Frequently Asked Questions
What is Club MacStories?
Club MacStories is a way to unlock extra MacStories content that serves as companion material to MacStories.net.
There are three tiers: Club MacStories, Club MacStories+, and Club Premier.
What does the Club MacStories tier offer?
For $5/month or $50/year, Club MacStories members enjoy:
MacStories Weekly. A weekly newsletter featuring our favorite iOS and Mac apps, tips and in-depth automation tutorials, exclusive stories, interviews, and more. Weekly is delivered to members by email and can also be enjoyed on the web at club.macstories.net. This is the newsletter we’ve been sending every week since September 2015; now, it’s available on the web too.
MacStories Unplugged podcast. A monthly show featuring what’s going on behind the scenes at MacStories, articles we’re working on, the gear we’ve been testing, and more.
Monthly Log. A monthly newsletter with behind-the-scenes stories from the MacStories team delivered toward the end of each month. The Monthly Log is delivered to members by email and can now also be enjoyed on the web at club.macstories.net.
Discounts and free downloads. With a Club MacStories subscription, you’ll also get access to a selection of exclusive perks, including:
- eBook versions of longform MacStories reviews and Federico’s iOS and iPadOS reviews;
- Wallpapers for mobile and desktop;
- Occasional discounts on MacStories Pixel products.
What does the new Club MacStories+ tier offer?
For $10/month or $100/year, Club MacStories+ members enjoy all the perks of Club MacStories, plus additional content, new ways to search and explore a brand new web archive of all our content, community access on Discord with direct access to the MacStories team, discounts, and lots more.
Specifically:
Automation Academy. Join Federico’s monthly lessons on Shortcuts and all kinds of automations as he dives deeper into high-level automation concepts and teaches how to make your life easier with automated tools.
Macintosh Desktop Experience. John’s new Mac-centric column will explore the modern macOS platform and lifestyle with in-depth guides, tips, app recommendations, and more.
A powerful new web app with advanced filters, full-text search, and custom RSS feeds. With a Club MacStories+ membership, you’ll unlock the full potential of Calliope, our brand new web app to read Club MacStories content (including MacStories Weekly) on the web.
With a Club MacStories+ account, you’ll be able to browse the entire archive of Club MacStories starting from September 2015 with advanced filters for individual sections, authors, dates, and more. You’ll also be able to use full-text search and generate custom RSS feeds for any author, section, or category of content.
Calliope is a thoroughly modern web app supporting features like light and dark modes, keyboard navigation, and Dynamic Type on iOS.
Discord community. Join other Club MacStories+ members and the MacStories team in our brand new Discord community, a place to discuss the latest Apple news, MacStories articles, keep up with what the MacStories team is working on, and get to know fellow Club members.
The Discord server also includes community activities such as Town Halls with the MacStories team via voice chat, an AV club, beta testing of Federico’s shortcuts, and more. The Discord server is also where we plan to announce early access to merch sales, future meetups, and special events. For more on our Discord community, see the Discord FAQ here.
Exclusive app discounts throughout the year. We’ve partnered with the developers of some of the best apps for Apple platforms to provide Club MacStories+ members with access to an ever-changing collection of exclusive discounts throughout the year.
What does the new Club Premier tier offer?
For $12/month or $120/year, Club Premier members enjoy all the perks of Club MacStories+, as well as a subscription to AppStories+, a subscription-only version of AppStories, a podcast about apps hosted by MacStories’ Federico Viticci and John Voorhees.
AppStories+ subscribers get an ad-free, extended, high-bitrate version of the show that is published one day early most weeks. Exclusively for Club Premier, subscribers will also be able to search show notes to make it easier to revisit past episodes.
An AppStories+ subscription costs $5/month or $50/year by itself, but Club Premier members pay just $2/month or $20/year more than a Club MacStories+ subscription.
Is anything changing for the old, regular Club MacStories membership?
No. In fact, we’re making the regular Club MacStories membership even better.
We’ve decided to let all existing Club members get access to our brand new web app to read our entire archive of newsletters in a browser with light or dark mode. Furthermore, in addition to retaining all previous perks, existing subscribers will also get the ability to read individual sections of our newsletters in a browser, which has never been possible before.
Existing subscribers to the Club MacStories plan can also enjoy a fully redesigned Account page that makes it easier to manage their Club subscription.
We are also continuing to produce the same weekly content for the regular Club MacStories tier, which is the foundation of the Club. Nothing is changing there.
What’s the deal with this new ‘Calliope’ web app?
With a Club MacStories+ or Club Premier membership, you’ll unlock the complete feature set of Calliope, our brand new web app to read, explore, and search Club MacStories content.
Calliope is the new home for the Club, and it replaces the existing club.macstories.net website.
Calliope is a modern, fully responsive web app built on top of a custom infrastructure that supports a multi-tier account system, section filters, full-text search, custom RSS feeds for everything, and the latest Accessibility technologies for the web. The app also supports light and dark modes, which can be set manually or dynamically based on system preferences, keyboard navigation, and Dynamic Type on iOS. The same web app that enhances the search, filtering, and reading experience for Club content also powers AppStories+, which is part of a Club Premier membership.
