# Setapp Review (2026): Is 270+ Bundled Apps Worth It? URL: https://desktoptools.net/review/setapp-review Type: review Locale: en Published: 2026-09-19 Updated: 2026-09-20 --- > We paid for Setapp for 21 days and ran the numbers on its 270+ bundled Mac apps. Verdict: 6.8/10, a real deal past 3 apps used, a bad one for just one tool. *Tested for 21 days on the Power User plan · September 2026* ## Setapp Review (2026): Is 270+ Bundled Apps Worth It? One flat subscription for hundreds of Mac and iOS apps, checked against the one-shot native tools we usually recommend. ## Verdict **Score: 6.8/10** Setapp bundles 270+ Mac and iOS apps, CleanMyMac, Bartender, TablePlus and Ulysses among them, for one subscription starting at $14.99 a month. After three weeks on the $22.99 Power User plan, the math only works if you actually run three or more of the bundled apps: across five installed apps that is $4.60 per app a month, cheaper than most solo licenses. Run just one, and you are paying for a catalog you did not ask for. **Quick scores:** - Value for heavy users: 8/10 - Value for light/single-app users: 4/10 - Install & update friction: 8/10 - Ownership model: 3/10 - Catalog quality consistency: 6/10 **Pros:** - One installer manages updates and licenses for all 270+ apps, no separate updater per app - Flagship bundled apps (CleanShot X, TextSniper, Paste) hold 97-99% approval in Setapp's own catalog data - Power User tier covers 4 Macs for $22.99/month, cheaper than 4 separate CleanMyMac licenses alone **Cons:** - Subscription-only: stop paying and every bundled app locks, unlike the one-shot native tools we usually cover - Setapp can remove an app from the catalog with only an email notice, so a workflow built on it can break later - Needs a periodic online license check, a soft phone-home this site does not endorse elsewhere *Call to action: Try Setapp Free for 7 Days* (7-day free trial, cancel before it ends and you pay nothing) > **Disclosure** — Disclosure: Setapp is not in our affiliate program, so the links on this page point to Setapp's official site with no commission to us either way, nofollow. We subscribed to the Power User plan ($22.99/month) with our own money for 21 days in September 2026 to write this review. Nobody at Setapp or MacPaw reviewed this piece before publication. ## How we tested - **Tested for:** 21 days - **Plan paid:** Power User plan ($22.99/month) - **Version tested:** Setapp macOS app 9.x, catalog snapshot 270+ apps, September 2026 - **Test period:** 2026-08-28 → 2026-09-18 **Test categories:** Install & update friction, Catalog breadth vs. price, Individual flagship app quality, License & network behavior, Subscription vs. one-shot economics I put the Power User plan on two Macs (a 14-inch MacBook Pro on M3 and a Mac mini on M2) for 21 days starting August 28, 2026, and installed 11 apps off the catalog's Top Rated filter: CleanMyMac, Bartender, CleanShot X, Paste, iStat Menus, TablePlus, Ulysses, Downie, Permute, TextSniper and AI Dente Pro. I used six of them daily and left five installed but untouched, to see what a realistic mixed-use subscriber actually gets for the money. Alongside hands-on use, I cross-checked pricing directly on setapp.com/pricing (captured September 18, 2026), read Setapp's own support documentation on app removals and refunds, and pulled independent review aggregates from G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and Product Hunt to sanity-check my own impressions against a larger sample than one reviewer's three weeks. ## Should you buy this? **YES if you...** - You already pay for three or more of Setapp's bundled apps separately and want one bill - You run more than one Mac and are tired of juggling separate license keys across machines - You like trying new utilities without a per-app purchase decision each time **NO if you...** - You want exactly one app; buy that app once instead of $14.99/month for the whole catalog - You've built a workflow around no-subscription tools and won't accept an app disappearing mid-project - You work offline for long stretches and cannot risk a subscription check failing at the wrong time ## Setapp pricing (September 2026) ### Mac — $14.99/mo + tax 270+ apps, one Mac - 1 Mac - 1,000 AI credits/month - 7-day free trial - Cancel anytime ### Mac + iOS — $18.99/mo + tax *(Most popular)* Everything on Mac, iPhone and iPad - 1 Mac + 4 iOS devices - 1,000 AI credits/month - 7-day free trial ### Power User — $22.99/mo + tax For multiple Macs - 4 Macs + 4 iOS devices - 2,000 AI credits/month - 7-day free trial **ROI breakdown:** At 5 bundled apps actually used on the Power User plan, that is $4.60 per app per month, versus roughly $9-15/month if you subscribed to CleanMyMac, Bartender and TablePlus individually. Setapp wins in raw price past 3 apps in regular use; below that, buy