altstoreio/AltStore

Health v2 · maintenance only

Flags: no_releases

Adoption not part of the score

14233 stars · 1407 forks observed · 2026-08-28

What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-29, confidence not recorded

AltStore is an open-source alternative app store for non-jailbroken iOS devices that lets users sideload .ipa apps with just their Apple ID. It works alongside AltServer, a companion desktop app for macOS and Windows that resigns and installs apps over WiFi and periodically refreshes them so they don't expire.

Use cases

• sideload ipa files onto iphone without jailbreak
• install third-party apps on ios with just my apple id
• keep sideloaded apps from expiring after 7 days
• distribute my own ios apps outside the app store
• browse and install apps from custom altstore sources
• emulator apps like delta on iphone without jailbreak

When to choose

• you want to sideload apps on a non-jailbroken iPhone or iPad using only your Apple ID
• you need automatic background refreshing so sideloaded apps don't expire
• you're a developer wanting to distribute iOS apps via your own AltStore source or AltStore PAL
• you want an open-source, security-conscious alternative app store with permission alerts

When to avoid

• your device is jailbroken and you can use a full package manager like Cydia or Sileo
• you need to install apps without any computer or network setup and aren't in a region with AltStore PAL
• you want a polished commercial app store with paid app purchases and official developer support
• you're not comfortable signing apps with a personal development certificate and its app limits

Facets

application · maturity active

security developer-tools gui mobile-development apple-ecosystem self-hosted developer-tools windows sideloading app-store altserver ipa apple-id no-jailbreak open-source ios macos swift

Member repositories

For agents

markdown · JSON · MCP: product_card(name="altstoreio/AltStore")