I Have One Subscription for Hundreds of Mac Apps—Should You?

We live in an era of subscription services. Want to watch a Marvel movie? Subscription. Install Photoshop? Subscription. We all have subscription fatigue… except for Mac, iPhone and iPad power users, one subscription service is worth checking out: Setapp.

What Is Setapp?

Setapp is an alternative App Store for Mac and iOS applications, created by MacPaw (the developer behind many respected Mac apps). Unlike most stores, it’s subscription-based, rather than pay-per-app. It gives you access to a library of more than 200 programs for a $9.99 monthly fee (or $107.88/year).

Setapp’s design and functionality are similar to that of Apple’s official App Store. You can explore the newest and top apps across curated lists in design, project management, programming, and more.

Setapp also has an extension that works with Chrome, Safari, the App Store, and even Spotlight on the Mac. Search in Safari for audio editing apps, for example, and the extension displays a list of related apps to install from Setapp.

Many of the apps available on Setapp have counterparts for iOS and websites; Setapp provides access to these versions along with the Mac app. For example, the Pomodoro-style time-tracking app Session is available on iOS and Mac, and Setapp provides access to both versions.

The Pros of Using Setapp

Setapp saves valuable time by curating the apps available to you. Searching the Apple App Store for “time management” returns hundreds of results, including, bizarrely, many questionable-looking games. The same search in Setapp found nine apps. While there’s no guarantee that these nine are better than the hundreds available on the App Store, the team at MacPaw has vetted and tested them all.

Since apps can be installed and uninstalled with a single click, it’s easy to try any of them without commitment. They also remain up-to-date with the latest version.

There are many high-caliber apps in the Setapp library. CleanMyMac X, which we reviewed in 2022, is one of my favorites and should be in every Mac user’s toolkit.

Another great app is Bartender, which organizes the menu bar. I also use iStat Menus, which offers insight into my Mac’s memory and processor usage, and CleanShotX is a powerful screen capture and screen-recording tool.

Every time I launch Setapp, I find something new, often something that saves me hours of manual work. Recently, I discovered Mockuuups Studio (that is not a typo), which can create mockups of mobile devices and computers with any graphics, and I’ve already got plenty of use out of it.

The Cons of Using Setapp

There are two big drawbacks to Setapp, which come with the nature of it being a subscription service. The first is that you don’t really own the software; you rent it. If you stop paying for Setapp, you lose access to all the apps. Secondly, a year of Setapp is $120, which is overkill if you only need a few apps.

There are other downsides, too. The apps are largely focused on productivity and streamlining using a Mac. The tools are mainly suitable for programmers, project managers, YouTube creators, and educators. There are apps to edit videos but none to watch videos, for example. For many typical users, there is little in the bundle to justify the cost.

While Setapp has hundreds of apps, they’re typically from smaller developers targeting a specific problem or need. That’s not an issue in itself, but it does mean the tools sometimes have interfaces or functionality that feel rough around the edges.

As part of that, you won’t find many full-featured software solutions with Setapp. For example, there is no standout word processor on Setapp. You can install MonsterWriter, but not anything that functions like Microsoft Word. There are apps to track receipts and do basic financial management, but none are as powerful as QuickBooks.

Is Setapp Right for You?

At its heart, Setapp is a solution to finding useful apps without shelling out money for each one. There is freedom to an all-in-one approach in that you can try software with a single click and never have to worry about paying for apps you end up disliking. While there are some duds, the great apps outweigh them. Since Setapp displays user ratings, it’s easy to avoid apps that might not be suitable for you.

Setapp is also aimed at power users or programmers and freelancers. It contains apps beneficial to me, like QuitAll, which is a better version of Apple’s Automater to close all apps quickly. But this is not an application that someone like my mom would ever use, or even most of my friends. If you largely use your Mac for casual use, like web browsing and streaming, Setapp might not be for you.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to the cost and whether a Setapp subscription provides more value compared to buying apps individually.

Of all the Setapp apps that I use regularly, it would cost me $250 to buy them individually (not accounting for apps I use one-off for specific projects). Clean My Mac X is the most expensive app within that, at $100 for a one-time purchase. It’s also available as a $39.95/year subscription, making Setapp around $68 more per year than the subscription price of Clean My Mac X alone—value I easily get back through using other apps like Disk Drill (normally $90).

In my years of using Setapp for subscriptions, I feel I have gotten more than my money’s worth out of the cost. Not only do I have a stable of apps at my disposal, but I also have access to hundreds more pieces of software, which I’d otherwise have to pay for individually. Your mileage may vary, though, so you should calculate the costs.

To help decide if Setapp is right for you, browse the list of apps or download the seven-day free trial.