Mac App Subscription Service 'Setapp' Offers Beta Invites

Setapp, a subscription app service from MacPaw, is entering a beta testing phase today to get ready for an upcoming public launch. Setapp plans to make more than 48 popular Mac apps available to Mac users for a flat monthly fee, with plans to add new apps as the service grows.

Setapp will cost $9.99 per month, giving users access to Mac apps like RapidWeaver, Ulysses, iStat Menus, Blogo, CodeRunner, Marked 2, and more, but during the beta testing period, access will be free.

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MacRumors has 500 Setapp beta invites, so all readers who want to test the service to see how it works should be able to give it a go. Once the 500 invites expire, users will be able to enter their email address to be invited to the beta in the future. Make sure to use the link above if you want to try Setapp -- non MacRumors readers will be added to a waiting list instead of given instant access.

MacPaw's goal with Setapp is to become the Netflix of Mac apps, giving developers and customers an alternative to the Mac App Store. Setapp will pay 70 percent of revenue to developers, while taking a 30 percent cut, but its model also provides developers with a continuous monthly revenue stream that could prove to be more appealing than the Mac App Store.

Setapp includes continual updates, so users who pay subscription fees to access apps will not need to pay separately for future apps, nor will they need to make in-app purchases to access full app functionality. Setapp content, installed through a main Setapp app, will also work offline when no internet connection is available.

Following the beta testing period, Setapp will cost $9.99 per month, but a free one-month trial will be included.