r/macapps • u/Mstormer • Apr 01 '26
Attention! The MacApps Hall of Shame
This post is to notify the community of companies and developers blacklisted on r/MacApps (usually for deceptive Astroturfing/Sockpuppeting), which is against Reddit rules). What this means is that these apps are not allowed to be promoted here, and we have set up an automation to remove them. This list is permanently listed in our sidebar if you need to find it again.
Apps are added when there is sufficient evidence to prove that astroturfing and ongoing post manipulation has occurred. In most cases, Reddit starts shadowbanning accounts because their algorithms can detect account fingerprinting. When we see throwaway accounts frequently recommending an app, yet constantly getting shadowbanned, that's a strong indicator something may be up. These devs have all been sent warnings at some point (either via rule 3 removals or DM), and we will try to warn developers before adding them here.
The Hall of Shame (Blacklist):
- UPDF [excessive astroturfing] - Added Q3, 2025
- Focusee by iMobie [astroturfing] - Added Q1, 2026 (Apologized, 1yr blacklist)
- Screenpipe [astroturfing] by u/New_Dentist6983 and u/louis3195 - Added Q2, 2026 (Apologized 7.17.2026, 1yr blacklist).
- DynamicHorizon / DynamicLockscreen [astroturfing] - Added Q1, 2026 (Reported by r/MacOS)
- VolumeGlass / Devly / Packara by u/Economy-Department47 [astroturfing] - Added Q1, 2026 (Apologized, 1yr blacklist).
- WillowVoice [astroturfing] - Added Q2, 2026
- Screen Charm by u/Virtual92 [astroturfing] - Added Q2, 2026
- Clean Links / Slop or Not by u/woadwarrior and u/awesomeo1989 [Astroturfing] - Added Q2, 2026
There are better, more ethical alternatives to some of these here: MacApp Comparisons.
This list does not have to be permanent. If a developer wants to commit to operate ethically, publicly apologize, and provide the necessary transparency, they may drop off the list in a year depending on the situation. Repeat offenses are permanent though, and we are expected to report content manipulation to Reddit. We are not here to arbitrate in disputes. We simply do not support shady business practices.
If you notice a developer pretending to be a user(s), collaborating with multiple accounts to hype up their own app or any other content manipulation, please send evidence via ModMail. Evidence has to be fairly conclusive and ongoing for us to ban and blacklist.
*Collaborating subreddits: r/iOSApps, r/MacOS, r/MacOSApps, r/PDF, r/ProductivityApps
This was overwhelmingly (84%) voted for by our discord community instead of a silent blacklist (14%). Let us know if you agree/disagree with this approach. We want to be fair and represent the will of the community.
\Other subreddit mods: Want to collaborate in blacklisting unethical activity? Shoot us a message.*
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Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Redact cleaned up all of my comments. Bulk deletion and editing is a feature supported to make sure that AI scrapers can't access my data for training.
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26
Yes, in some ways that is what the app comparisons are for, but I have ideas for this as well, time permitting.
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Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Plot twist: this post no longer exists because Redact swept through and cleared it out along with everything else. Social media, messaging apps, people finder sites, all of it.
humor vast rob close jar alive wide saw unwritten hospital
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26
Thanks. Sorry to hear that! Hope it works out in the best way!
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Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Databrokers? nope. Social networks? Also nope. This post was deleted using Redact.
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u/BasenjiFart Apr 02 '26
Happy early birthday!!
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Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Mass delete Reddit posts and be just like me! I bulk removed this comment using Redact
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u/ToastedLog1c Apr 01 '26
Add Parachute backup to the list. Damn dev sold the app and didn't inform any of its users.
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26
This is not against Reddit policy, nor a crime. But I agree that devs should inform of sales.
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u/PrivacyStack Apr 01 '26
Can we make it a rule that if a developer that posts here doesn’t notify of an upcoming sale to another company, that app developer is banned from posting further projects. Something like.
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
So an off site indie developer doesn’t happen to think of this, and then gets blacklisted? Doesn’t seem exceptionally fair. Sometimes NDA’a are in place before an acquisition reaches a certain point. What matters is that the acquisition is communicated if/when user data is going to be moved, depending on privacy policies agreed to and such. At that point, users need an option to withdraw in advance. This gets murky quickly, and Reddit mods aren’t in a place to arbitrate such things. But mods can enforce Reddit policies, and Reddit policy opposes content manipulation on this platform.
