MacUpdater: Traditional update tool for the Mac seeks new home
If you do not obtain software from the App Store, you have to install updates for each Mac app individually. This is where the MacUpdater tool comes in.
MacUpdater from CoreCode: Soon it will be over, unless a buyer comes along.
(Image: MacUpdater / CoreCode)
CoreCode, developer of the MacUpdater tool that has been available for many years, including the website and database behind it, intends to stop working on the update tool for macOS by the end of the year. This was announced by the Malta-based company in a press release. Before then, the company will try to sell either the existing technology or the entire MacUpdater project, according to founder Julian Mayer.
Central update feature that macOS lacks
MacUpdater helps users to keep their Mac software up to date. If this was not obtained from Apple's own Mac App Store or alternative services such as SetApp, but downloaded from individual websites, macOS lacks a central update function. Although there is usually an automatic display for fresh versions in individual apps (often via the free Sparkle framework), you then have to install them manually. MacUpdater, on the other hand, has its own database of app updates and allows you to update via a single program.
The application can be used free of charge as a pure scanner for new updates (installation then manual), as a paid version (4.40 US dollars) this can also be automated. The database for the "one-click update" currently contains over 6000 apps, and version information is kept up to date for 100,000 apps. In addition to the standard version, there is also a Pro and Business version, which includes a command line tool and covers special cases such as audio plug-ins. Here you pay 10.27 dollars (Pro) or 10 euros (Business, per seat). All four versions of MacUpdater will be supported until January 1, 2026.
Sale as a whole project or in parts
According to Mayer, he was able to solve "the central technical challenges in the area of macOS app updating" with MacUpdater. He has built up the trust of tens of thousands of users within eight years. The problem: there is a lack of sustainable monetization without a subscription model, which Mayer does not want to implement himself. CoreCode estimates that a complete takeover of the project would generate around 300,000 euros per year in the form of a subscription service. "There are even greater opportunities for growth here if you go into the enterprise and corporate market, which has been virtually ignored to date." Alternatively, the MacUpdater technology can also be integrated into other tools, such as those from the MDM sector. CoreCode lists further details for interested buyers on its website.
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It is to be hoped that MacUpdater will end up in good hands – also because the app performs an important task on a Mac that is critical to security. Recently, there have been several purchases of well-known macOS apps by rather dubious providers. This can certainly be dangerous for users because they previously trusted an application (as a project by a smaller developer) and then granted it various rights. After all, Apple forces app developers to exchange the corresponding developer certificate in the event of a takeover by another identity – provided that the buyers comply with this.
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