AltStore for iPhone in EU Will Have Apps Backed By Patreon

With iOS 17.4, Apple began supporting alternative app marketplaces in the European Union, and the first of these stores will be launching soon to give consumers new ways to install apps without having to use the App Store.

App Store vs EU Feature 2
Developer Riley Testut, known for Game Boy Advance emulator GBA4iOS, is working on AltStore, one of several alternative app marketplaces. As noted by TechCrunch, app marketplaces like AltStore will be able to monetize in ways that aren't currently possible. AltStore will accept payment through Patreon rather than making money through paid apps or ads.

To use the first AltStore apps developed by Testut, customers will need to pledge $1 to $3 per month through Patreon. Video game emulator Delta will initially be free, and clipboard manager Clip will require a pledge of $1. Later, beta versions of Delta and Clip will require $3 per month to download and use.


With Patreon, Testut is able to offer subscription-based pricing that does not provide a 15 to 30 cut to Apple. Patreon collects between five and eight percent of income earned, depending on Patreon join date, plus a payment processing fee that ranges from three to five percent.

Patreon's fees come in below Apple's fees, but should an AltStore app see more than one million first annual installs in a year, Apple will charge a 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee for each additional app install. The Core Technology Fee (CTF) makes it risky for free apps to be distributed through alternative app marketplaces, but Apple recently said that it is working on a solution to avoid bankrupting free apps that go viral and rack up too much in fees.

After AltStore launches and Testut has it working properly, other developers will be able to distribute their apps through it as well. They'll have the option of using Patreon like Testut does for his apps, or another alternative. Patreon has the benefit of providing reward tiers, exclusive blog posts for subscribers, and other alternative content, plus subscriber numbers can be capped to avoid Apple's CTF.

Testut plans to launch the AltStore as soon as he gets final approval from Apple, and as with all alternative app marketplaces, it will be limited to the European Union. Apps can only be installed through alternative means on the iPhone, not the iPad, and only in eligible European countries. There are no ‌App Store‌ changes for the rest of the world to allow for alternative app installation.

Last week, the European Commission (EC) opened a non-compliance investigation into Apple to determine if the changes that it made are sufficient to meet the demands of the Digital Markets Act. Apple could be forced to change some of its rules or change the Core Technology Fee if the EC decides that Apple's updates do not go far enough.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...

Top Rated Comments

antnythr Avatar
19 months ago
I’m just looking forward to the day developers can host their own open source applications and I can just download the IPA and drag-and-drop it to my iPhone in Finder, the same way I install applications on my Mac.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scorpio vega Avatar
19 months ago
Pass. App Store is fine for me.

Definitely not using Patreon.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacHeritage Avatar
19 months ago
This is certainly a different take but I don't do subscriptions.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iOS Geek Avatar
19 months ago
Having 3rd party app stores is really looking like a crapshow. Saw that coming a mile away. More of a garbage experience than anything else. Really struggling to see ANY sort of benefit from this bs mandate.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SW3029 Avatar
19 months ago
lol. hard pass.

look, this alternative app store thing is going to go like this: Less than 1% of iPhone users who can install alternative app stores on their iPhone will. 100% of everyday, ordinary iPhone users who don't read MacRumors or tech blogs do not give a **** about alternative app stores. Apple's App Store will be the only one they ever use.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madmin Avatar
19 months ago
Thanks but if it's all the same with you I'd rather not be monetized
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)