the one app you need. **Hidden costs & gotchas:** - Annual billing (up to 40% cheaper per month) still auto-renews at full price unless you cancel - AI credits (1,000-2,000/month) run out fast if you lean on Setapp's AI+ tools, forcing a top-up - Marketplace apps outside the membership are billed separately on top of your plan ## Real user ratings, pulled straight from each platform Checked directly in September 2026. None of these are our own scores. *[Interactive widget — see the live page for the full experience]* ## What we measured - **Catalog size:** 270+ apps bundled *(Setapp official count, September 2026)* - **Cost per app used:** $4.60 /app/month *($22.99 Power User plan divided across the 5 apps we used daily)* - **G2 rating:** 4.6 /5 (34 reviews) *(g2.com/products/setapp, checked September 2026)* - **Trustpilot rating:** 4.4 /5 (244 reviews) *(trustpilot.com/review/setapp.com, checked September 2026)* - **Free trial:** 7 days, no charge if cancelled first *(Setapp pricing page)* - **Refund window:** 30 days after last payment if unused *(Setapp support: Refund policy article)* > Compare buying CleanMyMac, Bartender and iStat Menus individually against the $22.99 Power User plan. Those three alone run roughly $10-15 a month across their own separate subscriptions. Power User covers them plus 267 more apps and 4 Macs for $22.99, so the bundle wins in raw price once a third app is added. > Filter the All apps catalog to Top Rated and check whether the highest-ranked bundled apps actually earn their spot. CleanShot X and TextSniper both sit at 99% approval, Paste and Downie at 98%, CleanMyMac and Bartender at 97%. The top of the catalog is genuinely well-reviewed; that consistency does not hold further down the list. ## Pros & cons ### Pros - **One updater replaces ten** — Setapp's own agent installs, updates and re-licenses every bundled app. No separate updater, license key, or renewal email per app. - **The top of the catalog is genuinely strong** — CleanShot X, TextSniper, Paste and Downie all sit at 97-99% approval in Setapp's own in-app ratings, and each also holds up as a legitimate standalone purchase outside the bundle. - **Multi-Mac pricing beats stacking individual licenses** — The Power User tier covers 4 Macs for $22.99/month. Buying CleanMyMac alone across 4 Macs individually would already cost more than that by itself. ### Cons - **Subscription-only: nothing survives non-payment** — Cancel and every bundled app locks immediately, including ones you configured deeply. Compare that to the one-shot, no-renewal native tools this site usually covers. - **Setapp can remove apps from the library with only an email notice** — Setapp's own support documentation confirms apps do leave the catalog. You keep access if already installed, but new installs and updates for that app stop. - **Requires a periodic online license verification to keep working** — Fully offline use is not guaranteed indefinitely. The app needs to confirm your subscription is active, which is the opposite of the no-telemetry native tools we prefer to recommend. - **Catalog quality drops noticeably past the top 20 apps** — Product Hunt and G2 reviewers both flag filler additions in the wider library. Breadth is real, but not every one of the 270+ apps deserves a slot. ## Final verdict **Score: 6.8/10** Setapp is infrastructure, not a tool. It does not do one job, it manages 270+ apps that each do one job, and whether that is worth $14.99 to $22.99 a month depends entirely on how many of them you would otherwise pay for separately. Our math says the bundle wins past three apps in regular use; below that, buying the one native tool you actually need, on its own one-shot license, almost always beats the subscription. The top of the catalog, CleanShot X, TextSniper, Paste, Downie, CleanMyMac, Bartender, is genuinely good software, and the single install/update/license layer removes real friction if you run more than a couple of them. What it cannot remove is the subscription model itself: cancel and everything locks, apps can leave the catalog with an email as the only warning, and the client needs to phone home periodically to confirm you are still paying. Recommended for: multi-Mac households and anyone already renting three or more of the bundled apps individually. Not recommended for: anyone who wants one specific tool, or anyone who has standardized on no-subscription, no-telemetry native software and does not want to make an exception. **Dimensional scoring:** - **Value for heavy users:** 8/10 — Genuinely cheap past 3-4 apps used - **Value for light/single-app users:** 4/10 — Just buy the one app you want - **Install & update friction:** 8/10 — One agent, zero separate updaters - **Ownership model:** 3/10 — Subscription only, no perpetual license - **Catalog quality consistency:** 6/10 — Strong at the top, thin further down *Call to action: Start the 7-day free trial* ## Common questions ### Is Setapp worth it in 2026? Only if you actually run three or more of the bundled apps regularly. Across five apps we used daily, the Power User plan works out to $4.60 per app a month, cheaper than most individual subscriptions. Run one app, and a standalone purchase is almost always cheaper. ### How many apps does Setapp include? 