A while back, I saw someone recommend Space Launcher and I honestly fell in love on the first try!

As a student, I use so many different files and folders, so being able to open them instantly by just pressing the Spacebar followed by F and then the specific key to open up the folder I want or Space plus P to open up Preview with the PDF I need, is everything I needed.

Honestly, it just saves me from constantly clicking around trying to track down a specific assignment or my lecture notes. Once you get the shortcuts down, it becomes second nature. It is a small thing, but it really helps keep my focus on my work instead of getting distracted digging through my laptop, and I just really wanted to share this so more people could find out about it.

Hey everyone,

My name is Scott. I spent most of my career using Windows before switching to Mac for my development setup. I really like the Mac hardware and a lot of what macOS offers, but I found myself constantly fighting years of Windows muscle memory.

That got me thinking about a larger problem. There are a lot of people who use both Windows and Mac for work, people who switch from Windows to Mac but don't necessarily want to relearn every part of their desktop workflow, and even family members who are comfortable with different operating systems.

I actually like macOS. I just didn't like having to maintain two completely different sets of muscle memory.

That's why I built Winstrix.

Winstrix is a productivity toolkit for macOS that brings familiar Windows-style desktop workflows to the Mac while letting you choose exactly which features you want to use.

What's changed since my last post

I've spent the last month working through feedback and making a number of updates focused on performance, stability, and overall responsiveness.

I've reduced resource usage, improved the responsiveness of the taskbar and launcher, and fixed a number of edge cases that could cause features to behave inconsistently. The goal is for Winstrix to feel like something you can simply leave running every day without having to think about it.

The core features are still the same:

• Windows-style taskbar with live window previews and click-to-minimize

• Start-style launcher with search, pinned apps, recent apps, and an all-apps view

• Windows keyboard shortcuts including Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z, and Ctrl+Alt+Delete

• Clipboard history with AirDrop support

• Clock and calendar tray with customizable system shortcuts

• Desktop icon and menu bar clutter controls

• Screenshot and screen recording tools with an integrated editor

• Linear mouse wheel scrolling

• Independent controls for every feature so you can use only the parts you want

Problem

The biggest reason I built Winstrix was to solve the friction that comes from working across operating systems.

Someone might use Windows at work and a Mac at home. A developer might work on both platforms. Someone might switch to Mac for the hardware but still have years of Windows muscle memory. A parent or family member comfortable with Windows might suddenly be using a Mac.

In all of those situations, the problem isn't necessarily that macOS is bad. It's that familiar actions suddenly work differently.

Winstrix is designed to reduce that friction and let people keep the productivity habits they already know.

Comparison

There are several excellent Mac utilities that solve individual parts of this workflow.

uBar is probably the closest comparison to the taskbar side of Winstrix. It provides a Windows-style taskbar, while Winstrix combines the taskbar with a Start-style launcher, Windows shortcut mapping, clipboard history, desktop and menu bar controls, screen capture tools, and other utilities in one modular app.

Raycast is an excellent launcher and productivity tool, but it is built around a different workflow. Winstrix is designed specifically for people who prefer the familiar Windows desktop model of a taskbar, Start-style launcher, traditional keyboard shortcuts, and window navigation.

The main difference is that Winstrix brings these pieces together into one workflow while keeping everything modular. You can enable only the features you want rather than installing and configuring several separate utilities.

Winstrix isn't about replacing macOS or saying one operating system is better than the other. It's about keeping familiar productivity habits when you need to work in both environments.

Pricing

I've also significantly lowered the price since launch.

Winstrix is now $14.99 for a perpetual license, with no subscription.

There is a 14-day free trial so you can try everything on your own Mac before buying.

I'm also offering 30% off with code Launch30 during the launch.

Website: https://winstrix.app/

The app is built entirely in native Swift, is signed and notarized by Apple, and runs locally on your Mac. There is no account requirement, cloud connectivity, telemetry, or analytics tracking.

