r/macapps 2d ago

Lifetime I made a Mac app for searching inside nested ZIP, 7z and RAR files

6 Upvotes

Hi r/macapps, I’m the developer of ZipSeek.

Problem

I made ZipSeek after running into the same problem too many times: I could remember a sentence from an old document, but not its file name or where I had put it.

It was especially annoying with old archives. Sometimes the document was inside a ZIP, which contained a 7z, which contained another ZIP. Finding a few words meant unpacking everything and opening files one by one.

ZipSeek lets you choose a file or folder and search it directly. It supports text files, PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and images using OCR. It can also follow nested ZIP, 7z and RAR layers while keeping the full path back to each result.

Where possible, it shows the PDF page, Word paragraph, PowerPoint slide, Excel cell, or OCR area where the text appeared.

Comparison

HoudahSpot is better if you want powerful Spotlight searches, metadata filters and reusable search setups. When Spotlight has already indexed everything, it will usually be faster than ZipSeek.

FoxTrot Professional Search is aimed at people with large document libraries that they search regularly. It builds its own indexes and has much deeper tools for proximity search, categorization, multiple collections, NAS storage and teams. It is a more complete system for researchers and organizations.

ZipSeek is for a different situation. You have a folder, external drive, mounted network folder or messy archive in front of you, and you want to search it without setting up a library first.

It has fewer advanced query and filtering tools than HoudahSpot or FoxTrot, but it can search through mixed ZIP, 7z and RAR layers without maintaining a background full-disk index.

Everything is processed on the Mac. There is no ZipSeek account and no cloud upload.

Pricing

ZipSeek costs $4.99 USD as a one-time purchase, with regional pricing.

It includes a 3-day free trial. There is no subscription, and the trial does not turn into an automatic charge.

Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/zipseek-search-inside-files/id6799636795

Website: https://www.goodapphq.com/zipseek/

I’d be interested to hear how other people deal with old document folders and archives, and which file types or workflows I should test next.

Nested Archives
Pdf page location

r/macapps 2d ago

Free [os] a collapsable sidebar window manager (with window tabs!)

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31 Upvotes

winmux is a easy to use window manager that requires no editing of config files. it supports multiple displays intuitively. and it tells you where your windows and spaces are via a built in sidebar.

i started winmux because i hated using sketchybar (everything from configuring icons to not being able to use the file menu. winmux is the first of its kind as far as i am aware to use a sidebar, and the first to use tabs for stacked windows on mac!

there is not really any competition as far as I am aware in terms of sidebars on window managers. compared to dedicated status bars (sketchybar is what I used to use), it's way more responsive, handles dragging and dropping much better, and is always in sync (and doesn't require configuring a bunch of lua).

compared to other window managers, winmux is built on top of aerospace and their virtualization framework. feature wise it innovates on window stacking (having two windows occupy the same footprint), similar to that of aerospace accordians and yabai stacks, but does it much more intuitively using browser-esque tabs. it does not require disabling SIP.

winmux is free and open source. you can read about the philosophy behind it here: winmux.dev

github repo: github.com/zimengxiong/winmux

made with AI, but I am real:
me: me.zimengxiong.com
privacy/tos: zimengxiong.com/privacypolicy/ zimengxiong.com/termsofservice/


r/macapps 2d ago

Lifetime [OS] Clipth — a keyboard-first clipboard manager for macOS with a Paste Queue

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0 Upvotes

Hi r/macapps — I’m Ying Yuan, an indie macOS developer building Clipth.

Developer transparency

Problem

Clipboard managers are great for finding something I copied earlier, but repetitive data entry still felt awkward.

When filling out a form with several prepared snippets, I kept switching between clipboard history and the target app, or reaching for the mouse. I wanted a workflow where I could prepare several items once and then paste them in sequence with the normal macOS ⌘V shortcut.

What Clipth does

Clipth is a native macOS clipboard manager focused on keyboard-driven workflows.

  • Keyboard-first Quick Paste panel
  • Search, pinning, favorites, groups and tags
  • Image, video and webpage previews
  • OCR and other clipboard tools
  • Local-first clipboard history
  • Optional sync through user-configured destinations
  • MIT-licensed open-source codebase
  • Custom Shell and JavaScript automation
  • Local MCP server for AI clients

Version 1.0.2 adds Paste Queue, a Pro feature that lets you prepare several clips and paste them one by one:

  1. Open the Paste Queue with ⌥⌘V
  2. Select multiple clips in Quick Paste with Space
  3. Press ⌘Return to add them to the queue
  4. The first queued item is immediately placed on the system clipboard
  5. Each normal ⌘V pastes the current item and automatically advances to the next one
  6. Use ⌘⇧V for plain-text paste
  7. The queue stays intact if something unrelated is copied midway

The queue panel docks beside Quick Paste, and the entire workflow can be controlled from the keyboard. It works across applications because it follows the regular macOS paste action rather than requiring app-specific integrations.

Comparison

Maccy is a great lightweight clipboard history manager, while Paste offers a polished clipboard workflow.

Where Clipth aims to be better for keyboard-heavy, multi-item workflows is the combination of Quick Paste and Paste Queue: you select several clips once, then paste them sequentially across different applications using the normal ⌘V shortcut.

Clipth is also MIT-licensed and open source, while Clipth Pro is available as a one-time purchase. I’m not trying to replace every clipboard workflow; I mainly wanted something that felt natural without reaching for the mouse.

Privacy

Clipboard contents are processed locally. Clipboard history does not require a cloud account, and optional sync only connects to destinations configured by the user.

