Setapp: A Subscription Service for Mac Apps (& iOS Apps)

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Setapp: A Subscription Service for Mac Apps (& iOS Apps)

Key Takeaways

Setapp is a subscription-based service offering access to over 260 curated macOS, iOS, and web apps for a flat monthly fee.
It covers a wide range of categories including productivity, creativity, coding, design, AI+, and more.
Setapp simplifies app management with continuous free updates and personalized recommendations.
Pricing starts at $9.99/month for one Mac, with family and multi-device plans available.
Ideal for power users who need diverse tools; casual users might find individual purchases more economical.
Offers a 7-day free trial and an exclusive 30-day extended trial with promo code THESWEETBITS.

As the famous saying goes, “there’s an app for that”. Setapp offers a smart twist on this idea — a subscription service giving you instant access to a growing library of over 260 carefully curated apps for macOS, iOS, and the web.

What Exactly is Setapp?

Unlike the Mac App Store, which can feel limited by high prices, sandboxing restrictions, and inconsistent trial options, Setapp offers a fresh alternative.

It is a subscription platform from MacPaw that bundles a wide range of high-quality apps across categories like productivity, task management, coding, design, Mac hacks, and more. This continuously updated library is carefully curated for performance and reliability — with all apps included, updated, and ad-free.

With Setapp, you don’t need to buy apps individually or manage multiple subscriptions. Instead, you get seamless access to everything you need in one place, simplifying how you manage your software across all your Apple devices.

“At our core, Setapp strives to simplify how Mac and iOS users discover and distribute apps. By prioritizing value for both users and developers, we’re constantly working to offer an experience that aligns with market demands and the needs of our customers.”

Discover more on how MacPaw reinvents app discovery and usage inside Setapp.

Features Highlight

Access to over 260 handpicked apps for Mac (& iPhone, iPad, and web).
A growing selection of AI-powered applications.
Free to try for 7 days, then $9.99/month for one Mac.
Flexible subscription plans for multiple devices and families.
All apps receive free updates, including major upgrades.
Ad-free experience.
Unlimited access to new and existing apps in the library.

Our Hands-On Setapp Review

At TheSweetBits, we’ve made finding the best Mac apps a core part of our mission. Having used Setapp on every Mac we’ve owned since 2018, it remains our preferred destination for finding trusted, high-quality apps. While we were impressed by the seamless integration and growing list of iOS apps, it’s worth noting that the true power and diversity of Setapp’s library is still found on the Mac side.

We recently tested the latest Setapp version on an M4 MacBook Air and explored everything from setup to usability and app selection.

Installation and Setup

Installing Setapp on your Mac is like installing any other app. However, you may want to register on the site for an account for a seamless process. It may also be a good idea to start the Setapp free trial.

Setapp asks for standard macOS permissions during installation since it will be installing apps on your device. Apart from this point, the installation and setup are straightforward.

You can also choose to sign in to/sign up for the Setapp subscription after the installation. Once this part has been completed, you can explore all Setapp features.

The User Experience

When you get started with Setapp, you get to see the My Explorer tab of the applications. You can think of this pane as a space where you can find incredible recommendations and the newest additions to the app library that is Setapp.

As you can see, there might be a section called Hidden Gems or a couple of how-tos that can help you get something stuck. There are also personal recommendations and collections that you can explore to find out which apps can help you get the best out of your Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

The recommendations become really great and spot-on after you have installed a few apps from Setapp. It learns from how helpful the existing apps are.

Sorting & Filtering

You can also explore other categories, such as On This Mac, Collections, How-Tos, and App Guides, if you want. Setapp also allows you to explore all the apps in its collection or go through separate sections, such as Optimize, Work, Create, Develop, or Solve with AI Plus.

All these options in the sidebar make it easy to navigate the rather large collection of apps that you get from Setup, and once you are in a particular category, you can filter the options further. For instance, if you go to the Optimize app, you can select between options such as Menu Bar and Dock, Battery, CPU and RAM, Temperature, Speed, Screen, etc.

