Mac App Store
Ranked 10 of 14 app stores by recommenders
Recommended for sandboxed, reviewed apps and easier updates on macOS. Critics call its 30% commission and restrictive review rules the main drawback.
Recommended for sandboxed, reviewed apps and easier updates on macOS. Critics call its 30% commission and restrictive review rules the main drawback.
38 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 28
- approval share
- 26%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 0.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Sandboxed, safer apps
“only download apps from the Mac App Store (because they are sandboxed)”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “OpenClaw isn't fooling me. I remember MS-DOS” “at least I can be reasonably sure it won't do weird stuff”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Apple announces more ads are coming to App Store search results” Easier updates, reduced friction
“But there is real value in the reduced friction.”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Ask HN: Mac App Store worth it for a $0.99 app?” “the store makes it easier to update”
Comment from 13 Dec 2025 in “Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help” Reasonably clean, optional marketplace
“The Mac app store, being optional for developers, is a good example”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Apple to Soon Take Up to 30% Cut from All Patreon Creators in iOS App” “It's a small price to pay for a reasonably clean App Marketplace.”
Comment from 30 Mar 2026 in “Ghostmoon.app – The Swiss Army Knife for your macOS menu bar”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Takes 30% cut of sales
“keeping normal non-technical users (Apple's primary market) from straying away from the App Store where they can collect 30% and analytics”
Comment from 9 May 2026 in “Apple is increasing my cortisol levels” “A protection racket. "Nice app you got there, shame if something happened to it before it reached customers. That'll be 30% please."”
Comment from 8 Dec 2025 in “The Anatomy of a macOS App” “it not only imposes extra restrictions on certain functionality but also takes a big cut of your sale”
Comment from 13 Dec 2025 in “Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help” - Comment from 8 Aug 2026 in “I'm Pulling ColorCopy from the macOS App Store”
- Comment from 9 May 2026 in “Apple is increasing my cortisol levels”
Discourages installing apps from the web
“keeping normal non-technical users (Apple's primary market) from straying away from the App Store where they can collect 30% and analytics”
Comment from 9 May 2026 in “Apple is increasing my cortisol levels” “I would never use that App Store to install something unless I had absolutely no other choice”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “Apple rejected my dictation app for using the accessibility API” “the only purpose i can see it serving is to push devs to use the AppStore on mac”
Comment from 27 Mar 2026 in “Apple Just Lost Me” - Comment from 8 Apr 2026 in “Veracrypt Project Update”
Downloads stall, poor reputation
“It's also just bad, like it bothers you about login, then apps get stuck in half-downloaded state.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “OpenClaw isn't fooling me. I remember MS-DOS” “from what little I've heard from other people, it's not really all that great nor popular”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch”
Other app stores people recommend
The four most recommended other app stores, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-Droid | 230 | 91 | 72% | 12 | 10 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| Apple App Store | 75 | 483 | 13% | 12 | 10 yrs4 owners | — |
| Google Play | 62 | 353 | 15% | 11 | 5 yrs5 owners | — |
| Aurora Store | 61 | 20 | 75% | 11 | 11 mo4 owners | Approved |
| Mac App StoreThis page | 10 | 28 | 26% | 9 | — | — |
What people said
39 of the 40 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“while App Store apps had to request consent for any folder whatsoever”
“Even a free app will refuse to install without an iCloud account.”
“the tumbleweeds in the Mac App Store”
“Apple under Tim Cook is a company looking to extract every possible penny.”
“I would've been sending my customers to Apple and paying a tax for the privilege.”
“Could've been a quick regex check in the form submission”
“overselling the safety is very euphemistic”
“the Mac App Store is the one piece of nonsense that needs it”
“i really wish i could just do this in the app store and not the app itself”
“I would never use that App Store to install something unless I had absolutely no other choice”
“you need to get your app reviewed, you need to push updates to each platform where you distribute your app and in exchange you get visibility”
“The problem is with the Mac App Store.”
“the Mac App Store is a necessity given how restricted 3rd party apps are on macOS now”
“Apple continues to extort developers through fees, yearly subscriptions”
“keeping normal non-technical users (Apple's primary market) from straying away from the App Store where they can collect 30% and analytics”
“by default the "App Store" is meh”
“It's also just bad, like it bothers you about login, then apps get stuck in half-downloaded state.”
“only download apps from the Mac App Store (because they are sandboxed)”
“Apple seems to only monitor for malicious duplicate submissions if the original is in the App Store to begin with”
“Apple leverage's its OS to create friction for installing apps from the web.”
“And no, the App Store is not a fix-all for this.”
“It's a small price to pay for a reasonably clean App Marketplace.”
“the only purpose i can see it serving is to push devs to use the AppStore on mac”
“Rejected in review because users bring their own Claude key.”
“warning that Apple was going to turn the Mac into a wall garden”
“Sounds like a good way to trick people into using your new thing.”
“Just bone-headed "this will boost eNgAgEmEnT" BS.”
“The Mac app store, being optional for developers, is a good example”
“from what little I've heard from other people, it's not really all that great nor popular”
“at least I can be reasonably sure it won't do weird stuff”
“it not only imposes extra restrictions on certain functionality but also takes a big cut of your sale”
“you are locked out of Mac apps that aren't installed by default”
“the store makes it easier to update”
“A protection racket. "Nice app you got there, shame if something happened to it before it reached customers. That'll be 30% please."”
“App stores for desktop computers have pretty consistently failed except for Steam.”
“it's a better games client than the Mac App Store dreams to be”
“to try and make the failed Mac App Store profitable and milk $90 a year”
“But there is real value in the reduced friction.”
“App Stores also exploit customers and also violate their privacy.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.