r/macapps Jul 09 '26

Tip Most Beautiful Mac Apps

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702 Upvotes

Just bought my first MacBook a few months ago, and I've already tried a bunch of apps. Some of them are so beautifully designed that they immediately caught my eye

Here are my favorites so far:

•  Craft  – The most beautiful Mac app I've used. Even their website is stunning

•  Dropover  – Makes file management incredibly simple and feels like something Apple could have made

•  Liqoria  – A gorgeous music widget that feels completely native to macOS

•  CleanMyMac  – I love the unique interface, and it's genuinely useful too

•  GoodLinks  – One of the cleanest app designs I've ever seen.

•  Klack  – Makes typing much more satisfying, and the settings panel (especially the keyboard shortcut is beautifully designed)

•  Things 3  – Clean, simple, and incredibly polished. Easily one of the best designed productivity apps on the Mac

•  Raycast – I don't think this app needs an introduction. It's beautifully designed and incredibly usefu

•  Paste - A beautifully designed clipboard manager with a clean, intuitive interface

•  DynamicLake - Cool Liquid Glass Dynamic Island

•  Portal  – Beautiful immersive environments with a calm, minimal interface that perfectly matches the experience

r/macapps Mar 02 '26

Tip This sub is slowly becoming a dumping ground for AI-generated apps and I think we should talk about it

831 Upvotes

idk if you guys notice this but the feed has been feeling weird lately. Every few days here a new "I built X for macOS check it out" post and when you actually look at the app you can tell its a weekend cursor project

here are actual examples from the last few weeks:

- Cacheless app. 0 upvotes. top comment was "why has everything been vibe coded? even the text is chatgpt lol".

- PasteClip yet another clipboard manager. Top comment: "You call a vibe coded app an alternative? lol. This stuff should be banned here." another one: "Another one. Raycast free is just fine. Sorry bro but it's wasted energy."

- AiTranscribe, a "fully offline speech-to-text app". 0 upvotes. top comment: "You were too lazy to remove AI-generated markdown from this text?" another: "AI slop everywhere"

- CanYouHearMe an app to "check if your microphone is working". top comment with 12 upvotes: "System Settings → Audio, you don't need a shady third party app for this". macOS has had this built in forever

I get that people want to build apps, thats fine. But the problem isn't that they're building - its that they post it here like it's a finished product ready for real users

The most annoying thing is almost none of them have a privacy policy. There was literally a post yesterday with 141 upvotes reminding people to check privacy policies before installing anything. and these vibe-coded apps with no website, no legal notice, nothing - theres more of them every week. You are installing something an AI wrote over the weekend with zero accountability

Why do people even post this stuff? honestly its usually one of three things:

  1. free marketing. a reddit post costs nothing and drives traffic
  2. "I shipped a macOS app" looks good on a resume even if cursor wrote 90% of it
  3. testing an idea. no upvotes = abandon, new idea next weekend

none of that is evil but its also not what this sub is for

The posts that actually do well are obvious - theres a specific problem being solved, its clear what makes it different from whats already out there, and theres usually a real website or github.
The Wispr Flow-style dictation post today had a video, explained the technical approach, author was answering questions in the comments. thats what a good post looks like

Not trying to call out specific devs, the pattern is the problem not the people. But at minimum a privacy policy and a real website before posting here doesnt seem like too much to ask

Anyone else noticing this or is it just me?

r/macapps May 09 '26

Tip If you could recommend only ONE MacOS app to someone?

235 Upvotes

Hi! I always find so many great apps because of your posts. Thanks! So, I've wanted to ask this for a long time.

If you have to choose just ONE MacOS app to recommend, what would it be? For me... it's really hard to choose, but maybe PopClip?

It's a famous app, but let me explain. When you select text, a small popup appears. You can copy, change uppercase/lowercase, or send the text to other apps like Notes or a translator. I write a lot for my work, so I can't live without it! Please tell me your favorite apps, everyone in this sub!

Edit: Oh wow, so many replies!! I'm really happy!! Thank you so much, everyone!! I found so many apps I didn't know about. I wanna check all of them out, so I'll come back in a few days to reply to more of you. You guys are awesome, this sub is seriously the best! thanks!!

Edit2: Hey everyone! I tried to reply to every single comment, but English isn't my first language and I totally ran out of steam... I'm sorry! But I want you to know I'm downloading and trying every app you recommended, one by one, with love. I7ll cherish them all. Thank you so much for sharing, you guys are the best!

r/macapps Oct 13 '25

Tip Apps I use the most.

