Updating your Mac is straightforward when software comes from Apple: macOS has Software Update, and the App Store lists updates for apps distributed through its store. The friction starts with apps you install directly from developers. Each one may have its own update menu, schedule, download page, or package manager. That means there is no single built-in place to see every third-party app that has a newer version.
This is a workflow problem, not a claim that Apple’s tools are broken. Apple says the App Store tracks updates for apps purchased with your Apple Account, while software distributed outside the App Store is managed by its developer. Both routes work; they simply live in different places.
Why the usual workflow gets tiring
- Updates are scattered. You may check the App Store, several apps’ own menus, Homebrew, and a few developer download pages.
- Each updater behaves differently. One app installs quietly, another asks you to quit, and another opens a browser or installer.
- You have to remember to look. If an app only checks when opened or you dismiss its reminder, it can stay out of date until you check again.
- It can be hard to judge a download. When updates come from different vendor feeds and download formats, users may not know what is being checked or what happens if installation fails.
What Current changes
Current puts supported app updates and command-line tools in one list. It checks for updates through the app’s own Sparkle or Electron feed, Homebrew’s catalog, and the App Store. App Store apps still open in Apple’s App Store to install; Current doesn’t bypass Apple’s process. Homebrew formulae and global npm packages appear alongside apps, and Current can check daily and notify you.
Before installing a supported app update, Current checks that it comes from the same developer, validates Apple notarization and available signatures or checksums, confirms macOS and processor compatibility, and verifies that the version is actually newer. It keeps the prior app until its final check passes, so it can restore the old copy if that check fails. These checks help catch common problems; they cannot guarantee that every app update is free of bugs.
What Current leaves to the right tool
Some apps use private or company-managed update systems. Current shows organization-managed apps but leaves them alone by default, and it does not claim to update every app. App Store installation remains in the App Store. An app with no supported update source may still need its own updater. That is intentional: a clear limitation is better than pretending every package can be safely replaced.
When Current may be a fit
If you update only App Store apps, Apple’s built-in updater may be all you need. If you want one place for supported third-party apps and command-line tools, with explicit checks before installation and a recovery path afterward, Current brings those steps together. It is a one-time purchase, requires macOS 15 or later, and supports Intel and Apple silicon.
Read the updater comparison or see Current’s pricing.