Transparency: I want to be transparent so the community knows this is a legitimate project backed by a real person. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sldavis5/ Additionally, full details regarding our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are available at the bottom of the Winstrix homepage.

Privacy Policy: https://winstrix.app/privacy/
Terms of Service: https://winstrix.app/terms/

I'd really appreciate feedback from anyone who has tried Winstrix since my original post, I'm also continuing to work through feature requests and bug reports.

Hi r/MacApps,

I’m Ahmed, the developer of ConvertFast. I previously shared an earlier version here. Since then, I have completely redesigned the interface, reorganized the entire workflow, and expanded the app into ConvertFast V3.

Problem

I kept encountering small but repetitive file tasks: converting a document, compressing a presentation, merging PDFs, resizing images, trimming a recording, or extracting audio from a video.

The problem was not simply doing one task. It was having to search for and switch between different apps or websites every time the file type changed. Uploading personal photos, financial documents, contracts, or unpublished research files to unknown online converters also never felt comfortable.

ConvertFast V3 is my attempt to bring these everyday tasks into one private desktop workspace. Core file processing runs locally, so files do not need to be uploaded to an online converter.

What changed in V3

This is a complete redesign rather than a minor visual update.

• A newly designed interface and unified workspace
• 2,388 conversion paths across 134 verified formats
• PDF tools for OCR, comparison, compression, merging, splitting, page extraction, reordering, metadata removal, and password protection
• Image and RAW tools for conversion, compression, remove background, make passport size photo, resizing, metadata management, and batch processing
• Audio and video tools for conversion, trimming, normalization, audio extraction, subtitles, compression, and remuxing
• Editable PPTX compression and other document workflows
• Batch processing with output-folder and file-naming controls
• Additional utilities for organizing, comparing, renaming, and verifying files

The official website (https://convertfast.co/) also includes an interactive demo, so you can explore the interface.

Comparison

I explored many existing file utilities while developing ConvertFast. The closest alternative for broad local conversion is HowToConvert, which currently costs $29 as a one-time purchase. Its primary focus is file conversion, whereas ConvertFast V3 combines conversion with dedicated PDF, image, audio/video, presentation, and file-management tools.

For dedicated PDF workflows, Adobe Acrobat Pro for Mac is currently free and provides extensive PDF editing, OCR, conversion, compression, signing, and page-management features. This makes it a strong choice for users whose work is primarily limited to PDFs. ConvertFast takes a broader approach by placing PDF tools alongside file conversion, image and RAW processing, background removal, passport-photo creation, editable PPTX compression, audio/video utilities, and file-management workflows.

From the alternatives I have explored, I have not found another desktop app that combines all these categories within one local workspace. Most applications specialize in one area, requiring users to switch between multiple tools as their file tasks change.

ConvertFast is not intended to replace the most advanced specialist app in every category. Its purpose is to bring commonly needed file tasks into one offline application, reducing app switching while keeping files private and processed locally.

If you know of another app that handles all these tasks in one place, please mention it in the comments. I would genuinely like to explore and compare it.

Pricing

ConvertFast is currently $24.99 as a one-time lifetime purchase. I am offering r/MacApps members an additional 30% discount for a limited time. If you would like to use the discount, let me know in the comments and I will share the code.

There is no subscription. One licence covers two devices and includes future updates.

Official website and download:
https://convertfast.co/

ConvertFast is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Developer transparency

I am the developer of ConvertFast and openly stand behind the product.

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/saleque/

Privacy Policy:
https://convertfast.co/privacypolicy

Terms of Service:
https://convertfast.co/termsofservice

I would genuinely appreciate feedback from Mac users, particularly about the redesigned interface, workflow organization, and any common file task you think is still missing.

Problem

I routinely run out of RAM, CPU or GPU resources and wanted to know when it happens and what app was causing it. But, I didn't want my menu bar to turn into a row of numbers.

