed in an org, you can go to your listing on the AppExchange and append "&tab=g&w=buy" to the end of the URL, which will take you to the buy page.