with setapp, you may install and use *all* 160 apps for your one charge, as well as being entitled to *every* update, even the ones that are in the App Store under a new name and listing so that the devs can charge existing users again.
There is so much to this sentence that needs to be addressed.
1. No one would install all 160 apps. There are multiple apps that duplicate functionality (compression apps, calendar apps, to do apps, note apps, etc.), and these don't even account for the apps that replicate MacOS functions (desktop organizing, screen sharing, remote access, etc.).
2. Of course you are entitled to the updates, you are paying for them if you update the software or not.
3. Why would someone want to support a developer that intentionally changes the name of an app to force people to buy their app again?
also, setapp’s library is curated, unlike Apple’s, which is filled with garbage.
SetApp curates their list? Scrolling though their apps most of what I see is junk. Oh look, they have iFlicks! That will make adding music videos to iTunes much better... oh wait... that might not be useful anymore.
here’s the thing: there was an app in the App Store that I very much wanted... actually bought... and it was about $60. I had been researching setapp, but didn’t realize that app was already in their library before I bought it from Apple. There were also several apps on setapp that I had previously purchased or was considering, so it was a no-brainer, really: for the price of this one app, I could have the whole library.
At $60, I suspect you purchased the overhyped text editor Ulysses. This is the poster-child of inappropriately applied subscriptions.
Or was your point that Set Apps curation is so bad you couldn't locate a specific app by searching for the name of the app? Which is weird because their search function ONLY lets you search by app name. Want to find something that helps stay updated on the weather? You better search for 'Forcast Bar' because searching for the term 'weather' reports that there are no weather apps available.
also, sub models, which suck as one-offs, are actually a really good deal when bundled. Better for the devs, too, as they get paid residuals based on app usage. This is why so many apps have moved to a model of “upgrade” listings or IAP subs in the App Store. The can’t survive on one-time purchases.
Most of these apps are not worth the $0.99 one time price, and these developers shouldn't be expecting to live off the sales of one of these apps. Most of the things on here have an open source or free version available. The only way they can justify charging anything is by giving it a better UI which in no way entitles them to reoccurring revenue.
i mean, you DO realize that this is LITERALLY what Apple has done with Apple Arcade, right?
but, you do you...
I haven't signed up for Apple Arcade yet, but there are a few things Apple Arcade has that SetApp doesn't.
1. Games are abandoned by the end user when they finish it. Game value drops rapidly after release. This increases the value of a subscription game service since the end user is often more interested in the next game than the existing catalog.
2. Apple Arcade offers exclusives, either timed or platform based.
3. Apple Arcade allows you to play games on not only all of your Macs, but also iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs. Set App only gives you 1 or 2 Macs, based on your plan.
4. Apple Arcade is significantly cheaper. Sure, there are more Apps on SetApp than games on Apple Arcade, but as I mentioned many of them replicate the functionality of other apps provided on SetApp. This point is even more important when taken in the context of point 5...
5. Apple Arcade games are newer. SetApp offers content that hasn't seen a reasonable update in years.