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MacHeist Bundle vs MacUpdate Promo

MacUpdate Promo
There are currently two great software bundles now available for Mac OS X: the MacHeist Bundle and MacUpdate's Promo bundle. Both offer a collection of commercial Mac apps, and both offer great savings by purchasing the apps bundled instead of separately. Here is a quick breakdown of both bundles and our recommendation if you can have only one.

MacUpdate Promo
The initial bundle costs $64.99 (USD) and includes the following:

  • Hazel - folder organization, trash emptying, app cleaning,
  • Leap - Spotlight replacement that supports tagging
  • ArtText - create pretty, artistic text (for headings, banners, etc.) from predefined or custom styles
  • DVDRemaster Pro - compress DVD's to DVD5 (4.7GB) and convert DVD's to iPod formats
  • Typinator - repetitive text and image replacement
  • StoryMill - organization app for novel writing
  • MenuCalendarClock - iCal access via the menubar


If the bundle is sold 5000 times, Sound Studio (digital audio recording/editing) will be "unlocked" for those who initially purchased the bundle, and for those who purchase it before time runs out on April 29. The second unlock milestone will release BannerZest (Flash banner creator), and the third unlock milestone will release Parallels (virtualization software for running Linux or Windows alongside Mac OS X).

The unlock milestones are not guaranteed to be met (though MacUpdate is confident they will be reached), but even so, the initial bundle yields a $200 savings. If all programs are unlocked, you will save $400+ over buying the programs individually.

MacHeist bundle

MacHeist Bundle
For $49, the MacHeist Bundle gives you the following:

  • Cha-Ching - money manager
  • Nanosaur2- updated/expanded version of Nanosaur, everyone's favorite bundled Dinosaur game
  • Awaken - alarm clock with iTunes integration
  • CoverSutra - iTunes controller
  • DEVONthink Personal - document/note/snippet manager
  • iClip - clipboard utility
  • Overflow - dock icon reducer with Stacks-like functionality
  • Wallet - information store for things like account numbers, passwords, etc.
  • WriteRoom - distraction-free word processing
  • Enigmo - 3D puzzle game
  • XSlimmer - removes code from apps to save disk space and improve performance
  • Bugdom 2 - 3D adventure game

There are no unlock milestones for the MacHeist Bundle, and 25% of your order is donated to one of 10 charities (or split between the 10).

Verdict: The MacHeist Bundle is surely the better bang for your buck, but it comes down to what applications you want/need and whether or not Parallels gets unlocked in the MacUpdate promo. We liked the warm fuzzies we got knowing a portion of our (already low) MacHeist bill was going to charity. Either way, you can't go wrong with these bundles.

Tags: bundle, commercial, macheist, macupdate

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