Malcolm Owen
MacPaw has rolled out Setapp Mobile in the EU as an open beta, providing its users with an all-you-can-eat alternative App Store.
Setapp has provided a buffet of apps and services on macOS and iOS for quite a few years, paid for by a subscription. Now, MacPaw is attempting to make its iOS experience smoother for subscribers with the launch of its alternative App Store experience in the EU.
Setapp Mobile is the latest move by the company to try and streamline the process for users to actually install iOS apps under the subscription. Previously, subscribers had to take multiple steps to install apps, which was complex compared to a typical App Store purchase.
Available in a closed beta since early 2024, Setapp Mobile takes advantage of the EU's Digital Markets Act that required Apple to allow alternative app storefronts to exist on iPhone. As it is effectively operating as an app store under a subscription, it considerably simplifies the process of getting apps onto a device.
On Wednesday, MacPaw has opened up Setapp Mobile in open beta to all EU-based users. It can work on iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, with an EU-based Apple ID.
Setapp is offering a seven-day free trial,before charging a monthly fee of 9.49 euros ($10.57) for its plan, unless they're already on a "Power User" or "AI Expert" plan. For the monthly fee, users have free reign to download apps from the storefront and install them to their iPhone.
Many of the apps are already available from the Apple App Store, with Setapp Mobile offering a potentially cheaper option for power users.
"We changed the game by providing a clean, intuitive experience where users access the finest apps without the usual clutter," said MacPaw founder and CEO Oleksandr Kosovan. "Our single subscription model simplifies the app discovery process, making it easier for users to access top-quality apps without hassle."
For users in the United States, United Kingdom, and other territories outside the European Union, they will have to continue using the existing method for the moment. At least, until other territories decide to implement their own laws forcing third-party app stores to exist.
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1 Comment
I’ve gotta say, I’ve always felt since seeing SetApp that Apple ought to have a system just like it. Something that you pay 10 bucks a month or 5 a month extra if you’re sharing it with family. Do it like Apple Arcade and have a system where people can download various utility apps that do various things on device on device hardware, none of this having a thousand different accounts for different services all with their own cloud stuff, blah blah blah. Just simple utilities, the sort of thing people used to charge a buck or two for back in the day but that can’t charge anything for because almost no apps cost anything and they all have weird back end advertising driven things or subscriptions that cost 15 bucks a month for themselves because they know almost nobody will use the app.
Apple could probably have an incredibly vibrant third party app ecosystem. And just pay each developer that 15 dollars divided by how much time the user actually spends in their app compared to other apps for the month. Sure it might mean that one user only makes them fifteen cents a month. But if you’ve got seven million people all generating 15 cents a month it would still add up to be something a number of devs could live off of. Even if Apple took their customary 30%