Setapp Will Be One of iPhone's First Alternative App Marketplaces in EU - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Setapp Will Be One of iPhone's First Alternative App Marketplaces in EU

by

MacPaw today announced that Setapp will be available as an alternative app marketplace on the iPhone in the EU starting in April. Those wanting access to the beta version can join a waitlist, and developers interested in the platform can apply on this page.

Setapp iOS
Alternative app marketplaces are among the several changes that Apple is implementing in the EU with iOS 17.4, in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act.

On the Mac, Setapp is a popular subscription-based service that provides users with access to a curated collection of dozens of popular apps for $9.99 per month. This includes apps like Ulysses, iStat Menus, Spark Mail, Unite, Yoink, and more. Starting with iOS 17.4 and later, Setapp will be available directly on the iPhone in the EU.

MacPaw said the Setapp Mobile beta will offer a "carefully selected assortment of apps":

• Productivity and Business Tools: Boost your efficiency with tools for managing your schedule, staying on track, personalizing your internet experience, and much more.

• Creative and Design Software: Unlock your creative potential with intuitive tools designed for photo animation, document creation, and more.

• Lifestyle and Productivity: Improve your daily routines with apps that help you build better habits, stay updated with the latest news, and efficiently manage your notes and ideas.

• Utility Apps: Make everyday tasks easier with applications that enable you to share files effortlessly, monitor your spending, and streamline your idea organization process.

• Specialized Professional Tools: Engage with advanced applications tailored for detailed document searches, comprehensive database management, and more.

MacPaw is one of the first companies to announce plans to offer an alternative app marketplace on the iPhone in the EU, along with Epic Games. Setapp subscribers on the Mac can already access a collection of iOS apps with a QR code system, and the alternative app marketplace will offer a more streamlined experience.

Apple is expected to release iOS 17.4 on or before March 6, the deadline for complying with the Digital Markets Act. For additional details about the changes coming to the App Store and more in the EU, read our previous coverage. The changes do not apply outside of the EU, nor do they apply to iPadOS in any country.

Tag: Setapp
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
Read Full Article • 151 comments
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Read Full Article • 111 comments
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
Read Full Article • 104 comments

Top Rated Comments

T
tonyob
33 months ago
No thanks. Will only ever use the Apple App Store!
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
error Avatar
error
33 months ago
I (EU citizen) am so not interested in alternative app marketplaces.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
HobeSoundDarryl
33 months ago
Congratulations EU friends on now having another choice of app supply, access to apps that the rest of us will NOT be able to access, etc... with many more app stores and app buying options to follow. Inevitably, competition will lead to lower app pricing too (as only competition can), so enjoy getting some of the same apps the rest of us get... but paying less for some of them. And of course, those of you in the EU who have bought the whole "doomed" scenario still have access to the Apple App Store too, so you can keep getting apps the way you always have if you prefer.

Meanwhile, the rest of us will try to keep spinning how doomed you are (virus, trojans, crime syndicates, identity theft, fire, brimstone, locusts, frogs, plague, etc) and how much better we have it with a single "Company Store" fully controlling what we can and cannot access on devices we own... in spite of having the very same seller:buyer relationships with Mac, where we have all of the same freedoms you are beginning to enjoy (and no dramatic consequences in enjoying such freedoms ourselves).

Also congratulations to developers of amazing apps for now having a way to optionally charge a bit less but make more for the work in creating and maintaining iDevice apps... by not having 15%-30% coming right off the top if they are so inclined... exactly as it is with Mac apps should those developers wish to run their own App Store and sell their Mac apps directly to any of us.

Time will now show how all that security spin was mostly a pile of nonsense... as we all already know by not having our Macs compromised by the very same arrangement for all these years we've used Macs.... and as we recently learned against the great outrage of "forced USB-C" NOT resulting in lint extinction, wobbly ports and broken tongues at every turn (I'm still finding lint everywhere I used to find lint... and nary a single USB-C port repair kiosk has popped up in popular places to fix all those wobbly ports with broken tongues).

Will there be a few instances of virus, etc? Likely, as there are already a few instances of bad apps getting to people through the Apple App Store too. But I don't expect any more as a percentage of all EU iDevices than infected/compromised Macs as a percentage of all EU Macs. If EU people make intelligent app acquisition choices, they'll be just fine... just as we all are when we make intelligent Mac app acquisition choices.

Enjoy your new freedoms of choice EU Apple people. As an American, I envy this great advantage over my own highly-constrained potentials and only a single choice as shopkeeper.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
josselinco Avatar
josselinco
33 months ago
They were so smart with SetApp. Been paying for 6 years for 10 apps I could have just bought by now 😅
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H
hagar
33 months ago
A happy EU-based Setapp user here. So I will definitely be downloading.

Regardless of the unwarranted drama about these alternative stores being a gateway to hell.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
erikkfi Avatar
erikkfi
33 months ago
I look forward to hearing about the interesting, innovative apps that were rejected from the App Store for content or legal reasons that SetApp will now offer.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments