The EU is forcing Apple to allow alternative App Stores on the iPhone in the next couple of years, thanks to the Digital Markets Act or DMA, legislation. And popular app store, Setapp is ready to compete.
You might know Setapp for it’s popular bundle of paid apps that are included for a low monthly subscription. It includes apps for iOS and Mac, for as low as $9.99 per month, and includes plenty of paid apps for that price. Making it a lot more affordable to get an email app like Newton.
Setapp is already claiming that they have over 30 developers ready to offer their apps on its own app store. This would include popular tools like Ulysses, Taskheat, NotePlan, PDFSearch and Soulver.
Setapp is promoting a 90/10 split for this app store
One big way that Setapp could lure developers away from Apple’s App Store is with a more generous revenue split. Which is what they have already announced. Setapp is currently planning a 70/30 split currently on its app store, but developers can earn as much as 90%. This is because it will share 20% of its fees with whoever brings in new customers. That’s going to be a big way to get developers on-board, for Setapp. Many have already voiced complaints with Apple’s “greedy” 70/30 split for literally everything you buy on your iPhone.
The DMA has set a deadline of March 2024 for Apple and other companies to comply. But you can expect that Apple will further contest this law around the app stores. So it will likely take a bit longer. Of course, Apple hasn’t been as quick to adopt this as they were to adopt USB-C, when the EU forced them to do so. However, every other product in their lineup does have USB-C except for the iPhone. Whereas, allowing other app stores on its platform would greatly eat into their revenues.