Replacements for some Setapp apps

Tech Support
1

I’m on the fence of cancelling my Setapp subscription that I’ve had for multiple years. It’s sorta laziness that I haven’t considered it previously but I’m reviewing my costs as the year comes to a close. I have some apps I use all the time and some that are very sporadic.

Curious if people have some suggestions on free or low-cost apps to use as replacements.

Frequently:

  • BusyCal. I’m wondering now given David’s new FG whether I can switch to Calendars. I think the main reason why I started using it was natural language but now realized Apple can do that.)

  • Forklift. I have a specific use case which is limited. I like having two tabs(?) open side by side so I can just drag and drop things from one to the other quickly. Not sure if there are other options.

  • OpenIn. I have a love/hate relationship with this one. It works 85% of the time but when it doesn’t it’s aggravating. Not sure if there are other options.

  • CleanShot X. I just take basic screenshots. Prob could use Apple default.

Sporadically:

  • Downie. Once in a blue moon. Not sure if there are other free options.
  • CleanMyMac. I forget about this so I don’t use it very often.
  • PopClip. I paid for this ages ago but have stopped using it.
  • Paletro. It’s possible I use this more than I think because I set it up and it’s one of those set it and forget it.

Every so often, I scan the list of apps. Haven’t done that in awhile so I probably should but more and more, I like being minimal.

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I’m sure you’re already doing this, but while contemplating the possibility of subscribing to setapp, primarily due to the enthusiastic endorsement in this forum, I compared the apps offered to those I would use regularly and evaluated the cost of subscribing individually or purchasing them. In my case, it was significantly cheaper to subscribe to individual apps (for example Ulysses) or purchase them than to maintain a setapp subscription. I should mention that I tend to be an app minimalist, so that has a major impact on the cost assessment.

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There are some niceties in BusyCal and Fantastical, but I agree with Macsparky that Calendar.app is good enough for most use cases. I was forced to change to Calendar.app from Fantastical due to work IT security impositions, and I resented it for a bit, but now it’s totally fine.

I think CleanshotX is worth its own purchase. It’s a really good app.

I own Forklift and use it for two specific use cases, but I find the built-in Finder sufficient and quicker for most everything else. Forklift is a very nice app, and I’m glad I own it. But you’ll be fine with regular Finder, too.

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BusyCal, Forklift and CleanShot X all seem to have the same licensing scheme. You can buy a certain period (often a year) of updates and keep using the last of those updates for free after that (until the OS or something else breaks functionality; you can then decide to buy another set of updates).

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PS: Just stumbled upon this website which might help in finding alternatives for subscription apps:

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OpenIn —> Velja
CleanShot X —> Shottr
Forklift —> Bloom
They’re not perfect substitutes, as they have fewer features, but they can be valid alternatives if you don’t need the more advanced functions.

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What are the security concerns?

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Thank you all for the thoughts and suggestions. I, like I’m sure many, don’t use a lot of apps to their fullest extent. And that’s why I could maybe get away with a diff app with less features.

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For OpenIn and Popclip, i would probably just buy those two outright if you find you need them.

For Paletro, that feature is built into Raycast or available as an Alfred workflow (menu bar search).

For Downie, there is a Raycast extension to download YouTube videos.

Bloom is an excellent finder alternative instead of Forklift.

For CleanmyMacX, there is Onyx which is a free alternative that’s been around for awhile.

Finally checkout Shottr for a CleanshotX alternative.

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First, IT blacklisted any mail clients besides a few select ones like Outlook and Mail.app; next to go was all but a few calendar apps — again Outlook, and Calendar.app.

I think the main concern is if any company pulls any info over to its own servers (rather than doing everything on-device). But MS has a BAA agreement with my work, and I think Apple was included upon review of iCloud encryption settings.

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Regular: Forecast Bar, Mission Control Plus, CleanMyMac, PopClip, Pareto Security, ForkLift, iStat Menus, CleanShot X, Default Folder X, Time Out, Nitro PDF Pro, HoudahSpot. Will use Bartender again if it ever gets fixed. Was one of my favorite apps before it fell on hard times.

Occasional: Downie, Archiver

Every great once in a while: KeyCue, BetterZip, Novabench, SnapMotion, DisplayBuddy, PixelSnap, TextSniper, PDF Squeezer.

I’ll likely try Moonlock again after it has time to smooth out.

So I think that I’m getting my money’s worth. If NitroPDF Pro ever gets to the point where it can completely replace Adobe Acrobat, I’ll then be saving tons of money.

And I like trying out new stuff that appears on Setapp once in a while.

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Agreed

And it’s great to support upcoming indie developers who may be creating the next-great-thing and who would not be able to feasibly fund the advertising to survive without something like SetApp.

And as a bonus - it is a plus to support a company based in Ukraine.