MacUpdater Shuts Down, Leaving Users Searching for Alternatives
For the past eight years, MacUpdater has been a go-to utility for those who want a unified way to keep all their macOS apps up to date. It could scan the apps on your Mac, compare them against a regularly updated database of over 100,000 apps, and update many of them with a single click. However, CoreCode, MacUpdater’s developers, announced in mid-2025 that MacUpdater would be discontinued as of 1 January 2026. Since that date has passed, MacUpdater will no longer receive the daily database updates it needs to detect new versions, making it increasingly less useful. CoreCode has released a final “offline” version of MacUpdater 3.5 that is free and will remain usable, but will not perform any online update checks. For more information, see the MacUpdater FAQ.
The reason behind CoreCode’s decision is financial, not technical. The company wrote:
We’ve failed in building a sustainable pricing and sales model (instead trying to sell one-time-purchases). And we’ve not done any marketing to start to widen our audience. Also we’ve failed to enter the corporate / enterprise market. With all interesting technical challenges being solved we feel it is time to move on and leave the boring work of continuing, marketing and monetizing the project to someone else. Especially since it has become apparent that MacUpdater can only be sold profitably with a “subscription-model,” and we will not sell subscription software for ethical reasons.
CoreCode’s Tech Sale & Licensing page makes for fascinating reading. The company details what is required to develop an app like MacUpdater, outlines the problems it faced and how it solved them, and proposes several scenarios for how another company could benefit from acquiring MacUpdater. Particularly interesting is how CoreCode says it won’t move to a subscription model for ethical reasons but then outlines how necessary this is in its baseline scenario:
In the base scenario you don’t need to do anything except convert the existing MacUpdater userbase to a subscription model. We cannot recommend staying on a non-subscription model as that has absolutely not worked out for us. MacUpdater has accumulated 30,000 paid customers. According to a recent poll, around half of the respondents would agree to a subscription model. If you combine the current userbase of 30,000 people with the subscription prices that people agree to (according to the poll), the yearly revenue of MacUpdater with a subscription model would be between €255k and €354k per year (depending on the price-tiering).
Despite 30,000 paid customers and a projected revenue range of $255,000 to $354,000 based on what feels like a lowball estimate of $1.50 to $2.00 monthly cost, no other firm has stepped forward to buy or license MacUpdater. (I’m using dollars rather than euros since they’re roughly equivalent right now.)
Do You Need a Third-Party App Updater?
Not everyone will feel the loss of MacUpdater. Most Mac users get by just fine without a universal update utility, relying on the Mac App Store’s Update pane and the internal update mechanisms built into most independent apps. Personally, I’m not a fan of tools like MacUpdater. I prefer to update most apps when I launch them so I’m more attuned to new features and bugs.
However, MacUpdater was popular with power users who manage dozens of apps outside the Mac App Store and prefer centralized update management over hunting through individual apps. It also appealed to IT administrators and consultants responsible for maintaining multiple Macs, as well as security-conscious users who want to patch vulnerabilities quickly rather than discovering updates only when they happen to launch an app. Those people are now looking for alternatives that can display all available updates in one place.
Alternatives to MacUpdater
No single app currently replicates everything MacUpdater did, but a few apps are aiming to fill the gap. Here are a few notable MacUpdater alternatives, some of which were discussed in a lengthy TidBITS Talk thread about the situation: CleanMyMac, Latest, MacUpdate Desktop, and Updatest.
To compare these utilities, I ran them on my current 14-inch MacBook Pro and my old 27-inch iMac. The MacBook Pro has relatively few apps installed, and I update apps when I use them or when prompted by the App Store, so the apps that need updates are the ones I use infrequently. In contrast, the iMac has accumulated years of cruft from testing numerous apps, and I haven’t used it seriously since mid-2025, so many of its apps need updates. To be clear, these results are representative only of my machines. I install many more apps than most people, but I don’t use Homebrew, where Updatest shines, and my apps seem to skew toward those that use Sparkle. Your mileage will likely vary! (Homebrew is a command-line package manager that can install and update many Mac apps, while Sparkle is an auto-update framework used by numerous independent Mac developers to provide in-app updates.)
