Setapp Mobile, an alternative app store in the European Union (EU), is set to shut down next month due to Apple’s evolving business terms. Launched in September 2024 by MacPaw, a Ukrainian developer, Setapp Mobile offered a variety of apps covering productivity, finance, video, photo, creativity, and more.
Operating on a $9.99 monthly subscription model, Setapp Mobile will remove all applications by February 16, 2026, affecting users whose Apple IDs were linked to EU member states. However, applications on the Setapp Desktop platform will remain unaffected.
The decision to close Setapp Mobile was driven by Apple’s complex fee structure under the new EU business terms, including the controversial Core Technology Fee charging developers €0.50 for each first annual install exceeding 1 million in the past 12 months. Apple’s fee adjustments aimed to comply with the Digital Markets Act but resulted in increased complexity rather than simplification.
This development highlights the challenges faced by alternative app stores within the EU ecosystem and the impact of tech giants’ regulatory compliance on smaller developers and platforms.
Source: TechCrunch