Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Setapp VS Public.com

Compare Setapp VS Public.com 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.

Public.com logo Public.com

Buy any stock with any amount of money. Commission-free.
  • 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.

  • Public.com Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01

Setapp

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

Public.com

Website
public.com
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
2018 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
New York
City
New York
Founder(s)
Jannick Malling
Employees
250 - 499

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.

Public.com features and specs

  • Commission-Free Trading
    Public.com offers commission-free trading, which means users can buy and sell stocks without incurring transaction fees, making investing more accessible.
  • Social Investing Platform
    The platform integrates social media elements that allow users to follow other investors, share insights, and discover new investment opportunities through a community-driven approach.
  • Fractional Shares
    Public.com enables users to purchase fractional shares, which allows for diversification even with smaller amounts of capital by buying portions of expensive stocks.
  • Educational Resources
    Public.com offers various educational tools and resources designed to help new investors learn the basics of investing and make informed decisions.

Possible disadvantages of Public.com

  • Limited Investment Options
    Compared to some other platforms, Public.com has a more limited range of investment options, as it primarily focuses on stocks and ETFs, lacking features for options or futures trading.
  • Lack of Advanced Trading Tools
    The platform is not geared towards advanced traders as it lacks sophisticated trading tools and charting capabilities that are available on some other platforms.
  • No Retirement Accounts
    Public.com does not offer retirement accounts such as IRAs, which may be a disadvantage for users looking to invest specifically for retirement.
  • Social Features Overload
    For those who prefer a straightforward investing experience, the social aspects of Public.com could be seen as distractions from the main goal of investing.

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?

Public.com videos

Public.com Review | UP TO $300 FREE STOCK | Walkthrough | Pros/Cons

More videos:

  • Review - Public.com Review 2021 | Features, Pros & Cons

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Setapp and Public.com)
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Investing
0 0%
100% 100
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
Finance
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Setapp and Public.com.

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 Public.com. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Public.com should be more popular than Setapp. It has been mentiond 47 times since March 2021. 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 / 4 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 somebody vibecodes a clone out of “why not”. 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 / 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 bunch of busy work I used to do manually, both for professional and personal projects. - Source: Hacker News / 6 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 / 9 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

Public.com mentions (47)

  • I reached $10,000 in savings for the first time in my life.
    Another vote for treasuries… they’re paying 5.4% atm! I found the treasury.gov site to be super clunky and opted to buy my treasuries (6m short-terms) through Public. It’s been nice to drip any extra money here and there and it definitely adds up fast. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Possible to earn 4-5% on bond/cash-like assets
    HL allow you to buy bonds, and public.com is another major site. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Welcome to the Official Public Subreddit
    Follow the Public.com community guidelines found here - Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in a temporary or permanent ban. Source: over 3 years ago
  • What's the best trading platform except public.com?
    Unfortunately, public.com is region locked to the USA. Its unavailable in my country, so I'm asking for an alternative. Because Glizzlord has been saying that other trading platforms have bad business models and or steal information and sell it, I'm afraid to pick one on my own. Could the interested in stocks here suggest me a platform to start on? Source: over 3 years ago
  • We the Investors Partners.
    Public.com is an app based brokerage- Open To the Public Investments, Inc, that has existed under numerous names for twenty years or so. Public uses Apex for it's clearing house, they put GME and others onto PCO as a result, during the sneeze. They were, purportedly angry about it. They also stepped back from PFOF as of 2/16/21.... Just after the sneeze. And probably just to get out from the shitstorm of hate... Source: almost 4 years ago
View more

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

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