The first line in the table below is the MacUpdater 3.5 offline version, which appears to remain the gold standard. After that, I list the four apps I tested, sorted by their success rate on my old iMac, which feels like a more representative testbed than my newly configured MacBook Pro. Although this sorting favors Latest, note that it also identified the fewest total apps on both machines.
| App | iMac Total | iMac Updates | iMac % | MacBook Total | MacBook Updates | MacBook % |
| MacUpdater | 163 | 100 | 61% | 89 | 24 | 27% |
| Latest | 142 | 62 | 44% | 85 | 14 | 16% |
| CleanMyMac | 190 | 51 | 27% | 106 | 4 | 4% |
| MacUpdate Desktop | 229 | 41 | 18% | 156 | 9 | 6% |
| Updatest | 167 | 25 | 15% | 95 | 5 | 5% |
Some notes on each one:
- CleanMyMac: MacPaw’s all-in-one maintenance utility includes an Updater module that identifies apps that need updates and can update them directly. It has an attractive and informative interface, complete with release notes for versions beyond the latest. I suspect CleanMyMac relies primarily on Sparkle but misses some apps; I wonder if it restricts itself to those it knows it can update directly without trouble. Although CleanMyMac does much more than update apps, it’s expensive at $34.99 per year, or $89 for a one-time purchase. It’s also available in Setapp.
- Latest: A free, open source app, Latest monitors apps that use Sparkle, which theoretically limits its coverage, though it performed well for me. You can set it to include apps with “limited support,” which may have incomplete or incorrect update information and can’t be updated directly within Latest. Another setting also includes unsupported apps—those that have no update information—in the count. I enabled both settings: on my iMac, the full+limited count was 41+21, whereas on the MacBook Pro it was 6+8. While Latest is still maturing, it offers a capable, no-cost solution for those whose apps rely heavily on Sparkle.
- MacUpdate Desktop: The MacUpdate Desktop app, currently in beta and requiring a $9.99-per-year subscription to install apps, integrates with the MacUpdate website, which tracks updates for numerous Mac apps. That gives it access to some of the most complete information about apps and updates. It found by far the most apps on my Macs but didn’t offer as many updates as others—oddly, it failed to flag even the Sparkle-enabled Arc as outdated. It’s unclear whether the limited update detection is due to its beta status or a design limitation. I found MacUpdate Desktop’s dark, low-contrast interface notably difficult to read and use, but it lets you ignore individual updates, back up the current version before updating, and uninstall apps. It also shows what’s running and lets you launch inactive apps. MacUpdate Desktop may be most attractive to those who already rely on the MacUpdate website to find updates to their apps.
- Updatest: I appreciate how Updatest identifies the source of its app update information as Sparkle, Electron (a popular but controversial framework for creating cross-platform apps), Homebrew, GitHub, and the Mac App Store. I didn’t install Homebrew or the Mac App Store command-line tool, so my Updatest numbers are lower than they should be. It can update Sparkle apps directly, though Electron apps must update themselves, and all Updatest can do is launch them. Updatest wasn’t as good at displaying release notes as some of the others. Its marquee feature is the ability to adopt apps into Homebrew, allowing them to be updated via Homebrew commands or Updatest. For those looking to replace MacUpdater, it garnered the most positive comments in TidBITS Talk. Updatest costs $9.99 as a one-time purchase, which is attractive, and its automatic detection approach may prove more sustainable than MacUpdater’s manually maintained database.
None of these alternatives fully replaces MacUpdater’s combination of a massive database and years of refinement, but my sense is that Updatest comes closest for most MacUpdater users, particularly if you use Homebrew or are willing to adopt apps into it. Latest is also attractive if you have a lot of indie software that relies on Sparkle. For those already using CleanMyMac, its Updater module may be sufficient for mainstream apps. MacUpdate Desktop could also be a contender if it can connect more updates to the many apps it identifies—a more readable interface would also help. And if someone does acquire MacUpdater’s technology and database, we’ll be sure to let you know.
