Setapp dies in the EU while Apple and regulators trade blame

Setapp folded under Apple’s EU rules mess, while Apple and regulators point fingers, and nobody wants the blame.

Setapp shutdown fallout

• MacPaw pulled the plug on Setapp entirely.
• Apple’s shifting store terms broke its business math.
• Compliance hurdles kept stacking up without clear endpoints.

Apple shifts blame outward

• Apple accused the European Commission of stalling.
• The company claimed approval requests sat unanswered since October.
• Apple framed enforcement as politically motivated pressure.

EU regulatory backdrop

• DMA forced Apple to allow outside app stores.
• Regulators stayed unhappy with anti-steering limits.
• Apple paid a 500 million euro fine in April 2025.

New fee structure confusion

• Apple split store services into Tier 1 and Tier 2.
• Install counts over one million trigger extra charges.
• External purchase links swap per-install fees for commissions.