Facebook on Tuesday launched a new “App Center,” a store for paid Facebook applications. Currently, most Facebook apps are free to use or are “freemiums,” allowing users to log in and play games, for example, but then pay money (or Facebook credits, the company’s virtual currency) for extra features. Facebook refers to these as “in-app purchases.”
Now Facebook appears to be going head-to-head with the Apple App Store and Google’s Play online store (formerly known as Android Market) in offering a way for third-party developers to create their own apps, which they can then sell through Facebook at a price of their choosing. It’s unclear just how much Facebook will take from app sales in commission. Google and Apple each charge a flat rate of 30 percent, while Microsoft takes less, 20 percent, in its Windows Store.
The paid portion of the Facebook App Center is in beta for now.