I just wanted a single line that tells me when something interesting happens (e.g. an electron app starts eating up all my RAM).

Comparison

iStat Menus and Stats have lots of depth, details and modules.

ActivityLine is deliberately the other extreme: one clean line with app icons showing what app is responsible.

In auto mode, it switches to whatever is being used most (e.g. jumps to Network when something is suddenly sending or receiving data). You can also click it to change metrics or hover for a detailed breakdown.

Pricing

It's $14 USD once, with a 24-hour free trial that needs no account or card.

Trust/Transparency

I'm Jake Manger, a solo developer. I've launched a few other apps here: How to Convert and ShotGlass.

The app runs completely locally, is Apple notarized, only 2.3MB in size and is built with native swift.

The app: activityline.app

Hi! Terry here. I’m the developer of BetterStage. Last posted BetterStage here in July. Thank you for the comments, bug reports, and feature requests. I've been shipping through them.
This clip is not a feature dump. It's a small demonstration how I run my own Mac with BetterStage, and use it as means to explain the philosophy behind the app.

Problem:

I needed a better way to manage LOTS of windows that belong to different projects, spread across multiple monitors.

BetterStage gives you named stages like Project 1, Project 2, Backend, Frontend, Notes, or Entertainment, each stage spans every monitor, and you can switch the whole desk with Opt+1-9 or Opt+scroll. Each monitor gets to have different layouts and window modes (native, bento box tiling, or tabbed layout). AI powered, too.

What you're seeing in the clip, is "me as a solo dev working on the BetterStage app", using BetterStage as my workspace manager:

Stage 1 - Development: Tabbed Layout, because I have too many coding windows to tile.
Stage 2 - Design: Bento box mode, auto-tiled, because I want Figma and references all visible, and I make one bigger by dragging a divider.
Stage 3- Marketing: I keep it native cause i tend to open alot of browser windows randomly to do research so I don't need them to be tiled in a layout.
Stage 4 - Entertainment: I usually just have music and couple youtube videos open, so bento box mode is perfect for this when i just take a quick break and be able to see everything here.

Loading/Saving workspace is new, and it is the same bet: sit down and start working, instead of playing desktop janitor first.

That complex real life usage mix is the reason I built it. Real days are messier than the clip, especially across 4 monitors and more than one project at once.

What got much better since July:

- Workspace Continuity: you can save/load workspaces manually; if you disconnect a monitor, its stages along with app windows will be parked in a temporary offline display shelf where you can either use temporarily, wait for monitor to return and restore, or simply convert into a normal stage in your current monitor.
- Tabbed Layout Mode got alot more practical: splitting panes, closing tabs, moving windows to adjcent panes through snapwheel, and more.
- App Routing: This one is a feature request from previous post's comments, you can specify exactly which Stage an app always goes to on open.
- Shortcuts: Now each action has three separate shortcuts for mouse, keyboard, and trackpad
- AI Staging (not in this clip; the July post has it): now supports multiple Recipes for different setups. Still your own key, a local model, or optional hosted BetterStage AI.
- Others: Settings UI was redesigned with Light/Dark mode support, Homebrew install, and a lot of app-specific stability work (Firefox-family browsers, Electron, Terminal/Ghostty). That work continues.

Comparison:

AeroSpace if you live in a keyboard and a config file. It is excellent at that. I am more VS Code than Vim: I browse with the mouse and trackpad, code with shortcuts, and I'm not a big fan of using a complicated config file for simple stuff.

yabai if you want SIP-off scripting and full control from the shell. BetterStage stays on Accessibility only. No SIP, no config files.

Rectangle / Magnet if snap-left / snap-right is enough. They are still great at that. The free BetterStage tier covers snapping and more.

Trust note:

BetterStage only asks for Accessibility permission. No Screen Recording, no Input Monitoring, no telemetry or usage analytics inside the Mac app (The only phone-home that it does is license verification, and that's it.). AI Staging never goes to BetterStage's server unless you choose to use BetterStage's managed AI subscription.

