Paytm has launched its mini-app store which will allow app developers and brands to take advantage of the digital payment provider’s reach and distribution.

This comes at a time when the Alibaba-backed company continues to move forward with plan to counter technology behemoth Google’s alleged hegemony in the app store space.

Paytm’s Android Mini App Store will also provide app developers and brands payment options by linking them to its eponymous wallet, payments bank and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), without charging them a fee.

It will levy a 2% charge for other instruments like credit cards.

The company, which claims to have a monthly active user base of more than 150 million, said that it has tied up with more than 300 app-based providers and brands, including apparel brand Decathlon, online drug stores 1MG and Netmeds, and online realty portal NoBroker, among others.

“I am proud that we are today launching something that creates an opportunity for every Indian app developer. Paytm Mini App Store empowers our young Indian developers to leverage our reach and payments to build new innovative services. For Paytm users, it will be a seamless experience that doesn’t require any separate download and enables them to use their preferred payment option,” Vijay Shekhar Sharma, chief executive of Paytm, said.

Mini apps are defined as a custom-built mobile website that gives users an app-like experience without having to download them, and can be built using HTML and Javascript technologies.

“Paytm has massive reach, and startups and developers can build their own mini web apps. When users want to visit them, they can come onto the Paytm app, click on their respective icons and can enter the particular app. Developers now will not have to create an entire app, but the alternative now is Paytm is used by 150 million people monthly. These many users are available for all the developers to have them try out their services,” Narendra Yadav, vice president of Paytm, told ET.

Paytm founder Sharma has been spearheading the formation of an Indian app store to break or reduce the influence of tech giant Google’s Play Store, accusing it of having a monopoly, and arbitrarily enforcing its rules on rivals.

Earlier this month, Google — whose Google Pay competes with Paytm for a share of India’s Rs 2 trillion digital payments market – had suspended the fintech app for violating its policies, particularly on simulated gambling content.

In response, Sharma banded with a number of top Indian startup founders to launch an Indian App Store, a move that gathered steam after Google announced on Monday that it would also enforce a 30% commission on in-app purchases.

Read: Explained: Google’s new Play Store policy

The move has also found early support from the country’s regulatory authorities.

Last week, ET reported citing government officials that the government “was not averse to the idea” of launching its own app store.

Google’s Android operating system is estimated to have 98% market share in the rapidly growing smartphone segment.

“The programme was still in beta, and we now expect thousands of apps to come on the Paytm app in the near future,” Yadav said.