The software development industry is evolving, and for the better. There used to be a time when customers expected regular updates and support for the software they bought after paying a one-time fee.
That one-time payment system resulted in slow and inferior development because development requires time and money.
But that time is gone now (almost). Companies are moving to a recurring payment model to ensure the product’s longevity because that’s the only way to meet the development expenses.
Good for software companies, but customers can’t afford so many subscriptions at a time.
Now consider if you want to buy 20 apps for your Mac for various purposes, and they cost between $10-$50/month each. That makes it a whopping $200-$1000 per month.
As a result, most companies are now facing low MRR (monthly recurring revenue).
A new innovation came to life to combat this problem, a Netflix-like approach where you pay for a single subscription and get access to multiple software from various categories.
Setapp solved this problem by offering an all-inclusive subscription service designed for Mac users.
What is Setapp?
As I mentioned above, if I have to describe it in the easiest way, then I would call it the Netflix of Mac apps.
Setapp is a subscription-based software service that offers access to a set of Mac applications. It was launched in 2016 by MacPaw, a Ukrainian software company.
MacPaw is also the creator of CleanMyMac, which is a popular Mac cleanup and optimization app.
The team’s main goal is to bring together all the essential apps that every Mac user should have to improve the productivity and usability of their system.
With Setapp, users gain access to a growing collection of 230+ high-quality Mac applications. These include photo editing software, office tools, productivity software, and much more.
I love this app mainly because it brings together all the essential Mac apps (including some of my favorites, too) for a minimum monthly price that’s easily 95% cheaper than the collective individual price of the apps.
This app comes with excellent benefits and features that I’ll discuss in this review.
How Setapp works?
After subscribing to the App through their website, you will have immediate access to your desired Setapp applications. Simply download the Setapp Mac application and install it.
Once installed, you can now enjoy all the applications it offers. Setapp houses the most versatile and extensive apps designed with high-quality features.
Setapp Features: What’s in it for you?
Below are some awesome features offered by Setapp:
Install and Uninstall with Ease
One of the great things about Setapp is that it allows us to uninstall and install an app quickly and easily.
If your device has limited space, you can use Setapp to install an app and uninstall it immediately after you’re done with it.
You don’t need to install all the apps in Setapp at once. You can install the apps selectively, as per your needs, and uninstall them as their purpose is fulfilled.
One subscription includes all apps
Setapp’s subscription is an all-in-one bundle, from business apps to lifestyle apps. There are handpicked apps for writers, photographers, musicians, gamers, etc.
That means you don’t have to pay for any app separately. Buy one subscription, and get access to everything—complete peace of mind.
This subscription bundle includes an ad-free experience, which means there won’t be any upsells or in-app purchases.
Apps are available when you need them
Setapp allows you to install the apps when you need them. You do not have to install all of them at once. Your subscription includes all the apps, so use one or a hundred, and there will be no change in price.
It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet with Setapp – no extra charges for apps you don’t use.
Super easy to find the apps you need
Setapp makes it easy for you to find and install the software you need for your Mac.
It organizes all the apps into categories. When you use the search function, Setapp uses the app’s title and description to show the best results.
I love the browsing experience offered by the Setapp library. The layout makes it easy to find apps in several different categories. I just enter the keyword or feature, and it shows me all the relevant apps.
New apps regularly
New apps are added to Setapp regularly. They have grown their app library to 230+, and it keeps growing.
I regularly open Setapp to check for updates, and when I do, I discover new apps that I have not tried before.
Because of Setapp, I don’t have to waste my money on apps I won’t use. I try the new apps they introduce. If I like them, I keep them. Otherwise, I uninstall them straight away.
User-friendly interface
Another feature of Setapp is its user-friendly interface. It’s simple, sleek, and easy to navigate. The app’s search function finds apps quickly and even helps you discover new apps.
Its simple navigation makes it easy to find apps by category.
The interface is available in multiple languages so that you can use Setapp no matter what language you speak.
Free updates
Setapp has another benefit which I am sure you would love. They offer free updates to all the apps in their collection.
This is beneficial because you do not have to purchase new versions of apps as they are updated.
All you have to do is keep your subscription active and get all the updates for free.
iOS Version for Free
Some apps in the Setapp library have their iOS and iPadOS versions as well, which you can get for free.
There is a dedicated “Available on iOS” section in the UI to quickly find these apps. Some of my favorite iOS apps on Setapp are Canary Mail, Chronicle, Gemini, and Ulysses.
Bang for the buck
It’s a simple concept that if you want to save money on something, you have to buy it in bulk. Setapp offers more than 230 applications at a low price.
Setapp is much cheaper than purchasing all the apps in its catalog individually. Sometimes, a single app in the Setapp costs more than $1000 if you buy it from the App Store.
My Personal Experience with Setapp
Among all the apps offered by Setapp, I specifically use these apps extensively: CleanMyMac, Ulysses, TripMode, and iStats Menu.
