At present, based on subscriptions and in-app purchases the app is becoming more and more popular, even Apple is supporting this model on the App Store. However, some developers have been abusing the system to trick users into paying in advance for apps that claim to be free macOS.
According to developer Jeff Johnson, the most downloaded apps in the Mac App Store are many “bait” just to make money from users, although these apps are free to download. One such app is GCalendar for Google Calendar, which is currently the 40th most downloaded free app in the US Mac App Store, with a 4.3-star rating.
Anyone can download the app for free on the App Store, but unless the user purchases a license through an in-app purchase, the app doesn’t have many features, and it doesn’t even offer users a trial. Developers of GCalendar for Google Calendar have 8 macOS apps with similar strategies on the Mac App Store.
Johnson said the developers took advantage of the App Store to allow anyone to download and comment on the design of the free app. In this way, they can easily place their apps among the most downloaded apps in the App Store and get a good rating.
