AltStore PAL now free, thanks to grant from Epic Games

Third-party iOS app store AltStore PAL is now free of charge, following a grant provided by Epic Games.

This means there will be no annual subscription fee for new users, and existing subscribers to the EU app store will not be charged when their renewal falls due …

About AltStore PAL

AltStore originally launched back in 2019, using a workaround to allow iPhone users apps from outside the official App Store.

It got a whole new lease of life when EU antitrust legislation required Apple to permit third-party app stores, relaunching as AltStore PAL. This was originally limited to apps from its own developer, Riley Testut, but third-party apps were added a few weeks ago.

Apple’s terms for unofficial app stores require developers to pay a Core Technology Fee (CTF) of €0.50 per year, and Testut was passing this and other expenses on to users as an annual subscription of €1.50

AltStore PAL now free

The company announced that Epic Games has now offered the company a grant, which it will use to cover the CTF. That means it will no longer have to charge a subscription.

GOOD NEWS EU 🇪🇺 For innovation in app distribution, Epic Games has granted us a MegaGrant grant that we plan to use to cover Apple’s Core Technology Fee going forward — and we won’t take it for granted!

What does this mean? AltStore PAL is now FREE — no subscription necessary 🎉

It said that existing subscribers don’t need to take any action: They will not be charged when their subscription renews.

Testut also says the company plans to “show our appreciation for our existing subscribers in a future update,” though we don’t yet know what form this will take.

9to5Mac’s Take

While the subscription was very cheap, it still posed a barrier to installing the app store. By removing it, those who fall into the “not sure what it’s all about but am curious” category are now likely to do so.

On the Epic Games side, it’s good PR at a very low cost. Indeed, the cost may even turn out to be nothing at all. The EU has already announced that it isn’t satisfied with Apple’s new terms, and has opened an investigation into potential non-compliance with its antitrust legislation.

The CTF is central to this investigation, and may well be deemed illegal. If so, Epic’s grant might end up being zero.

Image: AltStore