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Setapp's EU Alternative iPhone App Marketplace Launching on May 14

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MacPaw today said that its Setapp alternative app marketplace for the iPhone will be launching on Tuesday, May 14 in the European Union.

Setapp iOS
A Setapp marketplace has been in the works since February, which is when Apple first announced the alternative app downloading options that would be coming in iOS 17.4.

For those unfamiliar with Setapp, it is a subscription-based service that lets users access dozens of apps for $9.99 per month. Popular apps like Ulysses, iStat Menus, Spark, Unite, Yoink, and more are available through the current subscription service.

According to MacPaw, Setapp will provide a "carefully selected assortment of apps" across categories like productivity, design, lifestyle, utility, and more.

Setapp already offers a $12.49 subscription that provides access to both the iOS and Mac versions of apps, but EU users will be able to access Setapp apps without having to download them through the App Store. Setapp will give developers a trusted alternative to ‌App Store‌ distribution with none of the standard fees, though it is worth noting that all apps that exceed 1 million first installs per year must pay the 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee to Apple.

Apps distributed through alternative app marketplaces are required to submit to a notarization process to ensure they are free from malware, but Apple does not have restrictions on content so apps that might not have been eligible for the ‌App Store‌ can be distributed through alternative means.

Tag: Setapp

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Top Rated Comments

mike2q Avatar
mike2q
31 months ago

Use at your own risk.
Give your burner account a break Mr Cook. You lost the fight. 😉
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
erikkfi Avatar
erikkfi
31 months ago

all apps that exceed 1 million first installs per year must pay the 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee to Apple.
Until the EU properly strikes down this absurd and anticompetitive requirement.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
johannnn
31 months ago
Fragmented App Stores here we come.

I will never forgive Epic and Spotify for starting this crap.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H
hagar
31 months ago

It’s about trust. I won’t trust some 3rd party App Store ever nor will I use my CC’s with one.
And that’s fine. It’s all about choice.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frenchcamp49er Avatar
frenchcamp49er
31 months ago

That (fictional but probably not far from the truth) percentage will quickly change when apps offering Apple censured content or functionalities are launched.
It’s about trust. I won’t trust some 3rd party App Store ever nor will I use my CC’s with one.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H
hagar
31 months ago

Use at your own risk.
What risks? The exacte same apps you get from this store are also available in the regular App Store. But as individual purchases/subscriptions and therefore likely more expensive.


Cool, although this may backfire for MacPaw. Are they removing their apps from Apple’s App Store in the EU?
Unlikely they will remove their own apps or demand to remove the third party apps from the App Store.

That’s the beauty of this evolution: want to purchase the apps from the App Store? you can. Want to rent them through the subscription model of Setapp? You can as well. Everyone crying this EU-law would be the end of civilisation is simply flat out wrong.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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