Platform gatekeepers break software sales — build direct developer storefronts

Platform gatekeepers and general marketplaces are breaking software sales for small vendors by taking 15–30% cuts and owning customer relationships; this penalizes roughly 4 million independent ISVs and developer-led vendors who average about $20K ARR, an $80B addressable market. The result is margin erosion, constrained billing and pricing models, limited customer data and discovery channels, and diminished lifetime value. A practical product would be a direct developer storefront: an embeddable, Git-native, API-first commerce layer that handles licensing, metered billing, trials, upgrades, distribution, and migrations while integrating with Stripe, CDNs and identity providers. Ship language-specific SDKs (JavaScript/Python/Go), GitHub/GitLab automations, built-in analytics, tax and compliance tooling, and white-label hosting so sellers retain data and brand control. If a typical seller saves ~15% on a $20K ARR (about $3K/year), a platform priced transparently at $20–200/month or a low flat fee per seller can be justified while still delivering attractive margins. This is an attractive moment: platform-fee pushback, an indie-dev resurgence, and API-first payments plus serverless infrastructure mean a Market Score around 92/100 and Revenue Potential around 88/100 for a well-executed product, and tools like Stripe and modern CDNs materially lower build costs. To stand out versus medium competition, prioritize developer ergonomics, one-click Git-based installs, frictionless migrations from marketplaces, strong security and compliance (SCA/SOC2), and clear ROI messaging that quantifies saved fees and retained customers. Real challenges are acquiring a very fragmented base, handling fraud/tax/legal complexity, and persuading vendors to leave marketplaces, but the unit economics are compelling when sellers can reclaim thousands per year and own their customer relationships.