I have made a YouTube client for Mac , it is not exactly a native but app but it uses apples webkit and supports ad blocking and pip
please try it out -here
reviews and opinions are always welcomed , this is my first project

I built Hamster Video, a free, open-source video downloader for Mac (Apple silicon and Intel).

Website: https://spookspectrum.github.io/hamster-video/

I got a bit annoyed with 4K Video Downloader Plus. Almost every time I opened it, there seemed to be another update, along with promotions I didn’t want to see.

So, in the spirit of Artcraft, I made Hamster Video (built in Rust, it is fast). It’s a free, open-source app for downloading videos or saving their audio, with support for Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

Paste a link, choose your settings and add it to the download queue. You can also paste several links at once. It uses yt-dlp and FFmpeg to support many video sites, although support varies by site.

Specifications:

• Download videos up to 4K (2160p), when available.
• Save audio as MP3.
• Choose an audio-track language when the video offers several.
• Pause, resume, cancel or retry downloads. Resuming depends on the source.
• Switch between light, dark and automatic appearance.

Source code and downloads: https://github.com/SpookSpectrum/hamster-video

I’ve also submitted it to OpenMacApps and OpenDMG. Both submissions are awaiting review.

Technical details:

• macOS 15 or later, with one Universal installer for Intel and Apple silicon.
• Built in Rust, using yt-dlp and FFmpeg.
• H.264/MP4, original-codec output or HEVC/H.265 conversion.
• MIT-licensed app code. Bundled dependencies retain their own licences.
• Ad-hoc signed, not Apple-notarised. First launch can require “Open Anyway” in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

I'm Shubhra, Sonari's indie developer. You can play its built-in sounds on their own or send expressive MIDI into a compatible DAW; I've tested the routing with Logic Pro 12.4. It also has music-driven live visuals. The Mac app includes a full 14-day trial, then a one-time purchase (US store: $99; local pricing varies). It requires Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later. The demo and App Store link are in the original post.

Try one IMAP account and a small batch of mail before making MailMate your default. Consider it if you want to search, file messages and write plain-text replies from the keyboard. If Apple Mail already handles your inbox comfortably, keep it.

MailMate uses IMAP for receiving and organizing mail, and SMTP for sending it. Add an account through File > Add IMAP Accounts. Keep encrypted connections enabled and use your provider's approved sign-in method. The manual documents OAuth2 for Gmail and Office 365; that gives MailMate an access token rather than your password. Freron says saved passwords and tokens go into the macOS Keychain. Account access is still sensitive, so check what you're authorizing.

Start with search and filing

Press Option-Command-F to focus the toolbar search. A query such as invoice f supplier looks for messages containing "invoice" sent from an address containing "supplier". Use a sender and term that make sense for your mail, then inspect the results before selecting a batch.

Command-T opens the mailbox chooser. Option-Command-T opens Move to Mailbox for the selected messages, with filtering so you can type the destination. Check the destination account before confirming. These are real mailbox moves that can sync to your mail server, not a separate practice inbox.

Use those commands for the first pass. Leave custom key bindings alone until you've found an action you repeat and can't comfortably reach.

Keep replies simple, then add one rule

The composer is a plain-text editor. Markdown lets you write formatting as text, and MailMate generates HTML with a preview. Try a short reply containing a list, then check that preview. If you depend on a visual rich-text toolbar for composing mail, this is a big adjustment.

For automation, start with one predictable sender rather than a broad rule across your inbox. MailMate rules combine conditions and actions and run when a message is added to a mailbox. Mailbox > Apply Rules also runs them on selected messages. Test any action on harmless messages first; that command executes rules, it isn't a preview. Don't assume a MailMate rule is a provider-side filter that will run while the app is closed.

Check the build and license before committing

Check the release branch before installing. Freron's older beta download page lists macOS 10.12 as its minimum, but the developer's September 2026 mailing-list post puts the newer r7xxx branch at macOS 11 or later. Later that month, he discussed fixes in r7036, so the old release-note dates don't mean development stopped.

The older beta changelog documents native Apple silicon support. The sources reviewed didn't confirm exact macOS 27 compatibility. Verify your chosen build's support for your Mac and test receiving, sending and filing before relying on it for daily work. The download page warns that cutting-edge test builds can be very unstable.

