# Mac App Store Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/mac-app-store/ 6 people recommended Mac App Store in Hacker News comments, 4 had mixed feelings and 27 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 6 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Criticized more than recommended: critics call its 30% commission and restrictive review rules the main drawback; those who recommend it cite sandboxed, reviewed apps and easier updates on macOS. Summary written by Claude from the comments below. ## What people warn about - Takes 30% cut of sales (4 comments in the sample): "keeping normal non-technical users (Apple's primary market) from straying away from the App Store where they can collect 30% and analytics" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48078185)) "A protection racket. "Nice app you got there, shame if something happened to it before it reached customers. That'll be 30% please." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46190624)) "it not only imposes extra restrictions on certain functionality but also takes a big cut of your sale" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46257236)) - Discourages installing apps from the web (3 comments in the sample): "I would never use that App Store to install something unless I had absolutely no other choice" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48373724)) "the only purpose i can see it serving is to push devs to use the AppStore on mac" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47541334)) "Apple leverage's its OS to create friction for installing apps from the web." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47697687)) - Downloads stall, poor reputation (2 comments in the sample): "It's also just bad, like it bothers you about login, then apps get stuck in half-downloaded state." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47839752)) "from what little I've heard from other people, it's not really all that great nor popular" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46774559)) ## Why people recommend it - Sandboxed, safer apps (2 comments in the sample): "only download apps from the Mac App Store (because they are sandboxed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47839621)) "at least I can be reasonably sure it won't do weird stuff" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46322763)) - Easier updates, reduced friction (2 comments in the sample): "But there is real value in the reduced friction." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45901057)) "the store makes it easier to update" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46252962)) - Reasonably clean, optional marketplace (2 comments in the sample): "The Mac app store, being optional for developers, is a good example" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46807763)) "It’s a small price to pay for a reasonably clean App Marketplace." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47576088)) ## Other app stores people recommend - [F-Droid](https://hackerapproved.com/p/f-droid/): 180 recommend, 41 mixed, 80 criticize - [Aurora Store](https://hackerapproved.com/p/aurora-store/): 43 recommend, 15 mixed, 16 criticize - [Apple App Store](https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-app-store/): 39 recommend, 28 mixed, 461 criticize - [Obtainium](https://hackerapproved.com/p/obtainium/): 34 recommend, 2 mixed, 5 criticize ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://www.apple.com/os/macos/) ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Mac App Store", https://hackerapproved.com/p/mac-app-store/ (6 recommend, 4 mixed, 27 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.