Setapp Mobile, MacPaw’s ambitious alternative iOS app store for European Union users, will close its doors in February after just over a year of operation, the service said Thursday.
On a support page, MacPaw cited Apple’s “still-evolving and complex business terms that don’t fit Setapp’s current business model” as the reason.
Setapp Mobile shuts down, blaming Apple’s complex EU marketplace terms
The Ukraine-based developer’s message appeared to suggest the widely criticized marketplace model resulting from the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is not financially sustainable under current conditions. The shutdown affects only the iOS version of Setapp in the EU. The company’s established Mac subscription service will continue operating normally.
Setapp Mobile launched in open beta in September 2024 as an early responder to EU legislation forcing Apple to allow alternative app stores within EU borders. The service shuts down February 16, 2026. It marks an early setback for third-party app distribution on iOS in the EU.
What Setapp Mobile offered, and what users should do
Setapp Mobile provided EU-based iPhone users with a unique value proposition. They could access more than 50 premium iOS apps through a single monthly subscription, with no in-app purchases or advertisements. The service offered a simplified alternative to traditional app purchasing, bundling multiple paid applications into one payment.
So users who accessed apps through Setapp Mobile should prepare for the transition now:
- MacPaw recommends backing up any important data stored within apps before the February shutdown date, as the applications will no longer be accessible through the platform.
- Some users may need to purchase individual subscriptions to maintain access to apps they use through the service.
Setapp Mobile shuts down: The challenge of alternative app stores
Setapp Mobile’s closure highlights the hurdles facing alternative app marketplaces in the EU, despite the Digital Markets Act requiring Apple to permit third-party distribution channels. The most prominent challenge appears to be Apple’s Core Technology Fee and associated business terms, which critics argue make it difficult for competing stores to achieve profitability.
Epic Games, which operates the most well-known alternative marketplace on iOS, absorbs the fees that EU developers would otherwise pay when distributing through the Epic Games Store. However, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has publicly stated this approach is “not financially viable” long-term.
Sweeney characterized Apple’s fee structure as “ruinous for any hopes of a competing store getting a foothold.” And that prediction seems to hold true with Setapp Mobile’s closure.
Additional MacPaw changes
And the Setapp Mobile shutdown isn’t the only service change at MacPaw. The company also announced that CleanMyMac Business, a device management service for enterprise Mac fleets launched in January 2025 (separate from the CleanMyMac app), will close on July 14, 2026.
MacPaw indicated this decision reflects a strategic refocusing of resources toward areas where it believes it can deliver the greatest long-term customer value. But the company hints it may be “working on something new” in the business-management space.
The fate of Setapp Mobile may serve as a cautionary tale for other companies considering alternative app stores in the EU. The closure demonstates that regulatory permission alone may not be sufficient to overcome the economic realities of competing with Apple’s established ecosystem.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
