The vetting on Windows is that basically any software that isn't signed by an EV certificate will show a scary SmartScreen warning on users' computers. Even if

The vetting on Windows is that basically any software that isn't signed by an EV certificate will show a scary SmartScreen warning on users' computers. Even if your users aren't deterred by the warning, you also have a significant chance of your executable getting mistakenly flagged by Windows Defender, and then you have to file a request for Microsoft to whitelist you. The vetting on Mac is that any unsigned software will show a scary warning and make your users have to dig into the security options in Settings to get the software to open. This isn't really proactive, but it means that if you ship malware, Microsoft/Apple can revoke your certificate. If you're interested in something similar to this distribution model on Linux, I would check out Flatpak. It's similar to how distribution works on Windows/Mac with the added benefit that updates are handled centrally (so you don't need to write auto-update functionality into each program) and that all programs are manually vetted both before they go up on Flathub and when they change any permissions. It also doesn't cost any money to list software, unlike the "no scary warnings" distribution options for both Windows and Mac.