Turn on Microsoft Marketplace Auto Activation without leaving SaaSify or your CRM 

TL;DR 

• Microsoft Marketplace SaaS offers now support auto activation, an optional plan-level setting that activates the subscription and starts billing the moment purchase completes, without an API call from the publisher.  

• New plans default to auto activation ON, with the option to turn it off during publication. Existing plans default to OFF and require republishing the offer to change. 

• When on, the subscription skips the PendingFulfillmentStart state and moves directly to Subscribed. Publishers also receive a real-time webhook notification confirming the completed purchase, so onboarding workflows can trigger without waiting on manual activation steps. 

• SaaSify brings auto-activation into the SaaSify WebApp, Salesforce, and HubSpot, so deal desks configure activation behavior alongside the rest of the private offer. 

On Microsoft Marketplace, a completed SaaS purchase historically didn't mean a live subscription. The customer landed on a Configure Your Account step, or the publisher had to issue an API call to move the subscription out of a Pending state. For ISVs transacting at scale, that gap showed up as delayed billing on closed deals and support cycles from customers waiting for access. Auto activation closes the gap: enabled at the plan level, it moves the subscription directly to Subscribed and starts billing at purchase, and SaaSify brings this into the deal-desk workflow. 

Auto activation is an optional plan-level setting for Microsoft Marketplace SaaS offers. It activates the customer’s subscription and starts billing as soon as the purchase completes, removing the Configure Your Account step. It applies to public SaaS offers, private offers, and MPOs. SaaSify now supports this setting in its private-offer workflow, so publishers can configure it from SaaSify or their CRM. 

How it works 

Auto activation determines when a SaaS subscription activates and billing begins: 

• When enabled, the subscription activates immediately after purchase, billing starts at the same time, and the customer skips Configure Your Account. The subscription moves directly to the Subscribed state. 

• When disabled, the customer completes Configure Your Account after purchase, and the publisher must activate the subscription within 30 days. 

New plans default to ON, with the option to switch it off during publication. Existing plans default to OFF until the publisher republishes the offer with the setting changed. For private offers, the default follows the public offer setting; a private offer using a new plan with a unique plan ID can be configured independently. 

With auto activation enabled, publishers also receive a real-time webhook confirming the completed purchase. This can trigger onboarding, account provisioning, or internal workflows without waiting for manual activation. 

Microsoft positions auto activation as an option, not the right fit for every offer. Manual activation remains useful where the solution requires validation, coordinated provisioning, a defined go-live point before billing, or publisher approval before setup is complete. 

For most transactional SaaS motions, auto activation is the closer-to-default option, but publishers should choose based on the offer’s onboarding model. 

Why this matters for revenue teams 

• Faster deal closure and immediate access. Customers get access the moment they purchase, with no configuration step in the way, and activation time drops from days to seconds. 

• Cash flow improves. Billing starts immediately upon purchase instead of waiting on manual activation, compressing time to first invoice. 

• Deal teams transact at scale. ISVs closing many mid-market deals no longer sit behind a queue of manual activations, and configuration-related support tickets drop. 

• Onboarding starts in parallel. The real-time webhook lets the publisher's own systems begin onboarding alongside activation, rather than waiting on it. 

Instead of managing the setting in Partner Center, deal teams set auto activation on the plan while building the offer in SaaSify or their CRM: 

• SaaSify WebApp. Auto activation appears as a setting in the Plan Editor, inside the billing and pricing terms section. It is editable while the plan is in draft and becomes non-editable once the plan is published.SaaSify WebApp view for configuring Auto Activation on a Microsoft Marketplace SaaS plan. 

• Salesforce. SaaSify has introduced Auto Activation as a field under the Microsoft private offer module, so a rep drafting a private offer configures activation behavior alongside the rest of the deal, from the same object where the opportunity lives. 

• HubSpot. Auto activation appears on the edit private offer flow with the same helper text and behavior as the SaaSify WebApp. 

 The setting is configured once, from wherever the deal lives, and the value flows through to the customer's Marketplace experience. 

Try auto activation on your next SaaS offer. Book a walkthrough with the SaaSify team to see it configured in the SaaSify WebApp, Salesforce, or HubSpot against your own offer, without opening Partner Center. 

What is auto activation on Microsoft Marketplace? 

An optional plan-level setting on SaaS offers. When on, the subscription activates and billing begins at purchase, skipping the Configure Your Account step and the PendingFulfillmentStart state.  

Does auto activation apply to public offers or only private offers? 

Both, plus MPOs. For private offers, the default follows the public offer's setting; a private offer built with a new plan can be set independently. 

Is auto activation on by default? 

New SaaS plans default to ON, with the option to turn it off during publication. Existing plans default to OFF and stay that way unless the publisher republishes the offer with the setting changed. 

Do publishers still receive a purchase notification if auto activation is on? 

Yes. Publishers receive a real-time webhook notification confirming the completed purchase, so onboarding workflows can trigger alongside the automatic activation. 

When should manual activation stay on? 

When the offer requires validation, coordinated provisioning, or a defined go-live moment before billing starts. The customer then completes a Configure Your Account step, and the publisher has 30 days to activate. 

Where does SaaSify support auto activation configuration? 

As a setting in the SaaSify WebApp Plan Editor; as an Auto Activation field under the Microsoft private offer module in Salesforce; and on the edit private offer flow in HubSpot.