Marqee isn't on the Mac App Store because App Store apps run in a sandbox that blocks access to your Messages database, which is exactly what Marqee needs to triage your texts. It's a signed, notarized direct download instead: Apple scans every build for malware, and your messages never leave your Mac. A direct download is safe and more capable.
- App Store apps are sandboxed and structurally can't read your Messages, so notch triage has to ship outside the store.
- Marqee is signed and notarized: Apple scans every build for malware, the same core check the store performs.
- It reads messages only on your Mac, with no server, no account, and no analytics.
- A direct download does more for you and skips the store's cut, keeping Marqee one honest price.
The first time you open Marqee, macOS may warn you it was "downloaded from the internet." For a lot of people, that's the moment the cursor hovers over the trash instead of open.
I get it. We've been trained to believe the App Store is the safe door and everything else is the alley. So let me answer the question you're actually asking, which isn't "why isn't this in the store." It's "is this safe, and why should I trust it."
Short answer: Marqee is signed and notarized by Apple, which means Apple scanned it for malware, and it can't be in the App Store precisely because it does the one thing you'd want it to do. Here's the longer version, because you should understand what you're installing.
Note: I make Marqee, so of course I'd tell you it's safe. The point of this post is to show you why, so you don't have to take my word for it.
Why can't an App Store app read my Messages?
Because Apple requires every App Store app to run in a sandbox, and the sandbox blocks access to your Messages database by design.
Sandboxing is a good security idea in general. It walls an app off from the rest of your system so it can't touch files it has no business touching. Your Messages database is one of those walled-off files. So any notch app in the Mac App Store structurally can't do VIP text triage, no matter how well it's written. It's not a choice those developers made. It's a wall they can't cross. To read your incoming texts and hold the ones from your chosen people, an app has to run outside the sandbox, which means outside the store.
Is it safe to download a Mac app from outside the App Store?
Yes, when the app is notarized by Apple, and Marqee is.
Notarization means Apple scanned the app for malicious code and issued it a ticket that macOS checks before it runs. Every update goes through the same scan. So "downloaded from the internet" doesn't mean unchecked. When you open Marqee, macOS confirms with Apple that this exact build was notarized and untampered. It's the same malware check the store performs, applied to a direct download. Plenty of trusted Mac apps ship this way for the same reason Marqee does.
marqee
Only your marquee people make the marquee.
The one text you'd never want to miss, surfaced the moment it lands. Everyone else waits where they landed.
Get notified at launch Launching soon. One email when it ships.What does "notarized" actually mean?
It means Apple examined the app for malware and vouched that this specific build is clean.
When a developer submits a build, Apple runs an automated security check. If it passes, Apple issues a notarization ticket. macOS reads that ticket the first time you launch the app and refuses to run anything altered after notarization. It's different from full App Store review, which also checks policy and sandboxing, but for the thing you care about, "is this malware," notarization is the check that matters. Marqee has it, on every release.
So is Marqee safe to install?
Yes. Signed, notarized, and built so your messages never leave your Mac.
Marqee reads your messages only on your own machine and sends nothing anywhere. No server, no account, no analytics. There's no database of your messages that could leak, because there isn't one. The single permission it asks for, Full Disk Access, is what lets it see your incoming messages to triage them, and a guided setup walks you through granting it. Being off the App Store isn't a corner cut. It's the requirement for doing the job you downloaded it to do, and Apple's notarization stands behind every build.
Why is a direct download actually better for you?
Because it means the app can do more for you while staying just as safe, and usually at a fairer price.
A notarized direct download can read your Messages to protect the people who matter, which no sandboxed App Store notch app can offer. It also skips the store's cut, which is part of how Marqee stays one honest price with a real free trial instead of leaning on a subscription. You give up the convenience of installing from the store. You get an app that's more capable, still Apple-checked, and priced without a middleman.
Wilton E. Blake, II makes Marqee and runs answer-engine optimization audits for a living.
Wilton E. Blake, II makes Marqee and runs answer-engine optimization audits for a living.
FAQ
Is Marqee safe to download and install?
Yes. Marqee is signed and notarized by Apple, meaning Apple scanned it for malware, and it reads your messages only on your own Mac with no server, no account, and no analytics. Every update is notarized the same way.
Why isn't Marqee on the Mac App Store?
Because App Store apps are sandboxed and can't read your Messages database, which is the core of what Marqee does. To triage your texts, Marqee has to run outside the sandbox, so it's a direct download instead.
What does it mean that a Mac app is notarized?
It means Apple scanned the app for malicious code and vouched that this exact build is clean. macOS checks the notarization ticket before the app runs and blocks anything altered, which is the same malware check the store performs.
Is it safe to install Mac apps from outside the App Store?
It's safe when the app is notarized by Apple, as Marqee is. Notarization applies Apple's malware scan to a direct download, so a notarized app from a developer's own site carries the same core safety check as an App Store app.
What permission does Marqee need, and why?
Full Disk Access, which is what lets it see your incoming messages to triage them. It reads them on your Mac and sends nothing anywhere. A guided setup walks you through granting it.