If you’re currently using MacUpdater, which of these is the most interesting for you?
Really sad and annoying. This was an excellent application and clearly your review shows no alternative comes close. I just ran MacUpdater and experienced how difficult it is to manage updates without the full functionality that has now been removed.
I used to use MacUpdater, but uninstalled it because I found it more of a hindrance than a help. It would sometimes insist that an update was available for an app yet no such update existed. The menu bar badge was distracting when I was trying to focus on other tasks. And the final straw was when its ‘updating’ caused an app to become broken, requiring a reinstall from the developers website.
My most-used apps are pretty good at letting me know when an update is available, and for the rest I can usually rely on TidBITs or the developers blog to inform me of updates or new versions.
Homebrew works just fine for me to keep my non-App Store apps up to date. I made a tiny “upgradeCasks” shell script I can run standalone, or appended to another script I run several times a day.
There is nothing unethical about a subscription model, it is just a different business plan. Subscriptions are essential to give developers a steady income. CoreCode/MacUpdater have just proved this and shot themselves, and the 50% of their customers who would pay a sub, in the foot.
Lack of ethics is only an issue if the price is not fair, which applies to subscription and single purchase, and customers can vote with their wallet in either case.
The developer was extremely reactive to situations such as this. Every time this happened to me (after checking to make sure the update wasn’t available to ordinary users from either within the previous app or on that app’s main developer website) I would send feedback using the MacUpdater app and would receive a response the next morning and it would be fixed, if possible before the next scan. A few times he had to send out a MacUpdater update to fix an obscure problem. MacUpdater gets update notices when a user is found to be running a newer version that what its database shows. If there is any indication it’s a beta version then it’s ignored, but sometimes it isn’t obvious so must be manually purged when it’s pointed out in a feedback.
Without any exaggeration whatsoever, I feel like I have lost a dear friend who has just died.
Because MacUpdater was such an extraordinarily well-implemented app, which also was extremely well thought out and supported by its development team. It accurately caught and detected virtually all of my updates over the past many years, and had extremely few false negatives or positives, most of which were obvious and easily detected and skipped by a savvy experienced computer user. And the development and support team was amazing, responding to my periodic reports of occasional issues and false positives almost always within 24 hours, sometimes including late at night or on weekends! (Huge, massive props to you, Brigitte at CoreCode!)
Like most computer users, I too, of course, prefer not to have to pay for subscriptions. But for valuable apps that are continuously updated, and/or that require a ton of ongoing work, manual upkeep and support, and/or cloud services, there is nothing “immoral“ or “unethical“ about charging a subscription for an app. There is nothing wrong with it, just like there is nothing wrong with charging a subscription for a magazine or TV streaming service. What is wrong is needlessly losing an absolutely amazing app that thousands of people would gladly pay a subscription for, because it was so very helpful and valuable to them.
After much research, including extensive and very deep search with ChatGPT, I have been extensively testing both Latest and also Updatest on three very different Macs, some new, some old, some Apple Silicon, some Intel. And the bottom line and TLDR is that neither of the apps is nearly as good as MacUpdater. But I am happily using both of them and, between the two of them, they catch the vast majority of updates. So, using both is good for now, and hopefully they will continue to develop, and one day become as great as their predecessor, MacUpdater which very sadly, an needlessly, now has gone to app heaven. RIP MacUpdater.
Updatest default settings are very conservative. For me it did tons more after I toggled on some, but not all, options.
For me the UI and UX of MacUpdater was a car crash of a billion options. and the developer quote opinionated (I’m being generous) so I requested a refund after upgrading to one of the major versions.
I much prefer the elegant simplicity of Latest. Updatest is good but already has too many options.
I have been using Updatest for several weeks, and find it’s a worthy replacement for MacUpdater. It has been improving rapidly and the developer is extremely responsive.
I also found it to take a step forward when all the options were turned on. For me it is much better than Latest.
Latest is of course limited to Sparkle. Updatest is working well, but requires a little bit of learning about Homebrew. I also bought a lifetime license for App Cleaner & Uninstaller, which comes out of Odessa, which might be an issue.