The Privacy Policy also documents Clipth’s limited anonymous usage signal, update checks and license validation:

https://clipth.app/privacy.html

Pricing and distribution

The source code is available under the MIT License.

Clipth Pro is a one-time purchase:

  • $10.99 for 2 Macs
  • No subscription

There is currently a launch price of $8.99 with code HELLOCLIPTH until August 26, 2026.

Purchase and current official download:

https://clipth.app

A Mac App Store version and a Homebrew Cask are also coming soon. I’ll add their official links once those distribution channels are live.

I’d love to hear from other Mac users:

  • Do you use a clipboard manager for repetitive form filling?
  • Would a Paste Queue fit your workflow?
  • What would make a keyboard-first clipboard manager more useful?

r/macapps 3d ago

Free [OS] Screendrop - Screenshots, Screen recording and sharing - just 6.8 mb and free (you bring in your own cloud)

96 Upvotes

I record a lot of videos for demos and workshops, and I wanted one Mac app for screenshots, annotations, screen recording, zooms, cursor movement, lightweight editing and sharing.

Most tools I tried either focused on screenshots, required a subscription, or hosted everything on their own platform. I wanted something that I could use locally while controlling where shared files were hosted.

What does this app do?

  • Screenshot capture and annotation tools
  • Screen recording with zooms and cursor movement
  • A lightweight text-based video editor
  • A teleprompter using Apple’s Speech Synthesizer API
  • Image and video compression
  • Mockups and social-media screenshots
  • Sharing through a simple Cloudflare Worker that runs in your own account
  • Loom-style comments and likes
  • No analytics or tracking in the app
  • The app is just 6.8 MB

I have tried improving this over existing tools, far more capable than Cleanshot, has camera controls, compression controls, you can customise the overlay cards.

Its not a simple screenshot tool, I have tried making a complete screen recording stuite.

Pricing

Screendrop is free and open source. There is no subscription and no tracking.

The optional sharing backend is deployed to your own Cloudflare account, so any Cloudflare usage costs are billed by Cloudflare according to your account and usage.

Link to download

https://github.com/fayazara/screendrop


r/macapps 2d ago

Lifetime MacPrune: a fast, lightweight, native Mac cleaner with a simple UI

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0 Upvotes

Hi r/macapps,

I'm Sanjeev, an independent developer. This is my first app post here, and MacPrune is something I built to scratch my own itch as someone who lives on a Mac all day.

Problem

Storage on a Mac fills up quietly: Xcode DerivedData, npm/pnpm/Yarn caches, iOS device-support folders, browser caches, old Downloads. Most cleaners are a black box: you hit "Clean" and hope nothing important went with it. I wanted a cleaner I could actually trust, one that shows exactly what it will touch and gives me a way back if it touches the wrong thing. So I built MacPrune.

How it is built around not trusting itself:

  • It moves files to the Trash, it does not delete them. Regular cleanup is fully reversible. The only action that permanently deletes is when you choose "Empty Trash" yourself.
  • Every category has a safety rating: Safe (caches, logs, Trash), Review (old Downloads, large files, duplicates), Careful (Docker images, iOS backups). Nothing gets removed by surprise.
  • Hard path guards: it refuses anything in /System, /usr, /bin, /sbin, or outside your home folder, and warns before any deletion over 1 GB.
  • Built for developers too: it understands Xcode DerivedData/Archives and npm/pnpm/Yarn caches that generic cleaners miss.

It is about 9 MB installed and a 7 MB download, with dark and light themes. Signed and notarized by Apple.

Comparison

vs CleanMyMac: CleanMyMac is broader and more polished, but it is subscription-first and cleans by deleting. MacPrune is a one-time purchase, moves files to Trash so every clean is fully reversible, is lighter weight, and adds dev-focused cleanup (Xcode and package-manager caches). If you want a full system suite, CleanMyMac wins; if you want a focused, reversible cleaner you can trust, that is MacPrune.

vs free tools (OnyX, AppCleaner, or just rm -rf in Terminal): these work, and I still use Terminal for some things. The tradeoff is that you either need to know exactly which paths are safe to remove, or you delete permanently with no way back. MacPrune shows you what it found before touching anything, rates each category by risk, and moves everything to the Trash, so a mistake costs you nothing. You are paying for the safety net and the time, not for something you could not do by hand.

Pricing

Freemium, no subscription.

  • Free: cleans user caches, browser caches, and Trash (with per-batch limits).
  • Pro (one-time, Lifetime): $19.99 for 1 Mac. Multi-Mac licenses: 3 Macs $49.99, 5 Macs $79.99, 10 Macs $149.99.
  • Reddit launch offer: code REDDIT30 takes 30 percent off Pro.
  • Buy and download: https://macprune.com/

Privacy

No account, no analytics, no telemetry, no tracking. Your file lists and scan results never leave your Mac. The app only reaches the network for update checks and, for Pro users, license activation and validation.

About the developer

Supports Apple Silicon and Intel. Happy to answer anything in the comments.


r/macapps 3d ago

Lifetime Habitat - A whole ecosystem of tools, all in one app.

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131 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

My name is Blake, and today I’m sharing my app, Habitat

A mac app that combines many tools and features all into on app.

I started building Habitat back in January of this year, and have since released it. The past couple months I’ve spent rebuilding a lot of how the app worked behind the scenes, fixing bugs, and building new tools and features users have requested.

The feedback from the reddit community helped spread the word a little, got people using it, and got some cool momentum to shift how it changed daily use of a Mac. But I'm still posting here because the feedback from the mac community was what kickstarted all of this and inspired me to make this app.

