# Update Scout > Update Scout scans the apps you installed outside the Mac App Store, finds the newest release from the right source, and installs it safely — with signature checks, backups, and one‑click Update All. Update Scout is a native macOS app that finds and installs updates for the apps you got outside the Mac App Store. Safe, accurate, and private. Sparkle, Homebrew, and vendor sources in one place. - **Buy:** [Buy on Gumroad](https://updatescout.gumroad.com/l/updatescout) — $9.99 introductory price (one‑time purchase, Normally $14.99) - **Platform:** macOS 14 Sonoma+ · Universal (Apple silicon & Intel) · not on the Mac App Store - **Languages:** English, Deutsch, Español, Français - **HTML:** https://updatescout.app/ ## Everything you need to stay current Update Scout combines the update metadata already inside your apps with trusted vendor and Homebrew sources — then picks the safest action for each one. - **Scans everywhere apps live** — /Applications, ~/Applications, and your own custom folders, including apps nested in subfolders. Mac App Store apps, Chrome web apps, and Steam shortcuts are skipped automatically. - **Five sources, one window** — Sparkle appcasts, built-in vendor pages, installed Homebrew Casks, and the full Homebrew Cask catalog — each app is matched to the best available source. - **Safe by design** — Notarized downloads, checksum and code‑signature verification, macOS authorization only when required, and atomic replacement with rollback. Passwords are never collected by the app. - **Accurate, not noisy** — Smart version matching understands packaging quirks from Android Studio, Microsoft Office, Plex, and Zoom, so you don't get false “update available” alerts. - **Update All in one click** — Update every compatible app together — up to three concurrent downloads with live progress, cancellation, and clear per‑app results. - **Backups & history** — Each replaced app is retained as a restorable backup for as long as you like, and every attempt is recorded in a searchable update history. - **Checks on your schedule** — Check hourly, every six hours, daily, or weekly. Get a notification when updates arrive, live in the menu bar, and launch at login. - **Private and native** — A fast SwiftUI app with no Electron, no accounts, and no telemetry. Update Scout talks to vendor feeds — never to us. - **Fully localized & accessible** — Complete English, German, Spanish, and French interfaces with VoiceOver labels, full keyboard control, and locale-aware dates and sizes. ## Why Update Scout beats the alternatives Checking each app by hand is slow. Single‑source tools miss half your apps. Update Scout was built to be thorough and safe. - **More apps covered** — Tools that only read Homebrew, or only Sparkle, miss everything else. Update Scout combines all of them, so far more of your apps get real, automatic checks. - **Fewer false alarms** — Naive version comparison flags updates that aren't real. Update Scout's matching rules understand packaging variants, so “up to date” actually means up to date. - **Real safety, not blind downloads** — It verifies checksums and the app's existing signing identity, keeps macOS quarantine intact, backs up what it replaces, and asks for admin rights only when the destination truly needs it. - **You stay in control** — Choose the update method per app, ignore or snooze a release, or open the vendor page yourself. Nothing is forced, and running apps are never force‑quit. - **Respects Homebrew** — Apps you installed with Homebrew are upgraded with Homebrew, using the official API for fresh version data. Update Scout never fights your package manager. - **Native, fast, private** — Built entirely in SwiftUI for macOS. It launches instantly, feels at home, and keeps your list of apps on your Mac. ## Why Update Scout isn't on the Mac App Store Every app on the Mac App Store must run inside the App Sandbox — a strict container that blocks it from reaching other applications, running command‑line tools, or modifying anything in /Applications. Update Scout's entire job depends on exactly those abilities: 1. **Reads and replaces other apps** — It inspects app bundles across /Applications and ~/Applications and atomically replaces them when you update. The sandbox forbids touching other apps. 2. **Runs Homebrew** — It runs brew upgrade --cask for apps you installed with Homebrew. Sandboxed apps can't launch command‑line tools like this. 3. **Drives other apps' updaters** — It hands control to each app's own Sparkle updater for signature checks and installation. That cross‑app coordination isn't allowed in the sandbox. 4. **Requests admin authorization** — Installing into protected locations uses the standard macOS administrator prompt — a privileged operation the App Store doesn't permit. So Update Scout is distributed directly, the way pro Mac tools have always been: notarized by Apple, signed with a Developer ID, and updated through its own signed Sparkle feed. You get the same trust checks — without the sandbox that would make the app impossible. ## Simple, one‑time pricing Buy once. Own it. Updates are free. — $9.99 introductory price (Normally $14.99, one‑time purchase). - Unlimited apps and update checks - All five update sources - Update All, backups & history - Free updates via signed Sparkle feed - English, German, Spanish & French [Buy on Gumroad](https://updatescout.gumroad.com/l/updatescout) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is this a one‑time purchase or a subscription? One‑time. You buy Update Scout once and own that version, and app updates are free through the built‑in signed update feed. ### Which of my apps can it update? Any app you installed outside the Mac App Store that exposes a supported source: a Sparkle appcast, an installed Homebrew Cask, a match in the Homebrew Cask catalog, or a supported vendor page. App Store apps are managed by the App Store and are skipped. ### Do I need Homebrew? No. Homebrew is optional — it's only used to detect and upgrade apps you installed with Homebrew. Everything else works without it. ### Is it safe to let it update my apps? Yes. Update Scout verifies checksums and each app's existing code‑signing identity, keeps macOS quarantine and trust intact, backs up the app it replaces, and asks for administrator rights only when a protected location requires it. It never collects your password and never runs arbitrary scripts. ### Why isn't it on the Mac App Store? An app that updates other apps needs to read and replace bundles in /Applications, run Homebrew, and drive other apps' updaters — none of which is allowed inside the App Sandbox the App Store requires. It's distributed directly and notarized by Apple instead. ### Does it run on Apple silicon and Intel? Yes. Update Scout is a universal binary and runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. ### How does Update Scout update itself? Through its own signed Sparkle feed. Updates are cryptographically verified before they install, just like the trusted apps it checks for you. --- Keep every Mac app up to date — even outside the App Store. Other languages: [English](https://updatescout.app/index.md) · [Español](https://updatescout.app/es/index.md) · [Français](https://updatescout.app/fr/index.md) · [Deutsch](https://updatescout.app/de/index.md) _Sample data shown for illustration. App names and icons are trademarks of their respective owners and do not imply any endorsement._