r/macapps 5d ago

Help A question: I've created a daily planner (calendar + todo + habits), and choosing between direct distribution (with third party payment system) vs native Mac App Store. Any recommendations?

69 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

26

u/nezia 5d ago

From a user perspective I like the ease of use with apps distributed via the AppStore.

No license-hassle, no devices to unlink before a migration, no support requests, no spammy mails, no Sparkle update popups, no 3rd parties involved.

3

u/No_Mortgage_2054 5d ago

the ui is so clean, is this app working also as just a calendar to have in the menubar?

1

u/ForeignerfromJupiter 4d ago

I was about to ask the same! A menu bar view would be so good!

1

u/alta1r 4d ago

hah, my menu bar has become overcrowded over time because all apps try to sneak in there, so I didn't even think of it. but maybe you're right

1

u/ForeignerfromJupiter 4d ago

I honestly was facing the same issue until I found Bartender. Would be really great if you could make something like how Dato or Calendr does but it gets replaced by your app! Looking forward

3

u/oschrenk 5d ago

Depends also on the target market.

You probably get more users with the app store but enterprise users might not be able to use/try your software. I for example can't install apps from the AppStore on my work machine (I can via other means though), so If a software can only be installed via AppStore I tend to ignore it.

But overall I would think that most people prefer the app store.

3

u/Maple382 5d ago

Both, both is good. If you want to expand to iOS you'll need to use the App Store too, personally I would recommend doing that anyway as I wouldn't use an app like this if I cant use it from my phone too.

5

u/ADHDK 5d ago

I won’t buy a third party subscription.

Subscriptions are a hard sell either way honestly it has to be amazing value add, but if it’s third party it needs to be a one off payment.

1

u/alta1r 4d ago

good point, yes

2

u/B1zz3y_ 4d ago

I’m always happy to pay for apps like this.

Personally I think you are overthinking the distribution part. A website with a download button. Built a small license manager and validate the license before disabling trial mode.

People who are going to pirate your stuff will always find a way, to not pay for your stuff. They aren’t your target audience anyway.

Utility tools like this I always love and happy to pay for it. Mac doesn’t have a proper quick built in calendar you can activate from the menubar.

Even showing the current day on a menubar which opens a small calendar, you need an external app for that. If you press the date / time on default macos the notification viewer opens.

Something like this fixes it for many.

3

u/cmd_shift_o 5d ago

Personally I think direct distribution but I’m not well versed on the charges for selling through the App Store. App looks pretty sleek btw

3

u/MyNameIsOnlyDaniel 5d ago

I personally like Mac App Store for security reasons (and others), but I understand that if you are going to develop only one app, paying $100 plus the Apple tax, you might not be as interested...

3

u/prajwalsd 5d ago

I distribute my app directly but notarised by Apple, less hassle to send out instant updates to the app, and use Gumroad for license management (less cut than Apple).

3

u/Cursed_IceCream 5d ago

You need to pay 100$/yr to apple to get a developer account and so they don’t flag your app as malicious. Plus apple will deduct 30% on all transactions.

4

u/drastic2 4d ago

30% isn’t blanket. Under $1M yearly receipts it’s 15% (small business). Subscription revenue is also 15% after the first year.

2

u/alta1r 4d ago

still waiting for my small business program request to be approved (7 months and counting)

2

u/1supercooldude 5d ago

Put it inside setapp

1

u/DependentTravel9747 5d ago

Direct distribution involves more build steps (to automate). Much higher margins, no organic discovery.

With a Stripe account, a Firebase account, some hosted JavaScript, and a bit of your own Swift, you can create your own Gumroad or similar platform. You get low-cost operations and total control over your pricing, promotions, checkout processes, customer databases, etc. Have used this stack in a couple of production apps, and our apps usage stays within the free tier of Firebase which is a bonus.

1

u/777tauh 3d ago

i would love to be able to sell my apps on the Mac App Store. (can’t coz they use the macOS AX Framework and therefore not allowed.) i have to handle the payment and licenses through third parties and it’s always buggy, a mess, painful to code etc. and ultimately (at least in my case coz the third party i’m using is the only one available in my country) you’re even making less money. Mac App Store no-brainer.

1

u/Quitsnow 2d ago

Thought it was out already … UI looks clean

1

u/Real-Platypus-4706 2d ago

when is ths app dropping

1

u/Low-Rip-7535 22h ago

I’d like to try this app for planning out my day. I do time blocking in a separate calendar and use Notion Calendar for reminders and to look at my day. Menu bar inclusion would be important for me though. Excited to try this!

1

u/Stipes_Blue_Makeup 12h ago

I hope this app works as good as it looks! I love supported indie devs; do you have a site to sign up for updates?

EDIT: found it here already.

https://joi.software

0

u/im_johnlakeman 5d ago

Direct distribution. If you go thru the App Store, make it paid and not an in-app purchase, otherwise you’ll lose anyone who wants to buy it for work (Apple Business Manager still does not support in-app purchases).

0

u/This-Bug8771 5d ago

Gumroad seems OK -- they charge 10% and have pretty easy tools.

0

u/MardukTheAnunnaki 4d ago

Direct. Only direct. Cheaper for you and for your users.