Setapp Mobile, the iOS app store launched by Ukrainian product company MacPaw, will shut down in the European Union on February 16, 2026, according to MacRumors. The service was launched in open beta in September 2024.

• On its support page, MacPaw said Setapp Mobile is closing due to «complex business terms in app stores» that «don’t fit Setapp’s current business model.» This suggests the service may not have been financially viable.
• After the shutdown date, apps will be removed from the platform for EU users, and MacPaw advises customers to back up any important data in advance.
• MacPaw emphasized that the separate Setapp subscription service for macOS will continue to operate as usual.

Why this matters

• MacPaw is not alone in trying to build an alternative iOS app store in the EU. Such efforts became possible under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires Apple to allow third-party app stores on iOS in the European Union. There are currently five alternative iOS app stores operating in the EU, the most high-profile being the Epic Games Store.
• While alternative app stores offer a new distribution channel for iOS developers, they face significant challenges. Developers must pay Apple’s Core Technology Fee, which often makes the model economically unviable, while also competing with the deeply entrenched and widely used App Store.
• Epic Games currently covers this fee for developers in the EU, but CEO Tim Sweeney has said the approach is not financially sustainable in the long run. Epic hopes EU regulators will eventually force Apple to revise the rules governing third-party app stores.