Software bundles seem to be all the rage nowadays, but in my humble opinion, MacHeist is still the best. It doesn't just lump a bunch of apps together for special price, but instead, it turns getting a discount into a game.

As a recent Mac switcher, I was utterly confused by MacHeist 3, the first edition in which I participated. Someone told me to check out the MacHeist bundle, so I went to the web site to see what applications it contained. But the site didn't tell me. It soon became clear that I was going to have to work for my software!

The whole idea, if you're not familiar with MacHeist, is that you need to complete a series of challenges, labeled "heists," in order to get free software. Yes, free. As in what lunches aren't. And the software isn't anything to sneeze at (neither are lunches, by the way), as there are always some real gems to be found.

UPDATE: We took the 4 from the title as it is currently unknown whether this is actually MacHeist 4 or an early bundle offer.

Developer Jim Whimpey is riding a bike to cure diabetes, and he's asking for your help (and promising a chance at some great Mac software). For every $10 you donate to his upcoming ride in southern Australia, he'll throw your name in a raffle to win one of two big Mac software bundles, both worth almost $190 each and both including Things, MarsEdit, Tweetie, and Wii Transfer. Any one of those apps is worth the donation, not to mention that your money will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, one of the biggest organizations around committed to fighting type 1 diabetes.

You get a raffle entry for every $10 you donate, so put in $20 and you'll get two entries, and so on. He's asking for all the donations by September 14th, so you've got about two weeks to get over there and put some money in. Great cause and great way to pick up some sweet new apps for your brand new Snow Leopard install to run.

I don't know about you guys, but I can't get enough of these Mac software bundles. Between MacHeist, the MacUpdate bundle, Mac Bundle Box, and even iPhone software bundles, I've got more unused software licenses than I'll ever need or want. Even though I rarely want every piece of software in the bundle, there's almost always 1 or 2 that make it more cost effective to buy the bundle than buy the software separately.

The Mac Sale (noted by Christina over at DLS) is the latest bundle out there and, like the others, has some hidden gems and a few applications I know I'll never use. Some of these may be perfect for back to school season. The rundown of applications:

• REALBasic Personal
• Iris
• Interarchy
• Flux
• Scribbles
• TaskPaper
• WriteRoom
• Stuf
• Mariner Calc
• HoudahSpot

Your $49 will buy you $450 worth of applications, but only until August 18. As a bonus for TUAW readers, you can get a 5% discount by using coupon code TUAW at checkout.

Remember Mac Bundle Box? Back in March, Mac Bundle Box 4 provided an ever-growing list of Mac applications at a bundle price of US$49, with 5% of the purchase price going to Charity:Water.

It's back again, and Mac Bundle Box 5 is now underway with about US$459 worth of software selling for US$49. There are a couple of changes from the last time, though -- this time, the list of applications is different, and now Charity:Water is going to get 10% of the proceeds. According to Christian Owens from Mac Bundle Box, the last bundle raised almost $7,000 for this great charity, which works to bring clean water to people worldwide.

So, what does your $49 buy?

• Freeway Express
  
• Simon
• Jumsoft Keynote Themes 8
  
• DEVONthink
• myNotes
• iCash
• DaisyDisk
• Web2Delight
• Chronicle
• xHub
• Stomp
• Exces

All of the applications listed here have free trial downloads available, so you can give 'em a try before you buy the bundle. As with all bundles, Mac Bundle Box 5 won't last for long, so act soon.

The MacUpdate Promo Spring Bundle has been revealed, and it is, as the kids say, wicked (or sick, or whatever the kids say). This thing is packed with truly useful applications. If you were considering buying any one of these apps, the $49.99US pricetag makes the rest of them a high-value proposition.

There's been some controversy surrounding bundles of this type, but I believe that it's great exposure for developers, and I'm hoping that everyone's getting a fair cut. MacUpdate is my current favorite source for great software deals and they've been doing a great job of providing really useful, intrinsically valuable apps. This bundle is no exception.