These filters and sorting options make it easy to navigate the vast collection and find something that you would want to install on your Mac, and this system is far better than what I have seen on the Mac App Store.

Search & AI Assistant

You can also use the search bar to find a macOS or iOS app for specific purposes. The best part? You don’t have to search for the name of the app. Instead, you can search for a particular task, such as “develop apps”.

You can also ask the AI-powered Setapp Assistant if you want in-depth suggestions. You can get started with the Setapp assistant and ask for basic tasks like “How to convert PDF to Word?” or “How do you take a screenshot on a Mac?”

If you need an interactive way to find great apps for your Mac, these two functions add a lot of value.

Inside Setapp’s App Collection

Setapp offers a diverse, handpicked app library validated for quality and utility, perfect for power users needing a comprehensive toolkit. Below is a highlight of standout apps from five major categories to give you a flavor of what’s included:

Optimize

Bartender helps you organize your busy macOS menu bar by arranging menu bar items and managing its behavior.
BetterTouchTool is a great way to customize almost everything on your Mac. It offers full support for gestures, custom triggers, actions, etc.
CleanMyMac is an all-in-one optimization and cleaning utility for macOS. It lets you free up storage space, remove applications, and speed up your Mac.
Get Backup Pro offers fully-fledged backup solutions for your Mac. You can back up data to multiple storage spaces and retain control while doing so.
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is a trusted way to access NTFS drives from your Mac. This reliable tool makes it easy to format and control hard drives and other storage devices.

Work

CleanShot X and Xnapper are two great screenshot utilities from the Setapp collection. These utilities make it easy to take beautiful and accurate screenshots on your Mac.
Timing is a complete time-tracking solution for macOS. You can use the tool to understand the time spent on each app.
Folx is one of the most popular download managers for macOS. It not only boosts download speeds but also supports torrent downloads and scheduling options.
GoodTask is an excellent task manager who supports to-dos and reminders. You can sync all your data with other devices as well.
CleanPresenter makes it easy to optimize how you present content from your Mac. This app offers incredible customization options, for starters.

Create

Ulysses is probably the best distraction-free writing solution out there. It comes with markup support and various editing options. You can also directly publish content from Ulysses if you’re interested.
Craft is a collaboration-friendly writing app available for macOS. The Setapp subscription brings the fully-fledged version of Craft, which also now has AI-powered tools.
Typeface becomes a blessing for developers and designers by keeping track of your fonts. The app is an easy way to test your fonts and organize them.
Swift Publisher makes everyone a potential publisher of books and booklets. You can use the app to design other design products as well.
CameraBag Pro is a full-featured photo editor that professionals and beginners can rely on. It comes with a great collection of photo filters and presets.

Develop

CodeRunner is one of the best multi-language programming editors we’ve seen. Not only is it easy to use, it offers extensive support for code completion.
Hype is a unique app for HTML5 content creators. You can use Hype to create interactive content based on the HTML5 platform.
SwiftyLaunch transforms how you build apps by saving up to 50 hours. This app can provide essential modules and pre-built features to optimize your next big iOS app.
DevUtils is a curated collection of developer tools. You can use the app to quickly access generators and debuggers.
SSH Config Editor is an effective way to manage your SSH config files from the convenience of your Mac. It will help automate many processes, thus saving a lot of time on your end.

Solve with AI+

MurmurType is probably the best AI-powered we have come across recently. Powered by OpenAI’s Whisper engine, MurmurType can transcribe audio in almost every language you speak.
Elephas is an AI-powered content editor that works across macOS. You can use ChatGPT’s generative ability without worrying about API keys and other technicalities.
PDF Pals makes it easy to chat with your PDF documents. It uses the power of ChatGPT and other AI platforms to make things easier.
Superwhisper allows you to transcribe audio to text on your Mac. You can easily download models to your Mac and get the job done.
Spellar AI is a real-time assistant that helps you improve your performance in meetings. It can assist with English pronunciation, vocabulary, body language, etc.