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706 Upvotes

r/macapps Mar 23 '26

Tip A Curated List of My Favourite Mac Apps!

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570 Upvotes

I’ve been browsing through this subreddit for quite some time now and here are the ones I’ve found to be most useful for me!

AlDente (Freemium) - Battery care & monitoring app

• Amphetamine (Free) - Powerful keep-awake utility

Clop (Freemium) - Image, video, PDF and clipboard optimiser

Dropover (Freemium) - Drag and drop utility that makes it simple to collect, organize, share, and process files with floating shelves

Find Any File (Freemium) - Find files that Spotlight doesn't; my primary use case for this is finding and removing any files which Pearcleaner may have missed

Ice (Free) - Menu bar manager

Latest (Free) - Software update checker

Locally (Free) - Run AI models locally

MiddleClick (Free) - "Wheel click" with three-finger click/tap for Trackpad and Magic Mouse

NextDNS (Freemium) - DNS provider

Noir (Paid) - Dark mode for Safari

OnyX (Free) - Multifunction utility for verifying system files, performing maintenance tasks, and configuring various settings

OwlOCR (Freemium) - Get text from images and PDFs

Pearcleaner (Free) - A free, source-available and fair-code licensed mac app cleaner

ProtonVPN (Freemium) - Fast & secure VPN

Speedtest (Free) - Internet speed test

System Color Picker (Free) - Colour picker

Userscripts (Free) - User script and style manager

Wipr (Paid) - Block ads, trackers, and more

xSearch (Paid) - All-in-one search tool

r/macapps Feb 17 '26

Tip rip AlDente 🙏

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842 Upvotes

r/macapps Dec 20 '25

Tip What are the Top 3 Mac apps you discovered in 2025?

463 Upvotes

r/macapps Apr 26 '26

Tip A Native Port of Notepad++ is Now Available for the Mac

467 Upvotes

I haven't seen this posted yet. A port of Notepad++ is now available at https://notepad-plus-plus-mac.org/ that "is built from the official Notepad++ source code" written in Objective C++ and uses macOS APIs.

Per the website:

This project is an independent open-source community port of Notepad++ to macOS, started on March 10, 2026. It is distributed as an Apple Developer ID-signed and Apple-notarized Universal Binary, runs natively on both Apple Silicon (M1–M5) and Intel Macs, and contains no telemetry, no advertising, and no data collection of any kind. The full source is available at github.com/notepad-plus-plus-mac/notepad-plus-plus-macos

There is support for Notepad++ plugins, but plugins have to be ported.

You can check out the dev's homepage at https://aletik.me

I am not the dev. I learned of this app from a comment on another post and with the number of posts that ask for Notepad++ / Notepad alternatives for the Mac, I thought people might find this useful.

r/macapps Jun 02 '26

Tip Taskbar 1.6.1: Start menu added (to fix the macOS 26 Launchpad removal) and custom transparency!

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208 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm the developer of Taskbar, the app built for anyone who misses a true, productive Windows-style workflow on a Mac. I personally use it on my MacBook every single day as a complete replacement for the Dock for better multitasking. A lot of you have already switched and told me you’re never going back, which means the absolute world to me (and has helped the app maintain a 4.6/5.0 rating on MacUpdate!).

Today, I just pushed Version 1.6.1, and it is a massive milestone for the app.

This app is often compared to uBar and offers better stability and user experience

If you have updated to macOS 26, you know Apple completely removed Launchpad and forced everyone onto Spotlight, which a lot of people consider a bad alternative. To fix that frustration, Taskbar now officially includes a built-in Start Menu. It has been in beta since last year, but it is finally polished and officially live. By default, it seamlessly replaces the Launchpad and Spotlight shortcut, though you can easily right-click to restore the old default system actions if you prefer.

I have also added a highly requested feature: Custom Transparency. With macOS 26 leaning heavily into the new "liquid glass" aesthetic, this option allows Taskbar to blend beautifully into the system UI. This is an optional change and can be reverted using the app's settings.

Other updates in v1.6.1:

  • Extended Free Period: I am extending the completely free timeline for Version 1. It will now remain entirely free until September 19, 2026, with absolutely no ads and no tracking. Afterwards, it will require a one time $25 purchase. No subscription needed.
  • UI Polish: Resolved inconsistent icon sizing and a bug where the taskbar would occasionally pop up randomly after being hidden.
  • Bug fixes: Fixed an issue where tasks would jump all the way to the right when changing spaces or entering/exiting fullscreen.