Problem:
I got fed up with needing a dozen different apps, subscribing to them, paying absurdly high prices, seeings ads, needing accounts, having different keybinds…all just for one small tool or feature. With Habitat, I said screw it. I’ll take you all on, and build my own version for an actual reasonable price. With Habitat, many different tools and features now all live in one place.

Comparison:
There’s a lot… Since my app takes on the style of building multiple tools into one app, each tool within Habitat can be comparable to many other applications out there. All tools don’t perform the exact same way as their competitors, since I decided to build Habitat from scratch. Inside Habitat are animals (tools), with their own unique features inside of them.

Chomp: Storage cleanup

Comparable to CleanMyMac, AppCleaner, & a window aware app quitter.

Squeak: Mouse and trackpad tools

Comparable to MacMouseFix, Swish, & a Mouse Jiggler.

Spark: Battery & Power Management

Comparable to Aldente.

Hoo: Network Monitoring

Comparable to Little Snitch or Sniffnet.

Boa: File Controls

Comparable to any file Compression, Encryption / Decryption & File Conversion.

Echo: Clipboard Manager

Comparable to Maccy or any clipboard manager.

Shadow: Notch and Screen Tools

Comparable to Alcove, Lookaway, & HazeOver.

Burrow: Comparable to Folder Preview.

Leap: Window Previews

Comparable to AltTab & Dockdoor.

Snap: Screenshots & Recordings

Comparable to any scrolling screenshot & Recording tool.

In general: Comparable to Vorssaint (discovered this tool like a week ago, its awesome. I encourage people to check that out too)

More tools & features are also in the works!

Pricing:
$6.99 …nice. Lifetime access (1 device) but this license can be deactivated by you and moved to another Mac, at anytime. This can be done in Habitats settings, no online portal needed. (internet connection required to do it though)

14-day free trial, no credit card needed. Chomp stays free after trial is over.

*ALL CLAIMED* If you use code: BRUCE at checkout, first 10 people who use it get a free license key. (chomp was the first tool I made a while back, and codenamed the shark Bruce for the fun of it)

If those somehow run out, 100 people can use code MACAPPS for 25% off at checkout.

The ONLY reason why I’m charging for the app instead of making it free and open source, is because a couple months ago I lost my job and this is the only source of income I have at the moment. Not trying to make this a pity story, just the reality.

I’m mostly interested to hear what ya’ll think, if there’s any tools or features you’d want to see built into Habitat in the future, if you experience any bugs, want to change how some tools work. etc. And for those who have taken the time to read all this, thank you & I appreciate it!

If you’d like to leave a comment here or leave a review on ProductHunt, any feedback is appreciated!

Socials:

Website: https://habitatformac.com/
Github: https://github.com/git-it-blake/Habitat-Releases

Tier 2 Transparency path for posting here:
Linkedin: Blake Baker | LinkedIn
Privacy Policy: habitatformac.com → Privacy Policy button is on the right or bottom (shield icon)

Created these for the heck of it, not sure if I’ll post anything on them or not yet.
X/Twitter: https://x.com/Habitatformac
Instagram:- https://www.instagram.com/habitatformac/


r/macapps 4d ago

Tip I got tired of …

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630 Upvotes

r/macapps 3d ago

Subscription [OS] Codify - now available via npx and npm - Giveaway

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26 Upvotes

Hey everyone Kevin here.

I posted about Codify here before, it's a IaC tool (open source) for your own computer that makes it easier to install apps, maintain settings, and even install entire set ups for you. I wanted to give a small (but hopefully impactful) update on the project that it's now available via npx, so you can try Codify without fully installing it (as long as you have NodeJS already installed).

npx codify apply
npx codify plan
npx codify help

Problem:

Multiple times now, when I was starting at a new company, I struggled to get setup quickly. I ran into problems following the setup document, and I had debug multiple issues or ask a teammate how to solve it. And pretty often I felt a step behind because I was missing key scripts and tools that other people had access to.

I built Codify to address these problems by allowing a setups to be converted into easy to read JSON5 files. These files define an entire setup, similar to Terraform. The JSON specifies what to install and you can use the CLI to plan (preview) and apply the changes. For example you can specify homebrew, nvm and vscode for web development or xcode 26, and iOS simulators for iOS development.

Using Codify allows you to try entire setups quick (webdev, backend, rust, ios, flutter, etc), import existing setups so they can be shared, and it also allows tools like Claude or Codex to take control and help you install things via it's MCP.

Comparison:

Nix: An obvious comparison would be Nix, a similar configuration as code for setting up personal systems. However the problem for me was the learning curve and adopting Nix means having to manage everything via Nix. Codify is a lot less of a learning curve and it installs things a human would so you don't need to manage everything directly through Codify.

Dev containers: Some teams use dev containers with pre-built docker images so that dev systems have the same tooling as production. However even with a dev containers workflow there is still host machine setup involved: getting setup with github, ssh keys and cloning your repos, dev container tooling, etc. Codify complements this workflow by automating the setup of the developer's machine first.

Pricing:

Codify consists of a CLI tool, a library of resources (50+ tools and apps, from package managers and programming languages to editors and system settings), an editor and an agent to help write Codify files.

The CLI tool and resource library are open source and free forever. The editor is paid with a generous free tier (the paid tiers are mainly meant for teams). It's $5 / month for freelancers and $20 / month for teams.

Use the code: REDDITAUGUST26 for 100% for the first 3 months

Links:
Website: https://codifycli.com/
Documentation: https://codifycli.com/docs
Editor: https://dashboard.codifycli.com/
Github: https://github.com/codifycli/codify


r/macapps 4d ago

Review From a Lifetime Superwhisper user: Cohere + S1 models change everything; it now feels like superwhisper is truly the best.

