Buy once instead of Setapp
23 apps in the directory cover what people use Setapp for. 17 of them are a one-time purchases, and 6 cost nothing at all.
Setapp costs about $108 a year. At that rate Magnet, the cheapest dollar-priced replacement at $4.99, pays for itself in 1 month.
Read the catch on each one before you switch — a one-time price is not automatically the better deal, and we say so where it is not.
The replacements
AppCleaner
finds the preferences and caches an app leaves behind
Free Free
no build listed for macOS 27 yet — the newest release on the page stops at macOS 26
Ice
free GPL menu bar manager, the open alternative to Bartender
Free Open source
the repo has not been pushed to in a year and some README features are still unimplemented
OnyX
free maintenance and hidden-settings utility, going since 2003
Free Free
Each major macOS release needs its own build, and the current one is Apple silicon only
Rectangle
free, MIT-licensed window snapping with keyboard shortcuts and edge zones
Free Open source
Saved layouts, display-triggered layouts and window throwing are held back for the paid Rectangle Pro
Stats
MIT-licensed system monitor with a module for every menu bar readout
Free Open source
Fan control is in legacy mode and, in the README's words, receives no updates or fixes
TinkerTool
free GUI for the hidden macOS preferences Apple ships but does not show
Free Free
Only surfaces preferences Apple already ships; the system-level tools are in paid TinkerTool System
Magnet
the $4.99 App Store snapper with no subscription and no in-app purchases
$4.99 Perpetual
App Store only, so there is no trial, and updates have slowed to occasional minor fixes
AltTab
window switcher with thumbnails, free core plus a one-time pro tier
$9.99 This version
$9.99 Pro covers the current major version only; the $24.99 lifetime tier is the forever one
Rectangle Pro
$9.99 for saved layouts, display-triggered arrangements and window throwing
$9.99 Perpetual
No published upgrade policy, so a future Rectangle Pro 2 could be a second purchase
iStat Menus
the long-running Mac system monitor, sold outright rather than rented
$11.99 Paid upgrades
Weather is a separate subscription once the six months included with a licence run out
Witch
paid text-list switcher for windows, tabs and apps across spaces
$14 This version
your licence is valid forever but includes only about a year of updates, and Witch 5 will cost extra
BetterTouchTool
gestures, shortcuts and window snapping, with a real $25 lifetime licence
$15 This version
The $15 licence stops getting updates after two years; only the $25 tier is a true lifetime
Moom
grid popup on the green button, plus layouts that follow your displays
$15 This version
Major versions are a paid upgrade — Moom 3 to 4 cost owners $8 — and free updates run about a year
Swish
two-finger trackpad gestures on the title bar instead of shortcuts
$16 Perpetual
Useless without a trackpad; on a mouse-only Mac almost none of the gestures are reachable
Downie
video downloader for a long, maintained list of sites
$19.99 Perpetual
Which sites work depends on constant updates; a redesign can break one for a while
AlDente Pro
hard charge limit for a MacBook that lives plugged in at a desk
€23.99 Lifetime tier
Recent Apple silicon MacBooks already cap charging at 80% in macOS, which may be all you need
Bartender
menu bar icons hidden behind a chevron, sold as a licence or a subscription
$24.99 Paid upgrades
$24.99 buys Bartender 7 only; version 8 is a paid upgrade and Pro features are yearly
PopClip
pop-up bar of actions on any text you select
$26 Perpetual
The cheap $12 tier stops getting updates after two years; $26 buys the one that never does
Base 3
native SQLite browser and editor for one small payment
£29.99 This version
Menial does not publish update terms, and past major versions were paid upgrades
Dropzone
drag-and-drop action grid with a $35 lifetime licence
$35 Perpetual
The free tier is deliberately basic — the actions worth having sit behind the $35 Pro licence
RightFont
font manager that charges once where its rivals charge monthly
$59 Paid upgrades
One Mac per licence, and updates stop after a year unless you pay half price again
IconJar
icon library manager with a real buy-once option next to the yearly plan
$75 Lifetime tier
The pricing page never states what future major versions the 75 dollar licence covers
Paste
visual clipboard history with a real lifetime plan
$89.99 Lifetime tier
At $89.99 the lifetime plan takes about three years of the annual plan to pay off