Best Packages for Windows and Mac With Big Discounts on Apps and Games
App bundles are a great way to save a lot of money on several useful apps and games at once. The concept is easy to understand: a developer or third-party store packs a bunch of interesting software in a digital box and sells it at a big discount, which costs you much less than you would pay for each app individually. Sometimes you play at a fixed rate to get multiple apps; in other cases, you can name your own price, and what you pay helps determine how many apps you get (or which ones).
The problem with app suites is that there is a lot of junk in there. Plenty of websites are more than willing to dress up garbage and call it a bargain, and even some of the more legitimate app package companies will offer apps that sound a little weird, or worse, reproduce a feature that another free app (or yours) operating system) I will do for free.
It is important to proceed with caution. Examine what you get, determine if what you want is really beneficial, and be especially choosy about what you install on your desktop or laptop. To help you avoid scams, we’ve rounded up a few essential Windows and Mac packages to explore:
Common packages
Games, apps, comics, music: Groupees seems to have it all. While the site is primarily focused on entertainment, we have seen software packages pop up from time to time. While you wait, at least will you have a lot of discounted games to play?
Ah, a humble kit. What started out as a cheap way to get a lot of awesome indie and lesser-known games has practically become a household name by now, and the site has long since expanded to include packages for a host of other categories. As I type this, you’ll be able to appreciate a bunch of Vegas editing apps – audio and video, not apps designed to help you deal with the aftermath of desert parties – for an incredibly low cost. And I must point out that this price you set yourself is one of the most famous features of the Humble Bundle (and one of the best ways to save money).
Do you like games? Oh sure! Do you like Steam? I hope so because all discounted Fanatical game packs are for Valve service, period. Buy packs, get codes to unlock games on Steam, play games, buy more packs, repeat. It is so simple. In addition, prices are set for all packages – there is no “Tell me how much you will pay” option.
This site is a little more filled with games and bundles than most, but you can find some gems here among some unfamiliar sales, such as the current Adult Only Sale for games and books. I’m not going to click on it at work, but I will search Steam for a few games in various Indiegala packages to check their ratings and reviews before purchasing. This is one of the best ways to make sure what you get is actually a decently crafted game and not some cheesy, bug-filled experience.
Mac-only packages
I am unfamiliar with most of the applications in the latest MacHeist Black Friday package, and the site does not currently offer you a new package to download. It is worth bookmarking and checking it out from time to time, though. A quick Google search of some of the apps in the latest suite, such as Acorn 6 , revealed that some of them were indeed worthy picks. There aren’t many others, but that’s a trade-off with app bundles: you get a lot of apps for the cheap, even if you don’t like some of them (or never use them).
Same deal. You’ll find loads of course packages, a random selection of games, and some apps, but that doesn’t mean you should throw your money towards StackSocial, because some apps seem useful (and inexpensive). When I looked at this site for this article, I was much more intrigued by what I found in its Digital Board Game Bundle than in the Essential Mac Bundle, but that’s just me.
To StackSocial’s credit, the site does list app reviews at the bottom of its description, so keep that in mind when making your purchasing decision. If a few of the bundled apps have never been tested and you can’t find much information about them with a web search (or few people have looked at apps in Apple’s app stores), you might want to wait. Bookmark the site, be patient, and wait for the perfect package to arrive.
BundleHunt is a bundle of packages for the Mac that offers you a variety of discounted apps to choose from. You pay one “unlock price” up front to access the discounts, then you add whatever apps you want to your self-generated bundle – the site doesn’t bundle for you. I’ve talked about BundleHunt earlier and tried to suggest a few apps that you might want to check out. In the end, you’ll have to do your own research to make sure what you’re buying is inexpensive and amazing, but that’s the price you pay for, uh, at heavily discounted prices.
Setapp is not really a package in the sense that we use the word as you are going to pay a recurring monthly subscription to access apps instead of getting a bunch of apps for one small fee. However, you get tons of apps to play with if you sign up for Setapp ($ 10 a month) – so many that you might not have to buy app bundles anymore. Check out the full list of apps here , which is more than you’ll find in any regular suite of apps, period. And since Setapp is constantly updating its list, you will have new software coming out regularly.
Don’t forget the free packages
If you haven’t read any of our tips “Have you bought a new Windows or Mac computer ? There are two main services you can use to create awesome free application packages: Ninite for Windows users and Macapps for Mac users. These are the first websites you should visit when setting up your new PC, but they’re also worth checking out right now to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the best free apps you can find.