Slipway connects to App Store Connect with an API key you create and talks to Apple's API directly from your Mac. There's no Slipway account and no server in between. This page explains what the app covers, what it deliberately doesn't do, and what's free.
What Slipway does#
- Your whole catalog in one list. Every app from every team you connect, with its live version and current review status. See The apps list and sidebar.
- A release workspace per app. Six tabs follow the release: Metadata, Build, Screenshots, Optimize, Reviews and Submit. A checklist in the sidebar shows the next step.
- A screenshot studio. Frame raw captures with device frames, backgrounds and per-locale headlines, then render every required size. See Screenshot studio.
- The rest of App Store Connect. TestFlight, in-app purchases and subscriptions, in-app events, custom product pages, experiments, Game Center, webhooks, and team pages for sales, provisioning, users, Xcode Cloud and alternative distribution.
- AI with your own key. Review-reply drafts, review insights, keyword ideas and localization, sent directly from your Mac to the provider you choose. See AI providers and models.
- A menu bar watcher. Release status and new low ratings, without opening the window. See Menu bar and notifications.
What Slipway is not#
- Not a web service. There is no Slipway account and no Slipway server. The app talks to Apple's API directly with your key, which stays in the macOS Keychain. See Privacy and security.
- Not on the Mac App Store. Build upload runs Xcode's
xcodebuildandaltool, which a sandboxed app can't do. Slipway is a direct download, signed with Developer ID and notarized by Apple. See Install and update. - Not a replacement for Xcode. Archiving and code signing still use Xcode's own tools. Slipway runs them for you; it doesn't change how your project is signed.
- Not a way around Apple's missing APIs. Apple has no API for App Review messages or App Privacy answers. For those, Slipway helps you draft and confirm locally, then opens the right page in App Store Connect. Creating a brand-new app record also has to finish on Apple's website; Slipway prepares the values and waits for it.
Free and Pro#
Everything that talks to App Store Connect is free, with no limit on apps or teams. Pro adds the features that fan work out across every locale and size.
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Apps and teams | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Metadata, builds, TestFlight, reviews, submit and release | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screenshot studio | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screenshot upload | Source locale, every size | Every locale and size in one run |
| AI review-reply drafts, review insights, keyword ideas (your own key) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Localize metadata into every locale | — | ✓ |
| Rewrite with AI on the Optimize tab | — | ✓ |
| Regenerate a screenshot set from a brief | — | ✓ |
| Generate All Sizes & Locales | — | ✓ |
| Ask AI: carry out instructions in App Store Connect | — | ✓ |
Pro costs $5 a month, $25 a year, or $75 once. See Pricing and Pro.
Note — Slipway is in beta. During the beta, choosing a plan in the paywall unlocks Pro locally; no payment is taken.
Where to start#
- Install and update: download Slipway and keep it current.
- Create an App Store Connect API key: the one thing Slipway needs from you.
- Add your first team: connect the key and load your apps.
- The apps list and sidebar: find your way around.
- Metadata and Screenshot studio: start on your next update.
If something goes wrong, see Troubleshooting and FAQ or Support.