how it works
App Hub Explained
The App Hub website is exclusively for Windows Phone and Xbox LIVE Indie Games developers. It offers free tools, sample code, community support, and educational resources to help you develop your apps and games for Windows Phone and Xbox 360.
For a $99 USD annual subscription, you can submit your apps and games to App Hub for sale or free download in the Windows Phone Marketplace or Xbox LIVE Marketplace. We provide you with a personalized dashboard to manage merchandising and to track downloads and how much you’re earning.
Free Tools For Development
Windows Phone Developer Tools are available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. The free download includes Visual Studio 2010 Express, the Windows Phone Emulator, XNA Game Studio 4.0, Microsoft Expression Blend for Windows Phone, Silverlight, and .NET Framework 4. If you already have any of these or Visual Studio 2010 Professional, our smart installer will install only the components you need to complete the development environment.
These tools enable you to create high-performance apps and games for all Windows Phones, the Xbox 360 console, and Windows-based computers. You’ll have everything you need to create compelling apps or games for phones, TVs, or desktops: a toolbox containing phone controls, a phone emulator to try out your app or game, and project templates.
Read more about creating apps and games
Help when you need it
App Hub provides community forums where you can ask questions, give advice, or just discuss the finer points of programming. Code samples provide you with a jump-start to implementing new features, and our Education Catalog is packed with articles, tutorials, and utilities to help beginners and experts alike.
Fame and fortune has a (low) price
And it’s only $99 USD. An App Hub annual subscription provides you with access to the Windows Phone Marketplace and Xbox LIVE Marketplace, where you can sell or give away your creation to the global audience of people who have Windows Phones or Xbox 360 consoles. The tools, community support, and educational resources for creating, deploying, and running apps or games locally are all free. But when you’ve created the next killer app or game, you’ll probably want to show and sell it to the world. You can also implement an optional trial mode to entice customers to try your app or game.
We also provide you with a developer dashboard so you can manage all aspects of how your app or game appears in either marketplace, monitor downloads, and track how much money you’ve earned if you charge for your work.
Read more about App Hub membership
Predictability for you and your customers
App Hub subscribers who submit apps or games to Windows Phone Marketplace or Xbox LIVE Marketplace can rest easy knowing that their hard work wasn’t in vain due, to transparent Windows Phone Application Certification Requirements, Content Policy Guidelines, and Peer Review and Game Submission agreements.
Every app or game submitted to the Windows Phone Marketplace or Xbox LIVE Marketplace will be evaluated against the requirements and is bound by the agreements.
With every app and game appearing in the Windows Phone Marketplace certified by Microsoft and every game in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace reviewed and approved by App Hub members, you'll have a predictable experience in getting your work to the world. Because of these clear Content Policy Guidelines and peer reviews of Xbox LIVE Indie Games, all Windows Phone and Xbox 360 console users can be assured that the apps or games they download won’t damage their device or present them with content they weren’t expecting.
Read more about Windows Phone certification requirements
Read more about the peer review process for Xbox LIVE Marketplace
Read more about how to download and play Xbox LIVE Indie Games
