Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Setapp VS Lambda School

Compare Setapp VS Lambda School and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Setapp logo Setapp

The one place for trusted apps. Hundreds of high-quality apps for your Mac and iPhone, including AI tools.

Lambda School logo Lambda School

A full Computer Science education - free until you get a job
  • Setapp
    Image date //
    2026-06-25
  • Setapp
    Image date //
    2026-06-25
  • Setapp
    Image date //
    2026-06-25
  • Setapp
    Image date //
    2026-06-25
  • Setapp
    Image date //
    2026-06-25
  • Setapp
    Image date //
    2026-06-25

A unified marketplace for Mac and iPhone users to get hand-picked, trusted apps. Get over 260 apps for a flat fee with Setapp Membership, or purchase individual apps on flexible terms through Setapp Marketplace.

  • Lambda School Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-08

Setapp

Website
setapp.com
$ Details
paid Free Trial $14.99 / Monthly (1 Mac)
Release Date
2017 January

Lambda School

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
2017 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Austen Allred
Employees
100 - 249

Setapp features and specs

  • Diverse Application Library
    Setapp provides access to a wide range of high-quality Mac applications across different categories, all from a single subscription service.
  • Cost-Effective
    For a monthly fee, users gain access to multiple paid applications, which can be more cost-effective than purchasing individual app licenses.
  • Updates and Upgrades Included
    All apps within Setapp come with automatic updates and upgrades included in the subscription, ensuring users always have the latest features and security patches.
  • Easy Installation and Management
    The Setapp platform provides a user-friendly interface for browsing, installing, and managing applications, simplifying the overall user experience.
  • Free Trial Available
    Setapp offers a 7-day free trial, allowing potential users to explore and evaluate the service before committing to a subscription.

Lambda School features and specs

  • Income Share Agreement
    Lambda School offers an Income Share Agreement (ISA), allowing students to defer tuition payments until they secure a job making at least $50,000 per year. This reduces upfront financial risk for students.
  • Remote Learning
    The program is entirely online, providing flexibility for students to learn from anywhere in the world.
  • Comprehensive Curriculum
    Lambda School offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers a wide range of in-demand tech skills, including web development, data science, and machine learning.
  • Career Services
    The school provides extensive career services, including job placement support, resume reviews, and interview preparation to help students secure employment after graduation.
  • No Upfront Cost
    Students can enroll without any upfront cost, making the program accessible to those who may not have the financial means to pay for a traditional coding boot camp.

Possible disadvantages of Lambda School

  • High Deferred Cost
    Although there are no upfront costs, the total cost of the ISA can be high, potentially up to $30,000, which is more expensive than some other coding boot camps.
  • Intensive Time Commitment
    The program is very intensive and requires full-time dedication, which can be challenging for individuals who need to balance other responsibilities such as work or family.
  • Variable Job Market
    Job placement success can vary significantly. While many students do find jobs, some may struggle, particularly in a competitive job market.
  • Risk of Debt
    If a student does not secure a high-paying job immediately, the deferred tuition can become a financial burden, particularly if the student is unable to make the minimum required salary.
  • Limited Financial Assistance
    Since the program relies heavily on ISAs, there may be limited options for students seeking traditional financial assistance or loans.

Analysis of Setapp

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Setapp is considered good for users who frequently use multiple Mac apps and value convenience and flexibility. It provides excellent value for money by offering a diverse selection of reliable and well-crafted applications. However, it might not be the best choice for those who only need a few specific applications or prefer to own their software outright.

Why this product is good

  • Setapp is a subscription-based service that provides access to a wide range of Mac applications for a single monthly fee. Users often find it beneficial because it offers a curated selection of high-quality apps without the need to purchase each one individually. It saves time and money for those who require multiple tools, ensuring they always have the latest versions without additional costs. Furthermore, it simplifies software management by centralizing the process of discovering, updating, and accessing various applications.

Recommended for

    Setapp is recommended for professionals, creatives, and productivity enthusiasts who use a variety of Mac applications regularly and appreciate the ease of access to a comprehensive software library without the hassle of individual purchases. It's also suitable for users who enjoy exploring new tools and apps to enhance their workflow.

Setapp videos

What's Setapp?

Lambda School videos

Lambda School Coding Bootcamp Worth The Money or SCAM

More videos:

  • Review - Lambda School: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
  • Review - Was Lambda School Worth It? His Life has TOTALLY changed | #grindreel #lambdaschool

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Setapp and Lambda School)
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Education
0 0%
100% 100
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
Online Learning
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Setapp and Lambda School.