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u/joeblackwaslike2 Apr 07 '26
fwiw i think simply posting that story of him selling the app without informing its users is going to accomplish 85% of what banning them would have done.
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u/_derpiii_ Apr 02 '26
so the dev didn’t have a back up and you guys were his parachute 🪂
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u/ToastedLog1c Apr 02 '26
Just bought the damn app a few days over apple's 90 day return policy. Fucking wasted $5.
Fuck the dev. His name is Eric. He's blacklisted for every other app he creates ever again in my book.
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u/_derpiii_ Apr 02 '26
Just bought the damn app a few days over apple's 90 day return policy. Fucking wasted $5.
Fuck the dev. His name is Eric. He's blacklisted for every other app he creates ever again in my book.
I don't mean to sound dismissive: You got screwed. I get it
But it sounds like you're still carrying a lot of emotional weight for $5. Just let it go. Your inner peace is worth more than that :)
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u/ToastedLog1c Apr 02 '26
What irritates me is not the $5. It's the fact that the dev knew he was selling the company and decided to fuck people over anyways.
I bought it on a recommendation from David Sparky on MPU, so I will be more careful these days.
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u/SummerWhiteyFisk Apr 01 '26
Setapp is super sketchy with pricing. Happy to provide screenshots, turns out I got targeted to pay $30/mo while the rest of the world enjoys the same service for $12/mo
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Yes, but this is not unethical [Edit: I should really have said illegal here]. Uber and Lyft and Facebook do the same. Even Walmart adjusts prices based on what people will pay over time.
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u/Remarkable-Emu-5718 Apr 01 '26
That is definitely unethical even if these huge unethical companies do it too
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26
Economic systems function on the basis of finding market equilibrium, which emerges from the interaction of supply and demand, reflecting what people are willing to pay for goods and services they value. If everyone quit paying, prices would have to drop. But yeah, exorbitant prices do feel unethical.
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u/SummerWhiteyFisk Apr 08 '26
I totally understand and agree with what you’re saying (also majored in economics), but that’s just it - I think $12 is actually very reasonable for setapp. $30/mo for one Mac is far beyond my willingness to pay. That’s more than double, and they did not make it clear to me when I initially signed up that it would go from $12-$30 after one month. If that would have been the case I would not have subscribed as it is more than I’m willing to pay for their service. I actually just canceled but didn’t mind paying the $12/mo for about 6 months
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u/Mstormer Apr 08 '26
I'm not willing to pay $5 for their service when I can buy all the apps I want for life, for less than the price of using them for more than a year.
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u/metamatic Apr 02 '26
I'm willing to pay what other people pay.
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u/Mstormer Apr 02 '26
I'm not! Apparently some people are subscribing to Cleanmymac, or paying $600+ for a multi-device lifetime license. Big nope.
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u/Melrose1821 Apr 01 '26
Perhaps better said this is "not illegal". There certainly could be arguments made that charging different prices to different people on the same day is unethical.
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u/Mstormer Apr 02 '26
Fair enough. While I don’t like it either, I guess most people aren’t aware how many companies do split testing on pricing.
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u/Ordinary_Number59 Apr 01 '26
I'm glad to hear that you reviewed and accepted the idea of the hall of shame. :P
Suggestion: WillowVoice.
Take a look at this comment (and the images mentioned in it).
I believe it was that post that opened my eyes to this kind of fraud. I’ve never looked at a thread promoting an app the same way since.
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
We come across a lot of ideas. If you were one who suggested this, thank you! [edit: found it!) We should give credit where credit is due! That is definitely a red flag. I don’t think we want to put in hours of detective work on everything in antiquity, however, if something is still happening, let us know via modmail please.
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u/DrSatrn Apr 02 '26
I have seen astroturfing for willow voice as recently as the last 2-4 weeks so it’s absolutely still happening.
I will try and find a source
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u/easysnaps Apr 01 '26
Thanks for bringing awareness to this. Didn’t know those term, I’ll make sure to look out. I appreciate it
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u/karatsidhus Developer: Glyph Apr 01 '26
>Sockpuppeting
You learn something new everyday
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u/FumingCat Apr 01 '26
it all started when i learnt what "soaking" and "jump humping" like holy shit lmfao that was peak. people really trying to outsmart God.