I don't know much about the inner workings of bundle assembly, but I assume the bundle sponsor contacts developers and has some kind of engineered plan, even if it's just an inward bias toward certain genres of applications. Whereas the last MacHeist bundle had a somewhat "creative" bent, this MUpromo bundle has a definite technical angle, with a heavy dose of DVD ripping/remastering/viewing tools.

Read on for the list of included apps...

The Heist might be over, but the software saving fun is just beginning! Tonight, the MacHeist 3 bundle was revealed in a geek-star studded live show.

This year's bundle is, from a software perspective, really incredible. I love software bundles because they are a great way to get cool stuff, but the problem is, lots of stuff is frequently repeated across bundles, making it less and less exciting for the more seasoned Mac software-addict. This is not a bundle that can be accused of retreading old software; on the contrary, some new (and high profile) apps are available.

This is the line-up:

• iSale
• Picturesque
• Sous Chef
• World of Goo
• PhoneView
• LittleSnapper
• Acorn
• Kinemac

It wouldn't be a bundle without unlock incentives, and this year, MacHeist goes all out:

• WireTap Studio
• BoinxTV Sponsored Edition
• The Hit List
• Espresso

And knowing MacHeist, I'm sure there will be other surprises to come as the sale takes shape.

Today's the last day for the Mac Bundle Box deal, and the Bundlers have decided to sweeten the deal if they pass a certain sales goal.

Mac Bundle Box already had one Mac application added since March 1st -- MacPilot -- and the team has offered to throw in one more application for free if they reach their goal. That will make a total of 15 Mac apps for only US$49!

As of 12:43 PM PDT, the team needs to only sell 27 26 bundles to add the last mystery app. Remember, 5% of the proceeds from this deal will benefit Charity:Water, an organization helping to bring clean water to people worldwide. Once 12 midnight rolls around, this deal goes away.

Software bundles are normally things that appear for computers, however, one developer believes that the iPhone deserves the same money-saving offer. The 5 Fingers Bundle [iTunes link] does just that -- it combines five awesome games into one application for one price.

While bundles are not something new on the App Store, the implementation of this bundle is something special. The user interface for switching between the different games is amazing, and makes it feel as though there was care taken in creating this bundle.

The games included in the batch are:

• Blackbeard's Assault by Warhorse Games
• BurnBall by IMS (TUAW Review Here)
• Chopper by Majic Jungle Software
• Sneezies by Antair Corporation
• Up There by Veiled Games

It would definitely be neat to see more developers follow this route. You can find more information about the Five Fingers Bundle on their website, or by visiting the iTunes App Store where you can purchase it for $4.99US.

Everyone's favorite app bundle/puzzle game, AKA MacHeist, is back! MacHeist, now in its third year, combines a pre-bundle game, where users solve puzzles to unlock free apps and bundle discounts, and an actual bundle of apps, which go on sale at the end of the "heist."

MacHeist is a fun way to waste some time and get some free apps by solving puzzles (or you can just read the forums and cheat) and the app bundle is generally a pretty good deal (assuming you don't already have the included software -- if you do, you can gift the licenses to the switcher in your life). You can view the first mission by logging into your MacHeist account; if you participated in the Mac Giving Tree promo you already have one, but new users can signup at the main page.

Happy heisting! You can read our previous MH coverage here.

(Also, a personal shout-out from me to MacHeist's new video host Lisa B -- even with the cheesy accent, she's still the best.)

In the midst of the holiday shopping season, MacUpdate is in the process of offering their Holiday Bundle. MacUpdate tells us that their new purchasing system now allows purchases to be gifted, and in this particular bundle if you purchase three copies, you'll receive a fourth free.

