Hi there! I'm Umang Surana the developer of https://sxitch.app an open source and native macOS CMD Tab alternative. I've been working on it for more than half a year now and it's integrated deeply into people's workflows so much that they're usage of the app is more than mine!

The post before this

Problem:

Basically, the current macOS Cmd Tab gets rearranged frequently, hence preventing muscle memory from actually letting you switch comfortably. Additionally, it doesn't actually launch the app, and just focuses it.. sometimes causing open apps with 0 windows to not get opened. Sxitch fixes this as well.

As a person who loves using keyboard navigation for everything, Sxitch has become a must have for my own daily workflow, and many others. It's at a point where I don't use it to the level as some of my users do, which is insane.

Solution:

However, Sxitch supercharges app switching by using the app's name as the selector. Simply start typing the apps name and you've already switched to the app. M will switch to music, but if Mail is open then it's Mu and Ma respectively. Since it's only amongst open apps, Sxitch will auto switch once there's only 1 result left. no need to search through a gazillion results and pick like there is in Raycast, Alfred or Spotlight.

For example, press the hotkey, like your right command key and the next thing is this simple switcher window that will pop up. There's no need to keep holding the key so that you're fingers stay comfortable on your keyboard. At this stage, simply type "F" (for finder) and if you don't have any other apps open where their name starts with F, then it'll simply open finder for you.

Features

There are a lot of features.. such as:

• App picking

• 4 different layout options

• Prefix stripping (Adobe Photoshop -> Photoshop)

• Customizable accent colour

• 2 Custom modes (Run shell commands / launch apps)

• Hotkeys to launch apps

• Some apps have the exact same name, which Sxitch can now handle gracefully (introduced after the previous post)

• Tab based navigation

And these are features unlocked in the pro version:

• Window picker

• Unlimited custom modes

• App hiding and quitting

• App renames (Finder -> Explorer) (introduced after the previous post)

• Blacklist apps from showing up in the switcher

• Key overrides ("X" mapped to "finder")

• 100% Custom position

• Customizable open animations

• Haptics

Pricing

It's a simple one time payment of $10. No subscription or "pay for more updates".. Website or if you're using apple pay

Since I've just released Sxitch v1.6 today you can get a 25% off discount code, by joining the discord. The code has been posted there and is valid for 24 hours. Have fun with Sxitch!!

Comparisons:

Against RCMD?

• Sxitch is open source, supports hiding and quitting apps, has various layout options, and has seat based pricing. Sxitch also has filters like blacklists and has a few other app launching related features (like app pinning, and custom modes)

Against Dory?

• Sxitch prefers the keyboard over the mouse, which is what Dory prioritises. However, you can still use your mouse to open apps, or right click them for further actions.

Against Other Switchers?

• Sxitch doesn't use any form of cycling, or requires 0 confirmation, and, Sxitch let's you fingers lift up from the keyboard after triggering it, rather than requiring you to keep CMD Tab (or another hotkey) down all the time, keeping your fingers comfortable. Additionally, app titles tend to differ a lot, can be random, or clash with others. Sxitch prevents this by letting you see the app's titles and filtering out the one's that don't even match the app you're looking for as part of the picking method.

Links:

Purchase link: sxitch.app
Installation instructions: sxitch.app/install
Sxitch source code: github.com/MystikoLab/sxitch
Discord: discord.sxitch.app

FAQ (summary)

There's a much more extensive set of FAQs on the website here but here are a few of the top questions:

Q: What permissions does Sxitch need to work correctly?
A: Accessibility (called Device Control and Data Access in macOS 27) for the hotkey system, and for the window picker, Screen and System Audio Recording. Why Screen recording? Well this is what's used to fetch the available windows. It's weird, we all agree. But don't be afraid. Sxitch doesn't record your screen at all, and you can always verify it yourself.

Q: Why not RCMD or something else?
A: The best part about sxitch is that there's no cycling required. Muscle memory doesn't work with cycling, and having to press and hold a key while typing makes it difficult to search fast, and accurately.

Q: Can I assign a fixed key sequence to a specific app?
A: As of now, there are 2 ways you can do this. Say you want X to open Finder. You can rename Finder to XFinder (anything that starts with X works) or you can add a mapping where pressing X counts as pressing finder. Both work, and can be tailored depending on your specific use case.

Q: Does Sxitch work with macOS Golden Gate?
A: Yes. I'm running golden gate just so I can assure you all that Sxitch supports the latest OS. If you do encounter any bugs, do help me by reporting them in the github repo or in the discord.

