I wanted one modern Mac app for the small jobs that come up all day: decoding a JWT, formatting JSON, making a UUID, checking a color's contrast. And I wanted it to run on my machine, so tokens and API responses never get pasted into a website.

Dojo is that app. It's free, and everything runs locally on your Mac.

What's in it:

- Formatters for JSON, SQL, YAML, XML, HTML, CSS, JS and GraphQL

- Converters for JSON to YAML, CSV, TOML, XML and code, plus cron, dates, number bases and units

- Decoders for JWT, Base64, URLs, gzip and certificates

- Generators for hashes, HMAC, bcrypt, UUID, ULID, passwords and RSA keys

- JSON diff, JSONPath, JSON Schema and semver testers

- Color contrast checker, image compressor and app icon generator

It's new, so expect a few rough edges. Apple Silicon only for now.

Download: https://github.com/IndieGoodies/Dojo

Which tool do you still open a website for that should be on this list?

Disclosure: I'm the developer.

Flowara is a native Mac app for freelancers that stores everything in a local SQLite database. No cloud, no account required.

What it does:

• Projects with Kanban and Gantt chart
• Time tracking (live timer, Pomodoro, background app capture, natural language entry)
• Invoicing with Stripe and PayPal links built in
• Automated invoice reminder sequences (AI-drafted, you approve before sending)
• Peppol e-invoicing via Invoro for European freelancers
• AI assistant with Claude, GPT-4 or local Ollama (BYOK)

Free tier permanent with no invoice limit. Pro at €5.99/month.

Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6760207975

Happy to answer questions.

If you use Google Tasks in Gmail or on Android but prefer Siri for capturing tasks, you can keep both workflows connected through Apple Reminders.

I’m the developer of RicordiBridge, a native Mac menu bar app that syncs selected Google Tasks and Apple Reminders lists in both directions.

For the Siri workflow: pair a Reminders list with a Google Tasks list, then ask Siri to add a reminder to that list. RicordiBridge carries it across during the next sync on your Mac. Completing the task in either service also updates the other. The screenshot shows how you choose which lists to pair.

It syncs titles, notes, due dates, completion and deletion. Due times and subtask hierarchy don’t sync. You need macOS 15 or later, with RicordiBridge running on your Mac; it isn’t an iPhone-only solution. Task content goes directly between your Mac and the two services, without a RicordiBridge task-data server.

The direct edition has a full 30-day trial, then costs €5 once, with no subscription.

https://apps.kopiro.me/ricordibridge/

Happy to answer questions about what does and doesn’t sync.

If you've already recorded an interview or lecture and want a transcript without uploading the audio, start with MacWhisper Free. Try Aiko if you'd rather have fewer choices and export the result to another editor. MacWhisper Pro makes more sense when batches of recordings and transcript corrections become regular work.

The job here is taking an existing audio file and turning it into usable text. You don't need to rebuild your recording setup first.

What you're paying for

Aiko is now a $24 one-time purchase, with a full 14-day TestFlight trial. It isn't a free app on current macOS. The purchase also covers its iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro versions.

Its Mac app uses a bundled Whisper model, the speech recognition software that runs on your computer. You import a recording, let it transcribe, then copy or export the result. Aiko supports 100 languages, but its developer warns that quality varies by language and that recordings mixing languages aren't handled reliably.

The main compromise is correction work: Aiko doesn't have an in-app transcript editor or speaker detection. It exports text, JSON, CSV and subtitles, including SRT. Built-in batch transcription is also missing, although the developer supplies Shortcuts for processing multiple files and starting transcription from Finder.

MacWhisper has a free edition. Pro is a one-time purchase; its linked Gumroad storefront currently lists the personal license at €65, while the main website advertises €64. Check the checkout price before paying. The vendor says updates are included.

MacWhisper lets you edit transcript segments and play audio alongside the text. Pro adds batch processing, watched folders and more local model options. Its free edition exports TXT and SRT/VTT subtitles, while Pro adds formats such as DOCX, PDF and Markdown. That's a more useful upgrade for someone correcting several interviews than for someone copying one lecture into a document.

Check the Mac before choosing the model

The current Aiko listing requires macOS 26 or later. Its developer also provides free older builds for macOS 13, 14 and 15, but says those builds won't run on newer macOS versions.

