For a long time, Setapp was an easy way to get more out of my Mac. One subscription gave me access to a collection of applications, covering a lot from file management and window controls to PDF compression, screenshots, and system monitoring.

It was convenient. Instead of buying individual applications, I could try different tools and find the ones that fitted my workflow.

But convenience comes with a trade-off: dependency on a subscription.

I started asking myself a simple question: How many of the applications I use every day do I actually need to pay for?

That question led me down a rabbit hole of free and open-source software (FOSS), alternative applications, command-line tools, and a few changes to the way I work.

The subscription problem

There is nothing inherently wrong with paying developers for good software. Quite the opposite: good software takes time, skill, and ongoing maintenance. Developers deserve to be paid for their work.

My concern is different.

With a subscription, I am not just paying for an application. I am paying for continued access to it. If I cancel, I may lose access to tools that have become part of my daily workflow. Prices can change, licensing terms can change, and an application can disappear from the catalogue.

Subscriptions also make it easy to accumulate software that is useful occasionally but hardly essential.

I wanted to understand which tools I genuinely depended on, which could be replaced without much effort, and which were worth paying for independently.

Auditing my Setapp collection

I started by looking at the applications I actually used rather than searching for alternatives to every app in the catalogue.

My collection covered a surprisingly broad range of tasks.

Category	Setapp application	Alternative I explored
PDF compression	PDF Squeezer	Ghostscript
Preventing sleep	Lungo	KeepingYouAwake
Keyboard shortcuts and automation	BetterTouchTool	Hammerspoon
Menu bar management	Bartender	Ice, Hidden Bar
Mac maintenance	CleanMyMac	AppCleaner, OnyX, Pearcleaner
Media playback	Elmedia Player	IINA, VLC
Video downloads	Downie	yt-dlp
File management	ForkLift	Nimble Commander, Double Commander
Git client	Gitfox	GitAhead, Tig
Markdown preview	Marked	MacDown, ghostwriter
Archive management	BetterZip	PeaZip
Duplicate detection	Gemini	Czkawka
Advanced Finder replacement	Path Finder	Nimble Commander, Double Commander
System monitoring	iStat Menus	Stats
Font management	Typeface	Font Manager
Screen recording and screenshots	Capto	OBS Studio, Kap
Text selection shortcuts	PopClip	espanso, Hammerspoon

This list immediately revealed something important: many of the tasks I had been paying for did not require a commercial application at all.

Some could be handled by mature open-source applications. Others could be handled by command-line utilities. A few required reconsidering the workflow itself.

The replacements that make the most sense

1. Video downloads: Downie → yt-dlp

One of the clearest examples is Downie.

Downie provides a polished graphical interface for downloading online video. The open-source alternative, yt-dlp, is a powerful command-line downloader that supports a huge range of websites.

On macOS, it can be installed with Homebrew:

brew install yt-dlp

A basic download looks like this:

yt-dlp "VIDEO_URL"

There is a learning curve, and the graphical convenience of Downie is hard to deny. But for someone comfortable with the terminal, yt-dlp is exceptionally capable.

Of course, downloads should respect copyright, platform terms, and any applicable access restrictions.

2. Duplicate detection: Gemini → Czkawka

Duplicate files are a recurring problem, particularly when working with photographs, downloads, and archives.

Czkawka is an open-source tool for finding duplicate files, similar images, empty folders, and other unnecessary data. It is available for macOS as well as Linux and Windows.

It is a particularly appealing replacement because it addresses a concrete task without requiring a subscription.

3. System monitoring: iStat Menus → Stats

I like knowing what my computer is doing. CPU load, memory usage, temperatures, and network activity are useful information, not merely decorative statistics.

Stats provides an open-source way to monitor many of the same system metrics on macOS.

It may not replicate every widget, sensor integration, or customization offered by iStat Menus. Nevertheless, it covers the essentials for many workflows.

4. Media playback: Elmedia Player → IINA

IINA is a modern macOS media player built around mpv. It combines a Mac-oriented interface with broad media-format support.

VLC remains another dependable option.

For my purposes, this is the kind of switch that makes the decision straightforward: I can play my media without needing a subscription-based application.

5. Window management and automation: BetterTouchTool → Hammerspoon

This is a more nuanced case.

BetterTouchTool is a polished application with extensive support for trackpads, keyboard shortcuts, window management, and other input devices.

Hammerspoon takes a different approach. It exposes macOS functionality through Lua scripting, allowing me to define shortcuts, move windows, automate actions, and build custom behaviour.

For example, I can use keyboard shortcuts to position windows on the left or right half of the current monitor, maximize windows, or move them between displays.

The advantage is flexibility and transparency. The disadvantage is that I have to implement and maintain some of the behaviour myself.

This is not a universal replacement for BetterTouchTool. It is a better fit for someone who enjoys configuring their own environment.

7. Archive management, screenshots, and the smaller utilities

Other applications have viable alternatives, too.

**Bartender → Ice or Hidden

BetterZip → PeaZip: open-source archive management, although macOS integration and workflow details differ.

Capto → OBS Studio or Kap: OBS is especially useful for recording and streaming; Kap offers a simpler recording workflow.