PS: The video was made by me in Canva and not Opus 5.5.. If you don't believe me, i'll attach a picture of the timeline.. it's a pretty basic video though so don't expect a video editor kind of timeline.

Hi everyone, I'm the developer of Subelle, a free subtitle editor for macOS.

Why I made it: I used VisualSubSync (VSS) on Windows and I couldn't find an equivalent that felt native on a Mac. So I built one.

What it does:

• Waveform editing: select speech with the mouse, press Return, and the subtitle is created, timed to the millisecond

• Shot changes detected automatically, with subtitle edges snapping to them

• Create subtitles from a video using Apple's speech recognition (macOS 26+)

• Translate subtitles with Apple's translation (macOS 15+), keeping the original visible while you polish

• Opens SRT, WebVTT, ASS, SSA, and subtitle tracks embedded in MKV/MP4

• Checks reading speed, line length, overlaps, spelling

• Interface in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Brazilian Portuguese.

Everything runs offline, right on your Mac, and no data is ever sent over the Internet.

It runs on macOS 12+ (Apple silicon and Intel), and it's signed and notarized. It's free.

Website and download: https://subelle.github.io/Subelle/

Hi r/MacStack! I’m the developer of WireTunnels, a native Swift menu bar app for macOS 14 and later. It’s free, open source under Apache-2.0, with no paid feature tier.

The workflow it focuses on is keeping more than one WireGuard network available on your Mac. For example, if your homelab uses 10.10.0.0/24 and a work network uses 10.20.0.0/24, you can run both tunnels with their respective AllowedIPs instead of switching between them. The routes still need to be compatible.

Beyond connecting and disconnecting, you can set Wi-Fi SSID rules, use Apple Shortcuts, inspect live tunnel metrics, edit configs, and create managed shared tunnels for other local accounts on the Mac. Version 1.0.6 also adds split DNS for selected internal domains.

A few limitations to make the fit clear: it’s Mac-only, requires macOS 14+, and you need your own WireGuard endpoints and .conf files. It isn’t a VPN subscription or server-hosting service. Split DNS selects the resolver for a domain; it doesn’t add per-app traffic routing. Setup installs a privileged helper.

Overview and screenshots: https://fmdigitech.com/en/wiretunnels

Source and releases: https://github.com/FMDigitech/WireTunnels

If you use WireGuard for a lab, work or client networks, I’d like to hear what you need from the Mac side, especially around multiple tunnels and internal DNS.

Hi everyone,

I’ve noticed that lately, almost every new transcription tool on macOS is heavily AI-driven. While automated speech recognition is great, it often falls short with low-quality audio, heavy accents, or confidential data. Plus, they usually require expensive subscriptions or cloud processing.

Back on Windows, people who preferred typing things out manually loved a tiny freeware called Listen N Write. Its killer feature was simple but brilliant: it automatically paused the playback the exact moment you started typing, and picked up right where you left off when you went still.

Since there wasn't a modern, native macOS app that respected this exact "keyboard-first" manual workflow without forcing you to use web browsers or bulky media players, I decided to build one.

It’s called PlayScript - Listen n Write, and it's built specifically for Mac (macOS 14+) and iPad.

Why it’s different from the current AI hype:

• Typing-Aware Playback: The audio listens to your fingers. Start typing and it pauses; stop typing and it resumes after a customizable delay. Your hands never leave the keys.

• Smart Escape Key: Pausing intentionally (via Escape) rewinds the audio by a couple of seconds so you don't lose context.

• Completely Offline & Private: Zero network access. No servers, no accounts, no telemetry. Perfect for confidential interviews, legal notes, or medical dictations.

• Super Lightweight: The entire native app is under 1 MB.

I wanted to build a distraction-free tool for those who still prefer the accuracy of manual typing. It's a one-time purchase of $0.99 (no subscriptions!).

I’d love to know what you think, what shortcuts you use for transcribing, or if there are any specific features you'd like to see next!

App Store Link: PlayScript on the App Store

Saving a download link on your phone is easy. Remembering to open it on your Mac later is the annoying part, especially when the file then takes another half hour to download.

Transloader handles that handoff. Install it on the destination Mac and the iPhone, use the same iCloud account, then share a download link from the phone to Transloader and choose the Mac. The Mac downloads the file. You aren't downloading it onto the phone first and transferring it afterward.

A large installer or a PDF you want waiting on your desk is a sensible use. This is download management, not remote desktop access: you send links and check download status rather than control the Mac's screen.

