Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves
Episode #391
I’ve been a fan of Setapp ever since it was introduced in 2017. It’s a subscription service that provides access to a stellar collection of Mac apps for just $9.99 a month. In 2017 the curated collection contained a mere 60 Mac apps, but it has increased steadily since then, and now there are more than 180 apps available with your Setapp subscription.
Setapp: The App
The Setapp app is your gateway to install and use any or all of the included apps. With a full description of every app and ultra-fast search, it’s never been easier to find the appropriate app (or apps) for just about any task.
I have found the best way to find the right app for a task is by typing what I want to do into Setapp’s search field. For example, when I typed “shortcuts,” Setapp revealed more than two dozen apps that can help me do more work with less effort, including some of my long-time favorites: Default Folder X, Screens, Bartender, and Tooth Fairy. Searching for “outliner” found four apps explicitly designed for outlining (Cloud Outliner, TaskPaper, SheetPlanner, and GoodTask) while searching for “outline” produced nearly a dozen apps with outlining capabilities.
Browse and Discover New Apps
The Setapp app also makes it easy to browse and discover new apps. There are sections with recommendations based on Setapp apps you’re currently using, new arrivals, favorites, and apps installed on your Mac. It also offers browsable categories, including Lifestyle, Creativity, Developer Tools, Productivity, Task Management, Personal Finance, and more.
Furthermore, as I mentioned in my May columns on mind-mapping, three of the mind-mapping apps I covered—XMind, MindNode, and iThoughtsX—are included in your Setapp subscription.
Setapp offers more than a dozen other apps I rely upon regularly, such as my favorite text editor and manager (Ulysses) and my favorite menu bar performance monitor (iStat Menus), as well as CleanMyMac X, Image2icon, TextSoap, Photolemur, and more including the four useful “shortcut” apps I mentioned earlier.
In 2018 I said, “Setapp isn’t for everyone, but, if you love exploring new apps (like I do), or you’ve considered buying one or more of the included apps (as I did), you’re sure to find Setapp a bargain at $9.99 a month.” Today, with more than 180 apps in the collection, Setapp is a better deal than ever.
If You Like Trying New Apps…
To check out the complete list of currently included apps, visit www.setapp.com/apps. But I recommend you download the 7-day free trial (no credit card required) instead. That way you can spend a bit of quality time checking out the apps for free. If you find one or more Setapp apps you like and wish to continue using, you can subscribe for $9.99 a month, or buy a standalone copy of the app (or app(s) you like.
Either way, playing with 180 high-quality apps for a week at no cost is sweet. And if you try it, I predict many (if not most) of you will subscribe and consider your Setapp subscription a bargain at $9.99 a month.
Setapp by MacPaw. $9.99/month (single user); $19.99/month (family plan for up to 4 Macs).
Thanks. It would be great if they also offered lifetime applications; not only subscriptions.