Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Setapp VS Stratechery

Compare Setapp VS Stratechery and see what are their differences

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Setapp logo Setapp

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

Stratechery logo Stratechery

New layout, same great words about big tech
  • 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.

  • Stratechery Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-12

Setapp

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

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.

Stratechery features and specs

  • Insightful Analysis
    Stratechery provides deep and comprehensive analysis of technology and media businesses, offering insights that are valuable to industry professionals.
  • Expert Commentary
    The content is written by Ben Thompson, who is well-regarded in the tech industry for his expert understanding of business strategy and market dynamics.
  • Regular Updates
    Subscribers receive multiple updates each week, ensuring they are always up-to-date with the latest developments and trends in the tech industry.
  • Focus on Business Strategy
    The platform focuses on the intersection of technology and business strategy, providing a unique perspective that blends technical knowledge with strategic insights.

Possible disadvantages of Stratechery

  • Subscription Cost
    Stratechery operates on a subscription model, which may not be affordable for everyone interested in its content.
  • Niche Focus
    The analysis is heavily focused on technology and media companies, which may not appeal to individuals outside these sectors.
  • Content Density
    The articles and updates can be quite dense and detailed, which might be challenging for casual readers or those unfamiliar with the subjects.
  • Limited Free Content
    There is limited free content available, so potential subscribers have minimal opportunity to sample the material before committing financially.

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?

Stratechery videos

Ben Thompson, founder of Stratechery | Code 2018

More videos:

  • Review - How Ben Thompson built Stratechery | Code Media 2017

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Setapp and Stratechery)
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Tech
0 0%
100% 100
Productivity
74 74%
26% 26
News
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Setapp and Stratechery.

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

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Stratechery should be more popular than Setapp. It has been mentiond 33 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

Stratechery mentions (33)

  • Rubio orders return to Times New Roman font over 'wasteful' Calibri
    > Does anyone else like to change the font on news articles using Inspect Element? Yes, for sites that use unreadably thin fonts, such as https://stratechery.com. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Ask HN: What computer science blogs do you have bookmarked?
    Stratechery (https://stratechery.com) These are basically all ML/AI blogs except Ludicity. Any others I should add? - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Magic/tragic email links: don't make them the only option
    1. Indirect security downsides. Pushing people to access personal email on work devices (or vice-versa) isn't exactly a win for security. Another annoying _passwordless_ system is to email or SMS an OTP the end user can type in. While this sucks, it at least allows you to easily log in in situations where you don't have a clear and easy copy/paste path from the email client to the browser you want to log in to.... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Favorite Blog in 2024?
    Shameless plug - I write at https://writervivek.com But here is my list: Https://daringfireball.net https://stratechery.com https://tldr.tech among a few. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Where Did All the Tech Bloggers Go?
    Ben Thompson should be on that list https://stratechery.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
View more

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