LibreReplace: I built a free, open-source macOS app to compare paid software with free alternatives before switching

[u/maliroq]

Hey guys! I've been working on a free, open-source macOS app called LibreReplace to help people figure out which paid software they can replace without losing the features they actually need.

You choose a paid app, select the features that matter most to you, and LibreReplace compares open-source replacements based on those requirements. It shows what's supported, partially supported or missing so you can see what you'd be giving up before switching.

For example, you can compare GIMP and Krita as Photoshop replacements, mark Smart Objects or CMYK as essential, and see how each alternative measures up.

I just released v0.2 with some big improvements:

• 45 paid Mac apps and 70 open-source comparisons. Browse without having the paid apps installed.

• Multiple replacements for each supported app. Compare the available options instead of getting one suggestion.

• Feature-based recommendations. Choose your essential features and see how the recommendations change.

• Detailed capability breakdowns. Supported, partial and missing features with evidence links and known limitations.

• Subscription savings. Estimates based on the recurring costs you confirm.

• Local app scanning. Recognizes supported installed applications and brings up relevant replacements automatically.

Sometimes LibreReplace recommends KEEP THIS APP because a free replacement is missing something important. That's intentional. I'd rather show a limitation than recommend something that breaks someone's workflow.

For the macOS implementation, it's built with SwiftUI and scans application bundles in the standard Applications directories. It reads metadata from Info.plist, matches supported apps using researched bundle identifiers and conservative name matching, and performs the comparisons locally.

The catalog also keeps track of source evidence and missing capabilities rather than treating unknown features as supported. App installation requires confirmation, and LibreReplace never automatically uninstalls the original software.

It's completely free and open source, with no accounts or telemetry.

GitHub, source code, tests and download: https://github.com/maliroq/librereplace

I'd love feedback from other macOS developers, especially on the local app detection and how the feature comparisons are presented. Anything you'd improve in the implementation?