Alternative app stores seemed promising, but due to the strict conditions, high costs and complicated procedures, more and more providers are choosing to close their alternative app stores. An example of this is MacPaw, which has tried to set up a full-fledged app store in the EU, but without success.
Despite hopes for more competition and lower costs from Apple’s mandatory opening of the ecosystem, providers are hampered by high costs such as the Core Technology Fee of €0.50 per installation, low adoption by both developers and users, and complex business rules that make it difficult to keep subscription models profitable.
Apple: Alternative App Store
The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has forced Apple since iOS 17.4 to allow alternative app stores on iPhone and iPad for users in the European Union, with the aim of increasing competition, choice and lower costs by bypassing Apple’s 30% commission; this makes it possible to download apps via alternative marketplaces instead of Apple’s own App Store.
Users must explicitly install these stores via Safari, pay Apple’s Core Technology Fee ($0.50 per installation after 1 million downloads) and accept risks such as malware, while Apple still charges a 17% commission on in-app purchases and maintains strict security checks. Despite DMA promises, alternatives continue to struggle with low adoption, high costs and complexity, leaving the App Store dominant.
MacPaw pulls the plug on Setapp Mobile
Setapp Mobile, MacPaw’s promising alternative App Store for iOS users in the EU, has thrown in the towel after a short lifespan. The Ukrainian developer announced in early January 2026 that the service would close completely as of February 16, marking the end of one of the first pioneers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). For Apple fans who were hoping for a subscription model as an alternative to the official App Store, this is a disappointment.
The launch of Setapp Mobile in September 2024 seemed like a golden opportunity: finally more choice and lower costs thanks to EU regulations that forced Apple to allow alternative stores. Unfortunately, the reality proved to be unruly, with high costs and complex rules that inhibit rather than stimulate innovation.
Reasons behind the abrupt ending
MacPaw cites the “still-evolving and complex business conditions” of alternative app marketplaces as the primary reason. Apple’s Core Technology Fee made Setapp’s subscription model untenable. In addition, the store suffered from low adoption among developers and users, meaning it could not compete with the established App Store.
Impact for iOS users in the EU
As an iPhone or iPad user, this means falling back on the App Store or other remaining alternatives such as the Epic Games Store and AltStore PAL. These stores are still active, but offer a more limited offering than Setapp Mobile promised with its 250+ apps in an all-in-one subscription. The DMA goals – more competition and choice – still seem far away, now that even pioneers are dropping out. Apple itself will continue to charge commissions on in-app purchases, unless stores use their own payment systems. No revolution for the time being, but a lesson in how strict the App Store ecosystem remains.
Install iOS app from SetApp for Mac
Despite the complete discontinuation of Setapp Mobile as an alternative iOS app store in the EU, you can still install iOS apps from Setapp on Mac. Via the Setapp Desktop app on macOS you select an iOS-compatible app from the subscription, after which you can activate it directly on your iPhone or iPad. In the article below you can read how you can activate iOS apps with your SetApp Subscription.