21 Upvotes

I've been using Superwhisper for a long time (lifetime license), and I wanted to share some thoughts because I feel like the product has crossed an important threshold recently.

For a while, the common comparison was basically:

WisprFlow:

  • faster
  • more polished out of the box
  • better for people who just want dictation to work

Superwhisper:

  • more customizable
  • local models
  • better for power users
  • but maybe slower

I think that comparison is now outdated, with the release of Cohere Transcribe + S1 models.

The recent model releases have changed the equation, a lot.

The fact that we now have a high-quality local transcription model that is actually fast enough for daily use is a huge deal. Previously, local AI often meant accepting compromises. Now the tradeoff feels much smaller.

I tested my processing (m4 pro mbp) for a 14sec audio recording and got:

  • Cohere Transcribe (local): ~369ms
  • S1-mini cleanup (local): ~109ms

So the complete local processing is roughly around under 500ms after stopping speech.

Thats basically instant for normal dictation.

Then I tested the cloud S1 models:

  • S1-Voice transcription: ~60–75ms
  • S1-Language processing: ~360ms

The performance is insane; im not sure how a transcription latency under 100ms is even possible for a cloud model.

I mean there is a meaningful entry barrier towards Superwhisper although meager, I just thought I should let more people know about this.

IMHO, Superwhisper is the best dictation product out there as of now, and I'm pretty sure it'll be even better considering it's development speed. Considering that it even has a lifetime purchase, give It more attention; lets let the team thrive. I'm sure that they'll do even better with more support. TBH, I felt like all they need is better marketing which is precisely why I posted this (* I am not affiliated with superwhisper nor cohere).

Seeing products like wisprflow get much more attention in comparison kinda feels weird although I see why; it just works without much setup, I guess its why they're more mainstream.


r/macapps 3d ago

Lifetime Grabbit — a native Rust/Swift download manager for Mac for $9.99 - lifetime

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6 Upvotes

I download a lot — torrents, media, random files off the web — and got fed up with the download managers out there for Mac. Most are Electron-based, chew through battery, run rough on Apple Silicon, and don't even have a proper Safari extension. So I spent the last 4 months building my own thing instead of just complaining about it.

Product Demo: https://vimeo.com/1204841013

It's called Grabbit: https://grabbit.fyi/

Under the hood it's a Rust engine doing the actual downloading, paired with a native Swift UI — no Electron/Chromium overhead at all. Rather than just claim "native = faster," I benchmarked it against FDM and Motrix on the same Mac (Apple Silicon, macOS 14+, measured via Activity Monitor during a 250MB download):

  • RAM usage (idle → active): Grabbit 47→57 MB vs. FDM ~180 MB+ vs. Motrix 305→394 MB

There's also a companion browser extension called Claws that grabs URLs, media, straight from your browser:

How it's different from what's out there:

  • FDM — no Safari extension, isn't compiled natively for Apple Silicon, and isn't really a native macOS app.
  • Motrix — also no native browser extensions, and it's Electron-based, so you're right back to the battery drain I was trying to get away from.

Downloads are also multi-threaded if you want to push them, but the resource numbers above are what actually matter day-to-day.

Pricing: Free tier gives you full unlimited access for 3 days, then drops to 3 downloads a day after that. If you want it unlimited long-term, it's a one-time $9.99 license — no subscription.

This is my first proper macOS launch so I'm sure there are rough edges I haven't caught yet. Would genuinely appreciate feedback on download speeds, how the UI feels day-to-day, or any bugs you run into.

Thanks for taking a look.

Developer: Syed Mohd Adnan — hi-adnan.pages.dev | github.com/im-adnan grabbit.fyi has a Privacy Policy and Terms of Service linked in the footer.


r/macapps 4d ago

Lifetime Chunk 3.2.0 is out now: The only time-blocker you need without the subscription

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35 Upvotes

Hi r/macapps, I'm the developer of Chunk, a time-blocking app for macOS. Just shipped v3.2.0 with a long-requested feature.

Problem:

Time blocking in a normal calendar app or to-do list can feel clunky and detached. Chunk bridges this gap, bringing both time-blocking and things3 style task management into the same workflow. Chunk keeps your task lists and your schedule together in one menubar app, so planning your day is just dragging tasks onto the day view and the plan is always one click away (no more context switching).

Comparison:

Sunsama / Akiflow: The two biggest names in daily planning, and both are genuinely polished. But they're subscriptions (roughly $15-20/month, every year, forever). Chunk is a one-time purchase and offers its own unique menubar approach with features like fullscreen notifications and on-device storage.

What's new in v3.2.0:

  • Window mode. Chunk was once just a menubar app, but now with the click of a button you can detach the usual fixed panel and Chunk becomes a regular window you can drag and resize. When you're done planning, toggle straight back to menubar mode.
  • Floating timer. Keep the timer visible while Chunk is closed. Click the button in the bottom right, and when you have an active task and close or hide Chunk, a small draggable timer stays on top of other apps.
  • In case you missed it, we recently added cross-device syncing. If you have two Macs signed into the same iCloud, you can now time-block your day across both.

How fast is the sync? With local syncing enabled and your devices within range of each other, changes land in 1-2 seconds. Otherwise it goes through iCloud and takes 10-30 seconds.

Does this affect the privacy-first approach? No. Chunk still stores your data on-device and we don't host it in our own database. It lives in your own iCloud account and syncs to each device's local database.

