Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is paying developers to bring well-known apps to its Windows Phone, as the world’s biggest software maker seeks to challenge competitors such as Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone, the New York Times reported.

Microsoft is paying app makers to develop a Windows Phone version for brand-name apps, according to the paper. These include Foursquare, a mobile social network, and Cheezburger Network, a collection of humor and entertainment sites, the newspaper said. Microsoft has more than 70,000 apps, while Apple has more than 600,000 and Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android system has close to 400,000, the newspaper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Zijing Wu in London at zwu17@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jacqueline Simmons at jackiem@bloomberg.net