So far they are neck and neck at discovering updates. Sometimes Updatest spots one first, sometimes it’s App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
When one finds an update slightly earlier than another: given that the update sources are public, it can only mean each updater app keeps their own timestamp and caching cadence, and they are out of sync by a little.
I noticed that Updatest said the Sparkle update channel was unavailable for four apps (Affinity, Orion, VLC and UPDF) so I added them to Homebrew casks. However, AC&U doesn’t seem to have any issue with them. If you set Latest to show apps with limited support (in the Settings) these are all shown with a yellow dot (along with a lot more).
I think AC&U is one of the modules in the infamous MacCleaner Pro, so that counts against it, as does its price ($34.95 for one Mac, lifetime license), whilst Updatest is only $9.99 (for 3 Macs, lifetime license).
I saw this a few times. Usually, it was because a product had multiple release streams, such as an “early access” release, a stable release, and so on. It’s a hard problem to solve, especially if the app itself only includes a build number and doesn’t carry any notification that it is a “special” release. For example, I’ve seen it with various Microsoft apps and Firefox ESR releases.
After some testings I use Updatest now.
But still very confusing for me: Homebrew, Casks, Installing this API or that. I see several symbols and blue dots and arrows, different “kinds” of apps, adopting an app, various unclear info. Very confusing. And I have the feeling (yes, just a feeling) that moving apps to Homebrew (Casks?) is something like “I give away some control”. Is the Homebrew version exactly the same as I would install via the app? The same app as the one from the App Store?
I am not a developer and never used GitHub, Sparkle or similar.
One thing that Updatest lacks is a manual! Fortunately the developer is friendly and doesn’t seem to mind questions - he answers quickly and in clear terms.
I am currently testing a new application for this purpose.
It is called TapHouse (https://taphouse.multimodalsolutions.gr/)
and monitors updates for:
…
as well as various utilities;
There are still a few minor issues, but the developer is very responsive.
TapHouse seems more all-in-one than Wailbrew to me,
but it still lacks some updates provided by Latest.
The best solution is probably to combine the two…
I’m not a developer either, but use GitHub and Sparkle extensively to update the majority of apps on my Mac and would be shocked if you actually don’t. Some app updates are only released via GitHub and any time you are notified by an app on your computer that an update is available, chances are that is Sparkle, built into that app that is notifying you and updating the app if you OK.
I have used this app for several years without problem and will miss it. Can we band together to encourage/compensate the developer to open source this?
The problem is the high on going cost to the Developer of keeping the programme up to date. Making it open source still needs someone to do the manual graft. The developer of Updatest believes this is why CoreCode decided to abandon it even though successful, and why no one has come forward to take it over. Pity…I was one of the 50% who said they would be happy to pay a subscription for MacUpdate
Updatest gets round this by tapping into existing automatic update methods…very successfully IMO.
Just tried Updatest and gave up. I agree with Claus, it is far too confusing, far too many permissions and installs required without proper explanation. Impressed that he has persevered. Not sure what I will try now.
The recent versions walk you through the set up options which makes it very straightforward. But It certainly isn’t as simple as MacUpdate was, but well worth persevering, in my opinion.
Hey, thanks for the shoutout!
I am the developer of Taphouse. I would love it if you guys give it a try.
Let me know what’s missing and what would you like to see improved. Since launch 2 weeks ago, i have implemented more than 10 features and fixed a ton of bugs all thanks to user’s feedback.
Help me make this the best GUI for Homebrew, i appreciate all your time.
Taphouse Website
I am not an “expert” computer user, although neither am I an inexperienced beginner. I have happily been using MacUpdater as a paid/registered user for the past several years, and was surprised and saddened by the news that it would not continue to be developed and maintained.
I was gratified to see this covered in TidBITS, and have been checking back in here with the hope of learning of some recommended alternative. I must confess being disappointed that the discussion seems to have stopped without any good recommendations from anyone. Oh well…
I suggest you try Updatest yourself. You may find it fine as I and at least one other do, or you may find it too complicated and be put off by the Homebrew element.
