Windows Store
Shares rank 13 of 14 app stores by recommenders
People recommend it as a free source for installing Windows apps directly from Microsoft, and say it opens quickly. Critics call it nearly empty, poorly run and walled off, and many avoid its app versions.
People recommend it as a free source for installing Windows apps directly from Microsoft, and say it opens quickly. Critics call it nearly empty, poorly run and walled off, and many avoid its app versions.
19 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 14
- approval share
- 26%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Few people use it
“and the Store wouldn't have been so empty”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “Microsoft Hasn't Had a Coherent GUI Strategy Since Petzold” “Virtually nobody uses the Windows Store”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “Googlebook: Designed for Gemini Intelligence – Coming Fall 2026 – Googlebook” “Wine doesn't support UWPs/appx just because there's no demand, since no-one uses the Windows Store.”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm” Poorly run, widely called bad
“Yet the Windows store is so bad it’s losing despite its considerable advantage as a default.”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “72% of devs believe Steam has a monopoly on PC games, according to study” “We've had an App Store in Windows since Windows 8 and it has been a big joke”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “Apple rejected my dictation app for using the accessibility API” “There is the windows store, which is terrible”
Comment from 15 May 2026 in “I love Linux, but I can't quit Windows” - Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Parallels Confirms MacBook Neo Can Run Windows in a Virtual Machine”
Walled garden, sandboxed apps
“significantly more expensive and restrictive options, such as the Windows Store for Windows”
Comment from 10 Jul 2026 in “Train SIM Created by Just One Person Is Being Called the Best Ever Made” “The Windows app store is a walled garden, but you don't have to use it.”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Breaking the console: a brief history of video game security” “so overly sandboxed that it didn't fit most use cases”
Comment from 5 Jan 2026 in “Why Microsoft Store Discontinued Support for Office Apps” - Comment from 8 Apr 2026 in “Veracrypt Project Update”
Users avoid store versions
“the impending stench of the Windows Store was what drove me off of Windows”
Comment from 25 Nov 2025 in “Windows GUI – Good, Bad and Pretty Ugly (2023)” “In practice, I avoid the Windows Store version of applications.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Parallels Confirms MacBook Neo Can Run Windows in a Virtual Machine” “Don't buy games on steam, windows store, apple store, etc.”
Comment from 1 Jul 2026 in “Physical disc production ending in Jan 2028 for new games on PlayStation”
Other app stores people recommend
The four most recommended other app stores, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-Droid | 230 | 91 | 72% | 12 | 10 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| Apple App Store | 75 | 483 | 13% | 12 | 10 yrs4 owners | — |
| Google Play | 62 | 353 | 15% | 11 | 5 yrs5 owners | — |
| Aurora Store | 61 | 20 | 75% | 11 | 11 mo4 owners | Approved |
| Windows StoreThis page | 5 | 14 | 26% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
20 of the 21 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“as long as the proper integrity is used”
“Windows Store opens instantly”
“significantly more expensive and restrictive options, such as the Windows Store for Windows”
“Don't buy games on steam, windows store, apple store, etc.”
“We've had an App Store in Windows since Windows 8 and it has been a big joke”
“There is the windows store, which is terrible”
“Virtually nobody uses the Windows Store”
“It centralizes control over apps.”
“The Windows app store is a walled garden, but you don't have to use it.”
“and the Store wouldn't have been so empty”
“Windows Store could be great but it sucks.”
“In practice, I avoid the Windows Store version of applications.”
“I was able to download and install the Windows Store direct from Microsoft with no problem at all.”
“Conceptually I like the Windows Store for certain things”
“so overly sandboxed that it didn't fit most use cases”
“the usual Microsoft incompetence-and-ADHD have kind-of eliminated that threat all by itself”
“Wine doesn't support UWPs/appx just because there's no demand, since no-one uses the Windows Store.”
“The Windows store is about as marginal as it can get.”
“the impending stench of the Windows Store was what drove me off of Windows”
“Yet the Windows store is so bad it’s losing despite its considerable advantage as a default.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.