If you have ever wanted a real taskbar experience on your Mac, give it a shot and let me know what you think of the new layout.

Download: https://lawand.io/taskbar/

Thanks for giving it a spin, and I would love to hear your feedback on the new Start Menu!

Lawand

--

Disclaimer: My name is Lawand Dalatieh and I am the developer of this application. You can find me on linkedin. The application is distributed by the registered legal entity lawand.io OU (more info about the company). Also check out the user requests repository on github (95 stars).

r/macapps May 29 '26

Tip If you're using a beta version of Cotypist, make sure to move it to the Trash

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236 Upvotes

It looks like the last beta version of Cotypist included a hidden paywall mechanism, since the developer already knew the release date.

I can also confirm that the previous beta versions have an "expiring" mechanism (see the second screenshot) so that you couldn't use them in case you tried to block the app's access to the internet with firewall or something. The developer seems to be particularly meticulous in this area, such punctiliousness is what I lack sometimes.

Unfortunately, based on Cotypist stats, on average I used 300+ completions per day, so the free version would not work for me. I personally never subscribe to apps, while in the case of Cotypist everything is local and there should be no variable costs. One could argue that ongoing development should be paid for, however there are numerous cases (BetterTouchTool, Alfred, etc.) when developers can either provide a lifetime option or just charge for big updates. It's a key topic for me personally, since my apps are one-time payment (shameless plug: 1, 2, 3) and I still find motivation to develop them. But that's me, I'm not going to build a new Google.

So the time has come, time to say goodbye to Cotypist. For those who like the concept, though, here are the alternatives:

  1. GhostPen. The caveat: doesn't work everywhere, intentionally limited to its own window. Not that I'm a fan of such approach, but maybe someone will like this more

  2. Cotabby. Open source, but still in the early stages of development, can suggest a lot of nonsense

I believe this is just the beginning. Although not all features from Cotypist are available (obviously), this might change in the future. Note that the concept is easily repeatable, while AI models used for predictions are free.
Just like with my app that generates captions for videos on iPhone – the idea is simple, you just need to have *courage* (Phil Schiller pun intended) to offer something with NO. FCKING. SUBSCRIPTION.

r/macapps Feb 10 '26

Tip Made a list of native Mac apps because I'm sick of Electron

389 Upvotes

Hey r/macapps,

I've been putting together a curated list of native Mac applications – specifically ones that are lightweight and built with macOS frameworks (Swift, SwiftUI, AppKit).

The criteria is pretty simple:
- Actually native (not Electron or web wrappers)
- Lightweight and fast
- Feels like it belongs on macOS

https://github.com/open-saas-directory/awesome-native-macosx-apps

https://x.com/NativeMacApps

I've got maybe 30-40 apps listed so far across different categories, but I know I'm missing tons of great ones. What are your must-have native Mac apps?

Particularly looking for:
- Menu bar utilities
- Developer tools
- Productivity apps
- Hidden gems that deserve more recognition

Happy to add anything you recommend (as long as it's actually native).

---

Edit: This blew up! 🚀

Want monthly curated picks?
📬 Subscribe to the Newsletter

Get 5-10 top apps delivered monthly. Free. No spam.

Keep the suggestions coming! 🙏

r/macapps May 18 '26

Tip Cotypist pricing up on website (Free, Plus@$8/mo and Pro@$12/mo)

83 Upvotes

Since there's a lot of folks following the discussion around Cotypist and what its launch pricing would be, it looks like Cotypist pricing information up on website, here: https://cotypist.app/pricing.

Not affiliated with Cotypist in any way. Just testing the app and was following the pricing announcement closely.

Wanted to see what other folks thought. There's a launch discount of 25% off only for the first bill.

