Christian Tietze: We started selling direct almost 15 years ago, and even while distributing in the Mac App Store, our software has always been available direct. I certainly recommend that every developer sell direct via their site, and then consider other venues like the App Store.

ruurd: Given that we were already selling direct, there was essentially no extra cost for us. Further, as others have pointed out, setting up direct distribution and sales is tremendously inexpensive. It's certainly far, far less than Apple's 30%.

Aristotle: It's certainly worth considering what it costs to sell direct. That said, payment processing ranges from about 3-8%, while site hosting (which anyone trying to earn money ought to do anyway), even with downloads, is tremendously cheap. The cost is much lower than Apple's 30%.

Victor: In our case, due to Apple's restrictions, we couldn't provide the quality product we felt our customers deserved. That was the reason Piezo left the Mac App Store. Being outside the store, we can ship bug fixes and new features immediately, rather than waiting days, or even weeks, for Apple's review process. As far as Sparkle goes, it's worked perfectly for us (and literally thousands of other developers) for many years. It can be configured to update automatically if you like, or kept off if you don't (like germ). Transmission's issues had nothing to do with Sparkle itself.

rfistman: The trend has certainly been apps leaving the store, rather than joining it.

Lukas: I don't know that the problem is unique to Apple. It's more a matter of inserting a middleman where one isn't really needed. Even if Apple's cut were 20%, or lower, the benefits to us would not be tremendous.

Gerhard: Piezo had been in the Mac App Store since way back at the end of 2011, so it had more than four years' worth of sales, both direct and MAS-based. Our own userbase has been growing since we got started in 2002. The Mac userbase, well, I guess we don't know enough to comment on. Apple sold however many million new Macs, but how many actual new Mac users were there?

Ultimately, while I'm sure that a few more people heard of us in 2016-2017 than in 2015-2016, it's unlikely that had any noticeable impact on sales.

Zac: This sort of feeling is certainly why we were there in the first place. Some customers wish to buy via the Mac App Store, so we attempted to make it work. Ultimately, however, Apple's restrictions forced Piezo out.

That said, any small company can easily set up their own website and downloads with minimal work. They can also get payment processing setup, via one of many well-known and secure services. Users really shouldn't hesitate to purchase from a small company, any more than you'd hesitate to use your credit card in a small business.

atom: We certainly agree with keeping systems free and open. If users choose to only use the Mac App Store, that's unfortunate, but it's up to them. If Apple or Microsoft ever force users to only use their stores, that will truly be terrible.

NightHawk: The ability to provide a free trial when distributing directly is of great benefit to customers and users alike. We always encourage users to try before they buy, and we're glad that's possible.

Noah: You're definitely not alone in that regard. Here's hoping that the platform remains open and free for users and developers.