What is an online "shop" that provides only software available for free?
I have a platform for user created content and applications that can be downloaded from within a launcher for free. I am looking for a term that tells users where they can browse extensions, applications etc.
For me the term shop sounds like something where you have to pay for new content, so I am eager to find a noun which doesn't imply this and emphasizes that the downloads are free; and if possible something that even emphasizes that all downloadable content is free.
Here are some short sample sentences:
Head over to _____ in order to acquire three new holiday maps for your game right now.
There is a new extension available which can be downloaded from the _____.
We have finished some custom game modes which you can access separately via the _____.
How about repository
(Computing) A central location in which data is stored and managed: the metadata will be aggregated in a repository
Oxford Dictionary Online
Library, perhaps? ("Free library for apps" might be clearer if you're willing to use more words.)
I think catalog is the best word to use here.
a list or record, as of items for sale or courses at a university, systematically arranged and often including descriptive material
It is often used in this context as well in other software, as exemplified by Microsoft Office Sharepoint and OpenStack.
Source: Dictionary.com
Another option might be to call it the "App Center" or something similar, giving it a proper name rather than describing it with a general noun.
"Store" doesn't carry the same "payment" meaning as "shop", being (a) a place where things are stored, and (b) common in phrases like "App store" where some products are paid, some are free.
There's a slight UK bias to this, as in the US, "store" seems to be used commonly where we'd say "shop" in British English.
If you wish to emphasise that this feature is for browsing through software packages, rather than a mere store-house for downloads, you could try gallery:
a room or building in which people look at paintings, sculptures, etc.