I have been using Setapp since 2021, and my experience with these apps has been really great.
CleanMyMac helps me to keep my Mac healthy on a daily basis. It helps me to delete unnecessary files and clean my Mac’s hard drives. This has helped me a lot to keep my Mac running in top condition.
Ulysses is one of my favorite blogging apps. Even, I used it to write this review. In fact, I use it to write on all of my sites. Ulysses can directly publish content to WordPress or other CMSs, so I don’t have to manually move my drafts from Ulysses to my site.
TripMode is a must-have app for iOS. It saves bandwidth on metered connections by restricting background data usage and blocking specific apps from background data usage. So, when I’m on mobile data or on Wi-Fi with bandwidth restrictions, I use TripMode to disable all the background apps.
I also use iStats Menus to add informative menu widgets to my macOS menu bar. These widgets display system information, battery levels, CPU usage, etc.
Setapp Pros and Cons
Just like any other app, Setapp also has its pros and cons. I will share all the pros and cons of Setapp that will help you make a decision on whether to subscribe to this app or not.
Pros
- All-in-one Solution: Setapp provides access to 230+ Mac apps, all in one place. This means you don’t have to go through the hassle of finding, purchasing, downloading, and installing each app individually.
- Affordable Pricing: Setapp only costs $9.99 per month, making it one of the most affordable all-in-one Mac software solutions available.
- Simple App Management: Setapp makes it easy to manage your apps. With Setapp, you can easily install, uninstall, and update your apps. So you can focus on what’s important: your work.
- Fraction of the Cost of Individual Apps: If you were to buy each of the apps in Setapp individually, it would cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. But with Setapp, you get all of those apps for one low monthly price.
- No Ads or In-App Purchases: Setapp is ad-free. This means you won’t have to deal with annoying ads or in-app purchases when using the apps in Setapp.
- Secure Apps: When you download an app from Setapp, you can be confident that it’s been thoroughly vetted by the Setapp team. And if an app ever stops working, Setapp will take care of it for you.
- Free Trial: You can try it before you buy. Setapp comes with a 7-day trial so that you can try the subscriptions before actually buying it.
- Multi-device support: Depending on the subscription plan you choose, you can use Setapp on multiple devices. You’re not limited to using Setapp on just your Mac. You can also use it on your iPhone and iPad.
Cons
- Ongoing Subscription: It’s not a problem with Setapp itself, but a problem with ongoing subscriptions in general. The recurring payments add up and feel like a waste of money if you’re not a frequent user.
- Mac Exclusive: Setapp is not available for Windows or Linux. This means that if you’re not using a Mac, you won’t be able to use the service.
- Not all apps are useful for everyone: Even though Setapp holds valuable applications, most of them aren’t useful for many users. An app that is useful for me won’t necessarily be helpful for you.
- Some essential apps are still missing: Even though it has more than 230 apps, Setapp still misses some apps that I expected it to have or at least some alternatives to them. MacPaw is constantly adding more apps to Setapp, and I hope the apps I want will be there in the future.
- Whether you use it or not, you still pay the same price: Considering the number of applications in Setapp, you can’t install them all at once. Even there are many apps with overlapping features, which makes it senseless to keep multiple apps for the same task. But you still pay the same amount whether you use one app or all.
- Not all apps immediately get updated: MacPaw doesn’t own all the apps in the Setapp catalog. That makes it really hard to keep all of them updated and compatible with the latest macOS version immediately after its release.
- Settle for inferior alternatives: Setapp could potentially lead to people using less popular apps. This is because the service only offers a limited number of apps. So, if someone wants to use an app and there’s a less popular and overall inferior alternative in the Setapp library, people will start using it instead.
Let’s Talk About Applications on Setapp
Currently, the Setapp has 230+ applications that are ready to download.
Each app comes with top-notch quality. These apps offer more value to you (over 1,500 US dollars) with Setapp as compared to when bought individually.
Out of all the apps, below are the top 6 apps in the Setapp library:
CleanMyMac X
CleanMyMac X is one of my favorite apps. It helps me get rid of the useless system files on my Mac. These files can slow down a Mac.
I recommend this app to most Mac users, despite the Mac machine they are using. A lot of people even consider CleanMyMac as the best app available on Setapp.
IM+
The second app I want to share with you is this IM+. This app acts as a nexus for all messaging apps. You can access Slack, Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, and more in one place.
The good thing is that you can log in to multiple accounts simultaneously.
Folx
It is a good application if you love to download files and torrents. Apart from that, it also integrates a search engine that can be used to search torrents directly from the app.
iStat Menus
It is one of those apps that made Setapp totally worth it. I love how it provides accurate statistics about the performance of my MacBook.
Apart from that, it also informs me about my Mac’s battery health, percentage, and temperature.
