Open-source revenue share

Get paid when we host your open-source app

A partner program for the developers and maintainers of self-hosted apps. If we host your app and you opt in, 15% of what customers pay to run it goes to you or your project. Tell us where to send it and we do the accounting.

ApplyHow payouts work

Want to automate your own apps instead? See the CoreHost API.

The terms
15%
of what customers pay each month to run your app, paid from a topped-up balance
Quarterly
payouts in US dollars, from a US$25 minimum
30 days
notice to leave, either side. No exclusivity.

The numbersWhat the revenue share adds up to

The share is worked out per instance, per month, from what customers pay. Our prices are low, so the amount per instance is small; it adds up with the number of people running your app.

Your share per running instance, at list price
PlanCustomer paysYou get
LiteUS$1.50/moUS$0.225/mo
StandardUS$2.30/moUS$0.345/mo
PowerUS$3.90/moUS$0.585/mo
ScaleUS$6.30/moUS$0.945/mo

Work it out for your app

Per monthUS$13.80
Per quarterUS$41.40
Per yearUS$165.60

40 × US$2.30 × 15%, at list price. Extra storage adds to it; region discounts, refunds and the free starting credit lower it.

Who it is forWho can apply to the partner program

The program is open to the people who keep an app alive: the original author, a core maintainer team, the company behind the project, or the collective that holds its funds. If several people maintain it, we pay whoever the project nominates, or split it the way you tell us.

Your app does not have to be in the catalog yet. We list apps that:

  • run in the browser and serve one HTTPS port
  • ship a maintained Docker image, or can be built into one
  • have an active upstream with regular releases
  • use a licence that permits hosted use

We do not host apps against the wishes of authors who sell their own hosting.

Opt in only

Hosting an app on CoreHost does not make its project a partner. A project joins only when its developers apply and agree the terms with us, and they can leave with 30 days' notice.

Only partner apps carry the partner mark on our catalog. Every other app we host is offered under its open-source licence, with no endorsement from its developers implied.

Already in our catalog, or not yet: either way, you can apply.

What you getWhat partners get besides the money

The share is the main thing. These are the rest.

A statement you can check

Each payout comes with the month-by-month instance count and revenue for your app, taken from the same billing ledger our customers see.

Support that covers your app

Our AI support agent reads the customer's app logs and handles install, configuration and hosting questions, with engineers behind it. Those land with us, not in your issue tracker.

Releases tested first

Each new release is installed on a throwaway instance with sample data and checked before it reaches anyone. Major versions wait for a person to approve them.

Bug reports with evidence

When running your app at scale turns up a bug, we report it upstream with logs and steps to reproduce, and send fixes where we can.

A partner mark on your listing

Your catalog card and app page carry a mark that tells customers part of what they pay reaches you.

App partner: A share of what customers pay to host your app goes to its developers.

The mechanicsHow revenue share payouts work

What is counted, when it is paid, and how.

What countsEverything customers pay to run instances of your app: the plan fee, extra storage, and the reduced rate while an instance is stopped. Only usage paid from balances customers topped up with real money.
What does notUsage covered by the free starting credit, refunded usage, and sales tax such as GST or VAT.
WhenMeasured monthly. Paid quarterly, within 30 days of the quarter closing.
CurrencyUS dollars. Revenue billed in AUD or EUR converts at the rate on the last day of each month.
MinimumUS$25. Smaller amounts roll over to the next quarter, and anything owed is paid at least once a year.
HowGitHub Sponsors, Open Collective or a bank transfer through Wise. We can also pay a project or foundation you name.
PaperworkA short written agreement: the percentage, the payout rules, use of your app's name and logo, and how either side ends it.

Your sideWhat we ask, and what we don't

  1. Your image, or a build you can see

    We run your official Docker image where you publish one. Where we build our own, we show you how and change it when you ask.

  2. A heads-up on breaking releases

    Warn us before a release that changes data formats or needs a manual migration, and give us a contact for when an update goes wrong.

  3. Permission to use the name and logo

    On the catalog and your app page, following your trademark guidelines if you have them.

  4. One accuracy check

    Read your app's page on our site once and tell us if anything is wrong.

We don't ask for

  • Exclusivity. List other hosts, or sell your own hosting.
  • An endorsement, a link from your README or a mention in your docs.
  • Code changes, features or support work for our customers.
  • A say in your roadmap.

QuestionsOpen-source revenue share FAQ

ApplyJoin the partner program

Applications come in as a support ticket on your CoreHost account, so you can follow the conversation in one place. Fill in the form, sign in or create a free account, and the ticket opens with your answers filled in, ready to send. A person reads every application and replies on the ticket.

  • 1We confirm the app fits and check the licence.
  • 2We send the short agreement for you to read.
  • 3You sign, pick a payout method, and the mark goes on your listing.

Nothing is sent until you press send on the ticket. We use what you send only to reply about the program; see our privacy policy.