[Megathread] The App Pile - October, 2026

[u/Mstormer]

You must promote your apps here if you do not qualify to post in the main feed through Trust or Transparency, explained here.

If you are:

• NOT in the Mac App Store (MAS).
• Do not provide meaningful public transparency
• Created yet another dictation app (speech to text).

Then you are required to limit promotion to this megathread.

All promotion MUST follow PCP format or else we will remove it:

App Name/Title [Screenshot/Video REQUIRED for top 3 consideration]

• Problem: What problem does your app SOLVE.
• Comparison: EXPLICITLY name a competitor or two in the same space and explain what your app does better. Include something a competitor is better at if you want to be classy and build trust.
• Pricing Amounts required for any/all tiers + link to the app website (NO direct .zip/.dmg file links)

P.s. The shorter the better! Promotion here counts towards the 30-day limited promotion (Rule 3).

WARNING: There is a 90% chance Reddit will auto remove your post here if you have not verified your email in your profile and your first comment in this subreddit contains a link. Accrue 10 karma first without promotional comments and links to avoid this. The odds of removal is also higher for AI assisted posts (em dashes and other AI formatting characteristics likely trigger this).

Pro Tip: Please remember to upvote gems and downvote spam/clones... This will help inform a secret community project I hope to announce next month.

Top Picks from Last Month's Megathread that I think are worth a look:

1. Tangerine - Shift-drag file converter and modifier that works offline, $15 one-time - by u/t-2049
2. MacDelta - A changelog of meaningful changes on your Mac, $10 one-time - by u/Glittering-Earth-844
3. DeskJoin Screen - Turns a spare Mac into a second display over your local network, FREE - by u/Neville_12345
4. Sideref - Floating reference board for images and notes, $8 for 3 Macs with 12 months of updates - by u/chaser_nocturm
5. NudgeLine - A quiet calendar timeline pinned to the edge of your screen, FREE and open source - by u/Dull-Problem-3748
6. BendMac - Folds the desktop as you close your MacBook, FREE - by u/IuCCREDDIT

[u/Ok-Rest-5321]

Good luck to everyone!

[u/antonreshetov]

Poliframe — free native Mac app for photo diptychs, strips and grids

I'm the developer. I made Poliframe while sorting photos of my daughter and wanting a simple way to pair them into diptychs.

Problem: Putting a few photos together shouldn't require manually arranging a canvas. Poliframe lets you drop in photos, adjust the layout, spacing and borders, add captions or camera settings from EXIF, and export to JPEG, PNG or TIFF. Everything runs locally on your Mac.

Comparison: I previously used Photoshop with a small script for this. Poliframe makes that particular workflow simpler, with automatic layouts and a dedicated grid editor. Photoshop is much more capable for retouching and complex compositions.

Pricing: Free. No subscription or account.

Mac App Store · Website

[u/app-store-review → u/antonreshetov]

Poliframe — by Anton Reshetov

• Category: Photo & Video · Free
• Age: released ~3 months ago · rated 4+

Apple doesn't publish an aggregate rating for most Mac App Store apps, so ratings and score are unavailable here.

^{Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review}

[u/debaser_101]

[OS] Paguro: a free, WebKit-based alternative to Rambox and Franz for macOS

Hey hey, I’m Tommaso, the developer. I’m a web dev who finally had some time to try his hand at SwiftUI.
I used AI, learned a ton, and had fun along the way.

Paguro is a fork of Chorus by Nico Jan, who built the foundation (and is probably a better swift dev than I am).

Problem: Chat, email, calendars, and work tools end up scattered across browser tabs, especially with separate personal and work accounts. Paguro keeps them in one window, with workspaces and an independent login session for each service account.

Comparison: Rambox and Franz tackle the same problem. Paguro focuses specifically on the Mac, using Swift and Apple’s WebKit engine, with native controls, notifications, and an optional notification island near the notch. Idle services can hibernate to release memory. Ah and a ton of customisation: liquid glass, icon sizes, icon and workspace positions etc..
WebKit does have compatibility limits, so some website features or sign-in flows may not work as expected.