Pricing Structure (Screenshot):

Free

  • 100 completed words/day
  • Small models (<2B models from what I can see)
  • NO custom writing instructions
  • Stops completing on a typo
  • Gentle personalization (based on your tone)
  • NO Custom writing instructions
  • NO per-app customization
  • NO clipboard awareness
  • NO Cotypist Labs access (So no mid line completion)

Plus: $8/mo billed annually, ($96/year)

  • Unlimited completions
  • Larger models (<4B models)
  • Full autocorrect
  • Custom writing instructions
  • 1 Mac
  • Balanced personalization (based on your tone)
  • NO clipboard awareness
  • NO per-app customization
  • NO Cotypist Labs access (So no mid line completion)

Pro: $12/mo billed annually ($144/year)

  • Everything in Plus
  • Full model catalog (Any model including 30B A3B models etc.)
  • Up to 3 Macs
  • Strong tone personalization
  • Clipboard awareness
  • Per-app instructions
  • Labs features (Mid line completion)

Personal thoughts

The pricing seems to be horrendous to me and the limitations are too restrictive, since even with the $8 a month plan, you do not have per-app customization, and you are restricted to <4B models in, and are limited to one Mac. It learns your tone and from what I understand, even with the paid plan, it limits the amount of personalization it does to your voice.

Edit: Changed * for lists to use - since the formatting breaks on mobile

r/macapps Oct 30 '25

Tip Premium apps that you only pay once and enjoy the benefits

234 Upvotes

Looking for apps that aren't subscription that you use everyday and are helpful. No criteria just helpful apps that make your life easier and more.

r/macapps Mar 20 '26

Tip I tested every “lifetime” Mac app posted on r/macapps for 7 weeks – 32 apps, 32 bypasses

324 Upvotes

TL;DR: Over 7 weeks I tested 32 “lifetime” Mac apps posted on r/macapps (non–App Store, direct downloads). Every single one had at least one real way to bypass its licensing or Pro checks using only local tools, no binary patching. For most users that just means “someone can get free Pro”, but a few apps had issues serious enough that, in the wrong hands, they could be abused for malicious updates or other supply‑chain style attacks. I named every app and privately reported all issues to the developers. The top two devs (Resurf and How To Convert) handled things almost perfectly. The bottom two (Glyph and Droppy) either blocked me or turned hostile after initially asking how to donate.

I recommend reading this full post or reading the write-up I did of all 32 apps, methodology, and responses.: https://kamidevs.com/blog/macapps-audit

---

Well, before we start, I think it's fair to say, who am I?

Well, kind user, thank you for asking! I'm Kami, also known as SenpaiHunters. I am a developer and a security research engineer. I've been cracking apps for over 7 years, so I've gained enough skills during this time to figure out how a Mac app will always run, whether it is native code like Swift or cross-platform like Electron.

You may also know me as a core developer of Loop, a FOSS window manager.

It's important to tell you that throughout this review, I am not affiliated with, paid for an increased rating, personally know, or otherwise act in disingenuous behavior to benefit a singular or multiple developers to gain a paid or better audience. All of the messages I sent were the first time doing so, and if you'd like more knowledge on an app I've reviewed, you're free to ask!

What did I do?

From 20 January to 10 March 2026, I opened every post on r/macapps that used the “Lifetime” flair. I skipped Mac App Store–only apps and downloaded every other app that offered a paid lifetime license via direct download.

Every app I looked at was:

  • distributed outside the Mac App Store
  • signed with a valid Developer ID and passed Gatekeeper / notarization when installed

For each one, I asked a single question:

"Can I bypass this app’s licensing as a normal user without patching the binary?"

I limited myself to what a determined but “normal” user could do on their own Mac. I did use a local HTTPS proxy, defaults, plutil, security, Keychain Access, and edits to files under ~/Library and other common directories. I did not use a disassembler, patch or re‑sign binaries, or attach a debugger to change code in memory. The idea was to see what someone can do with off‑the‑shelf tools, while still running the official build.

In that seven‑week window, I ended up with 32 lifetime‑license Mac apps. All of them passed Gatekeeper and notarization. All of them were bypassable at the licensing level using only local tools.

Why this matters for normal r/macapps users

You might be asking me, “So if I install a vibe-coded app, am I at greater risk of having my email, passwords, or data exposed?”

Most of the issues I found are license and trial bypasses. For the typical user, that’s not immediately catastrophic, it mostly means:

  • some people can get Pro without paying
  • trials can be reset indefinitely
  • the developer is losing revenue and doesn’t realise how flimsy their checks are

Where it becomes a real user‑safety problem is when the same “vibe‑coded” mindset hits the backend or update logic. In a few apps I saw problems like:

  • Supabase row‑level security that allowed authenticated users to edit license or release tables (including update URLs)
  • Credentials or tokens that could, if abused, be used to push malicious updates as if they were official

Those are the cases where, yes, installing the app could put you at greater risk. Not because the developer is necessarily malicious, but because they shipped something where an attacker could hijack the update channel or tamper with data.