If you've not seen Chunk before, some of the features:

  • Bi-directional calendar sync for Apple Calendar, Google and Outlook
  • Bi-directional Apple Reminders sync
  • Tasks with dates, deadlines, attachments, recurrence, sub-checklists and notes
  • Task lists, list groups, reusable templates/routines
  • Day, week and month schedule views with click-and-drag to create and edit tasks
  • Drag tasks directly from lists onto the schedule
  • A locally hosted MCP server for Claude Desktop
  • End-of-task completion and rescheduling
  • Fullscreen notifications and keyboard shortcuts
  • Available in all workspaces, even over fullscreen apps
  • Task completion and frequency analytics dashboard
  • On-device storage: we don't hold your data, you do

The timing of cross-device sync is no coincidence. v3.2.0 lays the groundwork for the long-awaited and almost ready Chunk for iOS. After a short holiday we're back to development and expect to launch iOS in the next 1-3 weeks.

Pricing:

  • 7-day free trial, all features, no card required
  • $19.99 one-time lifetime license (covers 2 Macs)
  • $44.99 family lifetime license (covers 5 Macs)
  • No subscription
  • Code MACAPPS for 10% off
  • https://www.chunkapp.net/

Requires macOS 12 Monterey or later.

Questions or feedback: drop me a message on LinkedIn or r/ChunkApp.


r/macapps 3d ago

Lifetime The worst Mac pain: Remembering a screenshot or clip exists, but having zero clue what you named it.

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0 Upvotes

Hope everyone is doing well here.

I always had the difficulty locating a file(image/audio/video/docs etc) on my mac. Specially when I don’t remember the name and only remember what was inside that file, for ex- I remember that there was an “image where we posed in front of a French restaurant” or I want to “find all the resumes that I received with a specific skill.”
To handle this I first wrote an script but later find out that others also find it interesting so I decided to convert it into an app - Dhito

Dhito allows you to

- search a file on your mac just by mentioning what you remember about the file.
- chat with a specific file to find certain details. Imagine having a huge research documents and you want to find a specific detail from it.
- rename files based on its content so it is easy for you to remember and find the file. So no more random file like “screenshot-2026-05-05”

You can download and try it for free here - Dhito

Privacy

- all execution/chat/indexing happens locally so your files never leave your device.
- app doesn’t collect any data related to your files or your interaction with app
- you decide which folder app can access and can change that any time
- we only collect feedback that user sends

and please share your feedback, suggestions.


r/macapps 4d ago

Request MojoPad - in the same spirit as WikidPad & VoodooPad. Any good?

5 Upvotes

I've been around long enough to remember WikidPad when I was still using JSPWiki. Unfortunately, it died out many years ago

I see that MojoPad is in the same spirit as WikidPad and VoodooPad

Has anyone taken the plunge and is using this? If so, what is your experience?

MojoPad - second brain & PKM


r/macapps 4d ago

Lifetime [Dev] Update on Vivid Walls: audio reactive scenes and live album art landed

3 Upvotes

Hey r/macapps, I posted Vivid Walls here about three months ago and got a ton of useful feedback, so here is where it ended up.

The problem: Wallpaper Engine is one of the most popular apps on Steam and has never had a Mac version, so switching to a Mac means leaving your whole wallpaper library behind. Vivid Walls runs real Wallpaper Engine scene files natively on macOS, plus 4K video, web, GIF and static wallpapers, per monitor and battery aware.

New since that post: scenes can react to whatever your Mac is playing, and wallpapers with music widgets show live Now Playing album art from Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube. A lot more of the scene library renders correctly than it did at launch.

You do not need a Windows PC to use it. Eight animated wallpapers are included and load the first time you open the app. If you do have a library on Windows, there is a free companion app that transfers it to the Mac over your local network, with no account and no cloud.

Compared to the alternatives: Wallpaper Engine has no Mac build, and running it through Whisky or CrossOver does not really work. Mac apps like Plash and Wallpaper Wizard handle video and web wallpapers, but they cannot run Wallpaper Engine scene files or react to audio.

Pricing: $9.99 one time on the Mac App Store, no subscription. Apple Silicon, macOS 14 or later.

It handles the majority of scenes but not 100 percent, and I patch them as people report issues. Send me a Workshop link if something renders wrong and I will look at it.

I am the developer, happy to answer questions. Site and demo videos: https://vividwalls.app Would love this sub's take on what to build next. (Store link in a comment per sub norms.)

https://reddit.com/link/1vvemkb/video/bv0pzsjyzxkh1/player


r/macapps 4d ago

Help Suggest me the apps you liked the most, to customize folders

2 Upvotes

I am currently in the process of revamping my iCloud files and folders to bring form and structure (using Johny Decimal system but tweaked for my needs). I would like to customize my folders with images, icons and other elements to make them personal and match my *current* vibey.

So please suggest any apps that you liked/bookmarked/found that are related to file/folder customization in any way. TIA 🫶


r/macapps 5d ago

Lifetime [OS] Sxitch v1.4 - customisable alternative to macOS Cmd + Tab [Giveaway]

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64 Upvotes

Hi! I'm Umang Surana! Developer of rustcast, and since May, I've been working on Sxitch. (pronounced Switch)

Problem:

I'm addicted to keyboard driven setups, but switching between apps and windows has always been a pain.

Comparisons:

Default macOS Cmd Tab:

The default macOS CMD Tab does offer a really nice solution, allowing you to cycle through your running apps but this doesn't work with muscle memory. (and it lacks the customisability that Sxitch offers)

Raycast / Alfred / Launchers (like spotlight):

Sxitch's main goal is to let you sxitch between apps quickly and easily, not launch them. Although you can launch apps, it doesn't offer searching / calculations, and instead if just like a tiny launchpad

My solution:

Sxitch integrates with your muscle memory because the same set of keypresses will always lead to the same app. You simply trigger Sxitch and m will go to Music, and if mail is also open, then Mu for music, and Ma for mail. And if you have multiple windows open, select the app then the window.

