The 3 Best AppSumo Alternatives

May 2020 Update: New marketplace added: View

We all love AppSumo!

The original pioneer of lifetime software deals has helped many bootstrapped businesses get to the next level of growth. But as good as they are, it is a big win for us all when more players enter the market so that we have a greater choice of software deals.

So in this post today we will look at three of the best AppSumo alternatives with one of them in particular that you should keep your eye on.

3 Best Alternatives

Here are the three best AppSumo alternatives who make the list not only for their range of products but also unique bonus and crowdsourcing initiatives. 

#1 StackSocial

Q: Why is StackSocial the #1 alternative to AppSumo?

A: StackSocial has the largest range of apps, courses and and technology of all the companies listed on this page.

For this reason Bootstrapps has become a featured StackSocial partner.

What else makes StackSocial special?

As already mentioned but bears further repeating is that StackSocial is the BIGGEST collection of technology and software deals at this moment and the margin is so big that I don't see AppSumo surpassing any time soon.

It truly is staggering how many deals are featured on StackSocial at any one time. Everyday we check, we see about 10 new deals which is what you might expect to see from AppSumo every month. Not all of these include apps and software as StackSocial has three different departments that comprise:

• StackSocial: All products including lifetime deals for software
• StackSkills: Training and courses (direct competitor to Udemy)
• Joyus and CitizenGoods: Women and mens fashion and technology

So in a sense StackSocial is more similar to a company like Groupon than AppSumo because of the wide variety of deals on offer. However it's not just quantity over quality as you will often see “big name” apps like NordVPN being featured.

Between Appsumo and StackSocial there is a real chance that your favorite app will be featured at some stage. (If not see option 3)

And if you missed an AppSumo deal they often appear back on StackSocial later. (So keep that in mind)

But there is one negative to StackSocial

And it's probably got a lot to do with their primary benefit of having so many deals at one time.

Whenever you are browsing deals on StackSocial you have to pay close attention to the terms of the deal.

I have often noticed that AppSumo negotiates a better deal for their audience.

An example was Viral Loops which on AppSumo had a generous plan that included 10,000 participants before you needed to upgrade. A short while later Viral Loops featured on StackSocial but only included 1,000 participants so effectively you were getting a 10x better deal from AppSumo.

The easy way around this if you see a better deal from AppSumo after buying the same app on StackSocial would be to sign up for a new account (using a different email address) as most of these deals require you to be a “new customer”.

But with that all said not all deals on StackSocial are worse than AppSumo but its good to keep this in mind before buying and making double sure the deal is not on AppSumo too and if it is double checking the terms and conditions for each platform.

Why is StackSocial like this?

I suppose this is a by-product of the sheer volume of StackSocial deals that they might not spend as much time on negotiation as the AppSumo team does.

I have however noticed that AppSumo is trying to play catch up with StackSocial by featuring more companies, so hopefully this doesn't impact the quality of their deals in future. 

Deals like MailPoet give me a quiet confidence…

Now if you visit the StackSocial website right now they probably will have something in the order of 1,000 deals live!

So with that in mind, I will only list the latest 10 deals now.

#2 PitchGround

Q: Why is PitchGround the #2 alternative to AppSumo?

A: PitchGround is a more direct competitor to AppSumo than what StackSocial is and through a combo of quality apps and the regularity of their deals they make this list at #2.

What else makes PitchGround special?

When you search for Appsumo on Google you may have noticed an advert for PitchGround popping up. They call themselves the leading alternative to AppSumo which in a sense is true but I would still give that title to StackSocial even if they are more like Groupon than AppSumo.

PitchGround was founded by Udit Goenka to be a community driven network and it provides a high quality selection of business apps many of which are from promising new startups. You are still more likely to see more notable apps on AppSumo and StackSocial but the founders of apps listed on PitchGround are receptive to community suggestions which can be valuable in shaping the app's future to what your business needs.

If you are a promising startup yourself and are thinking of promoting your company on PitchGround then you might find this article illuminating.

But let's get back to the app buyers and I can hear you saying.

Show me their deals! Here are the latest.

#3 Bootstrapps

Q: Why is Bootstrapps the #3 alternative to AppSumo?

A: Bootstrapps is a lifetime deal platform with a range of partner deals with the added benefit of getting a bonus plugin with each purchase.

And with crowd-sourcing options like the “Wait List” you stand a better chance of getting the exact apps you want at a better price.

What else makes Bootstrapps special?

Bootstrapps is not your typical lifetime deal site for three reasons.

1. We promote more than one source of deals
   
   Most lifetime deal sites just promote their listings. However we believe the more companies offering lifetime deals the better which is why we feature all the best from a number of sources.
   
   
2. We crowdsource the lifetime deals you want
   
   Every app listing on Bootstrapps has a “Join the Wait list” form and when 100 people join we negotiate a custom deal with the app maker on your behalf.

   The success of this depends on you signing up to each app wait list you want to get a deal on and sharing the page with friends and colleagues.

3. Bonus with every purchase
   
   Every app purchase (no matter the value) you make from www.bootstrapps.com gets a bonus WordPress plugin of your choice. Claim yours here.

Other Notable Options

Here are a few other AppSumo alternatives that didn't quite make the list above but are still worth a look.

• Dealify: Good deals and they have a useful Chrome extension for monitoring latest lifetime deals. (Meet the founder)
• DealMirror: (A few good apps from time to time)
• SAASMantra: (Not that many deals but worth a look)
• Rebelliance: (Not as prolific with deals but still worth a look)
• DealFuel: (More design focused but does feature notable apps)
• LifetimeDeal: Brand new company started by one of the previous founders of PitchGround.
• Lean Deals: Another new entrant showing promising potential.

Conclusion

The best AppSumo alternative at the moment is StackSocial – hands down!

If you just measure them by volume of deals they are not just the #1 alternative but in fact better than AppSumo. However AppSumo are still the LTD negotiating kings so its an even split for #1 best LTD website. Basically both deserve your attention.

Then we have PitchGround which deserves to be short listed with their quality of apps from promising new startups and a regular schedule of new deals being added monthly.

And for something different that fills a gap in the lifetime deal market, we have our very own Bootstrapps.com platform. Make sure to register as a member and join the wait list for the apps you most want to see a lifetime deal. As soon as 100 people join, you get a custom deal, so make sure to share the wait list with friends and colleagues.

If you enjoyed this post and want more great deals visit our all deals page.