Privacy policy

macappia is a catalog of Mac apps. You do not need an account to use it, and we do not show ads. This page explains the little data the site does handle.

The short version

• No accounts, no newsletters, no ad networks, no third-party analytics or tracking scripts.
• We keep what you search for and which app you open, without your name or IP address, to make search better.
• Search text is sent to an AI service to understand it. Please do not type personal information into the search.
• Questions or requests: [email protected].

What we collect and why

Searches. The text you search for, the tasks it was matched to, the number of results, and which app (if any) you opened from the results. We use this to improve matching and to find tasks the catalog is missing. It is not linked to your IP address, a cookie or an account.

Links to stores. When you follow a link to Setapp or the Mac App Store, we record which app it was, the page you came from and your country (as provided by our network provider, Cloudflare). We do not store your IP address for this. It tells us which pages are useful and lets us account for affiliate commissions.

Session and security. The site sets two cookies that are needed for it to work: a session cookie and a security token (XSRF-TOKEN) that protects forms. The session record on our server includes your IP address and browser user agent and is deleted after it expires (about two hours of inactivity).

Server and network logs. Like any website, our servers and Cloudflare process IP addresses and request details to deliver pages, stop abuse and limit how many searches can be made per minute. These logs are kept only for a short time.

In your browser. The map page remembers whether you prefer the map or the list in your browser’s local storage. It never leaves your device.

Email. If you write to us, we keep the conversation so we can reply and follow up. We do not add you to any mailing list.

Services that process data for us

• Cloudflare — network delivery, security and storage for images (icons and screenshots).
• OpenRouter — routes the text of a new search to an AI model so we can understand it. Only the search text is sent, nothing that identifies you. Each new search is sent once; repeats are answered from our own cache.
• Our hosting provider — runs the servers and database.

We do not sell or rent personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers.

Stores and affiliate links

Some links to Setapp are affiliate links. Once you leave macappia, the store’s own privacy policy applies, and the store may use cookies to know that you came from us. We never receive your payment or account details.

Legal basis

If you are in the EU, UK or a similar jurisdiction: we process the data above on the basis of our legitimate interest in running, securing and improving a free website. The session and security cookies are strictly necessary, so they do not need consent.

Your rights

You can ask what we hold about you, ask for a correction or deletion, or object to processing. Because searches and clicks are not tied to a name or address, we usually cannot single out your records, but tell us what you searched for and when, and we will do our best. Write to [email protected]. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.

Children

macappia is not directed at children under 13 (16 in some countries), and we do not knowingly collect their data.

Changes

If what we collect changes, we will update this page and the date at the top.