Microsoft increases Windows Store app prices in several regions

Brad Stephenson

Microsoft has introduced some changes to the Windows Store today that are designed to help app developers but will also initially cause frustration for users in several regions. First of all, the variety of prices available for app developers to charge for their apps has been expanded from 94 to 194. This on its own isn’t too much of an issue and simply allows for more customization for developers when marketing their product.


The big change introduced last week has been the adjusting of price values in some markets that have been updated to reflect the current value of the U.S. dollar in different regions. This is great for app developers who may have been losing money through app sales due to economic realities but this also means that the price of apps has increased significantly for many customers. Before the update, a US$2.99 Windows Store app would have cost R$6.50 in Brazil but after the update the price of the app has been increased to R$10.30.
The regions affected by the price changes are Algeria, Brazil, Columbia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Are you in one of these regions? How much have your apps increased in price? Let us know in the comments below.