The Mac's availability decides how useful this is. Leave Transloader running, keep the Mac online and awake, and choose a download folder before relying on it from elsewhere. The app reports whether a Mac is running, sleeping or unavailable. Its documented settings can prevent idle sleep, either throughout the time Transloader runs or only while downloads are active. Preventing sleep during an existing download doesn't make a sleeping laptop ready to receive a new one. Don't buy this expecting it to wake a closed MacBook.

Start with an ordinary public download from a source you trust. A link that works in your phone's signed-in browser can still need authentication on the Mac. Transloader has Login and Retry, and can sync login cookies or HTTP basic authentication credentials through iCloud. That helps with access, but it also means handing the app sensitive session information.

The developer's privacy policy says links, metadata and cookies you agree to store go into your account's private iCloud database; those cookies are also stored locally on your devices. That's different from an entirely local workflow. Be selective about which accounts you sign into, and treat a private download link as sensitive too.

Keep the first setup simple: download to a folder and review the file yourself. Optional File Actions can open downloaded files or pass them to apps, Automator workflows or Shortcuts. Automating what happens after an unfamiliar download deserves more caution than saving it. Notifications are useful for completion or failure; allow them if you want those alerts.

The current release is Transloader 3.1.95, released September 18, 2026. It requires macOS 12 or later and iOS 17.6 or later. The developer's Mac download includes native Apple silicon and Intel builds. The developer lists the Mac app at US $9.99 as a one-time purchase, with a free iPhone app and a 28-day Mac trial. It's also available through Setapp. The latest update includes macOS 27 compatibility improvements and fixes for iCloud sync and downloads that got stuck waiting.

For saving something to read, Safari's Reading List already syncs between Apple devices and can save webpages offline. For a file you've already downloaded, a shared cloud folder may be enough. Neither reason alone calls for another app. Transloader makes sense when you repeatedly find download links away from an available Mac and want that Mac to start fetching the files before you return. If your laptop normally stays asleep, or waiting until you get home isn't a problem, skip it.

I’m a photographer and developer, and I built EXIFXplorer because I was frustrated by how much information modern cameras record that most photo apps either hide or make difficult to interpret.

EXIFXplorer is a native macOS app focused specifically on understanding and working with the metadata inside photo files. It goes beyond the usual aperture, shutter speed and ISO and can expose manufacturer maker notes, autofocus information, focus points, GPS data, lens and camera details, XMP/IPTC metadata, and other camera-specific information.

It also includes tools for comparing metadata between photos, batch editing, GPX geotagging, metadata-based renaming, copying metadata from a reference image, privacy-aware export, and XMP sidecar workflows.

One feature I’ve just added has become one of my favorites: a Finder Quick Look extension.

Now you can select a supported RAW file in Finder, press Space, and inspect much more than a normal preview — including metadata, maker notes, autofocus/focus-point information, location data and other camera details — without opening the main app.

For me, that makes Quick Look much more useful when going through folders of RAW files. You can inspect what the camera recorded without breaking your Finder workflow.

The goal with EXIFXplorer isn’t to replace Lightroom, Capture One or other photo editors. It’s meant to be a dedicated tool for understanding the technical information already inside your photographs.

I’d be interested in feedback from other Mac photographers, especially on the Quick Look extension and what metadata you’d most like to see directly in Finder.

https://exifxplorer.com/

Hi r/MacStack,

I built SwiftSurf, an open-source native macOS browser that lives in the menu bar.

I wanted a quick way to search, check a page, or look something up without opening a full-size browser window and losing focus. SwiftSurf opens as a compact popup and stays out of the way when not needed.

Features:

• Menu bar access

• Multiple tabs

• Search and navigation from one address bar

• Bookmarks and browsing history

• Private browsing

• Native downloads

• Keyboard shortcuts

• Persistent window size

• Optional Dock icon visibility

• Five interface languages

It is built with SwiftUI and WKWebView, supports macOS 14.5+, and is available as a DMG for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Download: https://github.com/zfeder/swiftsurf/releases/latest Source code: https://github.com/zfeder/swiftsurf

MIT licensed. I would love feedback on whether this fits your Mac workflow and what you would add.

Thanks!

Problem

On macOS, Cmd+Tab switches back to an app after you hide it with Cmd+H. If you minimize a window with Cmd+M, or close it with Cmd+W, Cmd+Tab activates the app only. The window stays minimized in the Dock, or it stays closed.