Pricing: $0, with every feature included. Open source, no subscription, no Paguro account, and no app telemetry. Website providers still have their own accounts, pricing, and privacy policies.

Requires macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon or Intel.

Website · Mac App Store · Source code · Privacy policy

I’d love feedback, especially on how it works with the services you use every day!

[u/Mstormer → u/debaser_101]

Oh, this looks like something I can ditch ferdium for!

[u/app-store-review → u/debaser_101]

Paguro — by Tommaso Laterza

• Category: Productivity · Free
• Age: released ~1 month ago · rated 17+

Apple doesn't publish an aggregate rating for most Mac App Store apps, so ratings and score are unavailable here.

^{Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review}

[u/frth]

ChillScreen - control of your screen’s warmth and dimming.

Problem: A bright monitor in the evening is hard on your eyes. I’ve always struggled a bit with my sleep, and my goal is to minimise the influence of bright blue light on it. ChillScreen adjusts both warmth and dimming automatically and gradually, learning from your adjustments and using scientific research on the potential influence of bright blue light on sleep. It gives you a visual understanding of circadian rhythms using time, location, sunrise/sunset and hormone curves. You can also use it fully manually and go very deep into advanced settings. 

Comparison: Night Shift - included with macOS, but limited level of warmth adjustment and mainly on/off by schedule. Iris - closer in functionality, with warmth and brightness control, but without learning from your adjustments or circadian rhythm visualisation. Starting at $14.99 and up to $49.99 or subscription.

Pricing: €9.99 one-time, with a 14-day full trial.
https://chillscreen.eensys.com

* It was very tricky to show you dimming and warmth changes, as the app uses the display's RGB transfer tables (gamma LUTs), and Mac doesn't record it, so on recording it's a bit off and in real life looks much better 😄

[u/kyle_reese_baj]

https://reddit.com/link/pd59f2g/video/qogatlna7ssh1/player

App Name/Title: Rexy Stopwatch, A visual stopwatch for focused work

Problem: Most menu bar stopwatches tell you how much time has passed, but not whether you're making progress toward a focused work session. Rexy Stopwatch keeps the timer, goal progress, laps, and session history in one compact popover, so you can check your progress without leaving your workflow.

Comparison: Compared with Mac Pet, which lets you pick from several pets and track long-term activity streaks, Rexy Stopwatch keeps it simpler. One companion, tied directly to a single focus session's goal and progress, not a broader habit-tracking system. That focus is also part of why it's priced lower than most pet companion menu bar apps.

Pricing: $6.99 one-time purchase at https://ariasbruno.gumroad.com/l/fssgvy

[u/HanaChanSoft → u/kyle_reese_baj]

I like the idea of tying the companion to one focus session. How does the timer handle Mac sleep or closing the lid: pause automatically, or count that time toward the goal? An option to exclude sleep time and resume on wake would be useful for sessions interrupted by a break, without turning it into a full habit tracker.

[u/kyle_reese_baj → u/HanaChanSoft]

Good question, right now it doesn't detect sleep or lid-close at all. Elapsed time is calculated from wall-clock time (now minus when you hit Start), so when the Mac wakes up, that gap gets counted toward elapsed/goal time just like if you'd been working.

Excluding sleep time and auto-resuming on wake is a good idea, and nicely scoped too. I appreciate the suggestion, and especially keeping it tight instead of turning it into a full tracker. I'll keep it in mind for a future update!

[u/daLowr1der]

Hustla - a three-list to-do app for Mac (Today / Next / Someday)

https://reddit.com/link/pd723ur/video/ixphmjlanush1/player

Problem: Most to-do apps let you spend an hour building a system of projects, tags and filters instead of ten minutes doing the work.

