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PhonePe’s app store ambitions begin with wooing developers

Naina Sood

Ranjan Crasta

September 26, 2023 | 9 Min Read

Fintech decacorn PhonePe recently announced the launch of its own app store, Indus. Meant to compete with Google’s Play Store, the app is laying the groundwork for its challenge by offering developers free listing, no in-app commissions, and better targeting and discoverability. Is it enough?

Key Takeaways

On September 23, PhonePe launched the developer portal of its made-in-India app store, Indus.
While the customer-facing platform will only go live post-Diwali, Indus has already onboarded marquee developers.
Meta and Microsoft’s respective product bouquets, for instance, will both be on the new app store. Even Google—whose app store PhonePe wants to disrupt—is expected to follow suit.
Indus says it won’t charge developers a listing fee or commissions on in-app transactions. Is its pitch enough for developers to flock to the new app store on the block?

PhonePe CEO and co-founder Sameer Nigam believes he’s built a better mousetrap—one that could disrupt a space that has been lorded over by two global tech titans for the best part of two decades. On Saturday, September 23, it finally saw the light of day.

Flanked by team members and Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Nigam launched the developer portal for PhonePe’s homegrown app store, Indus. Despite seeing many players—including payments rival Paytm—try and fail to wrest control of the app store space from Google and Apple over the years, he is convinced that this time will be different.

Nigam is quick to tout how the app is better for Indian users than incumbents like Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store. Available in 12 Indian languages and compatible with India’s most popular operating system Android, it offers users a more localised experience.

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