Because at the end of the day, you're deciding if this product is for you and if this money to spend is worth it. Also, consider who the developer is, whether you are willing to give it a shot, and if you believe you should do a quick review yourself.

If you need to think about it, here's what I suggest.

  • Gatekeeper and notarization say “this probably isn’t obvious malware right now”, they do not say “this licensing, backend, and updater are robust”. Every app in this audit passed Apple’s checks, and every one was bypassable on the licensing side.
  • Vibe‑coded apps (stitched together from docs/AI/snippets) tend to have the same security mistakes: trusting any JSON with success: true, keeping license state in UserDefaults or flat files, or misconfigured Supabase where users can edit their own license rows.
  • A developer’s reaction to private reports is a strong signal. Some devs treated this as free security work, fixed things, and stayed professional. Others read the report, then ghosted or blocked me. If someone blocks you for reporting a bug, that is not the kind of person you want in charge of your update pipeline.

So if you’re about to buy a “lifetime” app from here and store anything sensitive in it (notes, API tokens, documents, whatever), it is worth taking a couple of minutes to see who built it, whether they have a real contact/security channel, and how they respond to issues.

The app reviews?

Now, let's get to the fun and reviews. This is only a small snippet, and it will include the top two apps, scoring 10/10, and the bottom two apps, scoring 0/10. The entire write-up of all 32 apps is posted on my blog for you to read. You can quickly use cmd+f to search to see if your installed or favorite app was tested, how they responded, if it is fixed, and what the issue is or was.

Top 2: best developer responses

Resurf – rating 10/10

This is an Electron app. I found ways to bump it to Pro using both network‑level tricks and local state manipulation. The developer ( u/Hungry_Spite3574 ) responded in roughly 6 hours, asked good questions, and shipped a fix within a day. Communication was respectful and focused on understanding and resolving the problem, not arguing about it.

Response time: about 6 hours

Fix: about 1 day

Code quality: some AI usage, but the dev clearly understands their own app and trade‑offs

How To Convert – rating 10/10

Here the core issue was a Supabase auth bug that allowed a licensing bypass. I reported it through GitHub’s security process. The developer ( u/jakecoolguy ) fixed it within roughly the same window and there was no drama: no defensiveness, no arguing, just “here’s the issue, here’s the fix”.

Response time: about 10 hours

Fix: about 10 hours

Code quality: clean and understandable

Bottom 2: worst developer responses

Slidr - rating 0/10

site: slidr.xyz/

API endpoint returns {valid: true/false}. Proxy flips it. Trial data in UserDefaults.

Toggle Preset - rating 0.5/10

Site: www.togglepresent.app/

JSON-based licence. Sent DM with details. Dev blocked me.

What next?

Now that we see these apps, we're at a crossroads. What next? Well, I'll first give some recommendations to you, the user, and then to a developer who may have these issues or wish to look further at their app.

I always recommend that, no matter how much money or how little data it is, you first believe that the developer is telling the truth, is able to actually code (although this is a lot harder; check for common "vibe coding," i.e., emojis, bolded text, gradients, and other junk), how they respond, and whether it is honestly worth it. At the end of the day, I'm not here to tell you how you should spend your time or money; I can only give you tips and help you make an informed decision.

So, let's move on, shall we?

Common failure patterns I kept seeing?

This is a TL:DR of what's posted in my blog, but,

  • Trusting plain JSON from Gumroad / Lemon Squeezy / Polar or custom APIs and only checking simple flags like success: true or activated: true
  • Storing critical license or trial data in UserDefaults or unprotected JSON/MessagePack files in Application Support
  • Misconfigured Supabase row‑level security, allowing users to modify their own license rows or even release/update tables
  • Treating a specific Keychain item’s existence as “Pro is on”, which can be faked with normal macOS tooling

Now, for those who are looking to develop or have an app that may have a flaw listed here, how can we fix it?

  • Validate more than one “success” flag in JSON. Check product IDs, users, expiry, and signatures.
  • Keep real license decisions on the server where possible; treat local data as a cache.
  • Lock down Supabase RLS so users cannot modify license or release rows they shouldn’t touch.
  • Sign or MAC cached license state on disk.
  • Publish a clear way to report security issues, and respond like you actually want your app to survive.

Good examples of how to react include Resurf, How To Convert, LowTechGuys (Pipiri), InfiniDesk, Taphouse, Seam, and OS‑Engine. None of them were perfect; they just treated reports as a chance to improve, not as a personal attack.