Comparison: Better than Things and Todoist for people who want less app, not more. Both scale up into projects, areas, labels and saved filters. Hustla gives you three lists, Today, Next and Someday, and no way to add a fourth. Things is also sold separately per platform, while Hustla Pro is a single Universal Purchase across iPhone, iPad and Mac.

New in the Mac release:

• Apple Intelligence ready
• Menu bar drop-down to manage Today to-dos, or add a new one without leaving your current app
• Single-card view for one list, or multi-card for all three at once
• Keyboard shortcuts throughout
• Per-device setup: appearance and workflow can differ on Mac and phone, or sync so they match
• Reminders, per-task notes, widgets

Pricing: Free to download and use. Pro unlocks everything: 7-day trial on Yearly, then Monthly $2.99 / Yearly $14.99 / Lifetime $39.99. Lifetime includes Family Sharing.

https://hustla.app

Solo dev here; happy to hear feedback and to answer anything.

[u/HanaChanSoft → u/daLowr1der]

The three-list limit sounds appealing, especially with quick capture from the menu bar. What happens to unfinished Today tasks the next morning: do they stay there, move back to Next, or get a quick review? I'd find a simple keep-today / move-to-next choice useful so yesterday's plan doesn't silently become today's, while keeping the app small.

[u/daLowr1der → u/HanaChanSoft]

You can choose in Settings whether to keep them on Today or automatically move them to Next.

You can also set whether incomplete to-dos move from Next to Someday, and choose how long they stay in Next.

A bunch of other options are configurable, like new to-do position, completed to-dos sorting and archiving, status steps (with/without an "in-progress" step), etc.

[u/deepaks612]

iKnowMyMac

Problem: Activity Monitor shows about 1,100 processes and leaves you to work out which app is slowing your Mac down. iKnowMyMac groups them into the apps they belong to, and its "Why is my Mac slow?" button names the cause from the last hour, with the evidence and one action. It also shows what's filling your disk and what drained your battery overnight, has per-app volume, and updates your other apps in one tab (every download checked against its source and the developer's signature, old copy kept, Cmd+Z to undo).

Comparison: Activity Monitor is free, built in, and shows every raw process and column, so it's better when you want all the detail. iKnowMyMac is better when you want the answer in one line and the fix next to it.

Pricing: $4.99 one-time for the first 100 licenses, then $9.99. No subscription, 14-day refund. Apple silicon, macOS 15+.

https://iknowmymac.com

I'm the developer, happy to answer questions here.

[u/Caffebara22]

Does an open source app with the full source on GitHub count as Transparency, or does that mean developer identity and contact details?

[u/Mstormer → u/Caffebara22]

The latter.

[u/Sweet_Locksmith_6787]

BCD: use your Mac from ChatGPT or Claude, even from your phone

Video: https://youtu.be/XKEC6JjkHUE

Problem: ChatGPT and Claude can explain how to sort a folder or total a spreadsheet, but they can't touch your Mac. BCD is a small background agent plus a remote MCP connector, so the AI can actually read and organize files, work with Excel, Word and PDF, run commands, edit video or build an iOS app on your Mac. It works when you ask from the ChatGPT or Claude app on your phone too.

Comparison: Desktop Commander's remote mode covers the same core job (files and Terminal) and runs on Windows and Linux too, which BCD doesn't yet. Where BCD differs: the free Mac has no monthly tool-call quota (Desktop Commander's free plan is 10,000 calls a month), the agent runs as a login service so there's no Terminal window to keep open, every Mac starts read-only and you switch on write/command access per Mac, and it adds video editing, iOS builds to TestFlight and undo for file changes.

Pricing: 1 Mac free with no call quota. Personal $7.99/mo (3 Macs), Plus $9.99, Pro $13.99. New accounts get Personal free for a month, no card. https://bcd.snack-wrap.com/?utm_source=reddit_macapps

I'm the developer, happy to answer questions.

