Before you write a line of release notes, you have to answer a question that shapes your app, your pricing and your support load: do you sell through the Mac App Store, from your own website, or both?
There's no universally right answer. Here is how the two compare on the things that actually matter to a small team.
At a glance
| Mac App Store | Direct (your website) | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | 30%, or 15% under the Small Business Program | Payment processor fees only (a few percent), more with a merchant of record |
| Sandboxing | Required | Optional |
| Payments and taxes | Apple handles both | You, or a merchant of record |
| Updates | Automatic through the App Store | You ship them, often with Sparkle |
| Free trials | Limited to free apps with in-app purchase, or subscription intro offers | Anything you can build |
| Customer data | Almost none | You own the relationship |
| Discovery | Search, Today tab, charts | Your site, search, directories, word of mouth |
| Review | Apple reviews every update | None |
The case for the Mac App Store
Payments, taxes and refunds are solved. Apple sells in a lot of countries, collects VAT and sales tax, and handles refunds. For a solo developer that's a real saving in time and accounting headaches.
Updates just work. Users get new versions automatically, and you never write an updater.
Trust and a one-click install. Many Mac users only install from the App Store. No Gatekeeper dialogs, no license keys, and the purchase is tied to their Apple ID across devices if you also ship on iPhone or iPad.
Discovery. Search and editorial features can send real traffic, especially if you do your homework on App Store optimization.
The cost is the commission, the App Sandbox, the review process and the fact that you can't talk directly to your customers.
The case for direct distribution
More margin. With a payment processor you keep most of each sale. With a merchant of record such as Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar or FastSpring you pay more, but they handle global sales tax for you.
No sandbox. Apps that automate other apps, manage files across the disk, install helpers or touch the system deeply are often impossible, or painful, inside the sandbox.
Your own trials, pricing and upgrades. You can offer a 14-day trial, paid major upgrades, team licenses, discounts and bundles. The Mac App Store has no paid upgrades, which pushes developers toward subscriptions or a brand new app listing for each major version.
You know your customers. You can email buyers about updates, ask for feedback and build a list. That relationship is worth a lot for a small product.
No review delays. You can ship a hotfix when you're ready, not when review is.
What you take on: a Developer ID certificate and notarization, a licensing system, an update mechanism (most developers use the open source Sparkle framework), and your own support and refunds.
Doing both
Plenty of indie apps ship twice. The App Store build is sandboxed and sold at the App Store price; the direct build has the extra features the sandbox blocks and is sold on the website. Others keep the Mac App Store as a free, discoverable front door and sell upgrades directly.
It works, but it doubles some of the work: two builds to test, two sets of screenshots, two support paths. Make sure your team can handle that, and make it obvious in the product which version a customer has.
How to decide
Ask these questions in order:
- Can the app be sandboxed? If not, you're selling direct.
- Do you need a trial or paid upgrades? If yes, lean direct.
- Do you have an audience already? If you can send your own traffic, direct pays better. If you're starting from zero, the App Store's search can help.
- Do you also have an iPhone or iPad app? Then the App Store gives you one purchase across devices.
- How much admin can you take on? Taxes, refunds and licensing take real time. If you'd rather spend it on the product, the App Store (or a merchant of record) is worth the fee.
If you're still unsure, start on the App Store for the discovery and the simplicity, and add a direct build later once you know what your customers ask for.
Whichever you pick
You still need a website: it ranks on Google, collects emails, hosts your changelog and support page and is what blogs and directories link to. And you still need to be listed where Mac users look for apps. Submit your app to NativeShelf and see our launch checklist for the rest of the plan.
Summary
The Mac App Store trades a commission and some freedom for payments, updates and reach. Direct distribution trades admin work for margin, control and a relationship with your customers. Pick based on whether your app can be sandboxed, how you want to price it and how much of the business side you want to run yourself, and don't be afraid to do both.