For over a month now, Apple has opened the doors to third-party stores on iPhones located in the European Union. Until today, there has been no really interesting or even popular store, which pushes us to always go to the App Store to search for and download an application. However, this could change today with the highly anticipated “Setapp”!
The most serious competitor to the App Store?
In a recent post on the social network X, MacPaw announced the launch of Setapp, an alternative application market for iPhone, which will be available in the European Union in a few hours. This initiative takes advantage of the opening of application distribution on iOS, made possible by a decision of the European Commission requiring Apple to authorize sideloading.
Development of the Setapp marketplace for the iPhone began in February, shortly after Apple announced new alternative app download options in iOS 17.4. Unlike the App Store, Setapp is not a “free store,” but a subscription service that offers access to a wide selection of apps for just €9.99 per month with no commitment. Similar to an app “streaming service,” Setapp on Mac allows users to access a wide range of content in exchange for a monthly, renewable subscription.
Setapp will offer apps in a variety of categories, such as productivity, gaming, lifestyle, and utilities. EU users will be able to access these apps without going through the App Store, providing a welcome alternative for those looking to diversify their app sources. As of yet, Setapp has not mentioned the specific number of apps and games that will be available at launch. These include Focused Work, Mindr, MonAI, SideNotes, Itemlist, Taskheat, as well as MacPaw’s own apps, such as CleanMyPhone and ClearVPN.
For developers, Setapp represents a distribution opportunity without the usual App Store fees. However, apps that exceed one million installs per year will have to pay a basic technology fee of €0.50 per install to Apple. Unlike the App Store, Apple does not impose content restrictions on apps distributed through alternative marketplaces. This allows the distribution of apps that would not be eligible for the App Store.
This lack of restrictions means that apps previously banned from the App Store could be available on Setapp. For example, Fortnite, which was removed from the App Store, could make its return today, without waiting for the Epic Games Store to launch.
The launch of Setapp in Europe represents a new milestone in the distribution of iOS applications, this new possibility will offer users more choice and developers a new platform to reach their audience.
It’s coming. May 14. Stay tuned pic.twitter.com/pkyrQHdPtm
— Setapp (@Setapp) May 13, 2024
How to install SetApp
Currently available in beta, the installation of Setapp Mobile requires going through the address setapp.com/setapp-mobiledirectly from your iPhone.
Updated 09/17:
Ukrainian developer MacPaw has announced the open beta (invitation-free) launch of Setapp Mobile, its alternative app store for iOS devices in the European Union.
MacPaw isn’t alone in trying its luck in the European alternative app store market. Aptoide, a veteran of third-party stores in the Android ecosystem, recently introduced a dedicated game store for iOS. There’s also AltStore PAL, which offers the Delta game emulator and various Patreon-supported apps. The latter went from paid to free this summer.
