Alternative App Store Altstore Raises $6m, Connects With The Fediverse

The third-party app shop known arsenic AltStore, 1 of nan first companies to connection an replacement app marketplace successful nan European Union, is preparing to link its level pinch nan unfastened societal web known arsenic nan fediverse.

The move would link users connected different unfastened societal apps, for illustration Mastodon aliases Meta’s Threads, pinch updates from their favourite apps successful a caller way.

In addition, nan startup is announcing its first backing information from extracurricular investors, pinch a $6 cardinal Series A from Pace Capital. The woody gives nan task patient a 15% equity liking successful AltStore and will let nan institution to prosecute a squad beyond its co-founders, Riley Testut and Shane Gill.

Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, a fediverse backer, is besides now joining nan startup’s board.

The founders opportunity nan caller superior will thief them to capitalize connected nan imaginable for replacement app stores some successful nan EU and beyond arsenic caller title laws are passed. Already, nan startup has plans to bring its storefront to markets including Australia, Brazil, and Japan this year. To do so, nan institution needed to bring connected much staff, which nan caller costs now allow.

ScreenshotImage Credits:AltStore

AltStore has seen notable maturation since nan EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) opened up title successful nan app shop market, forcing tech giants for illustration Apple to licence caller rivals to operate. While nan startup offers its ain third-party apps, led by video crippled emulator Delta, it began adding different third-party apps successful June 2024. This included nan virtual instrumentality app UTM, a move that pressured Apple to unfastened up its ain App Store to let virtual machines.

AltStore besides collaborated pinch Epic Games successful August of past twelvemonth to bring Fortnite and different mobile games to its EU storefront, AltStore PAL. The institution besides entered nan big app marketplace this twelvemonth pinch nan determination to big an app called Hot Tub, which was nan first iOS app for pornography and is now its apical app.

In April, AltStore began allowing developers to self-publish their apps for free connected AltStore PAL, prompting further growth.

AltStore’s founders told TechCrunch that nan shop now has complete 100 developers connected board, which is much than Epic Games offers connected its replacement games store, for comparison. AltStore, which is not constricted to games, attracts a assortment of developers, including indies who want to put retired apps much arsenic good arsenic those who wouldn’t meet Apple’s stricter requirements, for illustration its big contented restrictions.

Plus, developers for illustration that nan shop supports different types of business models, whether that’s a much accepted subscription aliases thing wherever users donate towards nan app’s development, for instance.

“We person hundreds of thousands of users,” AltStore co-founder Testut told TechCrunch successful an interview. “Wonderful and bully numbers.”

Now, alongside nan further funding, AltStore is launching its own Mastodon server, moving connected nan ActivityPub protocol, wherever users will beryllium capable to position app updates and caller accusation from nan sources they follow. Developers tin opt successful to person their app updates published to nan caller server.

“That means, if you person a Mastodon relationship aliases a Threads account, you could travel these accounts. You could travel nan root from our Mastodon server. Then, successful your timeline, you’d spot erstwhile location was an app update,” explains Testut.

Once opted in, these updates will beryllium automated by measurement of a JSON record pinch metadata. And this will output immoderate is successful nan AltStore to nan fediverse.

“It’s adding a societal layer,” said Testut. “People tin reply to apps from their Mastodon account. They tin for illustration worldly from their Threads account.” (Plus, nan scheme is to span nan work pinch nan unfastened societal ecosystem connected Bluesky, utilizing devices from nan nonprofit, A New Social.)

The work will besides thief pinch discoverability, arsenic users tin look to nan server and nan accounts it hosts to find apps they whitethorn want to try.

With nan further funds, AltStore wants to springiness backmost to nan ecosystem that will make its societal web possible.

To that end, it’s giving backmost $500,000 to various projects successful nan fediverse. So far, it’s donated Mastodon gGmbH ($300K), arsenic good arsenic Bridgy Fed by A New Social; Ivory + Phoenix by Tapbots; Tapestry by The Iconfactory; mstdn.social; Akkoma; PeerTube; Bookwyrm; and Fedify.