Thanks to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new regulation designed to encourage competition in the app ecosystem, people in the European Union are now allowed to access alternative app stores. Like Apple’s App Store, alternative app marketplaces allow easy access to a larger world of apps, but instead of the apps going through Apple’s app review process, the apps on these third-party marketplaces must go through a notarization process to ensure they meet some “basic platform integrity standards,” Apple says — like being malware-free. However, each store can review and approve apps according to its own policies. The stores are also responsible for any issues related to support and refunds, not Apple.
To operate an alternative app marketplace, developers must accept Apple’s alternative terms and conditions for DMA-compliant apps in the EU. This includes paying a new Core Technology Fee of €0.50 for each first annual install of their marketplace app, even before reaching the 1 million install threshold that applies to other EU apps distributed under Apple’s DMA terms and conditions.
Despite the complicated new rules, some developers have taken the opportunity to distribute their apps outside Apple’s walls.
Below is a list of some alternative app stores that iPhone users in the EU can try today.
AltStore PAL
Co-created by developer Riley Testut, creator of the Nintendo game emulator app Delta, AltStore PAL is an officially approved alternative app marketplace in the EU. The open-source app store allows independent developers to distribute their apps alongside those of AltStore creators Delta and a clipboard manager called Clip.
Unlike Apple’s App Store, AltStore apps are hosted by the developer themselves. To make them work, developers download an alternative distribution package (ADP) and upload it to their server. They then create a “source” that users add to the AltStore to access their apps. This means that in the AltStore, you only see the apps that you added yourself.
Popular apps that users are adding include the UTM virtual machine app, which lets you run Windows and other software on iOS or iPad; OldOS, a remake of iOS 4 integrated with SwiftUI; Kotoba, the iOS dictionary available as a standalone app; the iTorrent torrent app; the qBittorrent remote client for iOS devices called qBitControl; and the social discovery platform PeopleDrop.
Setapp Mobile
MacPaws Setapp was one of the first companies to agree to Apple’s new DMA terms and conditions to create an alternative app store for EU users. The company has long offered a subscription-based service with a selection of curated apps for customers on iOS and Mac. After implementing the DMA, it released Setapp Mobile, an alternative app store just for iOS users in the EU. Similar to its other subscription offerings, the new app store includes dozens of apps for a single recurring subscription price, and the number of apps grows over time. The apps are free of in-app purchases or ads and are generally considered to be of high quality; however, well-known apps like Facebook, Uber, Netflix, and others are not included.
Setapp Mobile is available for free to users of Setapp’s Power User and AI Expert subscriptions. Alternatively, users can subscribe via a new iOS Advanced subscription, which includes both the iOS app from the main Setapp subscription and Setapp Mobile for $9.99/€9.49 monthly or $107.88/€102.48 annually.
Additionally, all Setapp subscribers (except Family and Teams) can try Setapp Mobile for free during the invitation-only beta.
Epic Games Store
Fortnite maker Epic Games launched its alternative iOS app store in the EU on August 16. Users can download games there, including Fortnite and others like Rocket League Sideswipe and Fall Guys, with more to come. The company said it will also bring its games to other alternative app stores, including AltStore PAL, which it now supports via a grant, as well as Aptoide’s iOS store in the EU and ONE Store for Android.
The move to release Fortnite on the alternative iOS marketplace comes more than four years after Apple removed the game from its App Store for policy violations, before Epic could launch a legal challenge to the alleged App Store monopoly. While US courts ruled that Apple had not committed antitrust violations, the lawsuit paved the way for developers to link to their own sites in return for a reduced commission.
Aptoide
Lisbon-based Aptoide is an alternative games store for the iPhone and an open-source solution for app distribution. The company, already known for its alternative to Google Play, says it scans the apps to make sure they are safe to download and install, while also ensuring they are DMA compliant.
The iOS version of the Aptoide store launched in June as an invite-only beta, so you’ll need to put your email address on a waiting list to receive the access code. As a free store, Aptoide doesn’t charge its users for the Core Technology Fee paid to Apple, but it does take a 10 to 20 percent commission on in-app purchases on iOS, depending on whether they were made through the marketplace or not.
Aptoide offers its over 430 million users 1 million apps across platforms, including Android, web, car and TV.
Mobivention Marketplace
The Mobivention Marketplace is a B2B-focused app store that allows EU companies to distribute their internal apps that are used by employees but cannot or should not be published on Apple’s App Store. The company also offers the development of a bespoke app marketplace for companies that want to offer their employees their own app store just for their corporate apps. Larger companies can even license Mobivention’s technology to tailor the app marketplace even better to their own needs.
