As a Mac user, I’ve always appreciated the concept of the App Store. I mean, it’s so easy compared to Windows – you don’t need to search Google when you need a piece of software, check hundreds of download sites, read user comments to find out whether an app is malware or not, etc. On a Mac, everything is easy: simply click on the App Store icon in the dock, search for an app, read the reviews and get it. However, even the App Store isn’t perfect because (if I’m completely honest) there’s a lot of crap there. Luckily, there is an alternative: Setapp. Hey, but why use Setapp and pay for it when the App Store is free? Let me tell you why and share my experience.
How I Got Setapp in the First Place
Ok, let me be honest – I don’t like paying for software unless I absolutely have to. When Setapp first came out and its developer began promoting it, there wasn’t all that much to it. But the idea sounded promising: a subscription-based App Store alternative featuring hand-picked premium software. Since MacPaw offered an extended trial period in Setapp’s early days, I decided to install it.
At first, I didn’t use it much. But then I started getting notifications of new apps being added, so I checked it out more often. And then the developer added ProWritingAid, one of my favourite premium writing tools that isn’t at all cheap. I don’t know how Setapp did it, really, but with the suite I was getting that and several other useful paid apps for less than $10/month. That’s when I decided to purchase it.
Since then, Setapp included dozens of other amazing Mac apps without raising the subscription price. So, all in all, it’s a fantastic deal that I recommend!
The Setapp Experience
Let me show you what Setapp looks like from inside. When you open it, you see some slides with featured apps and some blog posts, and there’s a sidebar with app categories:
You can easily find your favourites and apps installed on your Mac, as there are categories for that.
What I love about Setapp’s home screen is the search bar. When you need an app, you can simply search for what the app is supposed to do and you’ll get instant results. Here’s what I got when I searched for “design”:
Click on an app in the results and you’ll get a nice description with screenshots, so that you know what’s offered.
If you’re not sure what to search for, explore the categories. Here’s what “Writing & Blogging” looks like:
Installing an app with Setapp is as easy as clicking on the Install button. When an app is installed, you can launch it as any other Mac app or via Setapp.
What’s in the Package (My Favs)
Here’s a list of some other super-useful apps that are part of Setapp – a great find for any freelancer who does a bit of everything, like writing, designing, etc. Oh, and productivity apps, of course!
- Be Focused – a great productivity app that uses the Pomodoro technique
- MarsEdit – a full-blown blog editor that works offline
- CleanMyMac – the best Mac cleanup app out there
- Gemini – the most popular duplicate file finder for Mac
- Flume – a beautiful Mac Instagram app that, among other things, lets you post directly from your Mac
- ProWritingAid and Ulysses – I’ve already mentioned those. Great for fiction and non-fiction writers
- Gifox – for creating cool GIFs
- n-Track Studio – a multi-track music recorder if you’re into music
- There’s more, and more, and more!
As a freelance writer who dabbles in design and makes an occasional video, I managed to save a lot thanks to Setapp because it includes expensive writing apps like ProWritingAid and Ulysses. These two apps alone would have cost me a fortune, not to mention all the other cool apps I get through Setapp.
Note: this post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll earn a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase via my links. All opinions are my own.
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