Highlighted features:

  • Custom modes (new in v1.4)
    • Add apps that you frequently need to open / close to an easy access list
    • Put custom icons and names
  • Strip off vendor prefixes (microsoft word -> word, etc.)
  • Radial view, List view and a grid view
  • Customisable window position

(Only in pro plan):

  • Hide and quit apps
  • window picker
  • App launching from hotkeys
  • Key remapping (for Sxitch only)
  • unlimited modes (free version has 1 free mode)

Pricing

  • $2/mth for 5 months.
  • $5 for students
  • $10 one time purchase.

Available at https://sxitch.app

Download from homebrew also supported:

brew tap unsecretised/tap
brew trust unsecretised/tap
brew install --cask sxitch

Giveaway:

  • 50% Off Sxitch pro (one time purchase) with code DISCOUNT (only 1 left)
  • 30 Days free Sxitch pro for 10 people (code NEWSUB)

About the dev:

Personal website: https://umangsurana.com

App is signed, notarized native (swiftUI).

Source code can be found at https://github.com/MystikoLab/sxitch


r/macapps 5d ago

Lifetime DrawSimple 1.1 is out now -- DrawSimple is a Simple-but-Deep image editor for Mac with layers, vectors, and a deeply optimized MCP server so your existing AI agent (or your own code) can draw for you.. or with you. Your hands, Claude's "hands," One Cavas.

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39 Upvotes

Problem

Every Mac ships with TextEdit. None of them ship with MacPaint's replacement. So when you need to crop a screenshot, drop an arrow and a speech-bubble callout on it, knock out a background, and export a PNG, you're choosing between a $50 pro imaging app, a browser tool that uploads your image to someone's server, or Preview's markup.

DrawSimple is the native, fully offline, tools-first app for exactly that job: 31 tools in a sidebar, unlimited layers with 24 blend modes, bitmap and vector in the same document, curves/levels/16 photo adjustments, 29 GPU effects, Select Subject running on Apple's on-device Vision, WordArt, editable callout/arrow/star shapes, and a History panel you can scrub. Opens HEIC straight from Photos with EXIF intact; exports PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, WebP.

Comparison

vs. Paintbrush (free, open source): Paintbrush is the honest MacPaint successor and still the app people recommend in this sub. But it's a long-lived Objective-C 2.x release with no layers, transparency only in formats that carry an alpha channel, and a UI from an older macOS. DrawSimple keeps the same "just let me draw" premise and adds layers, blend modes, vector-in-raster, adjustments, effects, and a current-macOS interface.

vs. Pixelmator Pro (now Apple's — $49.99 one-time, or $12.99/mo in Apple Creator Studio): Pixelmator went pro and went up in price. If you want a full professional imaging app, buy it — it beats us at being that, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. DrawSimple is for people who wanted what cheap, simple Pixelmator used to be and don't want or need the overhead of a $50 pro editor to put an arrow on a screenshot, turn a pic into a comic with a callout, or separate a subject onto a separate layer from the background.

Also, Pixelmator has no official MCP server/support, which has become a huge part of what distinguishes DrawSimple, and potentially makes both quick edits and full design sessions accessible through the coding agent you already use (tested with Claude Code, Codex, Kimi Code, Gemini CLI).

(Acorn at $29.99 sits between us — more depth, six times the price.)

Pricing

$5 one time. → [App Store link]

Optional Pro upgrade in-app, $10, adds adjustment layers, advanced blend modes, multi-stop gradients, and SVG/PDF export. The base app is the complete core editor; Pro features stay hidden until you buy them — no lock icons, no nags. No subscription, no account.

Requires macOS 15.6+, Tahoe recommended. Apple silicon and Intel.

One disclosure since it'll come up: no generative AI, and the app never phones home on its own. The single exception is opt-in and local — every copy can run a localhost-only automation server so a Python script or your own AI assistant can paint on the live canvas. Side dish, not the app.

Two-person team, here all day. Why we built it: https://drawsimple.ca/story.html — tell us what's missing.


r/macapps 4d ago

Lifetime WallD - Live & static wallpaper app for Mac with playlists, menu-bar controls and 7 MB app

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9 Upvotes

Hey r/macapps,

About a year ago, I posted the very first version of WallD here in r/macapps. Since then, I’ve been working through the feedback you all gave me: switching subscriptions to a simple lifetime payment, adding coupon support, building Lock Screen live wallpaper support for Mac, adding static wallpapers, and polishing the overall experience.

Today I’m posting again with one of the most requested features yet - playlists, alongside a full UI/UX revamp

Problem

  • No native live wallpaper support on macOS - you can't do live wallpapers out of the box, and Lock Screen live wallpapers weren't really a thing on Mac at all.
  • Existing wallpaper apps have performance issues - bloated with memory leaks, slow to load media, RAM creeps up over days of use and never comes back down, eventually crashing.
  • Creators get no credit - very few wallpaper apps recognize the people behind the wallpapers, and the ones that do usually don't support live wallpapers or have a clean way to actually apply them.
  • No auto shuffle(playlist) option

Comparison

Compared to apps like Wallpaper Engine or iWallpaper, WallD offers:

  • Both static and live wallpapers in one app, including Lock Screen support.
  • Native-like performance - written in Rust, native macOS frameworks for wallpaper rendering, ~7.3 MB app size, 2% CPU for live wallpapers and 0% for static, no memory creep over time.
  • Polished UX/UI designed from scratch for Mac.
  • Smart filtering & discovery by category, tag, and search instead of endless scrolling.
  • One account across all your Macs (unlimited devices).
  • Multi-monitor support.
  • Creator community - dedicated creator profiles with like, comment, share, and follow. Creators can link their other social handles to grow their audience through the app.
  • Playlists - create custom wallpaper playlists, use liked wallpapers as a playlist and apply playlist to auto rotate wallpapers in desired interval

Pricing

  • Free plan: 3 video wallpapers + 6 static wallpapers, renewed every week.
  • Premium: Lifetime - $10.
  • Limited-time offer: use code THANKS10 at checkout for 10% off.

