Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

RIP, MacUpdater

Their opinion about the main alternatives to MacUpdater (from the FAQ):

[…] There is also Latest which is a great little updater especially given that it is free - we recommend using it in conjunction with MacUpdater 3.5.

[…] Unfortunately we cannot recommend any other alternatives to our customers: 'Updatest' is repeating every mistake we made 7 years ago, 'Pareto Updater' barely does anything, 'CleanMyMac' cannot reliably find updates despite extreme pricing and 'MacUpdateDesktop'/'MUNotifier' are affiliated with malware companies.

The app Latest of course is the most obvious and simple alternative (and there’s also Applite, based on Homebrew). But I wonder what they mean with the “mistakes” of Updatest, which probably looks like the most interesting/powerful alternative app; also the new MacUpdate Desktop (which many used years ago, when it was still the only global update app) isn’t bad, and hopefully it won’t be affiliated with adware and malware, anymore. But the best thing would of course be a new, resurrected MacUpdater 4: very strange that nobody seems to have been interested in it, so far (being one of the most useful apps ever)…
 
Last edited:
… Maybe, being that Updatest is a one-time purchase, they mean that this might be a mistake…? BTW, the new MacUpdate Desktop is a yearly subscription, as it was in the past: which seems to be what MacUpdater should have been, according to CoreCode (but, then, why don’t do a subscription model themselves?). Maybe they just don’t have the resources to continue, anymore…
 
I am a little confused what to expect moving forward unless a buyer is bought. I understand this update is the final version of MacUpdater. Database server still running, does that mean the app wil still report updates needed as before, or might that not work reliably now? I don't know what impact there is from daily maintenance stoppping.

I guess I am trying to figure out what will I see that's different now, what I can count on working, what I can't count on working. Thanks for clarifying this for me!
 
A sad day. I've been using it for years and years and had no idea it was going. It appears there's been an announcement on the web site. Well, I use the app, I've not been to their web site since I upgraded to version 3 in early 2023.

They also say that anyone running version 3 would know, because it's been on the purchase page. It certainly wasn't on the purchase page when I bought V3 in 2023.

So some kind of big, huge, in app announcement would have been nice, considering the importance of this.

It's run today, all the apps it would normally update automatically are flagged as manual now. Some of these apps don't even have build in updaters!

This is bonkers, Macupdater is one of the few utilities I'd actually have been happy to pay a monthly subscription to, but they say the reason for it going is because they wanted to avoid that model.

And as far as I can see, there is simply no alternative.

Words fail me.
 
donawalt said:
does that mean the app wil still report updates needed as before
Click to expand...

It reported five updates for me today. Two were beta versions. I wasn't able to launch the update process from within MacUpdater, but opening the listed apps triggered their own update processes.

From what I can see, it's going to continue to be useful until either the database is turned off, or the number of active users declines to a level where updates of rare apps are no longer detected.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gilby101
I saw something similar with a dropbox update. MacUPdater reported it, but I had to update via Dropbox itself. That's not too bad, at least it tells us reliably. I don't add new apps all the time, my list is stable - so maybe they will at least be reported all year?
 
  • Like
Reactions: mblm85
mblm85 said:
It reported five updates for me today. Two were beta versions. I wasn't able to launch the update process from within MacUpdater, but opening the listed apps triggered their own update processes.
Click to expand...
That is my experience. All updates (12) are listed as "manual update". But, I am guessing that some of these are beta updates (e.g. iStat Menus, Dropbox) - an example of what we have lost already. It is beginning to look messy.
 
I have five apps listed today, two are beta versions, none will automatically update when they would before. It appears the auto-update functionality has been removed.

Effectively, it's reverted to a pre-paid version which only allows limited scans per day and automatic updating, doesn't.

I've looked at the wayback engine and as soon as V3 was released, it was said that support would end on the 1st Jan 2026 so it is right that they did tell everyone.

I guess people just thought there would be a V4 then.

Still strikes me as a really stupid move, when a subscription model would have been a no-brainer for this indispensable app.
 
donawalt said:
I too, would’ve subscribed to this app in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...
Their website says they took a poll and worked out that 50% of their purchasers would pay for a subscription model but yet they still didn't do it. I simply don't understand their logic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: donawalt
I was a purchaser and I wasn't polled. I wonder if it was a very small sample size statistically projected (which could be wrong - error could easily be +/- 10% or more if the sample size was very small). Anyway they chose their path. Doesn't make sense to me either. They could have also done instead a nice heartfelt message a year ago indicating that they were moving to subscription and if it's not successful they will be forced to close; will communicate progress, etc. Just a missed opportunity.
 
Shame, I don't understand how it was not profitable. Still we have Latest to fall back on when MacUpdater ceases to be, but that does miss a few apps.
 