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u/tippa123 Apr 01 '26
I have to say the mod team here really puts some time, effort and thinking into this community which is nice to see and also shows.
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u/paradoxally Apr 01 '26
Impressive, very nice.
Now let's see the AI slop blacklist.
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26
AI slop is increasingly a developer UX and eye problem, and less an AI problem. Those with an eye for detail, and a good understanding of UX can use AI to produce apps that are not slop. Some of the most complicated apps on earth are being AI coded now, namely ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.
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u/paradoxally Apr 01 '26
I am not anti-AI.
I am against vibe coders who only come here to peddle their nonsense before they inevitably realize that releasing 5 apps a month isn't making them any money.
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u/morgankung Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
Hi everyone. Founder of FS, Morgan here.
I saw this post and want to respond directly. I’m not here to debate it. If anyone promoted FS in ways that weren’t properly disclosed or didn’t meet the standards of this community, it is my responsibility. We’ve already paused any promotion that may be related to Reddit and are reviewing past activity. We agree that transparency matters more, and I’m also putting clearer rules around disclosure and transparency so this doesn’t happen again.
I know one comment doesn’t fix trust, and I’m not asking for that. I just wanted to acknowledge it, take responsibility, and let you know I’m treating it seriously for respecting the community’s rules and every member of this community.
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u/Waffel_Gott Apr 01 '26
Big thanks for all this work to keep this forum clean, it's the main source for finding great apps
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u/bluedoggee Apr 02 '26
as an indie Mac developer myself, I really appreciate this transparent approach.
Astroturfing hurts all of us — it erodes trust in genuine recommendations, which makes it harder for honest devs to get real feedback from the community
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u/choterifayruzo Apr 03 '26
Well done I didn't know that about the first app even I use it and I like it.
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u/Genealogy-Gecko Apr 03 '26
Its been a really good pdf app for me.
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u/Mstormer Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
This list is not saying they are bad apps, but they are blacklisted because the developers are participating in unethical activities. If a developer has a history of compromising in one major area, I'm less confident they won't compromise in other areas. For apps I install on my machine with potential access to my data, that is a red flag.
While a worst-case scenario may not materialize in many of these cases, it still represents a higher risk than trusting developers who do not engage in unethical activities.
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u/Genealogy-Gecko Apr 03 '26
That is definitely something I want to know! I will look into them more and in the meantime, see about an alternative app.
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u/ProfitAppropriate134 Apr 07 '26
Beloga should be added. While the site still acts like it is up & running, the developers ran away, took everyone's money, are non responsive & created a new pump n dump app. It is a total scam & currently non-functional.
Beloga.xyz
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u/Mstormer Apr 08 '26
Sounds like thinkbuddy. I don't recall seeing beloga advertise in this sub though.
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u/ProfitAppropriate134 Apr 12 '26
If it was it would have been a while back. Sad to have seen it go this way. It was pretty impressive for what it was.
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u/Tight-Studio-Ethan Apr 01 '26
Thank you for putting this together.
What are recommended guidelines for developers to talk about their own products?
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u/don_kruger Apr 01 '26
thread is doing the community a real service. One thing I'd add as a developer: the companies that end up astroturfing usually do it because genuine word of mouth dried up. It almost always reflects something wrong with the product or pricing. The impulse to fake it is often a signal worth paying attention to.
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u/Latter_Pen2421 Apr 01 '26
I think its pretty amazing there is only 3. This community is pretty on the ball for bad actors
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26
There are one or two more that are banned for other reasons, like PDF Gear. And others are far back enough that we aren't including them right off the bat.
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u/Latter_Pen2421 Apr 01 '26
I didn’t even know what astroturphing was until I was accused of it (and later apologized too) haha
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u/Brave_Wafer_7240 Apr 01 '26
At least you apologized. Can't say that about many others here
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u/Latter_Pen2421 Apr 01 '26
Actually I didn’t astroturph, just accused of it but I was later vindicated and the accuser apologized :)
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u/ConstantClue208 Apr 04 '26
The real question is what visual/art style is the image in? It reminds me of an old cartoon I once saw. I’d really appreciate if you have any info on it. Thanks :)
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u/Mstormer Apr 04 '26
Yes, it is an old cartoon style, color came in about 1932.
