059 - Mac App Store

I got 100 institutional downloads of my Mac app Kompressor and couldn't sell a single license, because Apple Business Manager can't buy in-app purchases. That was the moment I stopped defending the Mac App Store.

In this video, I go through what shipping in the Mac App Store actually costs you: the sandbox entitlement and the features it kills, App Review, multi-day waits on critical bug fixes, a pricing model you don't control, and the 30% (or 15%) on top. Then the honest other side, because Apple being your merchant of record is a real benefit, and so is the trust that comes with being in the store.

If you do go direct, you take on notarization, code signing, updates, and licensing yourself. I built Amore because I needed all of that solved for my own apps.

Links App Store Review Guidelines: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/guidelines/ Amore: https://amore.computer