Billing & Revenue

Mercentia handles all billing between merchants and apps. You set your pricing, we collect payments, take a commission, and pay you via Stripe Connect.

How It Works

You set your pricing model and plans in your app submission
Merchant installs your app — free apps install instantly, paid apps go through checkout
Mercentia collects payment from the merchant via Stripe
Mercentia deducts the platform commission
You receive your share via Stripe Connect payout (monthly)

You don't need your own payment infrastructure. Mercentia handles billing, invoicing, refunds, disputes, VAT/tax collection, and subscription lifecycle management.

Revenue Share

Partner Tier	Developer Share	Platform Commission
Community	80%	20%
Certified Partner	85%	15%
Certified Elite	90%	10%

The commission covers: payment processing fees, marketplace hosting, review and compliance costs, merchant support infrastructure, and billing management.

Pricing Models

Model	Description	Best For
Free	No charge. Installs directly without checkout.	Lead gen, freemium tier, open source
Freemium	Free tier with paid upgrades. Checkout only for paid plans.	Try-before-you-buy, feature gating
Paid (Subscription)	Monthly or annual recurring billing. Checkout required.	SaaS apps, ongoing services
Usage-Based	Charges based on usage (API calls, emails sent, etc.).	APIs, metered services
Custom / Enterprise	Custom pricing negotiated per merchant.	Enterprise features, white-label

Pricing Plans

You can define multiple pricing tiers. Example:

{
  "pricingModel": "paid",
  "pricingConfig": {
    "trialDays": 14,
    "plans": [
      {
        "name": "Starter",
        "price": "$9/mo",
        "features": ["100 orders/mo", "Email support"]
      },
      {
        "name": "Growth",
        "price": "$29/mo",
        "features": ["Unlimited orders", "Priority support", "API access"]
      },
      {
        "name": "Enterprise",
        "price": "$99/mo",
        "features": ["Everything in Growth", "Custom integrations", "SLA", "Dedicated CSM"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Free Trials

You can offer 1-90 day free trials
No charge until the trial ends
Card is collected upfront at checkout but not charged
Merchant receives a reminder 3 days before trial expires
If merchant cancels during trial, no charge is made
Trial auto-converts to paid subscription unless cancelled

Subscription Lifecycle

Event	What Happens	Webhook
Install (free)	App activates immediately	`app.installed`
Install (paid)	Checkout → payment → activation	`app.installed`
Trial starts	App activates, card held	`app.installed`
Trial ends	Auto-charges, subscription active	`subscription.activated`
Renewal	Monthly/annual charge processed	`subscription.renewed`
Payment fails	3 retry attempts over 14 days	`subscription.payment_failed`
Cancellation	Access continues until period end	`subscription.cancelled`
Expiry	Access revoked, app deactivated	`app.deactivated`
Uninstall	Subscription cancelled, data cleanup	`app.uninstalled`

Payouts

Stripe Connect Setup

Go to your Developer Dashboard → Payout Settings
Connect your Stripe account via Stripe Connect
Complete identity verification (required by Stripe for payouts)
Payouts are processed monthly on the 1st for the previous month's earnings

Payout Schedule

Earning Period	Payout Date	Currency
1st - last day of month	1st of following month	Your Stripe account currency

Minimum payout: $50. Amounts below $50 roll over to the next month.

Payout Reporting

Your Developer Dashboard shows:

Real-time revenue per app
Monthly payout history
Install/uninstall trends
MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)
Churn rate
Downloadable CSV/PDF invoices for accounting

Refunds & Disputes

Merchants can request refunds within 30 days of purchase
Mercentia processes refunds and deducts the amount from your next payout
If a chargeback occurs, Mercentia handles the dispute with Stripe
Developers with high refund rates (>5%) may have their apps reviewed
Refunded commission is returned to the developer

Tax Handling

Mercentia collects and remits VAT/GST/sales tax on app purchases where required
Prices shown to merchants are exclusive of tax (tax added at checkout)
Tax receipts/invoices are generated automatically for merchants
Developers receive their share net of platform commission — you handle your own income tax obligations
For EU developers: Mercentia acts as the deemed supplier under the EU marketplace rules for B2C digital services