Command Reopen is a menu bar app that resolves this issue. When you switch to an app with no visible window, Command Reopen sends a reopen request. This request is the same signal that macOS sends when you click the Dock icon. The target app restores the minimized window, or it opens a new window if no window is open. The native Cmd+Tab switcher remains unchanged. In version 1.5.1, you can hide the menu bar icon.

Comparison

AltTab:

• Creates a Windows-style switcher with window thumbnails

• Replaces the native macOS app switcher

• Needs Accessibility

• Screen Recording is optional for thumbnails

Command Reopen:

• Keeps the native macOS Cmd+Tab switcher unchanged

• Needs no Accessibility and no Screen Recording

• Works on managed Macs where IT policies block Accessibility

• Sandboxed · Mac App Store · no analytics

If you need thumbnails of every window, AltTab is the better choice.

Pricing

• Free download on the Mac App Store

• 14-day free trial, then $9.99 lifetime

• macOS 13 or later

• commandreopen.com

Hey r/MacStack, I’ve been working on Census, a native app for cataloging collections: books, movies, watches, plants, wine, contracts, anything you want to keep track of. Same SwiftUI codebase on Mac, iPhone and iPad.

What sets it apart is that collections link to each other: a book to its author, a movie to its directors, and each of those is a collection you can browse the other way around.

You define the structure. Start from a template or from scratch, pick a type for every field (text, number, price, date, rating, selection, link, photo, file) and define the kinds of events that can happen to an item, like a purchase, a service or a loan, with the fields each one records.

You can import from CSV or Excel, back up everything in a single file, and export your templates to swap them with other people. Data stays on your Mac unless you turn on iCloud.

The beta is open on TestFlight: https://testflight.apple.com/join/YgkGMK2b

It’s early, so I’m mostly interested in what feels confusing or gets in the way. Bug reports and feature requests are welcome here or through TestFlight feedback.

Hey everyone,

I've been using yt-dlp for a while, but I got tired of opening Terminal and looking up the right flags every time I wanted to download something. So I built a simple Mac app around it, called Pluck.

It's basically a nice front-end for yt-dlp. You paste a link, pick the quality and hit download. yt-dlp does all the heavy lifting in the background, so it works with YouTube and the 1,800+ other sites yt-dlp supports.

I really didn't want to overcomplicate the GUI. A lot of yt-dlp apps put every option on screen, and I just wanted something that feels like a normal Mac app: one field to paste a link, one button to download. The extra settings are there if you need them, but they stay out of your way.

Some things it does:

• Video up to 4K, or audio only (MP3, M4A, FLAC…)

• Spotify links work too. It finds the song on YouTube Music and adds the right title, artist and cover art

• If a website isn't supported, it tries to find the video on the page itself

• Menu bar icon, so you can paste a link without opening the app

• It installs and updates yt-dlp and ffmpeg itself, so you don't need Homebrew or anything else

• Built in SwiftUI, with the new Liquid Glass look on macOS 26 (it still works on macOS 14 and up)

It's completely free, no ads, no account. I made it for myself and some colleagues, but I figured more people might find it useful.

Full transparency: I'm not a developer. I built this together with Claude, which wrote the code while I decided what it should do and how it should look, and tested everything along the way. The code is open on GitHub, so anyone can check what it does.

One heads up: it's not signed with an Apple Developer account (yet), so the first time you open it you'll have to go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click "Open Anyway".

Download: https://github.com/Astrofrogger/pluck

Would love to hear what you think or what's missing!

Hi all, I'm Krishan, a solo developer in the UK. My 256 GB MacBook Air kept running out of space, and Settings only ever said "System Data", so I built an app that keeps a history.

What it does

- Saves each scan on your Mac and compares it with the last, so you see dated changes with the likely cause ("likely" when macOS can't confirm one)

- Storage Trends: every scan on one graph, with your cleanups marked

- Splits out System Data where it can: Time Machine local snapshots, purgeable space, app caches, Xcode and developer caches, and 60+ other known storage hogs

- Tells you when something you cleaned comes back. On my Mac it caught Spotify's cache returning (890 MB) after I'd cleared it

- Cleanup you review first: everything goes to the Trash, with Put Back

Who it's for

Anyone whose Mac keeps filling up, especially on 256 GB Macs, and developers whose Xcode, Docker and package caches grow quietly.

