Software Alternatives & Startups

Setapp VS PopChar

Compare Setapp VS PopChar and see what are their differences

Setapp

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

Setapp screenshot
Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid Free trial $14.99 / Monthly (1 Mac)
PopChar

It has never been easier to find and insert special characters.

PopChar PopChar Website
Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium Free trial $19.99 / Annually (Single user on up to 2 devices, Mac & Windows app included)
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.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Setapp seems to be a lot more popular than PopChar. While we know about 15 links to Setapp, we've tracked only 1 mention of PopChar.

social mentions
15 vs 1
Project Management popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 83

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Setapp
PopChar
Website setapp.com ergonis.com
Pricing
Paid Free trial $14.99 / Monthly (1 Mac) Official pricing
Freemium Free trial $19.99 / Annually (Single user on up to 2 devices, Mac & Windows app included) Official pricing
Company 2017 Startup from Austria · 1 - 9 employees · 2024
Listed in

About Setapp and PopChar

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Setapp
PopChar

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.

Read more about Setapp

PopChar, the trusted character map tool, puts every symbol at your fingertips. Seamlessly integrated into your workflow, it transforms text editing by providing instant access to all characters - from emojis to complex typography symbols.

Read more about PopChar

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Setapp 5 features
PopChar 7 features
  • 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.
  • Comprehensive character map
    The application provides a comprehensive map of Unicode characters, making it easy to find rare or uncommon symbols and glyphs.
  • Search functionality
    The application includes a powerful search feature that allows users to find characters by name, or shape, saving time and effort.
  • Previews and printouts
    Visualize how a specific character looks across all available fonts, enabling you to choose the perfect font for your design with confidence and ease.
  • Font and glyph exploration
    PopChar allows users to explore different fonts and glyph variations, helping designers and typographers discover the perfect characters for their projects.
  • Customizable settings
    Users can customize various settings such as keyboard shortcuts, favorite characters, and font sizes to enhance their workflow and efficiency.
  • Cross-platform support
    PopChar is available for both macOS and Windows, ensuring that users on different operating systems can benefit from its features.
  • User-friendly interface
    PopChar offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that allows users to quickly locate and insert special characters into their documents and applications.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Setapp
PopChar

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.

Overall verdict

  • Yes, PopChar is considered to be a good tool by many users due to its functionality and user-friendly interface. It simplifies the process of finding and using special characters, saving users time and effort.

Why this product is good

  • PopChar is a popular utility that helps users access special characters and symbols that are not easily accessible via the keyboard. It's praised for its ease of use, extensive character set, and ability to integrate with various applications, which makes it particularly useful for writers, designers, and developers who frequently need to use special characters and symbols in their work.

Recommended for

    PopChar is recommended for graphic designers, typesetters, software developers, writers, and anyone else who frequently needs to incorporate unique symbols and special characters into their documents or designs.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Setapp 1 video + Add
PopChar 4 videos + Add

What's Setapp?

View & print your font sheets

More videos

  • Tutorial - Arrange characters with custom layouts
  • Tutorial - Explore symbols & special characters
  • Tutorial - Find & insert special characters easily

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Setapp
PopChar
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Setapp and PopChar.

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 — 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.

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 — 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 — 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 PopChar. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Setapp 15 mentions
PopChar 1 mention
  • 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... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Show HN: BoringBar – a taskbar-style dock replacement for macOS
    There could be 4x buyers at $10. I’d be one of the now, the dock is a constant annoyance. The app looks great, downloading the trial now. To the app’s author I’d say get as many licensees as you can fast before you’re Sherlocked or... - Source: Hacker News / 5 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 needs… I also built a myriad of small tools that help me automate... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago

View more

  • Looking for an app for typing uppercase accented characters
    Not sure of an application that can do what you want, there is PopChar for finding/adding accented characters (paid). Source: almost 4 years ago

Alternatives to Setapp and PopChar

When comparing Setapp and PopChar, you can also consider the following products.