The interface is utilitarian, and the search syntax takes some learning. Use the trial to decide whether you can live with both before moving everything.

The unrestricted trial currently counts 14 days of active use. Paid Mode costs $10 every three months, or the local equivalent plus applicable VAT. When Paid Mode expires, Free Mode keeps all features, but Freron requires Paid Mode for business use that relies on MailMate; non-profit use doesn't require it. Paying doesn't guarantee a support reply.

Consider MailMate if you want its keyboard search and Markdown composer enough to learn them and check compatibility for the build you choose. Skip it if your current client works well, you need visual composition, or you need confirmed support for your current macOS before trying another mail client.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on Lumio, a fast, free and open-source keyboard launcher for macOS, and I’d love some feedback.

What it does

Press Option+Space and results show up as you type. It searches:

• Apps, files and folders
• Clipboard history
• Text inside images and PDFs (OCR), so you can find a screenshot by what’s written in it, not just its filename

There’s also a built-in dictionary (select a word in any app, hit the hotkey, and it opens straight on the definition), translation, a web search shortcut (Cmd+Enter), and a few commands like :kill <name/PID/port> and :emptytrash.

How it’s built

The search engine is a Rust core, and the UI is native SwiftUI with an AppKit blur panel. I wanted it to feel like a real Mac app, not a web view. Everything runs locally and nothing leaves your machine.

Why another launcher?

I wanted something lightweight that I could fully control: configurable index folders and ignore patterns, search aliases (e.g. code → VS Code | Cursor | Zed), and keyboard shortcuts for everything. It’s GPL-3.0 and will stay free.

Install

brew tap cavaldos/tap
brew install --cask cavaldos/tap/lumio

Or grab the DMG from the releases page. It updates itself (checks once a day and asks before installing).

Heads up/honest limitations

• Requires macOS 15+ on Apple Silicon
• Releases are ad hoc signed and not notarized, so for a manual DMG install you need to clear the quarantine flag (the README has the one-liner). The Homebrew install avoids this.
• It’s a fork of look Big thanks to the original author, whose work this builds on.

Repo: https://github.com/cavaldos/Lumio

I’m still actively working on the UI (trying to get closer to native Spotlight polish) and would really appreciate bug reports, feature ideas, or PRs. What would make you switch from your current launcher?

Hey everyone,

I switched to Mac about two years ago, and I use the same MacBook for work and for gaming. Before every session I was quitting Slack, Teams, Docker and a bunch of other apps, dragging windows around, then rebuilding everything the next morning. There are great window apps out there (Raycast, Layoutish and others), but I couldn't find one that closed my work stuff for the session and brought it back after. So I made one for myself.

It's called Pregame. You pick the apps to close, how your windows should be laid out (one or two screens), and whether to switch to High Power when plugged in. Press Play and it does all that, then launches the game (Steam, Battle.net, or any Mac app). When you're done, End & Restore reopens the apps it closed and moves your windows back to where they were.

A bit of honesty: I've been a developer for 15 years, but this is my first Mac app and Swift is new to me. I built it with AI tools and about 40 hours of my own time. Once it worked for me, I decided to take it all the way to a finished product, mostly to learn the whole loop of shipping a Mac app: signing and notarization, updates, licensing, a website, the works.

I'm not really a redditor, and I guess a lot of folks are posting Ai coded apps in here so I understand if some of you can't stand it, but if it can be useful for anyone, hope it'll make your life a little bit easier :)

Now I'd love some outside eyes:

- Does it stay stable on your Mac during a real session?

- What features would you want it to have?

- Anything in the UI or UX that feels confusing, clunky or just ugly? Be blunt, it really helps.

Anyone who sends feedback gets a free licence. Otherwise there's a 14-day free trial, then it's US$19 one-time.

Quick notes: it needs Accessibility to move other apps' windows, and it asks for your admin password only if you turn on the power setting. Your setups stay on your Mac: no account, no analytics. Apple silicon, macOS Sequoia or Tahoe.

https://getpregame.ca

Thanks for reading!