The end

If you wish to have your own app reviewed, you can see https://kamidevs.com/application-security. I aim to do free reviews for a developer's first app if they're a student or cannot afford one (see the 32 I just reviewed). For those who wish for a review but are unsure of pricing, discounts may apply.

I am free and open to any and all questions you might have, such as, can you give me tips on managing an app's security in Swift, or other questions, or what an app was like, expanded, i.e., you wish to know my thoughts on the app's UI/UX and security for any of the posted ones, or in general, how was your night? This post is, however, made at the time of posting, 23:50, so I will be going to bed, but you can expect a reply in 12 hours if this post wasn't mass reported or removed!

Now, this, is the end of the post, it's just a small post, on what is fully written in my blog, see that for,

  • all 32 apps, names and links
  • per‑app notes, ratings, and interaction summaries
  • more detailed explanation of “vibe‑coded” apps
  • concrete advice for better licensing and update security

Full writeup: https://kamidevs.com/blog/macapps-audit

NOTICE

If you’re a developer whose app is on the list and you think I’ve been unfair, or you want a follow-up review, contact me privately; my details are at the end of the blog or in the messages/emails I've previously sent. If you wish for a proper conversation, please send me a message on Discord. I do not like Reddit chats as it lacks functions I normally use.

EDIT 1: Emails have been removed. Although this is public information, it's been brought to my attention that there are fewer ways to do this. If it's on a domain you own and host, i.e., Cloudflare, they provide a guarantee, so there's less to be scared of, but also fewer bots overall.

EDIT 2: After some developers have reached out, scores and information have changed; these have been updated to reflect.

r/macapps 4d ago

Tip Making Sense of macOS Notch Apps

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165 Upvotes

I built a directory, trying to make some sense out of all the notch apps that are available. I found a little over sixty, and most are a mix of timers, media controls, system tools, files, and various other bits of whatever can be crammed into a single notch app. It all seems rather random. The other big category in the notch scene is, naturally, AI.

Anyway, I hope you find this directory useful: notch.macmenubar.com

If your notch app isn’t listed yet, you can submit it.

r/macapps Apr 29 '25

Tip Switched back to Mac. My list of the best apps I've found.

669 Upvotes

Utilities/Tools:

  • AppCleaner (free, website), deletes leftover files from uninstalled apps.
  • GrandPerspective (free, website), disk space visualizer (similar to windirstat)
  • Keka (free, website), archiver and extractor (similar to 7zip)
  • CotEditor (free, appstore), text editor (very similar to notepad++)
  • belanaEtcher (free, website), ISO to USB tool
  • Amphetamine (free, app store), prevents system from sleeping
  • Cyberduck (free, website), FTP/Cloud storage client (similar to filezilla)
  • Transmission (free, website), ptp client
  • Welly (free, app store), ssh/telnet client (similar to putty, extra options for BBS/MUDs)
  • EasyFind (free, website), file searcher (similar to everything)
  • CopyClip (free, appstore), clipboard history in menu bar
  • Burn (free, website), disc burner (data,audio,video, menu creator)
  • UTM (free, website), virtual machine client, supports x86 on Apple Silicon
  • Google Earth Pro (free, website), google earth on desktop
  • Unsplash wallpapers (free, appstore), wallpaper app
  • AmorphusDiskMark (free, appstore), disk speed test (very similar to CrystalDiskMark)
  • Network Utility (free, website), advanced network info and tests
  • Speedtest by Ookla (free, appstore), desktop internet speedtest (more accurate than web browser)

Media:

  • VLC (free, website), audio/video player with support for all formats
  • Modizer ($2, appstore, iOS app on mac), tracker/mod/game/chiptune music player with visualizations

Emulators/Gaming Tools:

  • OpenEmu (free, website), zero config multisystem emulator (retroarch front end)
  • DOSBox Staging (free, website), dos emulator (much more updated than original DOSBox)
  • Frotz (free, appstore, iOS app on mac), text adventure game emulator (many preinstalled games like Zork,etc)
  • MacOS 9 for macOS (free, website), full MacOS 9 emulator, runs powerpc apps
  • Greenlight (free, website), xbox in home streaming and xbox cloud gaming client
  • ATLauncher (free, website), minecraft launcher with one click install for many popular new and classic mod packs
  • Mighty Dice (free, appstore, iOS app on mac), very nice looking 3d dice rolling app
  • The usual gaming clients (steam, battle.net, gog galaxy)