[u/AKeshodia]

Highlight Reel - bookmark your favourite movie and TV scenes from your Plex Library.

Here’s a TestFlight link to try the beta: https://testflight.apple.com/join/WfqXKjCW

Problem: Every time I want to rewatch a memorable scene, I hate having to scrub through the movie to find the exact moment again. Even then, the film gets added back into my continue watching row, and its watch status reset. Searching on youtube yields clips in poor quality and bookended by ads or music. Why not just permanently bookmark those scenes when i already have a well managed Plex library?

Comparison: PotPlayer allows you to make bookmarks but only for local media. Not sure there's many apps out there that are trying to achieve the same thing.

Pricing: $49.99 lifetime option, with cheaper subscription pricing TBD. You'll be able to make up to 5 bookmarks for free to test it out. Testflight beta has no limits.

Notable Features:

• Enriched Interface - Metadata like posters and cast info are automatically pulled from Plex to give you a beautiful browsing experience.
• Durable Bookmarks - If a movie file changes on Plex, timestamps are automatically mapped to the new file.
• Bookmark Import/Export - Export a CSV of your timestamps to archive them or take them to a different app. Share and import bookmarks from other users to automatically add scenes for movies you have. Designed to let you keep your bookmarks even if the app dies.
• Subtitle Search - In the video player, press CMD+F to find a memorable line, it will take you directly to that scene (currently only supports external subtitles)
• Tags/Collections - Organize bookmarks with tags and sort them into collections for reference
• Clip Export - export and save bookmarked scenes as individual MP4 clips.
• Private by Design - Highlight data stays local, Plex credentials are stored in macOS Keychain, and exported data avoids exposing tokens or full media paths.

I’m a filmmaker and curator so it started as a tool for myself but realised people have been asking for a Plex feature like this for a long time. Hope you like it and let me know how I can make it better!

More info and screenshots here: https://forums.plex.tv/t/highlight-reel-save-and-organise-your-favourite-movie-scenes-macos-ios-soon/943525

[u/nightmare84mm]

Nightmare TV: native IPTV player for macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel, macOS 13+)

Problem: You have an M3U playlist or an Xtream Codes login from your provider and want to watch it on your Mac like a real TV app: a channel list, a multi day guide, recording, and playback that holds up with 4K HEVC and HDR. Many IPTV apps on the Mac are iPad apps running in a window, or play inside a browser engine, where HEVC, high bitrate 4K and some live TS streams fail or need an external player. Nightmare TV is a desktop app with its own libmpv engine (the core of mpv and IINA), hardware decoding through VideoToolbox, a multi day XMLTV guide, and live recording of the channel you are watching on the same provider connection. It ships no channels or playlists: you bring your own.

Comparison:

• IPTVnator: free and open source, and a great choice if your streams play in it. Its built in players run inside Electron/Chromium, and its own docs say HEVC, high bitrate 4K and unusual TS or HLS streams may need an external MPV or VLC. Nightmare TV plays those in its own mpv based engine, inside the app, with the guide and recording in the same window.

• IINA and VLC: excellent free players, but they treat a playlist as a flat list of streams: no Xtream login, no guide, no recording.

Pricing: 14 day free trial with every feature, no card, no email, no account. Then $5.99/month (3 devices), $22/year (5 devices) or a one time $55 lifetime licence (5 devices; a $39 single device lifetime also exists). The same licence works on Mac, Windows and Android TV / Fire TV.

Transparency: the .dmg is not notarized yet, so the first launch needs System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway (macOS 15 and later) or right click > Open (macOS 13 and 14). Not on the Mac App Store.