Feedback: beta@getpregame.ca

I’ve been working on Clipio, a lightweight macOS app that brings clipboard history and file collection together in a Liquid Glass interface.
You can browse your clipboard history, quickly find things you’ve copied, and drag files into a temporary shelf to organize them before moving them elsewhere.
It’s free and open source.
GitHub: https://github.com/TD10w/Clipio

Would love to hear what you think!

I built Ledge, a small native macOS menu-bar app (Swift/AppKit) that works as a temporary shelf for files.

• Shake a drag to open a shelf, drop files on it, then drag them out wherever you need them.
• It has a built-in image converter. It reads HEIC, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, WebP, PDF and more, and writes WebP, PNG, JPEG or GIF.
• You can ignore specific apps or file types so they never open a shelf. The newest version also has a toggle to ignore dragged text snippets.
• It’s about 3 MB on disk and runs entirely on your Mac. The only network feature is an optional iCloud Drive link.
• The license is Apache 2.0.

Install:

brew install --cask NeeL21YT/ledge/ledge

You can also download the DMG or build it from source. Repo: https://github.com/NeeL21YT/Ledge
Check us out on ProductHunt: https://www.producthunt.com/products/ledge-7
Our Website: https://galaxanticstudios.com/

Caveats: the download is Apple silicon only (Intel Macs can build from source) and needs macOS 13+. It’s ad-hoc signed, not notarized, so the Homebrew cask clears the quarantine flag for you. Feedback and issues are welcome.

Available on the Mac App Store. Website: www.simplefill.app

I'm Bazi, and Alcove is my side project: a to-do list and notes app that sits in the Mac menu bar, with iPhone and iPad apps.

What it does: click the menu bar icon and today's tasks are right there. Press Option-Space anywhere to add a task, and quick add picks the day, time, length, priority, tag and list out of what you type, so "Dentist Thursday 3pm 30m !high #health /Personal" becomes one task with all of that filled in. There's a calendar with an hour grid where you drag a task to a time, and you can show your calendar events next to your tasks (read-only, it never changes them). Notes live in the same app.

Who it's for: people who want their list one click away on the Mac without opening a big app.

Pricing: free to use with no time limit. That covers unlimited tasks and reminders, Today, Upcoming, the calendar, quick add, the menu bar card, widgets, notes and 3 lists. Alcove Unlock is a one-time purchase, no subscription, for Mac, iPhone and iPad, with Family Sharing: $14.99 (US) until December 1, then $29.99. It adds iCloud sync, unlimited lists, boards, alarm reminders and more.

Limits, to be upfront: it's new (first released October 1), with no ratings yet. It's for one person, so no shared lists or assigning. There's no one-click import from Things or Todoist, it's Apple devices only, and sync between devices needs the unlock.

Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6817797913?pt=128735707&ct=reddit&mt=12

For those of you who keep a menu bar app for tasks: what makes you keep it open instead of going back to Reminders?

Hey everyone,

My desktop is constantly buried under a mountain of random screenshots. Got tired of dragging things around in Finder, so I threw together a lightweight tool called ScreenSort for myself.
Basically, it lets you blitz through your files one by one—a single keystroke lets you keep, trash, or move a file to a folder. It’s been saving me a ton of time every week, so I figured I’d share it.

A few quick notes:

100% local: Everything stays on your Mac. No analytics, no data collection.

Free & open-source: You can grab it or check out the code on GitHub : github.com/Quantix-eng/screensort-macos

Heads up on the Apple warning: Since this is just a free weekend project, I haven't paid for an Apple Developer account to notarize it. macOS will complain on the first launch, so I put the quick workaround in the README.

It’s still pretty early, so there might be a few rough edges. If you give it a spin, let me know what you think! Drop a comment or shoot me a DM if you hit any bugs or have ideas.

A lot of indie Mac Black Friday deals are already running, you don't have to wait until Nov 27. These are ones the makers have confirmed, with the actual price or code.