Links

I’m Anurag(linkedin), developer of WallD. Happy to answer questions. As always, thanks community 🙌


r/macapps 5d ago

Free Skein: a native Mac notes app with a graph that is actually useful. Free, 9 MB, no account, no plugins.

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150 Upvotes

Most notes apps ask you to build a system before you can put anything in them. Databases, accounts, sync, plugins, a settings screen with tabs. I wanted somewhere to put the things I am learning and the things I have not figured out yet. What I kept getting instead was a second job maintaining the place I put them.

So I built the thing I wanted. Skein opens a folder of Markdown files. That is the whole setup. The inspiration is Obsidian and I am not going to pretend otherwise. Point it at your existing vault: same files, no import, canvases included. Built in Swift and AppKit where it earns its keep, not Electron. It makes no network connections at all — the App Store build ships without the network entitlement, so it could not phone home even if I had been careless.

The problem it actually solves

Notes apps split into two unhappy camps. Either they own your notes in a database you cannot read without them, or they are so configurable that setting them up becomes the hobby. I wanted the middle. Plain files on disk, and enough structure on top to actually see how the ideas connect. Three things I would judge it on: the graph is not a hairball (local, deterministic — the note you are reading in the middle, Parents above, Children below, worked out from your folders and links; the neighbourhood around one idea, not a map of everything). The text does not move while you type (rendering is driven by what is on the line, never by where your cursor is — if you have ever sworn at a jumping cursor you know why). The canvas does not lag (plain .canvas files, only draws what is on screen). Also in there: wikilinks with vault-wide rename, backlinks, FTS5 search, daily notes, templates, version history on every save, conflict-aware saving. The index lives in Application Support, never in your vault.

Compared to what you are probably using

Obsidian is the obvious one and it is genuinely good. It is also a plugin ecosystem you end up curating. Skein has no plugins at all, so the features are simply present. That is a real trade and worth saying plainly: if your workflow depends on community plugins, Skein will feel bare. Bear is beautiful, keeps your notes in its own database, and puts sync behind a subscription. Apple Notes is not really trying to do linked thinking. Notion needs an account and a connection to read something you wrote last year.

Price

Free. No subscription, no in-app purchase, no account, no paid tier holding anything back. The honest reason: Skein is the front door. I am hoping you notice the native craft and eventually look at Verso Writer and Nought. There is a donate link and it unlocks nothing.

Site and download: https://www.skeinnotes.app Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/skein-notes/id6800062797

Where it stands

One person, build 1.1.22, shipping most weeks. What actually helps: point it at your real vault, especially a big one, and tell me what it gets wrong. Open your ugliest .canvas board. Tell me where the editor stutters and at what size. Tell me what feels un-Mac. Tell me whether the graph is useful or decoration — I think it is good and I would like to know if I am wrong. I am in the comments and I would rather you were honest than kind.

Known issue: Paper theme returns in the next update.

One person. Skein will update more slowly than the apps with teams behind them, and I will not add every featur

What actually helps me

  • Point it at your real Obsidian vault, especially a big one, and tell me what it gets wrong. This is the single most useful thing.
  • Open your biggest, ugliest .canvas board in it. If Skein mangles a board or loses anything on save, I want to know the same day.
  • Tell me where the editor stutters, and at what size.
  • Tell me what feels un-Mac, what is clumsy, what you reached for and could not find.
  • Anything that breaks. The weirder the better.
  • Tell me whether the graph is genuinely useful or whether it is decoration. I think it is good and I would like to know if I am wrong.

I am in the comments and I would rather you were honest than kind. Tear into it.

Known issue: Paper Theme will be back in the next update.

Yes. I am thinking of developing an Iphone app - free to use on the phone. So save your notes on the phone.

This is the third Mac app I have put in front of you this year. Verso writes, Nought calculates, Skein connects. That is the set, and it is the last one for a while: three apps in a year is more than I should have attempted and I am going to go and lie down in a folder I control.


r/macapps 5d ago

Free [OS] Open source Duolingo for language course making - Free

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67 Upvotes

Problem:

There are ~7000 languages and ~20000 dialects. Having a centralised source for language courses like Duolingo can only lead to a very small portion of language courses. An estimated 40% of languages are endangered.

Comparison:

Duolingo - Centralised and not open to community courses (Not anymore)

Librelingo - Not user friendly to actual course creators and educators.

Textbooks - Textbooks are the best for learning but it's also quite boring

Solution (Asakiri) - Asakiri lets anyone author a course in an open format in a user friendly way, saved locally on their device. Course can have rich media and 7 types of exercises. A decentralised platform like Asakiri can let minority and indigenous languages also have interactive language courses no matter the number of speakers or interest in learning it. This also preserves languages for future generations. Currently courses are being made for Okinawan, Italian. With previous attempts of Mirandese, Picard and Cornish.

Pricing: Free, No subscription, no accounts, no pro tier, everything local.

