Signed, notarized auto-updates.
Card Curator ships exactly one third-party dependency: Sparkle 2, the standard open-source auto-updater for Mac apps. Every update is EdDSA-signed and Apple-notarized. Stable and beta channels are available; both are opt-in.
The one third-party dependency.
Card Curator ships exactly one third-party Swift package: Sparkle 2. It is the standard auto-update framework for Mac apps distributed outside the Mac App Store, used by Sketch, Bear, Tot, Things, NetNewsWire, and hundreds of other indie apps. Every other dependency in Card Curator is a first-party Apple framework.
- Sparkle 2 — appcast parsing, signature verification, install flow
- EdDSA (Ed25519) — update artifact signing
- Apple notarization — second layer of verification
- Cloudflare R2 — update hosting at updates.cardcurator.app
- Settings → Updates — channel toggle, manual check, disable
- No telemetry — update checks are not associated with your identity
Frequently asked.
What is Sparkle?
Sparkle is the standard open-source auto-update framework for Mac apps distributed outside the Mac App Store. It is widely used (Sketch, Bear, Tot, Things, NetNewsWire, and hundreds more). It is the only third-party dependency Card Curator ships.
How are updates signed?
Each update artifact is signed with an EdDSA (Ed25519) key held in the maintainer's macOS Keychain. Sparkle verifies the signature on every download before installing. Apple notarization adds a second layer of verification.
What is the beta channel?
An opt-in update stream that delivers pre-release builds earlier than the stable channel. Useful for collectors who want new features as soon as they're ready. Switch back to stable at any time in Settings → Updates.
Can I disable auto-updates?
Yes. In Settings → Updates you can turn off automatic checks entirely. You can still check for updates manually whenever you want.
Where are updates hosted?
On a Cloudflare R2 bucket served from updates.cardcurator.app. The update check fetches a signed appcast XML and downloads the matching artifact. We do not associate update checks with your identity.
Why aren't you on the Mac App Store?
Card Curator uses entitlements and integration patterns that aren't compatible with the Mac App Store sandbox restrictions for our use case. Selling direct from our own storefront lets us ship updates faster and keep more of the revenue going to development.
One price. Every feature. Forever.
Card Curator launches publicly in October 2026 at $59.99 USD — one-time purchase, perpetual license. Updates within the major version are free, forever.
Get notified at launch