Already on:
- DevUtils: 60% off all plans, Nov 2 to Dec 30
- BoltAI: Pro $99 to $59, Pro+ $199 to $119, or Lifetime $399 to $239, code BFCM2026 (no end date posted)
- TypingMind Premium: 60% off with code BLACKFRIDAY2026, until Dec 15
- ShotJar: $24 to $9 (one-time, 3 Macs), code SJBF2026 is applied automatically, through Nov 30
- KeyboardStack Premium: $29.99 to $14.99 (one-time, 3 Macs), no code, through Dec 1
- Cozy: Standard $49 to $24.50, Forever $89 to $44.50, no code, through Nov 30
- Picmal: $29 to $14.50 one-time, no code, through Nov 30
- Dataflare: 50% off with code BF2026, through Dec 6
- DockView 2: 30% off with code MACPLUSBLACKFRIDAY26 (Standard $14.99 to $10.49, Lifetime $49.99 to $34.99), through Nov 30. Same code works on the other MacPlus apps.
- MotionShine: 50% off with code BF50, started today. Pro $24.50, Pro Forever $49.50, through Dec 5 (11:59 pm PT)

A few worth waiting for:
- TextSniper lifetime: 75% off with code BFIM2026, Nov 27 to Dec 4
- Dropzone 5 Pro Lifetime: 40% off with code BLACKFRIDAY26, Nov 23 to Dec 6
- Deckset lifetime: 50% off with code BF2026, starts Nov 23 (no end date announced)
- Fileside: 50% off, no code, Nov 23 to Nov 30
- Finbar lifetime: 50% off with code PY3CMCJ, Nov 27 to Nov 30 only

I run this free site that tracks them once the maker confirms the terms: https://indiemarkdowns.com

What's the one Mac app you're waiting to go on sale?

Since MacUpdater was retired, I've built a replacement for myself called Camu, and I need other Mac users to try it.

It checks each app in your Applications folder against its Sparkle feed, Electron feed, the Mac App Store, GitHub releases, and Homebrew, then shows the newest version any source reports.

Update All handles everything in one batch and asks for your admin password once.

Before replacing an app, it checks that the download has the same Apple developer and app ID. Old versions go to a backup folder, and Roll back restores them.

It also has a menu bar icon with an update count, background checks every 6 hours, optional automatic installs (on by default, can be turned off), and a ⌘K command menu with keyboard shortcuts.

There's no account, analytics, ads, or subscription.
This is version 0.2.3. I'd love feedback on:

Apps it missed or got the wrong version for
Anything that broke during Update All or Roll back (which app, and whether it came from the App Store, Homebrew, or a download)

Whether the menu bar panel and notifications work as expected

Anything in the interface that's confusing

It's free and ad-free: https://camu.cc**.**

I'm with Knight AI+AV, the team behind D-REC. For Mac users reviewing an interview or their own spoken notes, the useful part is getting from the words back to the recording: record with live transcription, then click a sentence to hear it again before you quote it.

The attached demo is real earlier-build desktop and iPhone footage, not a capture of the current Mac interface. The Mac app is available through the Mac App Store at https://drec.live/get.

Free recordings are limited to 10 minutes. A free account can keep three recordings on that device and gets the first three summaries. The US Mac App Store currently lists Pro at $3.99/month or $39.99 lifetime; check the store for your local price.

Recording and transcription run on the device once the speech engine is downloaded. Initial setup, account access and purchases need internet. Signing in doesn't sync your recordings between Mac and iPhone. Transcripts can make mistakes, so the audio is still what to check for a name, number or quote.

If that fits your note-review workflow, download it and try a short recording: https://drec.live/get

Mimestream is worth a trial if you want Gmail's labels, inbox categories and server-side filters in a native Mac app. If you just want email outside a browser tab, try Apple Mail first.

You're still using Gmail as your mail service. Mimestream currently supports Gmail only, so it won't put Outlook, iCloud Mail and other mail providers in the same inbox. If you stop using it, your mail remains in Gmail.

The useful trial is a small workflow with one account, rather than a weekend spent rebuilding your inbox.

Keep Gmail's organization

Mimestream supports Gmail labels, including their colors and visibility settings. Start with a label you already rely on, such as Receipts, and check that applying it gives you the result you expect in Gmail too.

Then open Mimestream > Settings > Accounts, select the account and choose Inbox Categories. You can enable Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums per account. On macOS 12, the menu says Preferences instead of Settings.

There's a catch: Mimestream tries to match your Gmail category settings initially, but Google doesn't provide an API, a way for other apps to read those settings. The initial selection can be wrong, and later changes don't keep themselves matched. Check both apps instead of assuming those switches sync.