The bundle is selling for $49.99US, and includes the following applications at a hefty discount:

• Drive Genius 2
• RapidWeaver 4
• DefaultFolder X 4
• VirusBarrier X 10.5
• MacGourmet Deluxe
• LittleSnitch 2
• KeyCue 4
• MacPilot 3
• WhatSize 4
• iVolume 3

If you're looking for a last minute holiday gift idea for the Mac user in your life, consider MacUpdate's Holiday Promo. The deal runs through December 18, and can be purchased/gifted through the MU Promo website.


Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Parallels started offering a bundle of applications for sale last night (yes, that Parallels -- the one that makes VM software). The Parallels "Green Computing Bundle" is a collection of 9 applications for $49.99 including:

• Parallels Desktop for Mac
  
• MacScan
• PasswordWallet
  
• Macintosh Explorer
  
• Macaroni
  
• Drive-in
• PageSender
• Default Folder X
• docXConverter
  

The biggest application (and therefore the biggest deal) is by far the inclusion of the Parallels Desktop. You can purchase the bundle by visiting Parallel's Green Computing Bundle website.

Applications on the Mac give you this warm, fuzzy feeling when you download and unpack their .dmg (or .zip) files. "Make Your Own Mac Mix" hopes to make this feeling even better by offering deals in the form of discount tiers for buying Mac applications.

You will be able to choose between 27 "high quality" Mac applications (similar to those being offered by MacHeist). Prices will be based on the following tier system:

• 10% off of any one app
• 30% off any 3
  
• 40% off any 5
  
• 50% off any 7
  
• 60% off any 9
• 70% off any 12

Just as there are no details on specific applications, there is also no set date; but the creators are claiming this will be an amazing deal on Mac applications. This deal is set to go live this month. This deal and details will soon be made available on the MacMix Promo website.

Today is the last day to buy the much coveted MacHeist application bundle. MacHeist has decided to sweeten the deal by unlocking SoundStudio early and offering $5 off any Insanely Great Tee. If you are a registered member of the MacHeist site you can also get early access to Headline (an RSS reader).

The MacHeist Bundle currently includes the following Mac apps:

• VectorDesigner
• DEVONthink
• XSlimmer
• CoverSutra
• Awaken
• iClip
• Overflow
• Cha-Ching
• WriteRoom
• Enigmo
  
• Bugdom 2
• Nanosaur 2
• TextExpander
• SoundStudio

The MacHeist Bundle costs $49 and 25% of your purchase will be donated to your choice of charity. Currently, MacHeist has sold over 4,000 bundles and raised over $50,000 for charity. You can purchase a bundle at the MacHeist website.

In a co-promote with MacRumors Live's coverage of today's little event out San Francisco way, the MacHeist team has spiced up its 12-application retail bundle with a few new additions: VectorDesigner, SoundStudio (yet to be unlocked) and TextExpander. Add those to the original suite and you've still got a great deal at $49, especially for switchers or those new to the shareware universe. As always, a significant portion of your purchase price on the MacHeist bundle goes to support worthy charities (and another portion goes to support thirsty developers).

As a side bonus for those who are ordering the bundle before 10 am Pacific time tomorrow (24 hours after the start of the keynote), there's a lucky 15th app: VoodooPad. If you're up for it, check out the bundle tomorrow morning and you might find something extra in your Mac stocking.

Today MacHeist revealed their newest bundle of software for sale. This new software bundle is being billed as "12 Top Mac Apps" and includes the following pieces of software:

• Awaken
• Cha-Ching
• CoverSutra
• DEVONthink Personal
• iClip
• Overflow
• Wallet
• WriteRoom
• XSlimmer
• Enigmo
• Bugdom 2
• Nanosaur 2

The bundle remains the same $49 (US) price and is now on sale through the end of the month online. Macheist also has plans to release the bundle as a boxed version in stores later this year.

[via MacHeist Forums]


Thanks, Chris and Alex!

[Update:] Please do not post MacHeist referral codes in the comments. All comments with referral codes will be deleted.