Setapp's answer

Setapp was created in 2016 by MacPaw, the company behind apps such as CleanMyMac, ClearVPN, and more. The key idea behind Setapp was to give users a simple way to discover high-quality apps for Mac. Over the years, the catalog has grown to over 260 apps and now includes tools for Mac, iOS, and web. Setapp is localized in eight languages and has users all over the world. Here are the key dates:

November 2016: Setapp closed beta is launched for the press, opinion leaders, and influencers. December 6, 2016: Setapp Beta release. January 25, 2017: Setapp public release. August 6, 2020: Setapp let users install iOS apps. August 11, 2021: Setapp arrives on iPhone and iPad. March, 2026: Single app purchase via Setapp Marketplace is introduced. Now, Setapp includes 260+ apps, 50+ iOS apps, and about 10 web apps with more to come.

HolyCode's answer:

It started as an open-source Docker image for running coding agents with persistent state, which is still free and maintained at github.com/CoderLuii/HolyCode. The most common feedback was that persistence mattered most: sessions, settings and progress surviving a rebuild rather than starting over each time. The hosted version is that same image on a machine someone else maintains.

Setapp's answer

Setapp's key differentiators:

-Curation. Setapp is a curated platform with trusted, hand-picked apps — not a place filled with self-submitted apps.

-Professional focus. Setapp includes apps aimed at improving productivity and workflows for professionals who rely on their Macs. Setapp users range from developers and marketers to educators, healthcare experts, logistics and retail professionals, and more.

-Flexible access. Users have two ways to get apps: a single-fee subscription to 260+ fully unlocked Mac, iOS, and web apps; or individual app purchases via Setapp Marketplace, for those who need just a few apps rather than the full catalog.

-Security. Setapp holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2, and GDPR certifications. Apps are not permitted to display ads or include hidden in-app purchases.

-AI access. AI+ plans give access to all popular LLM models — GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok — through a single gateway.

Setapp gives users apps they can count on. It’s not an endless store but a curated collection of apps worth users’ time and money.

HolyCode's answer:

The machine does not stop when you do. Most cloud dev environments are containers with an idle timer that reclaims them when nobody has typed for a while, which is exactly what a working unattended agent looks like to a timer. Here the workspace is a real VM with a persistent disk. Hand an agent a four-hour task, close your laptop, and the processes, files and terminal scrollback are still there when you come back. It suspends when idle and resumes in about a second, so always-on does not mean always-billing.

Setapp's answer

-Quality over volume. The catalog includes only hand-picked, trusted apps. When downloading an app from Setapp, users can be sure it is high quality and safe to use.

-Trusted apps, no fillers. Every app is Apple-notarized, ad-free, fully unlocked, and has no features locked behind additional paywalls. Getting apps through Setapp means avoiding malware and unpleasant surprises.

-Save costs. Setapp Membership offers access to over 260 apps for a flat fee — no need to subscribe to multiple individual apps and juggle subscriptions. In Setapp Marketplace, users can purchase hand-picked, trusted apps individually, with no need to double-check quality or security.

HolyCode's answer:

Three practical differences. First, nothing gets reclaimed for idleness, so long unattended agent runs actually finish. Second, every tier includes the full toolset. Tiers differ only by CPU, RAM and disk, so paying more buys horsepower rather than unlocking features. Third, you bring your own Anthropic, OpenAI or Gemini key and the provider bills you directly, with no markup on tokens.

Where it is not the right choice: if you want a free tier to try, there isn't one, because every account is a real VM that costs money from the first minute. There is a 7-day refund instead.

Setapp's answer

Setapp is actively used by professionals who rely heavily on their Macs and want to improve their workflows — including developers, IT specialists, content creators, designers, marketers, writers, educators, students, and specialists in agriculture, logistics, retail, healthcare, and other fields.

HolyCode's answer:

Developers running AI coding agents on real work rather than demos. Typically people who already pay for Claude, Codex or Gemini and have hit the point where the bottleneck is not the model but the machine underneath it. Many have tried tmux on a VPS and got tired of maintaining the VPS.

HolyCode's answer:

Fly.io machines with persistent volumes for the workspaces, Docker and Debian for the image, ttyd for the browser terminal, Node and React for the interface, and Cloudflare for the site and control plane.