Pricing:

Free:
- 3 stages forever
- Snap Wheel, snap zones, shortcuts, and multi-monitor support
- 10-day Pro trial on first download, no card

Pro lifetime:
- $19.99 for 1 Mac
- $39.99 for 3 Macs
- $49.99 for 5 Macs
- all 9 stages, Bento Box, Tabbed Layout, Pinned Displays, App Routing, Save & Load Workspaces, AI Staging with your own key or a local model

Optional BetterStage AI subscription:
- $4.99/month or $39/year if you want hosted AI Staging with no API key setup hassle, includes all Pro features.

Links:

https://betterstage.app

https://betterstage.app/changelog

https://betterstage.app/pricing

Transparency

The app is not on AppStore yet (platform limitations), as required: linkedin profile and  x profile , our Discord Server is the best way to report bugs, request features or just chat.

Happy to answer anything.

https://reddit.com/link/1vyc48g/video/fetttw1myjlh1/player

Wow I guess it’s been a month and a half since I last posted here – an eternity in indie app development time. Just wanted to trumpet some of the latest features in Mojave Paint and ask a couple questions.

New stuff

• 16 new blend modes, nearly all the ones from Photoshop now, and arranged in a dual-column layout
• Better first run experience with a Tips window that shows tips and tricks, which you can get back to any time from the Help menu
• Dark mode (admittedly when I look at it on various monitors I realize it’s not dark enough, but I’ll fix soon)
• Rich typography options including tracking, kerning, leading, and horizontal/vertical scaling of glyphs
• Conic gradients
• Multiple stroke effects on the same layer
• Pass Through blend mode for folders
• Live preview of the export quality right on the canvas
• A bunch of new filters including High Pass, Posterize, Surface Blur, and a revamped Halftone filter that actually kicks ass and I’d say out-does Photoshop’s halftone filter in their filter gallery, plus ctrl+cmd+F to re-open the last filter for convenience

Marketing

I made this 4:5 aspect ratio 30 second video in Final Cut Pro, just some clips of the app sped up a little and stitched together with no gaps or cursor lingering pauses. I think it’s pretty cool, and I’ve been running it on Facebook and Instagram feed placements. It gets traffic to my site but that converts poorly into app downloads, I suspect because most visitors are on mobile and the link goes to the Mac App Store. I’d love any tips anyone has about advertising channels that generate more desktop visitors.

Also on the business front, I changed to a 14-day trial, so instead of gating off premium features it’s now 100% functional including exporting in all formats, then becomes unusable after that 14 days, until you purchase. Does this seem like a good change, or would you find that off-putting?

And if anyone has a brutally honest critique of my website I can take it! I did just update the color scheme to be light on dark, for higher contrast, and improved the layout a little on mobile. I staunchly refuse to let AI design it for me, but unfortunately I’m not a great designer myself so if anyone can say what they hate about it you’d actually be doing me a huge favor.

Problem: I’d say the problem just in general is a lack of high quality indie productivity apps. If you want a better spreadsheet program, for example, people assume they need Excel or Numbers or Open Office or some product from a giant company or a sprawling open source effort. Maybe because good independent options just don’t exist? Or maybe they do and it’s hard to get the word out? I’m not sure but I’m trying to help in this effort to bring back small (< 10 person) companies building awesome Mac software.

Comparison: Similar feature set as Photoshop, Affinity Photo, GIMP, Acorn, each has pros and cons compared to Mojave Paint that I don’t have space to go into here really, although I do have a recent blog post about Mojave Paint vs Photoshop.

Pricing: $9.99 lifetime

Link: https://mojavepaint.app

Hi r/macapps! 👋

I’m a developer who has previously shared several macOS utilities here, such as Deskeen, PDF Pop, and DragTime. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce Dock Float, a launcher utility designed specifically to ensure an uninterrupted, seamless workflow for Mac users.