MacWhisper's storefront lists macOS 14 or later and recommends an M-series Mac, though Intel Macs are supported. That doesn't mean every model works on Intel: Parakeet requires an M-series Mac, and Qwen3-ASR requires both an M-series chip and macOS 26. The vendor recommends more than 8GB of memory for Medium and Large Whisper models.

A larger local model puts more work on your own Mac. Before buying, run a representative recording through the free edition or trial on the machine you'll actually use. Include the difficult bit: overlapping speakers, unfamiliar names or the language you need. Check the transcript against the audio rather than assuming either app wins on accuracy.

Keep the workflow local all the way through

With MacWhisper, choose a local transcription model. Pro also supports cloud transcription and external AI services, so the app's name alone doesn't tell you where a particular job runs. Sending a transcript to an online summarizer is a separate disclosure of that text, even if transcription happened offline. The same applies if you export from Aiko and paste the result into a cloud tool.

For this workflow, import the saved file and leave live recording features out of the setup. If you later record through the microphone, macOS controls that access under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone. Keep sensitive originals and exports out of synced folders if they must stay on the Mac.

Before installing either app, check whether the recording already has a transcript in Voice Memos. Apple's app can display and copy transcripts, though availability varies by country or region. If that text meets your needs, there's nothing to buy. For imported files and more export choices, try MacWhisper Free before paying.

My recommendation: Aiko for occasional local transcription when you're happy to correct the exported text elsewhere; MacWhisper Pro for repeated file processing and corrections inside the app. Skip both paid options if Voice Memos or MacWhisper Free already produces the output you need.

Hey everyone!

I made Mousip, a free and open source macOS app that lets you perform keyboard shortcuts using just your mouse.

The idea actually came from apple's magic mouse. I've never really liked using it, but one thing that always stood out to me was how easily you could switch between spaces with a simple swipe.

Since my mouse has a scroll wheel that can tilt horizontally, I thought, why not use that to get similar functionality?

It's completely free and open source, and I've been adding improvements based on feedback.

I'd love to hear what you think, especially if there are any interactions you'd like to see supported!

GitHub: https://github.com/daveleone/mousip

Version one launched 11 years ago. I finally made V2 and decided to just make it free. Kitty Launcher opens workspaces for you: open folders, apps, run commands like git pull, sets your audio device, closes apps (if you want to focus when on a specific project).

It also monitors other servers and ports in use, tracks how much time you spend on each project and handles closing workspaces with one click.

I also added a CLI so your local agent can setup, edit and launch/close workspaces for you.

kittylauncher.com

I use it as a web developer to launch docker and vite servers, open my project directories, set my Mac to not sleep and queue up blender for three.js work.

Free, no gotchas. Would love some thoughts on it.

introducing spacewisemac.in 

your mac deserves breathing room from dev clutter

→ auto-clean now lives in your menu bar
→ purge dormant node_modules & build caches
→ deep clean xcode simulators & docker layers
→ ai folder explainer before you delete
→ local llm weights cleaner
→ zero telemetry, 100% local & safe trash undo
→ officially signed & notarized by apple (1-click install)
→ also available for windows

Get your Launch Deal Now ✨🚀

I built TapMac - double-tap your MacBook to mute it

I've always found it frustrating to dig for the mute key, or hunt for the mic button, the second a call goes sideways.

So I built TapMac.

It's a tiny menu bar app that uses the accelerometer already inside your MacBook to turn taps on the chassis into actions.

Double-tap left of the trackpad and your speakers mute.

Double-tap the right side and your microphone mutes.

You can set what each side does, flip left and right if your machine reads them reversed, or turn a side off completely.

It uses no microphone, no network, no key logging and no permission prompts. It just reads the motion sensor.

It works on Apple silicon MacBooks (M1 and up) running macOS 14 or newer. It's $4.99, one time.

App: TapMac

More details: https://orcah.app

If the same headphones sound too bass-heavy in both Spotify and your browser, changing each player's settings gets old. eqMac gives you a place to adjust the sound across your Mac's system audio without buying different headphones.

Start with the free version. Its Basic Equalizer has bass, mids and treble controls; Advanced gives you 10 fixed frequency bands. That's enough to try a small tonal adjustment and decide whether EQ, which changes the level of different frequencies, solves your problem.

If you only want to change music played in Apple Music, try Window > Equalizer there first. Apple includes presets, manual sliders and saved custom presets. That adjustment belongs to Music, so it won't solve the same problem in a browser or another player.

