macOS has a small but premium installed base. Mac users pay for software at higher rates than Windows users; the indie Mac scene is one of the healthiest in desktop software. The economics work for indie developers who build with care.
Mac App Store vs direct distribution
| Aspect | Mac App Store | Direct |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | 15-30% | ~3% (Stripe) |
| Sandbox required | Yes (restricts features) | No |
| Discovery | Built in | You build it |
| Updates | Apple-reviewed | Push immediately |
| Trust signal | High | Medium (notarized) |
| Cross-Apple-device purchases | Possible (Universal Purchase) | No |
Most indie Mac developers ship both — Mac App Store as one channel, direct distribution as another. Apps that need features the sandbox prohibits (system utilities, dev tools, low-level apps) skip the store entirely.
Notarization and Gatekeeper
For direct distribution, you must notarize the app with Apple. The process:
- Build the app and sign it with your Developer ID certificate.
- Upload to Apple's notary service via
xcrun notarytool. - Apple scans for malware, returns a notarization ticket.
- Staple the ticket to your app bundle / DMG.
- Distribute.
Notarization is free, automated, takes minutes. Without it, Gatekeeper blocks users from running the app. Get it right.
Setapp
Setapp is a third-party Mac app bundle — users pay $10-15/month for access to ~250 curated indie Mac apps. Developers get revenue share based on usage.
For indie Mac apps, Setapp can be 10-40% of total revenue. Worth pursuing once your app is established and well-reviewed.
Price points
- One-time: $10-$100 typical. Above $100 for pro / niche / B2B.
- Subscription: $5-$25/mo for productivity apps. Annual discount standard.
- Freemium: common, with Pro unlock around $30-$80 one-time.
Mac users will pay for software they perceive as well-crafted. Price confidently.
AI cost dynamics on Mac
Mac apps can run local LLMs via MLX or Core ML — eliminating per-user AI cost for many use cases. Apple Silicon Macs (M1 through M4) are excellent local-inference machines.
This is a real differentiation: a Mac app can ship a private, offline AI assistant with no per-user cost. Web and mobile alternatives all incur cloud cost. For privacy-focused tools, this is a meaningful selling point.
Indie Mac developer playbook
- Build with attention to detail. Mac users notice. Animations, keyboard shortcuts, drag-and-drop, system integration.
- Ship to MAS + direct. Maximum reach.
- Apply to Setapp once you have user reviews.
- Pricing experiments. Mac users pay more than mobile users. Don't underprice.
- Universal Purchase (iOS + Mac via Mac Catalyst or native SwiftUI) shares one purchase across devices — worth the engineering for the right app.
- Local AI for privacy-focused tools. Mac hardware is uniquely well-suited.
- Update via Sparkle (the standard Mac update framework) for direct-distributed apps.