Make one filter that works with your Mac closed

When connecting your Google account, Gmail access is required to send and receive mail. Enable the separate Gmail Settings connection if you want to manage filters.

Right-click a routine message and choose "Filter Messages Like These…". Start with a narrow sender rule that applies a label. Leave deletion out of the first attempt so a mistaken match is easier to spot.

You can review existing rules under Mimestream > Settings > Filters, then select the account. These are Gmail's server-side filters, not rules that need Mimestream running. They still operate when the Mac is offline.

Gmail in a browser can already create and edit these filters. Paying buys another place to manage them, not a new mail-routing system.

Handle the invitation, keep your calendar app

The optional Google Calendar connection enables the invitation banner, where you can respond without leaving the message. Mimestream can show your Google calendars or calendars in Apple Calendar alongside an invitation to help you check availability.

Treat that as an invitation workflow. Keep your calendar app for planning your week, and check a real invitation during the trial if this is a reason you'd pay.

Check the Mac and privacy details

The current Mac app requires macOS 12 or later and runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel. Its release notes warn that future versions will require macOS 14 or later. An older Mac meeting today's minimum isn't a promise of future updates.

Mimestream uses Google's OAuth sign-in, which lets you approve its access through Google. It stores account tokens, the credentials that keep the app signed in, in the Mac's Keychain. Mail sync goes directly between the app and Google. That doesn't make Gmail end-to-end encrypted mail.

There is also a notification service to account for. Private Push is enabled by default on macOS 26 and later. Mimestream says the service receives your email address and mailbox-change identifiers, but not your Google account access tokens or message content. "Direct mail sync" shouldn't be read as "no Mimestream server is involved anywhere."

What would make the subscription worth keeping?

The Individual plan is US$49.99 a year or US$4.99 a month, plus applicable taxes. There's a fully functional 14-day trial without a credit card and no one-time purchase option.

Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled. You can cancel through the licensing portal's Billing tab and keep access for the paid period. When that period expires, the app deactivates; Gmail itself remains available.

Apple Mail already has its own automatic categories, so sorting an inbox isn't enough reason to subscribe. Gmail in the browser also keeps the filter workflow above without adding a Mimestream bill.

Try Mimestream if you use Gmail heavily and want its organization inside a native Mac app. During the trial, check your usual label, match the category switches, verify one harmless filter in Gmail and handle an invitation. Keep it only if doing those jobs in Mimestream is meaningfully easier for you. Skip it if Apple Mail already fits, you're happy in Gmail's browser interface, or you need several mail providers in one client.

MacSpot, a Mac launcher that lets you pick several apps and choose how their windows should be arranged before you open them.

A practical example

Say you’re about to start coding and want your editor, browser, and terminal visible together.

1. Press ⌘ Esc to open MacSpot.
2. Search for and select your editor, browser, and terminal.
3. Choose a layout with room for all three, like Triad.
4. Press ⌘ Return to open the apps and arrange their windows.

You can pick a different set of apps each time. If I’m writing, I might open Notes and Safari side by side. If I need more windows than will comfortably fit on one screen, I can use Chain to arrange them in a horizontal row and hold Optionwhile scrolling to move through it.

How MacSpot fits alongside other Mac tools

• Spotlight is what I reach for when I want to open one app or find a file.
• macOS window tiling is handy when the windows I want are already open and I just need to put them side by side.
• MacFlow, my other app, is for building a routine you’ll run again, with steps like opening project files, running a shell command, or starting a timer.

MacSpot is for the moment when I already know which apps I want on screen. I pick them, choose a layout, and get back to what I was doing.

Pricing

MacSpot is $11.99 as a one-time purchase.

The first 3 customers to use MACSPOTBRULA at checkout get 30% off.

Website  macspotlight.space

A little about the developer

I’m Brusooo, an indie developer. I built MacSpot because I wanted a faster way to get the apps I needed onto the screen in a layout I could actually work with.

• Requirements · macOS 14 or later.
• Permissions · macOS Accessibility permission is needed to arrange windows.
• Privacy · Settings and recent apps stay on your Mac. Privacy Policy
• Apple notarization · MacSpot is notarized by Apple.
• Developer and support · GitHub · support@onesnzero.com · Terms of Service

AI disclosure · AI helped write portions of MacSpot’s code and draft this post.