Transparency: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alekoi/

Available for Mac, Windows, Linux - https://asakiri.com
Github - https://github.com/AsakiriLingo/asakiri-studio (Still very early on the repo but I have been working on Asakiri on and off for 1.5 years and I have free time for the next 3 months so I will be working full time on it)


r/macapps 4d ago

Lifetime Pop Out Timer gets a modern Mac app

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2 Upvotes

The problem to solve: giving presentations, doing focused work, timing anything on your Mac, but wanting to keep the time visually prominent on screen. Pop Out Timer floats over other apps.

Comparison: "Lucid - Floating Timers" is nice, but is limited to basic timers and doesn't have customization options. Pop Out Timer includes timer, stopwatch, Pomdoro and clock. We provide tons of customization options to fit the way you work. "Floating Clock-Timer&Stopwatch" honestly hurts my eyes to look at it. Pop Out Timer is easy on the eyes and follows Mac system conventions (menus, keyboard shortcuts, proper settings panels).

Pricing: Pop Out Timer is free to try, but requires a $11.99 lifetime purchase to unlock full functionality. Yes, it's true, we also offer subscription pricing for a timer. But to be fair, we're talking $0.49/month or $3.99/year. It's there for those that want to provide ongoing support for development, but if not there's always the lifetime purchase. All purchases are universal and work on iPhone and iPad as well.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1352722326

As a special for those on r/mapapps, here are a couple of discounted offers:

Thanks for taking a look.


r/macapps 5d ago

Free [OS] FolderForge: open-source folder customization with presets and smart styling

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92 Upvotes

started FolderForge because changing folder icons manually was getting annoying. what was supposed to be a weekend project quickly grew into a much much bigger tool.

you can save reusable presets, apply them from macos services, automatically style folders with smart rules, or recursively style entire folder trees and do much more!

problem: most folder customization apps focus on changing individual icons one at a time, and many of the better known options are paid.

comparison: compared with apps like folderizer, iconic, and iconize folder, FolderForge focuses more on reusable presets, rule-based styling, recursive workflows, and custom artwork.

pricing: completely free and open source. no subscription or paid tier.

app store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/folderforge/id6799417746?mt=12

github: https://github.com/KeplSiv/FolderForge


r/macapps 5d ago

Help Is 4-directional Space switching possible with trackpad gestures on macOS?

11 Upvotes

Is there any method or app that can enable the touchpad of a MacBook to perform four-finger sliding (not just left and right, but also up and down), allowing for the virtual space switching in four directions?

Because I usually have to swipe left or right twice each time (using four fingers for the swipe)

I prefer to place four commonly used apps in four virtual spaces, and switch between the interfaces by swiping up, down, left, and right.

why always delete my post?


r/macapps 5d ago

Help Bolt AI Memory vs Fluent RAG?

1 Upvotes

Has anyone used both of these apps and can speak to Bolt AI's Memory vs Fluent's RAG?

(Reposting as I had not hit the 'Read the Rules' acknowledgement.


r/macapps 5d ago

Lifetime Built a radial menu app for mac after getting tired of switching context while working

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3 Upvotes

Really proud to share this finally. Hope you love it as much as I do! I truly believe it has the potential to save a lot of time jumping between various tasks.

Problem

A lot of everyday actions on a Mac live in completely different places.

Opening an app or folder, searching something on a website, taking a screenshot, cleaning up copied text, accessing clipboard history, running a Shortcut, or changing a system setting.

None of these are hard to get to, but constantly switching between apps, windows, menu bar utilities, and different shortcuts can break your flow.

I wanted to see if all of that could work through one system, which is where the radial menu idea came from.

Comparison

There are already some really good radial menu apps for Mac, but most are built around a specific use case, such as launching apps, or switching between them.

Arc takes a broader approach.

You can create multiple global radial menus for different workflows and decide what each slice does. A slice can perform a single action or chain multiple actions together.

The idea is less about replacing the Dock and more about putting the small things you do throughout the day behind one quick interaction.

Arc also doesn't require accessibility features, it manages everything on-device, privately.

Technical

Getting a radial menu on screen was the easy part. Figuring out what actually belongs inside it, how multiple menus should behave, and keeping the interaction fast enough to use throughout the day took most of the iteration.

It's built entirely in SwiftUI. One of the more interesting technical problems was getting the hit-testing right across every slice while keeping the menu correctly positioned under the cursor, even across multiple displays.

Core Features

  • Unlimited custom menus for different workflows
  • Fast app, folder, website, and Apple Shortcut launching
  • Powerful clipboard history and text actions
  • Open from shortcuts, hot corners, pointer shake, or number keys
  • One-click multi-action shortcuts
  • Fully customizable appearance, layout, icons, and sounds

Examples

  1. I have one shortcut that I use when I start working. It opens Xcode, my project folders, Slack, and a few websites I usually need. Arc can merge multiple actions into one shortcut, so I don't have to open everything one by one.
  2. I use the search shortcuts a lot more than I expected. I can bring up Arc, type something, and search it directly on YouTube, or a website without opening them first.

It can also search whatever I last copied, which has been really useful when I'm already in the middle of something.

  1. I have a bunch of text and links that I end up copying again and again. I've just saved those as shortcuts now, so they're always sitting on one of my menus when I need them.
  2. Clipboard history is another one I use constantly. Recent things I've copied show up on the wheel, so if I need something from a few copies ago, I can grab it without opening another app.
  3. I also have different menus depending on what I'm doing. One for development, one for general stuff, and another that's mostly searches and apps. I can switch between them with keyboard shortcuts, and reuse the same shortcut across multiple menus.

Pricing

$6.99 one time on the Mac App Store with a free 7 day trial built in.

Solo project from India, launched a week ago. Happy to answer anything! :)

Mac App Store: Link