A new (to me) name emerged this week, Taphouse which works in a very similar way to Updatest.
Part of the issue is that there are few alternatives to MacUpdater, I’ve moved to Updatest and used it from it’s early beta when it had a different name.
It’s good and is evolving rapidly but due to how MacUpdater works it might not pick up all the updates.
No it can’t be as good as MacUpdater because of all the manual input MacUpdater needed.
For me Updatest finds everything except Adobe apps, Epson apps and a small number of other apps. Also not Xcode apps.
It monitors and updates 93 apps for me.
It’s a great shame MacUpdater is going away, but I absolutely understand why it’s being killed. You can’t grow a commodity feature that relies on a lot of manual work because people will be expecting to pay a pittance for it.
As to what’s next, TBH once I’ve grabbed all the installers for my existing apps, I’m going to wipe and reinstall and … not bother tracking updates. It was always OCD, there was never any actual need.
So farewell MacUpdater, but here’s to a more relaxed lifestyle.
I mostly agree with you. The one problem MacUpdater helped solve for me was the one where you open an app you haven’t used for a while and you find that you have to update it before you can perform whatever task you opened the app to perform. I hate that.
Yes, I do agree that it’s annoying.
What I will probably do is dismiss the update alert when it appears, then make a quick note to download the installer and update when I next get the chance. Indeed, if there were a way to be notified by some other means, even an email, I’d turn off automatic updating entirely.
What this means is that I will have recent downloads for apps that I know are working, and I won’t be panicking about downloading apps that I rarely, if ever, use. So long as I have the licence keys in my email, it’s really not a problem.
Updatest is improving daily. Up to v2.1 now, and it is detecting everything available (as compared with Nektony’s App Cleaner & Uninstaller). I am an absolute beginner with Homebrew, but I can make it work with almost no effort.
My experience as well. If you tried and rejected one the betas have another look.
And since I posted, another version - now at 2.1.1. A new version pretty much daily, and getting faster and better each time.
I meant to say that my experience of the new “Community” option in Updatest as a source of updates is not good and I have turned the option off. I suspect it may be of use in other regions but here in UK none of the reported Community updates are available. It used to happen with MacUpdater as well for probably the same reason.
I have turned it off too. I expect Updatest to show updates available and to get one (maybe) a day earlier via someone else noticing it and reporting it isn’t something I would pay for (and for those who don’t know, this is going to become a subscription only feature).
What might be the issue with App Cleaner and Uninstaller?
If you mean why did I say that being a module of MacCleaner Pro would count against it, then that was because MCP has been very heavily advertised in the past (perhaps crossing into spamming territory) and probably serves little or no purpose. Having said that, they have been quick and efficient at providing support, and being based in Odessa, they are not (yet) under Russian control. I am now using Updatest alone for managing updates and it is working well, to the point where I no longer miss Macupdater. If Updatest did not exist, I would be using App Cleaner and Uninstaller.
What I want is an app that checks for and finds updates. I am not interested in an app that installs those updates. What I want is an update checking app that does the following:
I’ve posted previously on my own comparison of MacUpdater, Latest, Updatest, and MacUpdate Desktop ( The Fate of MacUpdater? - #30 by MacDrew2000 ). While I understand my security requirements are higher than a lot of users, I am not comfortable allowing ANY third party app to install, update, or uninstall other apps (whether via the “App Management” permission or via the use of Homebrew). And because I use a firewall (Little Snitch) to block many apps (over 50) from accessing the internet (especially apps with elevated privileges, like input monitoring), I can’t rely on the in-app update check features of those blocked apps. So a third party tool to tell me about updates is very valuable.
Updatest is probably the closest match to what I am looking for in terms of the above features and the breadth of its database. The new Updatest Network is likely to help expand its app database. I also really like the ability to manually add a GitHub source to monitor for an app. But I really wish Updatest had a “Download Update” button to download an update to the Downloads folder without attempting to install it.
The Updatest maker is very responsive…try asking him.