In this guide
Before you start.
- Setapp bills you directly through MacPaw rather than through an app store, so the cancellation lives in your Setapp account on the web. Its mobile listing sells no in-app purchases.
- Setapp states that uninstalling Setapp does not terminate a subscription. Removing the app from your Mac leaves the billing running.
- There is no pause. Setapp states there is no way to freeze your subscription and then defrost it later, that the alternative is to cancel and then renew, that both steps are quick and that there are no extra fees for reactivating.
- Cancel before the end of the current billing period. Setapp states this explicitly as the way to avoid the next charge.
- If you might want a refund, do not open any apps. Setapp states a refund requires that you did not install or open any app from Setapp during the billing period you are applying for, and that opening a downloaded app means you cannot claim a refund. It notes you can open the Setapp desktop itself to get information about apps or remove them without affecting eligibility.
- Note the refund windows: Setapp states 30 days after the last payment for annual subscriptions and one-time purchases, and 14 days for all other subscriptions, with the same 14 days covering monthly, two month, three month and six month billing periods.
- Setapp states that software purchased from a third party must be returned to the third party and is subject to the return policies of that particular reseller.
- On a trial, know what happens if you do nothing. Setapp states the default Mac plan applies unless you changed it during the trial and that Setapp will charge you for the following billing period, with a 7 day free trial for new users.
- Setapp Mobile is gone. Setapp states that as of February 16, 2026 Setapp Mobile is no longer available, that all Setapp Mobile apps have been removed from the platform, and that data stored there needed to be transferred before that date. Setapp itself continues with macOS, iOS and web apps.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Setapp, step by step.
Cancel a paid Setapp subscription
This is the route for an active paid membership. Setapp bills it directly, so the control is in your account rather than in a store.
- Sign in to your Setapp account on the web.
- Go to the Subscription page.
- Click Manage subscription.
- Click Cancel subscription at the bottom of the page.
- Choose answers in the cancellation survey, then confirm your action.
- Check the account shows the subscription ending, and note the last day of the current billing period.
Setapp states your account will be active until the end of the current billing period, and that when the account is deactivated the Setapp desktop and its apps will still be installed on your Mac but you will not be able to use them.
Cancel a Setapp trial before it charges
The trial has its own button, and it disappears the moment the trial converts. Setapp offers new users a 7 day free trial.
- Go to the Subscription page of your Setapp account.
- Click Cancel trial at the bottom of the page.
- Choose answers in the short cancellation survey, then confirm your action.
- Complete the whole flow and look for the confirmation that your trial has been cancelled: Setapp notes it may suggest a solution based on your answers before you get there.
- If the Cancel trial button is not there, the trial has already converted: use the Cancel subscription steps instead.
Setapp states the Cancel trial button is unavailable when your trial usage ends and your paid subscription starts. It also states that cancelling the trial is free of charge, and that after the 7 day trial Setapp and its apps will no longer be available.
Change the plan instead of cancelling
Worth considering if the membership is useful but the tier is wrong. Setapp sells plans covering one Mac, iOS devices and combinations of both.
- Go to your Setapp account, then Purchases, then Setapp Membership, then Subscription.
- Click View plans.
- Use Save 10% annually to see how the monthly price changes if you pay annually, or Add AI plus to see the AI plans.
- Click Get started, then Continue to finish the change.
- Check the new plan and billing period are shown on the Subscription page.
Setapp states the default plan is Mac, which gives access to all Setapp apps on one Mac, and that to use mobile apps on an iPhone or iPad you need a plan that includes slots for iOS devices.
Request a Setapp refund
Only worth attempting if you meet all three conditions Setapp lists, because opening a single app disqualifies the claim.
- Cancel the subscription first: Setapp states this is one of the three conditions.
- Confirm you did not install or open any app from Setapp in the billing period you are claiming for.
- Check you are inside the window: Setapp states 30 days after the last payment for annual subscriptions and one-time purchases, and 14 days for all other subscriptions.
- Submit a support ticket to Setapp's Customer Support Team with the account email and the payment date.
- Note that Setapp states you can always reactivate your subscription, even if you have previously applied for a refund.
Setapp states refund eligibility may vary depending on your country of residence, that refunds requested after the available period will not be issued unless the transaction was subject to a fraudulent purchase, and that it does not offer refunds or credits for price differences when an item is later discounted.
What happens next?
