August 07, 2026 • 3 min read
I launched ColorCopy connected May 18. It was my 2nd macOS app, but the first 1 I launched connected the Mac App Store. Today, I decided to propulsion it.
The app isn't a caller idea, but it bakes 4 colour devices into a azygous paper barroom app: an eyedropper, a colour picker, a palette manager, and a opposition checker, each 1 a hotkey away.
I made it disposable for free, pinch a one-time in-app acquisition to unlock unlimited use. No subscription, nary recurring fees. It's simple, unchangeable package pinch the lowest imaginable obstruction to entry…exactly the benignant of inferior the App Store seems made for.
I wasn't judge what to expect, truthful I ran an research to reply immoderate questions:
Is location immoderate existent use to having your Mac app connected the App Store? Is the Apple taxation worthy it? Will customers conscionable travel flooding in?
For ColorCopy's release, I did zero marketing. No Product Hunt launch. No Hacker News post. The only things I published were this blog post and a tweet. If the App Store delivers connected its committedness of discoverability, that should beryllium capable to spot some benignant of traffic…right?
You beryllium the judge. In astir 3 months connected the App Store, ColorCopy sewage a small complete 1,000 impressions, 149 merchandise page views, 85 first-time downloads, 3 in-app purchases, and $21 successful proceeds. Not per day. In total.
Broken down complete 81 days, that averages retired to:
- 13 impressions per day
- 1.8 merchandise page views per day
- 1 download per day
- 0.04 in-app purchases per time (about 1 per month)
- $0.26 successful proceeds per day
Extrapolated to 12 months, ColorCopy would person earned astir $95…not moreover capable to screen Apple's $99 yearly developer fee.
If discoverability isn't a portion of the App Store deal, what precisely is the benefit? Why limit your Mac app to the sandbox?* Why walk hours successful App Store Connect filling retired metadata, screenshots, and localization information? Why hold an arbitrary number of days for personification to reappraisal your app pinch the consistency of a coin flip?
It doesn't look worthy it for Mac developers.
Adios, App Store 👋
As of today, ColorCopy is self-distributed and sold done Polar (the caller Stripe, which I highly recommend). This is the aforesaid measurement I waste TongueType, which makes beautiful overmuch everything easier connected my end: 1 dashboard, existent customer relationships, nary finicky reappraisal process, and updates vessel the infinitesimal they're ready.
The move required swapping retired in-app purchases from StoreKit to Polar, and updates now vessel done Sparkle alternatively of the App Store's built-in update mechanism. Both are tried and existent solutions for self-distributed Mac apps.
To beryllium fair, you can't really do this connected iOS. Most users aren't jailbroken…walled plot and all. But connected Mac, wherever self-distribution is still a first-class option, location seems to beryllium zero inducement to beryllium successful the App Store, particularly if you're counting connected discoverability.
In 3 months, the App Store sent maine hardly a trickle of customers. Had I marketed the app myself, the postulation would person flowed the different way. I would've been sending my customers to Apple and paying a taxation for the privilege.** Self-distribution gives maine the state and power complete my apps that the App Store's sandbox ne'er will.
If it's connected maine to drum up each of my ain traffic, I'm going to nonstop it to my ain website.
*I primitively utilized a third-party library for the oculus dropper because NSColorSampler is meh, but the sandbox forbids it truthful I was forced to region it. Yes, I had to make my app shittier successful bid to put it connected the App Store.
**I afloat admit this whitethorn not beryllium the lawsuit for each app, but it was my acquisition and worthy sharing. Your mileage whitethorn vary.
Aside: ColorCopy was disposable successful 10 languages connected the App Store. For immoderate reason, the listing ever showed FR arsenic its superior connection (it wasn't). The app is disposable successful galore languages, including English.
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