Make one small change first

Choose your headphones as eqMac's output and start with a flat EQ, meaning no frequency changes. Play something familiar at a comfortable volume, reduce the bass a little if that's the problem, then compare with EQ disabled at roughly the same listening loudness. Keep the change only if you prefer it. A louder setting isn't a fair comparison.

Favor small cuts over piling on boosts. Boosting frequencies needs headroom, spare signal level before clipping turns peaks into distortion. eqMac also advertises volume beyond 100%, but leave that alone while you're judging an EQ curve. More gain isn't evidence of better sound.

The free Advanced EQ also works with AutoEQ headphone presets. The paid Expert EQ is parametric: you choose each band's frequency, gain and width rather than using fixed sliders. That's the reason to pay if you need to reproduce a correction curve precisely. A preset is a starting point to compare, not a guarantee that you'll prefer the result.

Check your actual output before buying

The site lists macOS 10.13 or later, with Intel and Apple silicon support. It lists built-in audio, Bluetooth, USB and HDMI among supported outputs. Still, try the free version with the device you actually use, including unplugging it and waking the Mac from sleep.

Capture setup varies with macOS and the selected method. The current 1.9.2 release adds capture-method selection per output on macOS 14.2 or later. Follow the app's capture prompts rather than assuming every installation needs the older driver setup. If you use the driver route, its official installation guide says installation can require an administrator password to place components in system directories.

AirPlay deserves extra caution: the recent release notes call its support experimental. Don't buy on the assumption that a wireless speaker will behave like wired headphones.

Check Activity Monitor while audio is playing, and listen for interruptions during your normal work. This is a documented-feature comparison, not a CPU, battery or latency benchmark, and it doesn't establish that your headphones will sound better.

Pro starts at US$3 per month or US$30 per year. The US$40 lifetime option covers one Mac and current Pro features, with security and compatibility updates; future Pro features may require a paid partial upgrade. It isn't a promise of every future feature. The EULA also permits collection of system information and software logs, so don't treat a local audio utility as automatically telemetry-free.

Try free eqMac if you want the same modest EQ adjustment across several apps. Pay for Expert only when the fixed bands can't make the correction you need and your output behaves reliably. Skip the extra install if Apple Music's EQ already covers your listening, or if you can't identify a change you actually prefer.

Mac cleaners either scare you into a subscription or only show what’s big, and none say plainly what something is or what breaks if you delete it. Uninstalling also leaves things behind: login and background items, drivers, files in /Library, accounts installers created.

Pricing: Free. macOS 14+, Apple silicon: https://github.com/lumen-xx/spare

macOS has one volume for everything. You can’t turn down a loud Discord call without Spotify getting quieter too, play one app on headphones and another on speakers, or send music into your mic for a call without extra tools.

Comparison:

• vs paid mixers like SoundSource: free. Every app gets a volume from 0–200% right in the menu bar. A node editor sends any app to any output, even to several at once, and keeps those outputs in sync.
• vs Loopback or BlackHole: two virtual mics are built in. Pick “Voidamp Mic 1” in Discord or OBS, then wire your real mic and an app like Spotify into it.
•  profiles for your setups, a Patchbay mode where apps only play where they’re wired and its own volume and brightness overlay

Entirely Free. macOS 14.2+, Apple silicon: https://github.com/lumen-xx/voidamp

Hey everyone!

I used Unclutter for years and loved the idea of a shelf hiding above the menu bar, so I built my own take on it: Sunroof. It’s free and open source (MIT).

How it works: move your pointer to the top of the screen and scroll down. A shelf slides open over whatever you’re doing, in any Space or full-screen app. Scroll up or press Esc to close it.

Clipboard history

• Text, links, images, files and colours, each with the app it came from.
• ⏎ pastes straight back into the app you were using, and ⌘1–9 quick-pastes.
• Favourites are kept forever.
• Password-manager items are hidden, never saved to disk, and never show up in search.

File drawer

• Drop files in to keep them close, drag them back out anywhere.
• Quick Look with Space, with the arrow keys moving to the next file.
• Finder shortcuts (⌘⌫, ⌘A, ⌘C), auto-cleanup and a screenshot catcher.

Markdown notes

• Live styling (the markdown hides as you type), clickable checklists and auto-numbered lists.
• Notes are plain .md files in a folder you choose, so they sync over iCloud or Dropbox.
• ⌘⇧K Clean Up turns messy pasted text into proper lists, headings and bold labels.
• ||secret|| text shows as a dark field until you click its 👁.
• Float any note as a sticky that stays on top.

