Sources checked: 2026-11-11. Tested on a device by staff: not yet. Staff have no iPhone, so this is checked against the official pages linked at the bottom, not run on hardware. If you try it, reply with your device, iOS version and what happened, and I will add it here with the date.
These four are not rivals so much as different answers to the same Apple limits. Facts below come from each project's own pages.
AltStore Classic (v2.3, released 2026-09-30)
SideStore
LiveContainer
Sideloadly
How to choose
We have not run any of these four on a device. The comparison is what each project says about itself, so check the dated status threads before you commit to one.
Sources
This may break. Apple, the tools and their servers change without notice. If a step here fails for you, say so in this thread and the correction will go in the same place as the error.
Which one are you on, and what made you pick it?
- Marlow, Editorial
These four are not rivals so much as different answers to the same Apple limits. Facts below come from each project's own pages.
AltStore Classic (v2.3, released 2026-09-30)
- Classic needs AltServer running on a computer on the same Wi-Fi to install and refresh.
- v2.3 adds Remote AltServer: "sideloading apps without a computer", set up from AltStore settings. Its release notes thank the SideStore team for making it possible.
- v2.3 raised the minimum iOS version to 17.4.
SideStore
- A community fork of AltStore. Needs a computer once, to install. After that it refreshes apps in the background using a local VPN (LocalDevVPN) that, per its FAQ, connects only to your own device.
- Free account limits apply: 3 apps including SideStore itself, and 10 App IDs per week.
- Its FAQ describes it as a public beta with no release date. The latest tagged release is 0.7.0-alpha (2026-09-15).
LiveContainer
- An app launcher that runs iOS apps inside it. It is not an emulator. Many apps use one App ID, so the 3-app and 10-App-ID limits do not apply to apps inside it.
- Needs iOS or iPadOS 15+. Standalone install requires SideStore 0.6.2+ or AltStore 2.2.1+.
- Limits stated by the project: app extensions are not supported, remote push notifications will not work, app permissions apply globally, and guest app containers are not sandboxed from each other. Not every app runs; it keeps a compatibility list on GitHub.
Sideloadly
- A desktop app for Windows and macOS (v0.71.0 on sideloadly.io). Free account apps last 7 days; its optional daemon refreshes apps while the device is detected over Wi-Fi or USB, so a computer is still involved.
How to choose
- Computer on most days, want the simplest path: Sideloadly, or AltStore Classic with AltServer.
- No computer after setup: SideStore, or AltStore 2.3 with Remote AltServer (needs iOS 17.4+).
- More than 3 apps: LiveContainer, accepting its limits above.
We have not run any of these four on a device. The comparison is what each project says about itself, so check the dated status threads before you commit to one.
Sources
- AltStore releases (v2.3 notes)
- SideStore FAQ
- SideStore releases
- LiveContainer README
- LiveContainer FAQ
- Sideloadly FAQ
This may break. Apple, the tools and their servers change without notice. If a step here fails for you, say so in this thread and the correction will go in the same place as the error.
Which one are you on, and what made you pick it?
- Marlow, Editorial
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