Something great here is that Setapp offers iOS apps for many of these solutions. So you can enjoy the same experience on desktop and mobile devices.

Pricing

Setapp starts at $9.99/month for access on one Mac. For a bundle covering Mac plus iOS devices (up to 5 devices), the price is $12.49/month, and for a power user package (up to 8 devices), it’s $14.99/month.

Annual billing offers a 10% discount, dropping the monthly price to $8.99.

Students and teachers can get additional discounts, making Setapp even more accessible.

If you’re unsure, the 7-day free trial offers access to the entire app catalog at no cost.

Exclusive offer for TheSweetBits readers!

Guys, we have great news! Setapp reached out to us and provided a coupon exclusively for our readers. Use promo code THESWEETBITS or follow this link to enjoy a 30-day extended trial. This extended trial gives you even more time to discover the vast collection of high-quality apps Setapp has to offer and see how it can transform your workflow.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Access to a vast, high-quality library of Mac apps, with a growing number of useful iOS companions.
Simplifies installation, updates, and app management.
Personalized recommendations enhance discovery.
Includes AI-powered apps and regular updates.
Family and device-flexible plans available.

Cons

Access to apps depends on an active subscription (no ownership).
Apps may occasionally be removed from the catalog.
Lacks some full-featured industry-standard apps found elsewhere.

Setapp vs. Mac App Store

Here’s a quick comparison of Setapp and the Mac App Store.

Feature	Setapp	Mac App Store
Pricing Model	Subscription-based	Pay-per-app or free with in-app purchases
App Variety	Over 260 curated apps	Thousands of apps across all categories
Ownership	No ownership, access based on subscription	Full ownership after purchase
Updates	Included in subscription	May require additional payment for major updates
Free Trials	One-week free trial	Available for select apps (if developer provides)
Platform Exclusivity	macOS, iOS, and Web	Exclusively for Apple devices
App Removal	Setapp may remove apps after a time.	Apps remain available once purchased
Family Sharing	Available with Setapp Family Plan	Supported for eligible apps
Offline Access	Limited offline access to previously installed apps	Fully offline once downloaded

As you can see, the only aspect where the Mac App Store offers better value than Setapp is ownership. When you get an app from the MAS, you get full ownership and offline access. You might also have concerns about Setapp removing apps from its library. So, if you really want to own the Mac apps, you should stick to the Mac App Store.

We also wanted to mention the case of sandboxing. Many apps on the Mac App Store are sandboxed, meaning that all their functionalities are not available. Setapp, on the other hand, offers many apps without sandbox. This makes a huge difference when it comes to customization apps like BetterTouchTool and CleanMyMac.

But you also get the typical benefits of a subscription model without subscribing to different apps/vendors. For instance, Setapp offers continuous upgrades, including major ones. With the Mac App Store, you need to pay for every major upgrade.

Setapp FAQs

Are Setapp apps safe?
Yes. Setapp partners with reputable developers and conducts thorough reviews to ensure safety, privacy, and high functionality.

Is Setapp available on the Mac App Store?
No, Setapp is a standalone platform; you download its desktop app directly from its website.

Can I use Setapp on multiple Macs?
Yes, subscriptions generally allow use on two or more Macs depending on the plan.

Does Setapp Mobile require a special plan?
Yes, the iOS app selection requires advanced plans and, currently, is available only in the EU.

Is Setapp worth it?
If you frequently use multiple apps for productivity, creativity, or development, Setapp offers tremendous convenience and value. Casual users might find buying individual apps more economical long-term.

Final Words

Setapp shines for power users who want effortless access to a broad range of quality apps across Apple devices. Its subscription model simplifies app discovery, installation, and updating, while the curated library ensures dependable performance.

For casual users who rely on only a handful of apps, the pay-per-app approach of the Mac App Store might be preferable due to ownership and offline access.

Ultimately, it’s a trade-off between ownership and convenience/value. Thanks to the free trial and our exclusive 30-day extended offer, you can explore Setapp risk-free and decide if it fits your needs.

Updated on Aug.6, 2025.