Ask HN: How can I prevent my Mac app from being cracked? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How can I prevent my Mac app from being cracked?

3 points_kush4 comments

Hi HN,

I recently found out that my macOS app, LookAway[0], was cracked and uploaded to a popular Chinese website distributing pirated macOS apps.

It's extremely frustrating, specially because I’ve worked hard to build the app into something meaningful, and it’s now averaging over 1000 daily active users.

I do realize that piracy is hard to stop entirely, but I’d like to learn from your experiences on how to make the app more difficult to crack (at least the future versions).

Currently, I use license keys for activation and have a server-side verification process in place, but it seems that wasn’t enough.

Has anyone here dealt with a similar situation? What strategies or tools have you found effective in combating piracy for mac apps? Is it worth the effort to invest heavily in anti-crack measures, or should I just focus on improving the product and converting paying customers?

Would love to hear your thoughts, insights, or any tools you’d recommend!

Thanks in advance!

[0]: https://lookaway.app

(As a user only, not a desktop dev)

I've never really ever seen desktop DRM work effectively. Various things have been tried, like keeping some of the code out of the client and only downloading it at startup every time, or requiring some sort of hardware dongle, or making a ton of small updates that the pirates can't keep up with, but usually those will get cracked sooner or later too. Do you really want to get into an arms race with Chinese hackers? Their time costs a lot less than yours.

Most of the big companies (Adobe, Microsoft, etc.) have been engaged in a losing battle with pirates for decades now. They just kinda learn to embrace it, more or less turning a blind eye to piracy unless it's from other corporations.

Instead, might it be worth tackling this on the pricing/business side? Maybe offer regional prices (maybe offer a Chinese language version that costs much less and accepts their local payment apps), or work with app bundles (Setapp, Humble, etc.). Your licensing prices for more than 1 computer also seem a bit high (like I wish it came with 2 devices by default, one for work and one for personal).

Maybe there's also room in there for an eternally free version with minimal features / configuration, a monthly nag, and a gentle reminder that the paid version has more features? Just thinking out loud.

Generally, can you make up for piracy losses by increasing reach and focusing on convertible users instead? The Chinese were probably never going to convert anyway; piracy is a cultural norm in much of Asia.

Some of my paid desktop apps also have optional cloud subs (like image hosting for Cleanshot or various services for my IDE) but that's harder to envision for an app like yours.

Anyway, cool app. I might pick up a license for myself. Hope you figure out some way to sustain it!

Thank you! I appreciate your response. You're right - I'll look into adding it to Setapp and also purchase power parity based pricing.

Cool, good luck!

PS I just bought a license for myself. My partner and I were coincidentally talking about eye strain just last night, so perfect timing!!

Oh, and a throwaway thought: Just saw the custom backgrounds & messages feature. I'd probably be willing to pay some trivial fee ($5-$10/year) for curated backgrounds, quotes, and quiet sounds that play peacefully in the background during break mode. Meditative instrumental music with nature scenery or curated art, etc. Or even if each themed pack like "nature" or "classics" or "cityscapes" were each a one-time fee with occasional updates, that'd still be the kind of thing that requires a server connection (thus harder to pirate), while still being entirely optional for people who hate subs (most of HN, from the looks of it).

Thank you so much for purchasing a license + feedback noted!

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