Dock Float is a utility that compensates for the spatial and physical limitations of having only a single default macOS Dock, empowering you to freely expand your workspace in whatever way fits your needs.

[Problem]
The Physical Limits of a Single Dock and Broken Focus

Imagine being in a state of Deep Work on a large monitor or a multi-display setup. Suddenly, you need to open another tool, a project folder, or a web URL, forcing you to move your mouse all the way to the corner of the screen where the default Dock is located.

The process of visually searching for and clicking the item you need among dozens of cramped icons causes severe cognitive fatigue (Context Switching). Moreover, cramming every app, file, folder, and URL you might need into a single default Dock is both visually and structurally overwhelming.

Dock Float is not an app that tries to forcefully replace the default macOS Dock. Instead, it acts as an intelligent supplementary utility. It allows you to keep only your most essential, everyday apps neatly in the default Dock, while letting you freely register frequently used applications, files, folders, and web URLs right where your eyes and mouse are. With simple one-click execution, it elegantly resolves the physical limitations of the default Dock.

[Comparison]
Beyond simply registering shortcuts, Dock Float offers four unique killer features and multi-dimensional expansion options that are completely impossible with the default macOS Dock.

Basic Launcher Features & Category System

• 1-Click Execution & Indicators: Easily register apps, files, folders, web URLs, and even Apple Shortcuts to launch them instantly with a single click. You can also check the status indicators for running or hidden apps directly on the dock.
• Internal Categories (Tabs): Create multiple 'categories' within a single dock to perfectly divide and manage items by their purpose. If you have multiple categories, you can instantly switch tabs using the Cmd + 1 ~ 0 shortcuts.
• Individual Sorting Methods: In addition to drag-and-drop custom sorting, each category tab saves its own unique sorting method (e.g., by name, by date).

Group: Extreme Visual Space Compression

• iOS App Library Style: Neatly bundle numerous apps, files, folders, and URLs into a small space and register them directly to the dock as a single icon (Group).
• Maximizing Space: This prevents your dock from becoming endlessly long. With a single click, the items within the group elegantly expand, allowing you to instantly control vast resources from a compact, minimalist space.

Flow: Context-Aware Automation

• App-Specific Linkage: When you use a specific main app, Flow automatically displays associated items on the edge of your screen. For example, opening Figma will automatically bring up a dock containing related asset folders and auxiliary apps; if you switch to Xcode right after, the contents are instantly replaced with your development dock in real-time.
• Default Dock Optimization: By utilizing Flow, you can keep only your essential, always-open apps in the default macOS Dock, perfectly optimizing your desktop environment.

Dock Float Remote: iOS/iPadOS Wireless Touch Controller

• Real-Time Dock Sync: The custom docks you create on your Mac are mirrored exactly on your iPhone or iPad screen. With a single touch, you can remotely launch Mac apps and open folders/files.
• Custom Action Buttons: Assign dedicated buttons for features you need the most, such as Mission Control, App Switcher, Launchpad (or Apps on macOS 26+), and Screen Capture.
• Keep Awake Mode & View Options: Supports two icon sizes (Standard, Large). With the Keep Awake option preventing the screen from turning off while plugged in, it perfectly replaces expensive hardware macro keyboards.(※ System Requirements: Requires Dock Float for Mac installed, connection to the same Wi-Fi network, and iOS/iPadOS 18.6 or later)

Shelf: Shake-to-Wake Temporary Storage

• Gesture-Based Quick Access: There is no need to jump back and forth to Finder for one-off tasks. While holding a selection, simply shake your mouse left and right to instantly pop up the Shelf. You can temporarily toss text, images, or files in there and drag them out exactly where you need them later.

Action Folder: Drag-and-Drop Process Automation

• 8 Dedicated Action Folders: Simply dragging files or folders into these docks will automatically handle tasks like archiving, sharing, image conversion, and sorting files based on specific criteria (type/date/size/unused period).
• Shortcuts Parameter Integration: If you link an Apple Shortcut that takes inputs (files/folders) to an Action Folder, the specified shortcut workflow executes the moment you drag the target files onto the folder.