What's the story behind your product?

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.

What makes your product unique?

Setapp's answer

Setapp's key differentiators:

-Curation. Setapp is a curated platform with trusted, hand-picked apps โ€” 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 โ€” GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok โ€” through a single gateway.

Setapp gives users apps they can count on. Itโ€™s not an endless store but a curated collection of apps worth usersโ€™ time and money.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

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 โ€” 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.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Setapp's answer

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

User comments

Share your experience with using Setapp and Lambda School. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Lambda School might be a bit more popular than Setapp. We know about 19 links to it since March 2021 and only 15 links to Setapp. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Setapp mentions (15)

  • Ask HN: How to Sell as a Software Engineer?
    > I've reached the conclusion that software quality and even price matters much less than distribution, especially now. I highly doubt that is true. We don't yet know how end-users will make purchasing decisions now that almost anyone can build something that "works". Taking AI out of the picture: you still need to define the target market segment before you build anything. You still need to find a way to... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Show HN: BoringBar โ€“ a taskbar-style dock replacement for macOS
    There could be 4x buyers at $10. Iโ€™d be one of the now, the dock is a constant annoyance. The app looks great, downloading the trial now. To the appโ€™s author Iโ€™d say get as many licensees as you can fast before youโ€™re Sherlocked or somebody vibecodes a clone out of โ€œwhy notโ€. I use many free and paid apps, little QoL types, like BetterDisplay, Coctail, etc and for me the included support is of little value. These... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Coders Coded Their Job Away. Why Are So Many of Them Happy About It?
    I used a bunch of tools from https://setapp.com/ and no longer subscribe. I used to pay for Linear for all my personal projects, built one with CC that perfectly fits my needsโ€ฆ I also built a myriad of small tools that help me automate bunch of busy work I used to do manually, both for professional and personal projects. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Italian Competition Authority Fines Apple $115M for Abusing Dominant Position
    > are there any real 3rd-party AppStores for iOS now "Always has been": Setapp. Very interesting model. Readily recommend devs subscribing to this collection, but non-devs as well if you're into "there's an app for that" and fatigued with IAP. https://setapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • The One Productivity Tool You Didn't Know You Can't Live Without
    I use Paste, a very feature rich clipboard manager for Mac with gorgeous UI. It's not free, but it comes along with a Setapp license that I got from work, so if you already have a license you can use it to install Paste. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
View more

Lambda School mentions (19)

  • Switching careers
    Https://lambdaschool.com/ - a remote-first bootcamp that has a unique way of paying. No upfront cost, but they take a % of your salary when you get a job for the first two years until you pay their full cost. Worth reading up on some of the criticism of them before signing up, though. Source: over 4 years ago
  • LF a Certification Program
    Https://lambdaschool.com/ (these guys offer a free intro, might be good to test out and see if their style is to your liking.). Source: over 4 years ago
  • Advice for a nurse that wants to become a programmer
    While you don't need a boot camp, I highly recommend Lambda School (https://lambdaschool.com). They charge nothing upfront and you only pay them back (17% up to $30k) when you get a high paying job. They have great partnerships with employers and help place students so that's the biggest reason I recommend them. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Been really poor, homeless, now Iโ€™m in college and have managed to save up 3000. I want to turn this money into more money. What would you do?
    Have you considered https://lambdaschool.com/? You don't pay for tuition upfront, and they place you with a paid internship after, and if you get a job you start paying a small part of your salary to them for two years. Source: almost 5 years ago
  • Late 20โ€™s, no education, some savings, should I work full time and save a bit more or start school?
    Would you consider going through a school with an Income Share Agreement where you pay no tuition up front but pay it as part of your well paying job later? Eg https://lambdaschool.com. Source: almost 5 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Setapp and Lambda School, you can also consider the following products

Konfigure - APARTMENTS | VILLA | WORKSPACE | RETAIL

TripleTen - TripleTen: online part-time coding bootcamps.

Metavine Platform - Metavine Platform is a comprehensive Platform-as-a-Service that help businesses build agility and compete effectively in the digital world by enabling them to iterate and create apps quickly.

Hack Club - Free and open source high school coding clubs ๐Ÿ‘Š๐Ÿ’ฅ

QuickBase - Quickbase provides a no-code operational agility platform that enables organizations to improve operations through real time insights and automation across complex processes and disparate systems. โ€‹โ€‹

Holberton School - High-quality software engineering education for the many