•Effects of formal and self-control on mobile app developers are compared.•Self-control has more positive effects on continuance intention and app quality.•Perceived autonomy mediates the effect of self-control on continuance intentions.•Embracing softer governance instruments in platform ecosystems is recommended. Although control modes have been studied extensively in traditional IS contexts, minimal attention has been directed toward understanding how different control modes operate in platform ecosystems. Drawing on the IS control and self-determination literatures, we examined the differential effects of formal and self-control on third-party developers’ continuance intentions and application quality on mobile software platforms. Two studies from a laboratory experiment (N=138) and a follow-up field survey with Android app developers (N=230) show that self-control is superior to formal control because it allows for higher perceived autonomy that in turn promotes continuance intentions and application quality.