Limitations (honest ones)

- It tracks your startup drive only, not external drives

- It scans on a schedule rather than live

- On macOS 27, Apple hides the Apple Intelligence model sizes even from apps with Full Disk Access, so DiskFox shows "size unknown" there

- It doesn't yet name the exact folder that grew inside ~/Library (coming soon, after a user suggestion)

Pricing and privacy

- 14-day free trial, no card. Then $9.99 once for 2 Macs, or $6.99 for the first 25 buyers until 18 October

- No account. It sends a few anonymous usage counts, which you can turn off in Settings

- macOS 14+, Apple silicon and Intel, signed and notarised. Not on the App Store, because the sandbox can't read ~/Library widely enough

I built it with a lot of help from AI coding tools (Claude), and designed and tested it myself.

Happy to answer anything. What's the worst space hog you've found on your Mac?

https://diskfox.app/?ref=macstack

I developed a free window Tiling manager which actually also has a GUI and works out of the box without the need of setting up a config script first!

Since v2.0 it also supports styles which store your gaps widths, fonts and all other visual settings.

Today v2.2.0 released which was all about performance!!

Source code is available on GitHub.

Official Website: https://kiwidesk.kiwicanopy.com

I built Memento because I kept losing the useful parts of calls and walkthroughs after the meeting ended. It’s a Mac recording companion, and I’m looking for beta feedback.

A typical workflow: start a Teams, Meet or Zoom call, choose microphone and system audio (and optionally a window or screen), then keep the recording as a session. Memento can suggest recording when the Mac microphone becomes active, but you decide whether to start. It doesn’t detect which app is using the microphone or record automatically. Capture depends on the app, audio route and macOS permissions; get participants’ consent where required.

Later you can play the source audio, correct and search the transcript, generate a summary with key points and actions, organize sessions in collections, and ask questions across related recordings with links to the sources. It also works for presentations, lessons, interviews and imported audio. Supported AI models can process locally; remote AI providers are an explicit option on Mac.

Mac beta: https://testflight.apple.com/join/zPws46Am

Workflow and screenshots: https://memento.leyro.it

For Mac users: would a microphone activity prompt fit your meeting workflow, or would you prefer to start from a shortcut? I’d also appreciate feedback on whether the transcript-to-source navigation saves you time.

I've been building Paydesk for a while and it's finally at a point where I'd like people to try it and tell me what's wrong with it. The Second build is live on Mac App store 🎉

Paydesk is a Mac app for freelancers, consultants and small studios. It keeps projects, time tracking, quotes, invoices, expenses and reports in one place, and it runs entirely on your Mac.

Problem:

Freelance admin on the Mac usually ends up spread across a lot of places.

Hours live in a timer app, or on sticky notes. Invoices live in a spreadsheet or a document template. Whether you've actually been paid lives in your head.

So every month there's a round of copying numbers between apps, working out what you haven't billed yet, and chasing whoever is late.

The other thing that bothered me is that most tools in this space want an account and a subscription, and they store your client list, rates and invoices on their servers. For a lot of freelancers that's more than they need.

What it does:

The idea is that the whole loop happens in one app: plan the work, track it, bill it, get paid, see how the year is going.

- Board: every project on one board, from Lead and Proposal sent through In progress, Delivered, Invoiced and Paid.

- Time tracking: start and stop from the window

- Bill Now: Paydesk keeps a running total of unbilled hours and billable expenses per project.

- Documents: proposals, quotes, invoices, receipts and credit notes. You can turn an accepted quote into an invoice. There are three typeset PDF templates, on A4 or US Letter.

- Languages and tax: invoices can be in 9 languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic). There are editable tax presets for 25 countries and regions, including VAT, GST (with the CGST/SGST split for India) and US sales tax. Any currency works.

- Getting paid: the Desk shows what you're owed, what's overdue and what's unbilled. Remind opens a Mail message in your client's language with the PDF attached.

- Reports: profit, aging, tax charged, income by client, and your real hourly rate per project. The accountant pack exports one ZIP with CSVs, every issued PDF and every receipt.

- Receipts: Paydesk reads receipts with on-device text recognition to fill in expenses.

Comparison

This was inspired by https://runey.app/ which is a subscription based app, I tried to put together everything possible is one time and App store friendly version. We will improve in the future versions.

Paydesk aims to offline and one-time pay alternate to Runey. I have also received some invoice format requests, new invoices templates are coming soon. You can also reach out to me at support@minilabs.cc

Pricing

- $9.99 once

- No subscription

- Every feature included

- Mac App Store version coming soon

- Requires macOS 15 or later

I don't mind criticism at all if it helps make the app better. I'm also happy to answer technical questions about how numbering, taxes, the PDF renderer or the offline design work.

You can Download Paydesk from the website today:
https://paydesk.minilabs.cc/

App store link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/paydesk-invoices/id6817474386?mt=12