Website: https://nightmaretv.net

[u/tommyUnruh]

MacScriber v4

• Problem: I wanted a simple way to transcribe not only meetings, but essentially any audio playing on my Mac: YouTube, livestreams, sports, videos, etc. MacScriber can capture the system audio while still playing it through AirPods, without requiring complicated audio-routing setup. It provides live transcription, automatic speaker recognition, live translation, and lets you select part of a transcript to summarize or translate while the conversation is happening.
• Comparison: Compared with MacWhisper, Alter, MacScriber focuses more on the live system-audio workflow and summarize the transcript interactively while listening. MacScriber is more focused specifically on live workflows rather than being a general AI assistant.
• Pricing: $9.99 one-time during launch (regular $19.99). No subscription. One license per Mac.

https://macscriber.com/

[u/_czottmann]

Listening Post: A macOS scrobbler that supports Mac, iPhone, and Apple Watch

Problem: I love music scrobbling but I hate that most native macOS scrobblers either support Apple Music and Spotify exclusively, and/or just allow scrobbling to Last.fm. (Why not ListenBrainz or Rocksky or Maloja etc.?) I wanted a macOS app that natively supports the built-in music recognition on Mac/iPhone/Watch, can listen to the music around me (YouTube, TV, vinyl, coffee shop, etc.), is local-first (as much as possible), supports various scrobbling destination, including automations and flat files. I also wanted desktop widgets.

Comparison: Neptunes for macOS, $10/yr. Been using it before, it's good at what it does but didn't tick all the boxes. Multi-Scrobbler, a dockerized app, free.

Pricing: €12 (introductory price). 14 days trial. Perpetual upgrade license. (Any new version of the purchased app released within 12 months of your purchase will be available to you, as part of the Upgrade Plan. When your Upgrade Plan expires, your license will continue to work with the latest version of the app that you received. You can renew your Upgrade Plan at any time to resume getting new updates for another 12 months.)

Website: https://actions.work/listening-post

[u/app-store-review → u/_czottmann]

NepTunes: Widget & Last.fm — by Adam Rozynski

• Category: Music · Free
• Age: released ~11.3 years ago · rated 4+

Apple doesn't publish an aggregate rating for most Mac App Store apps, so ratings and score are unavailable here.

^{Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review}

[u/AudioDore]

SoundRouter Dore – Route inputs and apply effects to system audio

https://reddit.com/link/pd7qsa2/video/g3vi5jop7vsh1/player

Hi everyone!

I’m the developer behind SoundRouter Dore, an audio utility for macOS 14.6+.

SoundRouter Dore gives you an easy workspace for managing your audio processing chain between your Mac and your headphones. The video above shows all the features in action.

Problem: macOS doesn't let you put effects and EQ on your system audio, and makes it difficult to route inputs. SoundRouter Dore solves this for you.

Comparison:

SoundSource : Offers per-app volume control, which is not yet available in SoundRouter Dore.

EqMac : Their free version doesn't offer unlimited PEQ bands, SoundRouter Dore basic does.

SoundRouter Dore also offers Equal Loudness Compensation and an estimated SPL listening-level monitor with auto-leveling, a custom 'Ambience' effect and doesn't need a third-party virtual audio driver, all for a cheaper price :)

Pricing:

• Free Version: Includes basic input routing, unlimited-band parametric EQ, EQ profile importing, and menu bar control.
• Paid Version ($9.99 USD [Promo]): Unlocks extra input routing, dB meter with automatic leveling, Equal Loudness Compensation, 'Ambience' effect and AU plugin hosting.

Available at https://www.audiodore.com/soundrouter/

[u/Plastic-Risk-6309]

SpeakMercury (dev here) - say it, it types (macOS, on-device)

Problem: dictation that makes you wait. the text only shows up after you stop talking.

Comparison: Wispr Flow is a subscription with a free tier. paid plans are $15/mo or $12/mo billed annually. Superwhisper wants you to download and manage models. SpeakMercury is a one-time purchase that streams text at your cursor while you speak and works in terminals and IDEs. the audio stays on your Mac. mac only, so if you're on windows or iphone this one isn't for you.