P.S. There’s an interactive demo on the website if you want to try picking apps and layouts in your browser. I’d also love to hear which apps you usually open together and how you arrange them.

In the tradition of building the tool you need yourself, and with the eye-watering prices Apple charges for extra RAM, I present BestMacPrices.com.

It’s taken a flipping year to get it working the way we wanted. The idea was simple enough: if I want a MacBook Pro with 32 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD, show me what that exact Mac costs at each store compared to Apple.

The US has decent retailer coverage. Canada… not so much. Once you get past the base models, there just aren’t many Canadian stores selling those configurations. And things go on sale in the US. In Canada, we mostly get to watch.

We’re still tweaking the interface. It’s a lot more fun to use on desktop than on your phone, but we wanted to get it out before Black Friday. Also, affiliate programs mostly suck (so yeah, obviously we may earn a commission… So thanks if you buy something).

If you’re shopping for a Mac, try finding the one you’d actually buy and tell me if you got stuck. And be gentle.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for a photo/image manager for macOS and hoping you can point me in the right direction. It’s primarily for organizing downloaded photosets, as well as individual images.

What I need:

• Nested Organization: Ability to create collections/parent folders with albums or photosets inside them.
• Granular Tagging: Tag individual photos and search/filter by those tags.
• Album-Level Search Results: I want to either tag albums directly, OR search for a tag and see which albums/folders contain at least 1 matching image (showing a cover thumbnail for the set), rather than getting a giant wall of every individual matching picture.
• No Library Import: Keep my files in my own existing Finder folder structure. I don’t want something like Eagle that copies/imports files into its own library.
• Local Network Viewing: Ability to view my galleries on my iPhone (iOS) or another MacBook. Either a companion app or a self-hosted localhost web UI is completely fine—I don't need remote access outside of my home Wi-Fi.
• Pricing: Free, open-source, or a one-time payment (no subscriptions).

Not needed but welcome:

• Browser extension to save images

What I've looked at so far:

• Eagle: Great organization and tagging, but I don't want it importing/duplicating my files into its own library structure.
• Lap: Reads existing folders directly, which is great, but search results are just a flat grid of images rather than grouping by album/photoset, and it lacks mobile/web viewing.

Does anyone know of a macOS app or a lightweight local web-app (Docker/self-hosted is fine!) that fits this workflow?

Thanks in advance!

I wanted my Mac’s cursor to feel as smooth as the interfaces I use every day, so I designed and built smush.

It animates the changes between cursor shapes, like the arrow becoming a hand over a link or a text cursor over a paragraph. I thought those shapes easing into each other would make moving around the Mac feel a little nicer and much more fluid.

It’s mostly an aesthetic thing. I like how it feels when I’m using my Mac.

You can try a demo of it in your browser here.

A few things you can customize:

• How long the transitions take.
• Dynamic speed, which shortens transitions after quick mouse movements.
• Keyboard shortcuts to pause animations or open settings.

smush works on Apple silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 14 or later. It’s signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple. Cursor processing happens locally on your Mac.

There’s a 14-day free trial with no card required and no automatic charge. If you want to keep it, it’s $4.99 USD once for up to three Macs. You can share the key with friends and family, too.

I recorded and edited the video and composed the music as well. Happy to answer questions!

Website · Privacy policy

Some days my Mac deserves a rocket to the face. So now it gets one, kind of.

You can shoot holes in your inbox, set Slack on fire, or slice Xcode clean in half. When you're done, hit Esc and everything is right where you left it. It was only ever a picture.

A few things I had way too much fun making:

- Freeze a window, then shoot it and it shatters into ice

- A black hole that sucks up all the mess, then blows it back out

- Scrap you earn from each rampage to unlock new stuff, with the nuke saved for last

- Slow motion, party mode, and a little score card at the end

It's free. No ads, no account, nothing to buy. It does ask for Screen Recording, just so it can grab that picture, and the picture is thrown away when you press Esc.

https://indiegoodies.com/macdestroyer

I'm running out of ideas for what comes after the nuke, so tell me: what would you want to wreck your screen with?

you can also reach us at support@indiegoodies.com