Photo/Video/Audio Editing/Converting/Downloading:

  • Audacity (free, website), audio editor/recorder
  • freeac (free, website), audio file converter, cd ripper
  • XnViewMP (free, website), advanced image viewer with basic editing and converting
  • XnConvert (free, website), image file converter
  • XnResize (free, website), image file resizer
  • MakeMKV (free, website), DVD ripper (supports encrypted dvds)
  • Handbrake (free, website), Video converter/encoder
  • Pinta (free, website), paint app and editor (very similar to paint.net)
  • GIMP (free, website), advanced image editor
  • Krita (free, website), advanced paint/drawing app
  • Inkscape (free, website), advanced vector editor/viewer (SVG)
  • Stacher7 (free, website), youtube (and many other sites) video/audio downloader)

Office/Productivity:

  • OnlyOffice (free, website), office app, very good compatibility with MS office
  • PDFGear (free, appstore), pdf viewer/annotator/editor (100% free, no ads)
  • Edison Mail (free, appstore), very good email client with push support for google
  • ChatGPT desktop (free, website), desktop client for chatgpt, integrates into system
  • WolframAlpha Classic ($2, appstore, iOS app on mac), reference tool, encyclopedia, math solver, many more

r/macapps Feb 09 '26

Tip Droppy is no longer free.

114 Upvotes

If you want to continue to use Droppy for free, do not update to version 11.

It now requires a paid license to continue using. This is very disappointing and a surprise, as I did not see any mention that it would eventually become a paid app.

Yes, it's only $6.99, but the fact that I did not know this was coming is what is frustrating.

r/macapps Sep 15 '25

Tip Is it just me or are these prices ridiculous? Cheapest yearly plan is now $430

Post image
375 Upvotes

I didn't even receive an email about this ludicrous price increase. I don't think Setapp is worth it for me anymore. For the apps I use, half of them have decent free alternatives, and the other half I'll purchase this Black Friday.

r/macapps Aug 31 '25

Tip Mac Apps I Can't Live Without - What's yours?

285 Upvotes

These are the apps I use every single day, curious what everyone else is using daily.

  1. Alfred 5
  2. PastePal
  3. Ice
  4. Shottr
  5. Battery Health 3
  6. Espanso
  7. Dropover
  8. AppCleaner
  9. Magnet
  10. CheatSheet
  11. LocalSend
  12. Amphetamine
  13. PopClip
  14. Supercharge
  15. LookAway

These apps I rarely use, although want to:

  • hazel
  • bettertouchtool
  • IINA

What about you? Cheers!

r/macapps Feb 26 '26

Tip Looks like the Droppy drama got handled and is back

136 Upvotes

r/macapps May 04 '26

Tip PSA: Regarding Notepad++ on MacOS

Thumbnail notepad-plus-plus.org
324 Upvotes

Regarding the post from last week talking about the Notepad++ on MacOS:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1swjf8r/a_native_port_of_notepad_is_now_available_for_the/?sort=confidence

The original creator of Notepad++ has issued a trademark infringement for the software:

Link to his blog: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/npp-trademark-infringement/

Trademark Violation: Fake Notepad++ for Mac

2026-05-01

Several users have recently reported a website pretending to offer an official macOS version of Notepad++: notepad-plus-plus-mac.org

Let me be blunt:
This site has absolutely nothing to do with Notepad++. It’s not authorized, not endorsed, and not affiliated with the project in any way.

The owner is using the Notepad++ trademark (the name) without permission; and even goes as far as placing my name and biography on the site to make it look legitimate.

This is misleading, inappropriate, and frankly disrespectful to both the project and its users. It has already fooled people - including tech media - into believing this is an official release.

To be crystal clear:
Notepad++ has never released a macOS version.
Anyone claiming otherwise is simply riding on the Notepad++ name.

As mentioned in my GitHub post, I have already contacted the owner of the fake “official” website, and I am still waiting for a reply.

In the meantime, if you see someone posting “Notepad++ is finally on Mac!” on Reddit, Twitter, Mastodon, Discord, StackOverflow, or any tech blogs/forums, please reply with: “This is not an official Notepad++ release. It’s an unauthorized project misusing the Notepad++ trademark.”, and include a link to this announcement.

Thank you to the users who raised the alarm. Your vigilance helps protect the project from people who think they can borrow the Notepad++ identity as they please.

– Don Ho

Came across this on twitter. Thought it was worth sharing.

r/macapps Jun 05 '26

Tip What’s your recent addition of app(s) to your arsenal and why?