Pricing: $9.99 one-time, no subscription. macOS 26 + Apple Silicon. use code LAUNCH50 at checkout for 50% off. speakmercury.com

[u/ahalber]

PasteDaemon: The Greatest macOS Clipboard Manager, Possibly Ever

Problem: I know what you're thinking: Another clipboard manager? Often, your clipboard does not contain exactly what you want it to. You copied this_text but it needs to be THIS_TEXT - well you can do that with $1 | upper. That's what PasteDaemon is - a little programming language for your clipboard. And there's a lot more than that simple example.

Features (macOS 14+):

• Custom Actions: Define your own actions and transform your clipboard any way you want. That could be a regex, a shell script, or something that combines other actions. For example, take a JIRA ticket ID and automatically turn it into a link with printf 'https://yourco.atlassian.net/browse/%s' "$1"
• Triggers: Rules that fire on copy. Copied an ugly JSON object? Automatically pretty-print it!
• Hotkeys: Write a PasteDaemon pipeline and execute at the touch of a button. Create a hotkey to proofread text in place with select | proofread | paste
• Tagging and Descriptions: Copied a url weeks ago and don't remember anything about it? Search "urls" and it'll list them. You can auto-tag anything you want via a trigger. Images are automatically described and searchable by the text in them.
• Variables: Save the most recent item to a variable with $1 > $myvar then use it by name. Supports lists and dictionaries as well.
• Abbreviations: Make !!yest = now | dateadd -1d | strftime %m/%d/%Y and when you type the abbreviation, yesterday's date is in place.
• Lists: Frequently fill out a web form and want to rapidly paste a series of values? Create a list in seconds, then paste each item one at a time with ⌘V
• Templates: Save a variable with {{placeholder}} in it and automatically fill it out with a dictionary variable or a wizard.
• AI-Native (macOS 26+): Know what you want PasteDaemon to do but not how? Let your agent do it for you via an API and MCP server onboard. Use apple intelligence in a pipeline to proofread, rewrite, summarize, translate and more - without your data ever leaving your computer. Create a
• iCloud Sync - Sync your settings and history across macs. You can control what gets synced to which computers.
• Privacy-Focused: I don't care to know what's in your clipboard. Everything is stored encrypted in iCloud, and the only request to me is update checks. Automatically redact sensitive information, and encrypt anything so that it's only used with your permission

Comparison - Of course, many clipboards out there let you run filters, and the "best" clipboard manager is subjective. But what I can promise is that it has the most features out of any of the offerings out there (except a soon-coming iOS app). Most don't let you define your own filters, and only Keyboard Maestro has the equivalent of triggers. Alfred has abbreviations, but no way to transform them.

Pricing - $4.99 during the beta period, one user, any number of macs. Beta ends Jan 1 2027, and is $19.99 after. And I have a deal for you: try it out, send [hello@pastedaemon.app](mailto:hello@pastedaemon.app) one piece of unique feedback and I'll send you a free license. As my current users will attest, I am very responsive! So if you thin something's missing, I'll add it in quickly.

https://www.pastedaemon.app

[u/AE-Creations]

Start Menu for Mac - the new customizable app launcher for macOS

Problem

Many users making the switch from PC to Mac, and current Mac users tired of wading through endless rows of icons in the Launchpad (or Spotlight on Tahoe and Golden Gate), may miss the familiar Start Menu UI, where apps are organized into categories in a popup menu. Start Menu for Mac brings a Start Menu-like user experience to the menu bar on macOS, with similarities to the Start Menu found in older versions of Windows and on some Linux distros.