Gemini
Another must-have application for Mac users is Gemini. We all have a weird habit of clicking multiple pictures on the same occasion in the hope of getting a perfect one.
But later, we forget to remove the ones that we don’t like, and in the long run, they take up a lot of space on your system.
Gemini can detect duplicate files in our Mac, so you can get rid of them to free up space for other more essential files.
Bartender
This application enables you to pick the app you want to show in your Mac’s menu bar, hence making the menu more organized.
It also helps in providing more valuable information about the apps that you use more.
These were some of the best applications among the ever-growing Setapp catalog of 230+ apps.
You can check all the apps on Setapp from here: All Setapp Apps
Setapp Pricing
Setapp offers different pricing options for both Personal and Business use. It’s a great thing because personal use and business use are always different, and having only one of them will make things inconvenient for the other segment.
Personal Plans
- Mac: $9.99/mo
- Mac + iOS: $12.49/mo
- Power User: $14.99/mo
– A 10% discount is automatically added to your cart if you opt for yearly payments
– There is also a 50% discount for students using the Setapp Student Discount
– A 7-day free trial is available for all personal plans
Teams Plans
- Monthly: $9.99/member
- Yearly: $8.99/member
– A 10% discount is automatically added to your cart if you opt for the yearly plan
– They offer a custom plan for business users if the current plan doesn’t fulfill your needs
– A 14-day free trial is available for all teams plans
Is Setapp secure?
Apps on Setapp are either made by MacPaw or other third-party developers.
MacPaw has been in the industry for a long time. They offer several apps for Mac users. Their main goal is to improve and maintain a good Mac performance.
So, there is nothing to worry about the apps built by MacPaw.
The main concern here is third-party apps. MacPaw has a dedicated Review Team to review all the apps submitted to Setapp by third-party devs.
This team conducts a review of all the non-MacPaw apps thoroughly. They make sure that all the apps meet performance, security, privacy, and overall quality standards.
Thus, Setapp only approves and allows the most reliable and best applications in the market. So, if you have doubts about the security and safety of Setapp and all the apps it brings, I could say that it is safe and secure.
Is Setapp worth it?
The short answer is yes!
The long answer is that it depends on how you use your Mac and what apps you need.
If you’re a power user who needs a wide variety of apps, Setapp is definitely worth it.
The monthly fee is less than the cost of a single app, so you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck.
If you only need a few specific apps, Setapp may not be worth it. You can often find individual apps for cheaper (or even free) elsewhere.
Setapp is also a great way to try out new apps. With Setapp, you can explore new apps without having to commit to buying them. If you find an app you like, you can keep it.
If not, you can move on without spending a dime.
Ultimately, whether Setapp is worth it depends on your needs and how you use your Mac.
If you need a lot of apps, Setapp is a great deal. If you only need a few apps, you may be better off buying them individually.
Verdict
A lot of Mac users claim that Setapp is one of the best and indispensable apps in the market. Even though it has some cons, its pros outweigh the negatives.
I recommend this app to professionals, home users, students, or anyone with a Mac. It is good software for anyone who is using a Mac and needs an ultimate suite of all the essential apps.
I am amazed by its security as well as the quality features each app offers.
Are you a Mac user?
Do you often install third-party applications on your Mac?
Well, subscribing to Setapp will be a good move. Setapp offers unfiltered and full access to several necessary applications for Mac.
You can get all these at a low monthly cost. So, what are you waiting for?
Setapp FAQs
How do I remove Setapp from my Mac?
1. Open Setapp and go to Help » Uninstall from the top menu.
2. Select Uninstall Completely or Keep Applications (if you don’t want to remove applications along with Setapp).
How do I uninstall Setapp applications?
1. Open Setapp and select On This Mac in the sidebar.
2. Find the application you’d like to remove and click it.
3. Click the downwards arrow beside the Open button and click Uninstall from the shortcut menu.
Is Setapp compatible with Apple Silicon?
Yes, Setapp is compatible with all Apple Silicon macs. All generations of M1 and M2 are supported.
Can I buy Setapp in my country?
Yes! You can buy Setapp in any country; there are no restrictions. As long as you have internet, you can install Setapp anywhere in the world.
Can I install Setapp on Windows or Linux?
No! Setapp is a Mac-exclusive app store.
Is there any lifetime plan for Setapp?
Unfortunately, no! I’m not sure if they will introduce a plan in the future, but there is no lifetime Setapp plan currently available.
How many apps are there on Setapp?
As of Sep 2022, there are 230+ apps on Setapp, as mentioned on their official apps page.
Is Setapp legit?
Yes, certainly. It’s a service by MacPaw, which is a highly reputed software company based in Ukraine. The apps in the Setapp library are curated by a staff of experts who update these apps periodically, so you can expect the very latest versions and the best performance.
You can also count on professional support from Setapp’s customer service. Furthermore, you can check their reviews on GetApp and TrustPilot to verify their legitimacy.
