Bohemian Coding, the developer behind the popular Mac design app Sketch, has announced that it will be pulling the app from the Mac App Store. While users who purchased through the Mac App Store will of course be able to continue using the app, it will no longer be updated through the store.
As for why Sketch is leaving the store, Bohemian provided the following explanation on the Sketch blog:
There are a number of reasons for Sketch leaving the Mac App Store—many of which in isolation wouldn't cause us huge concern. However as with all gripes, when compounded they make it hard to justify staying: App Review continues to take at least a week, there are technical limitations imposed by the Mac App Store guidelines (sandboxing and so on) that limit some of the features we want to bring to Sketch, and upgrade pricing remains unavailable.
The developers hope that by offering Sketch directly will lead to a better overall user experience.
If you purchased Sketch on the Mac App Store, and wish to switch to Bohemian Coding's direct download, you won't need to purchase the app again. Simply download the app from the developer, replace the App Store version in your Applications folder, and enter your email address to receive your license key. If you're a new Sketch user, by the way, you can get a free trial of the app from Bohemian Coding, after which you'll need to pay $99.
You can read more about the decision at the link below.
Source: Sketch blog
Reader comments
Bohemian Coding pulls its Sketch design app from the Mac App Store
Translation: "We don't want to pay the 30% App Store fees anymore."