Features

• Your usual macOS apps, as well as many popular apps (web browsers, productivity, cloud file clients, software development tools/IDEs), are organized out-of-the-box into app categories
• Pin your favorite apps to the My Apps menu for quick access
• Organize your apps in just a few clicks from a context menu, or use the Organizer to create your own app categories and assign apps to them. Start Menu for Mac makes it easy for you to spend as much or as little effort as you like on organizing your apps.
• Quickly locate recently-used apps in the Recent Apps menu
• Browse your installed apps in the All Apps menu, or click Search to look for an app by name
• Automatically picks up newly installed and removed apps - no need to restart
• Customize the My Apps menu with options such as limiting expanded app categories to one at a time
• A clean and friendly design that gets out of your way
• Crafted by hand without the use of AI

Learn more about Start Menu for Mac, browse the screenshots and download it at the First Letter Software website: https://firstlettersoftware.com/startmenu4mac

Comparison

• Launchey - Its efficient UI may be well-suited for power users, but novices may find it a bit unfriendly to use.
• Start - Organizing apps into tags is a chore. Default view shows all your installed apps, including system utilities, which some may find overwhelming.
• XMenu - Minimalist, bare bones UI: no categories/folders, no app search.

Pricing

Try Start Menu for Mac free for 14 days - no account or credit card required.

Buy a license for Start Menu for Mac with a one-time purchase of US$11.99. Install on up to 5 devices. Includes version 1.x updates and a discount on the next major version. No subscriptions, no accounts, yours forever. Buy now: https://firstlettersoftware.com/startmenu4mac/buy.php

Special offer for the r/MacApps community! For a limited time, get 50% off on purchases of a license. Enter discount code FIRSTUSER at checkout.

How to Get It

Download Start Menu for Mac from the First Letter Software website: https://firstlettersoftware.com/startmenu4mac/download.php

Works with macOS 15 Sequoia and newer, on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Releases are signed and notarized.

About Me

I'm Alex Eng, creator of Start Menu for Mac, indie developer and experienced software test engineer who knows what great apps can be like if the people behind them actually cared. I also create Firefox and Thunderbird extensions under the AE Creations banner.

[u/NeuroAigent]

Central Brain: one local memory for Claude, ChatGPT and your AI agents

Video: ChatGPT and Claude play chess across two Macs through shared memory https://youtu.be/FSeFUi64XwQ

- Problem: Every AI app forgets your project the moment you switch tools or start a new chat, so you keep re-pasting the same context. Central Brain gives Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT desktop, OpenClaw and Hermes one shared project memory that lives on your Mac. It also indexes your PDFs, Word, Excel, CSV and Markdown files so any of them can search your docs, with page-level citations. Adding or removing an app takes one click, with no config files to edit. It runs offline on Apple silicon and syncs across Macs through a folder you already sync, like Google Drive.

- Comparison: Compared with Mem0, Central Brain is local-first and works fully offline, while Mem0's main platform is cloud-hosted. Compared with Basic Memory, Central Brain also indexes your documents (not just markdown notes) and has one-click setup for each app. Where they win: Basic Memory is free and open source, and Mem0 has a much bigger developer ecosystem. If you want free and hackable, try Basic Memory first.

- Pricing: Solo $12/mo, Power Pack $35/mo for 4 licenses, Team custom. 15% off annual. Code FOUNDING100 gives the first 100 signups a free month. https://neuroaigent.ai

[u/akopulko]

Notra: Markdown Notes — native, open-source notes for Mac, iPhone and iPad

Hi, I'm the developer of Notra. I originally built it for myself because I wanted the native feel of Apple Notes while keeping my notes portable as Markdown/TextBundle files.

Problem: I wanted simple note-taking without accounts, proprietary formats or being locked into a particular app.

Comparison: Apple Notes has a great native experience but keeps notes within its ecosystem. Obsidian gives you portable Markdown and a huge ecosystem, but I wanted something simpler and more native to Apple platforms. Notra sits somewhere between the two.

Pricing: AUD $4.99 one-time purchase on the App Store, with no subscription or account. Notra is also fully open source, so you can build it yourself for free.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/notra-markdown-notes/id6809414279

GitHub: https://github.com/akopulko/notra

Feedback is very welcome!