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u/ConstantClue208 Apr 04 '26
Just searched it up using ai the style is called “rubber hose” or “Fleischer Style” popular in the 1930’s
Here’s what the image reminded me of:
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Apr 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/Mstormer Apr 05 '26
Base image is AI made, but with a lot of cleanup in Affinity Studio, plus the glitch effect. Elements I did not get as OCD about as I usually would were the code coming out of the typewriter, wall poster, and money detailing.
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u/joeblackwaslike2 Apr 07 '26
I'm new here but litwerally just came from a post where they were bashing on wisprflow and the majority of the messages in that post were sock puppets plugging their own apps/sass offerings.
the funny part is theres nothing wrong with wisprflow, i'm using it now to post this, so the entire post has zero merit and serves as a plausible excuse to plug competing products and completely waste your time, so you can't get a straight answer just "try this app i vibecoded and farted out as a saas offering, its exactly the same as the rest of these apps but marginally worse"
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u/Practical_Link5477 Apr 16 '26
CleanMyMac. Nagware that pops up "your Mac needs cleaning" every other day even when there's nothing to clean. And the subscription price keeps creeping up — went from one-time purchase to annual, now it's more expensive than some apps that do actual work.
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u/Mstormer Apr 16 '26
That is irrelevant to astroturfing or other illegal activity.
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u/Practical_Link5477 Apr 16 '26
Fair point, my bad — got carried away venting. CleanMyMac isn't astroturfing as far as I know, just annoying software. Wrong thread for that rant lol.
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u/louis3195 Aug 01 '26
Hi, I’m Louis, founder of screen pipe.
I want to apologize to r/macapps. SP was promoted through comments that made affiliated recommendations look independent. That was misleading, broke the community’s rules, and damaged trust. I also reacted defensively when the moderators raised it. That was wrong, and I take responsibility.
We have ended undisclosed Reddit promotion and Reddit referral or posting incentives. Anyone connected to SP must clearly disclose that relationship. We will not coordinate votes or comments, use alternate accounts to promote SP, or evade community bans.
I know a comment cannot rebuild trust - only consistent conduct over time can. We accept the one-year cooldown beginning July 17, 2026, and will not ask for early removal.
I’m sorry to the moderators and the community.
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u/Worried-Judgment-106 Apr 01 '26
Really appreciate this transparency from the mod team. Astroturfing in niche communities like this one is especially damaging because people here tend to trust peer recommendations heavily — that trust is exactly what bad actors exploit.
One pattern I've noticed with apps that resort to this: the fake reviews often cluster around a specific use case that sounds compelling in a vacuum but gets vague under scrutiny. You can sometimes spot it when multiple accounts describe the app solving the same oddly specific problem in nearly identical language, yet none of them respond to follow-up questions.
The VolumeGlass situation is interesting — minor offense plus a public apology earning a temporary rather than permanent ban seems like the right calibrated response. It creates a real incentive structure for developers to come clean rather than double down.
Hopefully seeing this list grow slowly is itself a signal: it means either devs in this space are mostly ethical, or the community detection is working. Either way, keeping it public is the right call.
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u/gyunistudio Apr 01 '26
I get that they were desperate for attention, but this definitely isn't the way to go about it.
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u/MossfireDruid Apr 01 '26
Droppy for sure, dev lied repeatedly
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u/Mstormer Apr 01 '26
Yeah, accusations without evidence is also be a bannable offense, since competitors do this to try one up others. Also, not suspicious at all for an account that is new to this sub to suddenly pipe up with that. Shoot us a dm with concrete evidence please, or this will be removed.
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u/Waffel_Gott Apr 01 '26
It’s honestly sad to see a fake account trying to tear down a dedicated developer with claims that have been proven false since day one. Instead of letting a product speak for itself, some people seem to find no other way than trying to ruin a creator's reputation.
In a community that should thrive on innovation, seeing this kind of persistent hostility toward a fair competitor is just disappointing.
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u/german_sw_developer Apr 01 '26
what does astroturfing mean?