And it's reporting rubbish as well. Software where the internal updater is showing fully up to date and where the website shows the current version which is the same as installed, is being reported as having an update available.
 
I still have MacUpdater running, so I can see how it goes. So far in the new year it has shown an update, to Dropbox, and despite being on the latest it still shows an update needed, so I set it to ignore this update. Today I installed the beta from November of "Latest". It actually finds more apps, 47 vs. 34 in MacUpdater, when I click the settings to include "Apps with Limited Support" and "Unsupported Apps". I don't mind if I have to manually update an app if I am getting good info on what needs it.

I did my first scan, and I still have Turbo Tax set from last year installed. It reports an update, but when I open Turbo Tax 2024, it says it is on the latest version. I did some checking, it is referring to the version number reported on a Homebrew Cask page.

So I will see how the two compare moving forward, and make a decision from there. I may look at some other options too.
 
Feek said:
Software where the internal updater is showing fully up to date and where the website shows the current version which is the same as installed, is being reported as having an update available.
Click to expand...
My interpretation is that manually installing a beta causes that to be reported to the MacUpdater database (on their next scan) and so becomes the most recent version. This is longer being corrected because the human element has gone.
And so we will see more of:
donawalt said:
So far in the new year it has shown an update, to Dropbox
Click to expand...
Someone installed a Dropbox beta and that has become the most recent version. I can also see similar updates for iStat Menus and Better Touch Tool.

MacUpdater may still exist, but is on the way to becoming an annoyance.
 
I am starting to think the chances of someone taking it over are very slim if there is this much manual work to keep it accurate. While I will watch this thread intensely for other news, I uninstalled it today :-(
 
That was a real damn pain when MacUpdater died, press F for that G (RIP). I was personally fed up with all these non-App Store app updates, so I decided to build my own app to handle it. Not worry, I'm new here, just trying to organically find my community.
If you want something with a modern UI, especially ready for that new liquid glass vibe in macOS 26, you can try my indie project, Relay. It’s still early, so it’s in BETA right now. macOS 13+ Support.
I’m raising funds for a proper website domain and an Apple Developer account to sign the app.
NOTE: I don’t have the Developer account yet, so the app isn’t signed.
For now, when you install it, macOS will warn you it can’t be opened. Just go to System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click “Open Anyway.” I know… it’s a pretty weird flow, but it timeless 😬 👉 https://relay-black.vercel.app/ - you can find more information on the website.
 

Attachments

  • relaynew.png
    relaynew.png
    576.6 KB · Views: 6
John V Keogh said:
MacUpdater continues to find the occasional update. Latest finds a couple. I recommend Updatest which finds quite a lot and can see my apps which are installed on an external drive. It works best with Homebrew and mas cli installed.
Click to expand...
Link? I did a quick search and didn't see it.
 
Hi everyone,

I was using MacUpdater for years, but since it's gone, and I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, I built my own Update & Migration Toolkit: https://github.com/pr-fuzzylogic/mac_software_updater or Codeberg
menubar_monitor.png

It’s completely open-source and script-based. It handles checking and applying updates, but crucially, it focuses on migrating your manually installed apps to managed Homebrew Casks or App Store versions.

How it works:

  • Migration: You run the setup script. It scans your /Applications folder, detects apps installed manually, and offers to swap them for the Homebrew/MAS version (preserving your settings). It creates a local backup of the app before touching anything, just in case.
  • Updates: Once migrated, a lightweight Menu Bar plugin (via SwiftBar) monitors everything. One click launches a terminal session to update your entire system at once.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: misiektoja
gilby101 said:
How do you handle the licensing when migrating a paid app to a paid App Store app?
Click to expand...
To be clear: This tool does not (and cannot) migrate licenses between platforms. It is designed to be a helper, not a license cracker.

Here is how it handles specific scenarios:

Website Version → App Store (MAS): Migration is impossible here due to Apple's rules. If you own a license from a developer's website, it is valid only there. The mas CLI tool used by my script keeps you safe because it cannot purchase new apps—it can only install apps you already "own" in your Apple ID history. If you try to migrate a paid website app to MAS without owning it on MAS, the script will simply fail/skip it.

Website Version → Homebrew Cask: This usually works seamlessly. Homebrew replaces the application binary, but your preference files and license keys stored in ~/Library/Application Support or ~/Library/Preferences are typically left untouched. Most apps will pick up the existing license automatically.

Because edge cases exist, my script creates a local backup (AppName.app.bak) alongside the app before touching anything. If a license doesn't stick after migration, you can instantly revert to your original version.

Also, the migration wizard is interactive—you can choose to skip specific apps (like expensive pro software) if you prefer to manage them manually.

menubar_monitor.png
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: originalmagneto and gilby101
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back