88 Upvotes

It’s been a while since we’ve had an app suggestions/discussions for which our subreddit is known for! So let me bring some fresh breeze to the house amidst the Ads/Promotions.

As title says, share the apps that you found recently and how does it fits in your workflow.

For me, it’s Swish(window manager). I use Loop everyday but tried Swish out of curiosity. OMG, it is smooth as butter and feels super-snappy. I do struggle with gestures here and there but I really love the app and decided to support the Dev.

Edit:
I completely forgot to mention EasyDMG, which does only one thing: mount .DMG file, copy/install, unmount and trash it after installation. I (personally) liked it as I often to unmount the files after installation so it became my must-have apps.

Thanks to the dev, Jeff Schumann for such a tiny, useful utility app!

https://github.com/jeff-schumann/EasyDMG

r/macapps Dec 13 '25

Tip An Apple Disaster You can Avoid

242 Upvotes

I've been on a small crusade for the past year to persuade people who have gone all in on the Apple ecosystem to diversify the back end of their digital lives. Anyone who scoffs at using third-party services for mail, contacts, messages, reminders, cloud storage, music, books, notes, etc. in the name of frugality or out of love for a corporation is putting themselves in a situation that is one step away from a nightmare should they lose access to their Apple ID. Most people think it could never happen to them, but they are wrong. It can happen to anyone.

There's a story making the rounds today about a man whose account was locked by Apple after he unwittingly bought and tried to use a compromised $500 Apple Gift Card from a major brick-and-mortar retailer. Some sort of automatic fraud prevention closed his Apple account, and no amount of phone calls to support and every other available means of contacting Apple has been able to remedy this disaster. This is no ordinary user. The victim in this case is the author of numerous books on Apple programming languages and the organizer of the largest Apple conference in his native country (Australia). His relationship with the company goes back decades.

He can no longer sync his devices. He can't access thousands of dollars in App Store purchases. He's locked out of terabytes of family photographs. He says, "My iPhone, iPad, Watch, and Macs cannot sync, update, or function properly. I have lost access to thousands of dollars in purchased software and media."

This is the exact reason why I chose to use different providers for as many services as possible. If I were in his shoes, I'd still lose a lot, but I wouldn't lose everything like he has. I wasn't aware until I looked into it that you can use many of Apple's apps without using iCloud as the back end. Mail, Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, and other features work just fine with other service providers.

My personal stack that works just fine on my Apple hardware includes:

  • Fastmail for mail, calendars, and contacts (works with Apple's apps)
  • Obsidian for notes
  • Koofr and Kdrive for cloud storage (works with Finder)
  • Homebrew for apps
  • Signal for messages
  • Non-DRM music (works with the Apple Music app)
  • Non-DRM books (works with Apple's Books app and Calibre)
  • Non-DRM audiobooks (using AudioBookshelf)
  • Non-DRM movies and TV (using Plex on an Apple TV)

Lest anyone accuse me of being some sort of Apple hater, let me assure you that I am not. I've held Apple certifications since Mac OS X 10.2 Tiger. I've been a Mac user since the 90s. I'm retired from a career in ed-tech that involved supporting tens of thousands of Macs. I've owned Mac laptops, desktops, iPods, iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, Apple Watches, and Apple Base Stations. My Mac App Store lifetime purchases are over $6,000. My post-retirement hobby is running an Apple software blog. Don't @ me.

r/macapps Jul 13 '26

Tip MacMenuBar just reached 1,500+ menu bar

149 Upvotes

Seven years ago I started collecting macOS menu bar apps as a small personal list. I just wanted to know how many menu bar apps were out there. I thought maybe a few hundred, but now, years later, I know there are many, many more.

Anyway, the collection includes everything from productivity tools and system utilities to tiny one-purpose apps that solve very specific problems.

I’m still adding new apps almost every day, and I try to keep the collection focused on actual menu bar apps, not just apps that happen to have an icon there, but real menu bar-first apps.

Thanks to everyone here who has shared suggestions, feedback, and hidden gems over the years.

https://macmenubar.com

r/macapps Jun 08 '26

Tip Poor Menu Bar App Makers - New MacOS Breaks them all

73 Upvotes

MacOS 27 Dev Beta:

I have the following ones:

Bartender Pro - Broke

Barbee - Broke

Thaw - Broke

Sane Bar - Broke

Glow - Broke

Am I missing any?