270+ Mac and iOS apps as of September 2026, spanning system maintenance, writing, development, and menu-bar utilities. Setapp also runs a separate Marketplace where you can buy or subscribe to individual apps without the full membership. ### Does Setapp work offline? Installed apps keep working offline day-to-day, but Setapp needs to periodically confirm your subscription is active online. If that check fails for long enough, access can be affected, which is worth knowing if you work disconnected for extended periods. ### Can I lose access to an app I depend on? Yes, in one specific way. Setapp's own support documentation confirms apps sometimes leave the catalog, usually because the developer stops supporting it on the platform. You get an email notice first and keep using an already-installed app, but new installs and further updates stop. ### Is Setapp cheaper than buying apps individually? It depends on your app count. Our comparison: CleanMyMac, Bartender and iStat Menus bought separately run roughly $10-15/month combined; the $22.99 Power User plan covers those three plus 267 more apps and up to 4 Macs. Past three apps, the bundle usually wins. ### Is Setapp Mobile shutting down affecting the Mac subscription? No. MacPaw closed Setapp Mobile, its separate EU iOS alternative app store, on February 16, 2026, citing marketplace economics. That closure did not touch the core Setapp Mac membership reviewed here, which continues operating as before. ### What happens if I cancel Setapp? All bundled apps lock immediately once the subscription ends, since access is rented, not owned. This is the single biggest philosophical difference from the one-shot, no-renewal native tools this site typically recommends. ### Does Setapp offer a free trial or refund? Yes: a 7-day free trial on every tier (cancel before it ends and you are not charged), plus a 30-day refund window after your last payment if you never actually used the subscription following the trial. ## Update log - **2026-09-19** — Initial publication after a 21-day Power User plan test across two Macs. ## FAQ ### Is Setapp worth it in 2026? Only if you actually run three or more of the bundled apps regularly. Across five apps we used daily, the Power User plan works out to $4.60 per app a month, cheaper than most individual subscriptions. Run one app, and a standalone purchase is almost always cheaper. ### How many apps does Setapp include? 270+ Mac and iOS apps as of September 2026, spanning system maintenance, writing, development, and menu-bar utilities. Setapp also runs a separate Marketplace where you can buy or subscribe to individual apps without the full membership. ### Does Setapp work offline? Installed apps keep working offline day-to-day, but Setapp needs to periodically confirm your subscription is active online. If that check fails for long enough, access can be affected, which is worth knowing if you work disconnected for extended periods. ### Can I lose access to an app I depend on? Yes, in one specific way. Setapp's own support documentation confirms apps sometimes leave the catalog, usually because the developer stops supporting it on the platform. You get an email notice first and keep using an already-installed app, but new installs and further updates stop. ### Is Setapp cheaper than buying apps individually? It depends on your app count. Our comparison: CleanMyMac, Bartender and iStat Menus bought separately run roughly $10-15/month combined; the $22.99 Power User plan covers those three plus 267 more apps and up to 4 Macs. Past three apps, the bundle usually wins. ### Is Setapp Mobile shutting down affecting the Mac subscription? No. MacPaw closed Setapp Mobile, its separate EU iOS alternative app store, on February 16, 2026, citing marketplace economics. That closure did not touch the core Setapp Mac membership reviewed here, which continues operating as before. ### What happens if I cancel Setapp? All bundled apps lock immediately once the subscription ends, since access is rented, not owned. This is the single biggest philosophical difference from the one-shot, no-renewal native tools this site typically recommends. ### Does Setapp offer a free trial or refund? Yes: a 7-day free trial on every tier (cancel before it ends and you are not charged), plus a 30-day refund window after your last payment if you never actually used the subscription following the trial.