- Access runs to the last day you paid for. Setapp states your account will be active until the end of the current billing period, so you can still use your subscription until its last day.
- The apps stay on the disk but stop working. Setapp states that when your account is deactivated, the Setapp desktop and its apps will still be installed on your Mac or device, but you will not be able to use them.
- Uninstalling is a separate step and not a cancellation. Setapp documents removing Setapp desktop with or without its apps as its own process, and states that uninstalling does not terminate a subscription.
- Files you created in those apps are your own documents and stay on your Mac, but the app that opens them will no longer run without a licence.
- There is no freeze. Setapp states there is no way to suspend a subscription temporarily, and that cancelling and renewing later is the alternative with no extra fees for reactivating.
- A refund is not automatic. Setapp states it requires a cancelled subscription, no apps installed or opened in the billing period claimed for, and a request inside 30 days for annual and one-time purchases or 14 days for other subscriptions.
- Setapp states that as of February 16, 2026 Setapp Mobile is no longer available and all its apps have been removed from the platform, so a subscription bought for that is a separate matter from the Setapp membership.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
I deleted Setapp from my Mac and I am still being charged
Setapp states it plainly: uninstalling Setapp does not terminate a subscription. Removing the application from your Mac has no effect on the billing, which lives in your Setapp account. Sign in on the web, go to the Subscription page, click Manage subscription and then Cancel subscription at the bottom.
There is no Cancel trial button on my Subscription page
The trial has already converted. Setapp states the Cancel trial button is unavailable when your trial usage ends and your paid subscription starts, and directs you to the cancel subscription instructions instead. It also states the default Mac plan applies after a trial unless you changed it, and that Setapp will charge you for the following billing period.
My refund request was refused
Check which of the three conditions failed. Setapp states a refund requires that you cancelled the subscription, that you did not install or open any app from Setapp in the billing period claimed for, and that you applied within 30 days for annual subscriptions and one-time purchases or 14 days for other subscriptions. Opening a single downloaded app is enough to disqualify the claim. Opening only the Setapp desktop itself does not.
Can I pause Setapp for a few months instead?
No, and Setapp says so directly: there is no way to freeze your subscription and then defrost it later. Its documented alternative is to cancel and renew when you need it again, and it states both steps are quick and there are no extra fees for reactivating. Cancel before the end of the current billing period so the next charge does not go through.
My Setapp Mobile apps stopped working
That product ended rather than your subscription failing. Setapp states that as of February 16, 2026 Setapp Mobile is no longer available, that all Setapp Mobile apps have been removed from the platform, and that data stored there needed to be transferred before that date, with access possibly no longer available afterwards. Setapp itself continues with macOS, iOS and web apps.
I bought a single app through Setapp and want to stop it
A single app is handled separately from the membership. Setapp documents single apps as either a subscription or a one-time purchase, and states that a single app may have a different trial period or no trial at all because each developer sets this independently. Check the Purchases area of your account for the specific item rather than assuming cancelling the membership covers it.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
How do I cancel my Setapp subscription?
Go to the Subscription page of your Setapp account, click Manage subscription, click Cancel subscription at the bottom of the page, answer the survey and confirm. Setapp states the account stays active until the end of the current billing period.
Does uninstalling Setapp cancel my subscription?
No. Setapp states that uninstalling Setapp does not terminate a subscription. The cancellation has to be done in your Setapp account on the web, and uninstalling is a separate action.
What happens to the apps after Setapp ends?
Setapp states that when your account is deactivated, the Setapp desktop and its apps will still be installed on your Mac or device but you will not be able to use them. The documents you created with them stay on your Mac.
Can I get a refund from Setapp?
Only under strict conditions. Setapp states you must have cancelled the subscription, must not have installed or opened any app from Setapp in the billing period claimed for, and must apply within 30 days for annual subscriptions and one-time purchases or 14 days for all other subscriptions.
Does Apple bill my Setapp subscription?
No. Setapp bills directly through its own account system, and its mobile listing sells no in-app purchases, so the subscription will not appear in your Apple subscriptions list. Setapp states that software purchased from a third party must be returned to that reseller under their policies.
Provider resources
- Setapp: cancel subscription
- Setapp: cancel trial
- Setapp: refund policy
- Setapp: request a refund
- Setapp: can I suspend my subscription temporarily
- Setapp: free trial period
- Setapp: Setapp Mobile sunset
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Setapp. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
