AltStore, a pioneering third-party iOS app marketplace co-founded by Riley Testut and Shane Gill, has secured $6 million in Series A funding to accelerate its growth beyond the European Union. The round, led by Pace Capital with a 15% equity stake, comes amid rising demand for alternative app distribution following the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The funding will support team expansion, international launches, and innovative social features, positioning AltStore as a key player in the evolving mobile ecosystem.
Funding and Leadership
- Investor and Amount: Pace Capital led the $6 million round, marking AltStore’s first external funding.
- New Board Member: Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, a fediverse advocate, joins the board to guide strategic initiatives.
- Team Growth: The capital will help scale the team beyond the New York-based co-founders, enabling faster development and operations.
AltStore has seen explosive growth, now boasting hundreds of thousands of users and over 100 developers—more than Epic Games’ alternative store. It hosts diverse apps like the Delta emulator, UTM virtual machine, Epic’s Fortnite, and the adult-oriented Hot Tub, which has topped its charts.
Expansion Plans
AltStore is set to launch in three new markets by the end of 2025:
- Australia
- Brazil
- Japan
This global push builds on its EU success via AltStore PAL, where free self-publishing for developers has driven adoption since April 2025.
Fediverse Integration and Community Support
A standout announcement is AltStore’s entry into the fediverse with its own Mastodon server at explore.alt.store, powered by ActivityPub. This allows users on Mastodon or Threads to follow app accounts for real-time update notifications, replies, and likes directly in their timelines—adding a “social layer” to app discovery.
Co-founder Riley Testut shared: “That means, if you have a Mastodon account or a Threads account, you could follow these accounts… Then, in your timeline, you’d see when there was an app update.” Future bridges to Bluesky are also in the works.
To bolster the ecosystem, AltStore is donating $500,000 to open social projects, including:
- $300,000 to Mastodon gGmbH
- Contributions to Bridgy Fed (A New Social), Ivory + Phoenix (Tapbots), Tapestry (The Iconfactory), mstdn.social, Akkoma, PeerTube, BookWyrm, and Fedify
Get Involved
Developers can publish apps for free on AltStore PAL in the EU, with global opportunities expanding soon. Follow updates on the new Mastodon server or visit altstore.io for more. The announcement has sparked excitement in tech circles, highlighting AltStore’s role in challenging Apple’s app monopoly.
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