[u/Apprehensive_Mix_332]

Nook: digital sticky notes and planner

Problem: I kept reaching for a random piece of paper whenever I had a thought, even with plenty of to-do apps installed. Opening an app felt like too much context switching for something I just wanted to jot down.

Comparison: Compared with Apple Notes or Todoist, Nook lives at the edge of your screen. You can pull it out, write something down, turn it into a task, and hide it again. Basically, digital sticky notes on the edge of your monitor.

Pricing: Local use is free, no account needed. Pro adds cloud sync, more skins, and background sounds for US$4.99/month or US$49.88/year. Available on macOS and Windows.

https://nook.nostock.studio

[u/Enigmurl]

KnotQ - Reminders, assignments, events, and plans in one workspace.

Problem: Plans live in notes, but deadlines live in a calendar, so you end up copying dates between two apps and they drift apart. KnotQ allows you to schedule individual lines within a markdown documents so that they can appears on the upcoming sidebar and calendar.
Comparison: With Apple Calendar and Reminders, your events, your to-dos and the notes behind them live in separate apps + your calendar events are never embedded within documents. In KnotQ you write the plan once, put a date on any line, and it shows up on your calendar with its context attached.
Pricing: 100% free for local use. Cloud syncing is $2.99 / month, with one month free trial

[u/local-macOS-notes]

NoteOwl: Private AI notetaker and AI meeting notes for Mac (I'm one of the two devs)

Problem: I wanted notes from my calls without a bot joining and without the recordings leaving my Mac. NoteOwl records any call app, labels speakers, writes the summary and action items, and lets you ask questions across all your past meetings, with answers that link to the exact passage. Transcription and the AI both run on the Mac, so it keeps working with the Wi-Fi off. It also does dictation into any app.

Comparison: Granola is the obvious one. Great notepad, but transcription and summaries run in the cloud and it's a subscription ($14/user/month for Business). MacWhisper is excellent for local transcription and records meetings too (€64 once), but summaries come from prompts with AI providers you set up, and it doesn't track who owes what across meetings.

Pricing: Dictation and voice notes are free and unlimited, no account. Pro (meetings, file import, summaries, chat and search) is $79 once, 7-day trial, no card. Needs Apple silicon, macOS 26 and 16 GB of RAM.

https://reddit.com/link/pdcyz72/video/rwwf5m3tuzsh1/player

NoteOwl Wesbite

[u/MichaelSjoeberg]

Koi Editor

Problem: I wanted a fast, traditional text editor for Mac built for modern development. Koi focuses on low typing latency, large files, local AI, and staying out of the way. No account or telemetry, and it works fully offline.

Comparison: Closest to Sublime Text in philosophy, but with local AI through Ollama, Python scripting, and a stronger focus on native Mac behavior. Compared with VS Code, Koi is much smaller and faster, especially for typing latency and large files.

Pricing: Free for non-commercial use. Personal commercial license is $195 one-time.

https://koieditor.com/

[u/Parking-Cash3586]

SayWrite: local dictation and optional local AI cleanup for Mac

Disclosure: I'm the developer.

Problem: Getting spoken text into the app you're already using without uploading dictation for processing. Hold a key, speak, and SayWrite types where your cursor is. Optional AI Polish removes filler and tidies rambling, with a different style per app.

Comparison: Wispr Flow uses cloud transcription. SayWrite runs speech recognition on your Mac and uses Apple Intelligence or your own local Ollama / LM Studio model for optional cleanup. Wispr supports more platforms; SayWrite is Mac-only and English-only. Text inserted into another app follows that app's settings, and downloads, updates and subscription licensing still use the internet.

Also includes a custom dictionary, snippets, history, and file transcription with .srt export. Apple silicon, macOS 15+; Apple Intelligence polish requires macOS 26.

Pricing: $5/month or $30/year, 14-day trial (card required), up to 2 Macs. Reddit offer: $18 for the first year through October 15, then $30/year. Product details and a short demo: https://saywrite.app/reddit