Okay, what are these advanced Calliope features?
Specifically, with a Club MacStories+ or Club Premier membership, you’ll be able to:
- Explore the complete archive of Club MacStories (starting from 2015) with filters for individual newsletter sections, authors, and date ranges. For instance, you can browse “All shortcuts created by Federico between 2018 and 2020” or “All apps highlighted by John this year”, to name two common examples.
- Perform full-text searches. Thanks to Calliope’s custom data layer, we’ve been able to support full-text search queries spanning the entire archive of Club MacStories for the first time. Additionally, Calliope’s search feature supports auto-complete for metadata as well as filters to refine your search results and keyboard shortcuts.
- Browse standalone pages for individual newsletter sections and authors. As a Club MacStories+ or Club Premier member, you’ll get the option to view feeds for specific sections of MacStories Weekly or all sections written by a specific author over time too.
- Generate RSS feeds for everything. Every newsletter, section of a newsletter, or author feed on Calliope is a linkable item with its own URL. This means you’ll be able to generate an RSS feed for any combination of newsletters, articles, sections, and authors.
Can I use Calliope as a regular Club MacStories member?
Yes, but you won’t get access to Explore, Search, RSS, or exclusive content for Club MacStories+ and Premier subscribers.
How can I access Club MacStories+ and Club Premier content?
You can visit our brand new web app at club.macstories.net to read Club MacStories+ and Club Premier content and browse our entire archive.
To get started, click the Sign In button in the navigation toolbar.
Do I need to create a separate Club MacStories+ or Club Premier account for this?
No. You can upgrade your existing Club MacStories account to the new Club MacStories+ or Club Premier tiers.
Visit the Plans page here to get started.
What happens if I downgrade my subscription?
If you downgrade your Club MacStories subscription, you will no longer have access to the perks that are exclusive to the Club level to which you previously subscribed. Calliope will automatically transition you to the new tier, deactivating any perks that aren’t part of your new subscription level.
What is the Club Discord?
The Club Discord community is a place to discuss the latest Apple news, MacStories articles, and get to know fellow Club members. The Discord server also includes community activities such as live Town Halls with the MacStories team via voice chat, an AV Club for media, beta testing of great apps, and more.
For more information, read the standalone Discord FAQ here.
What is AppStories+?
AppStories+ is a longer, ad-free, high-bitrate (192 kbps) version of our weekly AppStories podcast that is usually released one day early. AppStories+ features exclusive content that is not available in the regular, free version of AppStories and, for Club Premier members only, the ability to search the show notes from past episodes.
A subscription to AppStories+ is included with your purchase of Club Premier subscription. However, you can also sign up for an AppStories+ subscription separately using your existing Club MacStories account.
You can read more about AppStories+ in the standalone FAQ here.
How often can I expect to receive newsletters and other content from you as a Club MacStories member?
Our track record with Club MacStories speaks for itself. Since the Club was launched in 2015, we’ve averaged 48 issues of MacStories Weekly and 12 issues of the Monthly Log per calendar year. We’ve also offered thousands of dollars of app and service discounts, given away thousands of apps, produced dozens of Club-exclusive podcast episodes, and published many exclusive eBooks for members.
We occasionally take a week off for holidays and for personal reasons, but the pace of benefits for the existing Club MacStories tier will continue, and new Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members can expect new content and discounts regularly on the Club website along with events in the Discord community, in which the MacStories team will actively participate.
Is this secure?
Yes. Subscriptions are handled with a Memberful integration, which supports HTTPS and is GDPR-compliant. Memberful uses Stripe to securely process payments.
Credit card data is sent securely to Stripe before the payment form is submitted. Memberful and we never see your credit card data – only Stripe does. Stripe is PCI- and GDPR-compliant and secure. You can read the Memberful security FAQ here.
I have a problem and need to get in touch with you.
Send us an email at clubfeedback@macstories.net, and we’ll respond as quickly as possible.
We can also be reached using the #feedback and #club-support channels in the Club MacStories+ Discord community.
Do you have a Privacy Policy and Terms of Service I can read?
Yes. We are fully GDPR-compliant, and you can read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Will you spam me?
Absolutely not. We promise we won’t resell or share your email address with any third party. Your email address will only be used to deliver MacStories Weekly, the Monthly Log, and other Club MacStories-related communications.
Who’s behind this?
The MacStories team: Federico Viticci, John Voorhees, Alex Guyot, and Silvia Gatta.
Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, who’s been writing about Apple and apps since 2009. John Voorhees is a MacStories’ Managing Editor and co-host with Federico of the AppStories and MacStories Unwind podcasts. Alex Guyot is a MacStories Editor who has been writing for MacStories since 2013 and, as MacStories’ Senior Software Engineer, built Calliope, the technology stack on which the Club runs. Silvia Gatta is MacStories’ Lead Designer and curator of the MacStories Pixel design brand.
So, yes, we are people, MacStories is an indie website about Apple, and this is what we do every day.
How can I cancel my subscription?
You can log into your Club MacStories profile at macstories.memberful.com and cancel your subscription if you no longer wish to be a Club member.