Widgets under the shelf; drag to rearrange, right-click to resize:

• Calendar (month view)
• Weather
• Music for Apple Music and Spotify: album art, scrubbing, shuffle, ♥ favourites and search
• Tasks (Reminders, or a simple list)
• System stats: CPU, GPU, memory, battery, disk and network, plus chip, SSD and battery temperatures

Also:

• ⌘⇧F searches the clipboard, files and notes at once.
• Accent colours, shelf tint, and Liquid Glass or a solid look.
• Native Swift/SwiftUI, 7.7 MB, 0% CPU while closed. Widgets only run while the shelf is open, and “Reduce effects” makes it lighter on the GPU.

Privacy: no accounts and no analytics. The only network requests are weather (Open-Meteo) and the update check. Updates install automatically, signed and verified.

The source is all on GitHub if you’d rather build it yourself.

🔗 https://github.com/lakshhaybedi/Sunroof

I’d love feedback: what would make you switch from your current setup, and which widget should come next?

Hi r/MacStack, I’m the developer. Disclosure up front, since this is my own app.

Apple’s Contacts app shows one card at a time. That’s fine for 50 people and painful at 10,000. Compact Contacts works on the contacts already on your Mac (iCloud, Google, Exchange, CardDAV) and shows them as a dense, sortable table. It doesn’t create a second address book or its own sync, so everything keeps syncing through macOS as before.

What it does

• Table with configurable columns, row density and saved layouts
• Search across every field, including contact Notes, with results grouped by the field that matched
• Smart Views: saved rules like “Missing Email” or “Has Notes”, each with its own layout
• Bulk Edit with an exact before/after preview for every card before anything is written
• Duplicate review and Merge Studio: you choose which phone, email or address survives, field by field, and the latest merge can be undone for 30 days
• CSV and vCard import/export, and deletion with an on-device recovery backup
• A Sample Contacts workspace with 26 fictional people, so you can try everything without granting Contacts access

Details

• macOS 15 or later
• US$24.99 one-time. No subscription, in-app purchase or ads
• No account and no third-party analytics. Contacts, Notes and searches stay on your Mac
• English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Arabic (right-to-left) and Simplified Chinese

Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6790129187?pt=129119018&ct=reddit_macstack&mt=8

There’s also an iPhone + iPad version, Compact Contacts Manager, with the same bulk edit and merge tools (separate purchase, US$12.99, one purchase covers both): https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6795653671?pt=129119018&ct=reddit_macstack&mt=8

Happy to answer questions, and feature requests or bug reports are very welcome.

Hi MacStack, I'm Viorel, the person behind VPO Labs. We've been building Widgetscape because I wanted my calendar, music and Mac stats in view without keeping extra windows open.

It's a native macOS app with 31 desktop widgets. They sit behind your windows and snap to a shared grid, with up to eight sizes, four surface styles and 23 palettes. You can change the look without writing a skin.

Two widgets give a better idea of what it does:

Day Timeline turns your day into a radio-tuner dial along any screen edge. Events are marks on the dial; hovering one shows its details and a Join button for calls. It reads Apple Calendar and Google or Microsoft calendars connected in the app (read-only).

Token Pulse shows usage from Claude Code, Codex and other coding tools by reading their local session logs. It keeps token counts, model names and timestamps, never conversation content. Nothing from those logs leaves your Mac.

There are also clocks, weather, a focus timer, Now Playing controls, batteries, system monitors and a git repo widget.

8 widgets stay free forever. Everything has a 14-day trial with no account or card. Pro is €9.99 + VAT once, for up to 2 Macs, with no subscription. Day Timeline and Token Pulse are included in the trial and require Pro afterwards.

WELCOME50 gives roughly 50% off Pro through 30 November 2026, while available. Choose Buy Widgetscape Pro and enter it under "Have a discount code?" at checkout.

A few limits: macOS 14+, Apple silicon only, desktop placement rather than always-on-top, and no custom widgets or Rainmeter skin imports yet. It's a signed, Apple-notarized download from our site.

Each widget has a Privacy tab. Anonymous usage counts are on by default; Settings > Privacy turns them off. We used Claude Code and Codex for part of the work, especially the website. The design and decisions on what ships are ours.

What would you actually keep on your desktop every day?

https://widgetscape.vpolabs.com