MacUpdater for Sale
CoreCode (via Jeff Johnson):
CoreCode Ltd., the developer behind the award-winning MacUpdater software, today announced that it will be discontinuing active development of MacUpdater after January 1, 2026. With the core technical challenges of the macOS app-updating space fully solved, CoreCode is now inviting interested parties to either license the underlying technology or acquire the entire MacUpdater project.
[…]
Over the past 8 years, MacUpdater has become a trusted solution for tens of thousands of users, enabling seamless updates for over 6,700 macOS applications. However, despite strong user loyalty and technical excellence, CoreCode has decided to wind down the project due to a lack of sustainable monetization under a non-subscription model.
Previously:
Update (2025-05-05): IwuvNikoNiko:
I wish they had charged $1 a month or $10 a year sub. I would’ve subscribed easily for the amount of time this app saves me.
[…]
Similar thing happened with Windows (SUMo) and there’s been no replacement other than using softpedia to get RSS updates for updated software. Unfortunately they don’t support Mac apps, so we’re screwed.
See also: Hacker News.
Update (2025-05-08): See also: TidBITS-Talk.
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I don't understand why this is so cheap. It costs US$4.40 as a one-time purchase. This would be cheap even at a US$10 yearly subscription, given that maintaining the app list is an ongoing investment for the developer.
For sale: a delivery mechanism of binary code onto probably 10s or 100s millions of macs running one of 6700 apps (and many of them abandoned). Available for a malware creator with a highest bid.
Fucksake. Why? Why must this keep happening?
Silly question—of course I know why. Capitalism, silly. You simply can't realistically grow beyond much higher than the actual cost of the operation, especially not for something which, though it has clear and demonstrable value, is or should be a commodity feature. It's just sad.
@Plume Yes indeed, they were running a survey recently to gage how various price-points would be received, and USD10/year would absolutely be the minimum I'd pay.
I have a general allergic reaction to apps that switch to a subscription model for no good reason, but this one, I would have gladly paid for a subscription: it requires constant maintenance and curation.
As far aas I’m concerned, this app is a must have (OK, maybe I’m a bit OCD with updates, but still…) and I can’t even envision seeing it risking going away!
oh man -- I LOVE MacUpdater -- I'm so sad to see this and wish I was in a position to give this the development time (or pay for someone else to) to buy something like this.
I'd happily pay $50 a year for this app as it exists now. I think the old Mac Update desktop app back in the day was $35 a year or more and it was far, far worse than MacUpdater.
