An alternative to Latest, for the apps it cannot see
Latest is free, open source and good at what it does. Its own README says it covers apps from the Mac App Store and apps using Sparkle. Floodtide reads those too, and then keeps going.
Where the two overlap
Both apps read the Sparkle update feed written inside an app bundle and ask the developer directly what the current version is. That is the best answer available for any app that publishes one, and neither app needs a curated database to get it. For a Mac whose applications all ship appcasts, Latest will tell you the same thing Floodtide does, for nothing, and you should keep using it.
The difference starts with everything that does not publish an appcast.
Homebrew casks, without needing Homebrew
3,199 app bundles can be matched through the Homebrew catalogue, which thousands of contributors maintain continuously. Floodtide matches what you have installed against it and fetches each vendor’s own download, checked against Homebrew’s published checksum, or against the developer signature already on the copy you are replacing. You do not need Homebrew installed for any of that. If you do run it, a separate pane lists every cask, formula and tap and upgrades them through brew rather than around it.
GitHub Releases and Electron feeds
A large number of Mac apps publish neither an appcast nor a cask, and cut releases on GitHub or ship an Electron update feed instead. Floodtide reads both, picks one unambiguous Mac build rather than guessing between several, and verifies the SHA-512 an Electron feed publishes before anything is installed.
Microsoft AutoUpdate, App Store and Setapp
Apps another updater owns are named as theirs rather than fought over. A Microsoft app says which release ring its version came from. An App Store or Setapp app is listed as managed there, so the row explains itself instead of looking like a gap.
Anything left over
An app no source can resolve is labelled uncovered rather than paired with a guessed download. You can point it at a Sparkle feed or a GitHub repository yourself, and that choice wins over anything Floodtide works out on its own.
What paying buys
Scanning is free in Floodtide, forever and on any number of Macs. The list of what is out of date never goes behind the licence, because an updater that will not tell you what is outdated until you pay is not telling you anything useful. A licence unlocks installing: £10.99 once, 3 Macs, no subscription, with a 14-day trial that unlocks everything first.
Every install keeps the version it replaced, so Undo Last Update is one click away for seven days, and each replacement is checked against the signature of the app it replaces before the job is called done. A download nothing can vouch for is never installed; the row says so and sends you to the developer instead.
Common questions
Is Latest still maintained?
Yes. The repository is active and its author describes it as developed in their free time, so releases come when they come. It is free and open source under the GPL, and nothing here suggests replacing it if it already covers your apps.
What does Latest not cover?
Its README states that it supports apps downloaded from the Mac App Store and those that use Sparkle for updates. Apps that publish only a Homebrew cask, a GitHub release or an Electron update feed fall outside that, and on a typical Mac those are a large share of what is installed.
What does Floodtide do differently?
It reads the same Sparkle feeds, then adds Homebrew casks, GitHub Releases, Electron feeds, Microsoft AutoUpdate and a small signed catalog, and it installs from all of them. It also names App Store and Setapp apps as managed elsewhere rather than touching them.
Why would I pay for something a free app already does?
If Latest already finds everything you have, you should not. Floodtide is worth £10.99 when the apps it covers and Latest does not are ones you actually run. The 14-day trial exists so you can find that out before paying, and the scan stays free afterwards either way.
Can I run both?
Yes. They read the same feeds and neither touches the other’s data. Running Latest alongside Floodtide during a trial is a reasonable way to compare what each one finds.