SaaS Purchases: AWS Marketplace Tightens Rules

Is this SaaS running entirely on AWS?

Marketplace purchase decisions will soon need to take this parameter into account. At least for those who want to tap into their spending commitments. Starting May 1, 2025, this will indeed be possible only for applications marked with a specific badge.

The “Deployed on AWS” badge can be attributed to two broad types of applications:

• Those that “operate entirely” on AWS, including control plane and application plane
  The application plane can reside in the seller’s AWS account, the buyer’s, or both. The app may use third-party CDNs, DNS, and IdP services.
• Those designed to collect data, replicate or migrate workloads to AWS
  Except for customers and gateways located off AWS, the control and application planes must run on AWS. This must be the sole target. If the product supports replication to non-AWS environments, that capability must be removed and the product offered as a separate offering.

Since February 3, 2025, publishers can submit, on their Marketplace management portal, an architecture diagram that AWS will evaluate.

On the end-customer side, this new policy currently only affects the ability to draw on spending commitments. Not programs such as ISV Accelerate and SaaS Revenue Recognition (co-sell).

Until April 30, the old policy remains in effect. With a few exceptions, it allows buyers to use up to 25% of their annual spending commitment to pay 100% of any SaaS that is at least partially hosted in the seller’s AWS account.