What I want is an app that checks for and finds updates. I am not interested in an app that installs those updates. What I want is an update checking app that does the following:
- Identifies all of the apps I have installed and checks for updates
- For every app it finds, it should
- Identify the version number installed and, ideally, the release date of that version
- Link to the developer’s homepage
- Link to the application in Finder
- Providing additional details would be a bonus (e.g., code signature/notarization information, sandbox information, etc.)
- For every app it finds, it should
- When it finds an update, it should:
- Identify the version number of the update
- Identify the release date of the update
- Link to the download page
- Link to and/or display the release notes
- Providing additional details would be a bonus (e.g., code signature/notarization information, sandbox information, etc.)
- Bonus Features
- Ability to ignore a specific update version (e.g., ignore v3.0.1 but still be notified about v3.2)
- It would be awesome if the app could identify and flag changes in the developer signature (i.e., flag when the app is signed by a new developer certificate)
I’ve posted previously on my own comparison of MacUpdater, Latest, Updatest, and MacUpdate Desktop ( The Fate of MacUpdater? - #30 by MacDrew2000 ). While I understand my security requirements are higher than a lot of users, I am not comfortable allowing ANY third party app to install, update, or uninstall other apps (whether via the “App Management” permission or via the use of Homebrew). And because I use a firewall (Little Snitch) to block many apps (over 50) from accessing the internet (especially apps with elevated privileges, like input monitoring), I can’t rely on the in-app update check features of those blocked apps. So a third party tool to tell me about updates is very valuable.
Updatest is probably the closest match to what I am looking for in terms of the above features and the breadth of its database. The new Updatest Network is likely to help expand its app database. I also really like the ability to manually add a GitHub source to monitor for an app. But I really wish Updatest had a “Download Update” button to download an update to the Downloads folder without attempting to install it.