I’ve been a paying user since 2015. This makes me sad, as it’s one of my most beloved utilities and this isn’t a good look. I’ll keep running it without updating until it stops working or I find a replacement that I like. Also:
https://sixcolors.com/link/2024/06/bartender-has-a-new-owner/
This might be due to how easy Apple makes it to implement this sort of thing. Even if the app isn’t on the App Store.
On iOS, apps must be on the App Store, which requires being enrolled in the Apple developer program. I imagine developers then make their apps paid to cover this.