Ahh remember the good ol' days when you could buy a software license and use it forever (or until you really needed to upgrade it). Now the majority of software apps are only available with a monthly or annual subscription. If you're an app junkie like me, those subscription fees really add up quickly. Recently I discovered Setapp, which while still a subscription model, gives you access to 240+ apps for one low monthly (or annual) fee. In this article, I'll dive into what Setapp is, how it works, and whether it's worth the investment for Mac and iOS users.
What is Setapp?
Setapp, developed by MacPaw, is a subscription service that provides access to a curated collection of over 240 apps designed for Mac and iOS devices. All of the apps in the Setapp subscription include the app's premium or pro tier. Think of it as a big shop with a variety of Mac and iOS apps. Everything from email apps to note taking to ai writing and more — there's so much to discover in the Setapp subscription.
How Does Setapp Work?
Using Setapp is straightforward. Once you've signed up for the monthly subscription you'll need to install the Setapp application on your Mac. Once that's installed you browse apps by type or you can use the ai assisted search to help you find what you're looking for. Type in "Email" and it'll offer up premium email apps such as Spark Mail, Canary Mail and several others. Installing an app from Setapp is quick and easy, just click install on any of the apps and off you go. All apps are full featured and updated regularly so you'll always have the newest features and updates.
The Pros of Setapp
1. Cost-Effective: For anyone like me who need (want) multiple apps, Setapp is an affordable option compared to purchasing individual licenses. I'll go more into some of this later in this article… 2. Curated: The Setapp team carefully selects high-quality apps, so you can be sure you'll have access to the best tools for your needs. 3. Convenience: With all apps available in one place, you can easily find and install the software you need without going to a pile of websites or app stores. 4. No Ads or In-App Purchases: Apps in Setapp are ad-free and come with all features, including premium or pro features, unlocked, giving you a seamless user experience.
The Cons of Setapp
1. Subscription Model: Setapp is an ongoing subscription so if you cancel Setapp you'll lose access to all of the apps you've installed with Setapp. 2. . Limited Selection: With 240+ apps to choose from there could still be apps you'd want to subscribe that are not included. Foremost for me is Capacities, which I pay for separately. 3. Platform Availability: Setapp is only available for Mac and iOS.
Is Setapp Worth It?
Whether Setapp is worth it depends on your individual needs and app preferences. If you regularly use multiple applications from the Setapp library, like I am, the subscription can offer big savings and convenience.
Here's a look at some of the apps I'm using through my Setapp subscription and what the pricing would look like if I were to subscribe to these apps directly.
Spark mail — While Spark does have a free tier it's lacks a lot of what makes Spark Mail special. I would pay $4.99 a month for the Premium Individual plan if I were subscribing to Spark separately. Moving to Spark let me cancel my previous email plan which was $99 annually.
Craft — a beautiful note taking app that I was previously paying for at $10 a month. It was actually through another Craft user that I learned about Setapp
CleanMyMac — "Your Mac. Good as New" is the CleanMyMac tagline. This app scans your computer for malware, viruses, speeds up your Mac, deletes unneeded files (I just saved about 13GB of space on my MacBook this week) and generally keeps everything running smoothly. Annual subscription price runs from $39.95 a year for a single Mac install and up to $199.75 a year for up to 5 Macs. I have 3 Macs in my household so I'd be on the hook for $200 annually to keep all three in good running order.
Hookmark — This handy little app lets you create bidirectional links from one app to another. As an example I can create a link between a note in Capacities and an entry in Notion making it a quicker to find what you're looking for in either app. Hookmark is another app I was paying for separately before subscribing to Setapp. My annual cost for Hookmark was $29.95.
Rocket Typist — Another handy little app that I use daily, Rocket Typist is a text expander. If you ever find yourself typing the same things over and over (and over) you can create a macro using Rocket Typist that you can have insert your text with a short acronym. (Trust me it's easier than I just made it sound!) Rocket Typist, unlike the rest of this list, is a one time fee, not a subscription model. It's $19.99 to use on Mac and $9.99 for iOS and iPadOS.
Those are just a few of the apps I'm currently using and loving with my Setapp subscription. As of this writing, I have 13 apps installed via Setapp. I'm a bit of an app junkie so I'm constantly installing and trying new apps I discover in Setapp and if it's not right for me I can quickly uninstall it directly from the Setapp interface.
Over my next few posts I'll outline some of Setapp apps I use daily and how.
disclosure: I'll earn a small commission when you click the link and sign up for Setapp.