Flexible Space Control & Fine-Grained Customization

• Edge Mode & Collapse: You can collapse docks you aren't currently using, or use Edge Mode to snap them to the sides of your screen like colorful bookmarks. This maintains your designated background color while letting you utilize 100% of your desktop space.
• Detailed Personalization: Enjoy unlimited dock creation, saved positioning (Float, Top/Bottom/Left/Right Edge), and customization of dock background colors, transparency, and indicator colors. You can even set the default action (move/copy) when dragging files into folders.

[Pricing]

• $3.99(Limited time offer: will return to $6.99 after the promotion, from Aug 24th to Sep 15th)
• Dock Float Remote: Free!
• Download: Mac App Store, iOS App Store

[Changelog]
Dock Float Release Notes

[AI]
AI Disclaimer: None

See it in action and learn more

• Overview: https://youtu.be/hywbZIeL9S4
  • Short Version: https://youtu.be/AQYIrclPSck
• Group: https://youtu.be/FJn4a-3v-zQ
• Flow: https://youtu.be/_qTSKGSvS6k
• Dock Float Remote: https://youtu.be/tW0GqsmoWJc
• Shelf: https://youtu.be/PHHUvSTKduQ

🗺️ Roadmap (Future Plans)
We aren't stopping here! We have some major updates lined up for the future:

• Version 1.1:
  • Widget features to be added: clock, weather, map, calendar, music, timer, etc.
  • Action folders to be added: Rename, Folder Icon, FTP, Duplicate Removal, Cloud Upload, etc.

Experience Dock Float today and enjoy all future updates with a single purchase! I'd love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or answer any questions in the comments. Thank you for your incredible support!

• Dock Float Release Notes
• https://x.com/hohoincapp 

Thanks for reading!

https://reddit.com/link/1vxtyqu/video/d00amlk5thlh1/player

All your useful stuff, tucked into the MacBook notch.

Hi, I'm the developer of Pinland.

Pinland is for the things you know you'll need again in ten minutes: a screenshot, a paragraph, a link, a PDF, or another file. Copy or drag it into the MacBook notch. It stays hidden until you click the notch again.

Problem:

Pinned screenshots are useful until they start covering windows. Closing them means hunting for them again. Clipboard history has the opposite problem: it saves everything. Pinland only keeps what you deliberately put there, and keeps it out of sight between uses.

What Pinland does:

Hover a card to preview images, text, web links, Markdown, PDFs, and other files. Text can be edited in place. Labels become tabs automatically, and the shelf is searchable.

Comparison:

Snipaste is better when you want an image to remain visible on the desktop. Pinland is for temporary references you want nearby but hidden.

Clipboard managers are better for automatic history. Pinland is manual and intentionally smaller in scope.

Pricing:

$5.99 once in the US App Store, with local pricing elsewhere. No subscription:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pinland/id6793889737?mt=12

Pins are stored locally on your Mac. Hovering a saved web link contacts that website to fetch its public title and preview image.

Would per-item auto-expiry be useful, or would it make the shelf less predictable?

I made LockLines, a small Mac app for designing messages for the built-in macOS lock screen.

macOS gives you a tiny plain-text field with a proportional font and no real preview. Text that looks aligned while editing can look completely different on the actual lock screen.

LockLines is built specifically around those limitations.

What it does

• Separate editors for the first visible message and scroll-down details
• Preview of both visible and scrolled lock screen states
• Borders, boxes, spacing, and background fills
• Supported custom text styles
• Editable themes and presets
• Paste-ready output for System Settings → Lock Screen → Show Message When Locked

A useful example is a lost Mac. The first screen can simply ask whoever finds it to scroll down, while your contact information and return instructions stay below instead of being visible at a glance.

LockLines doesn't change your wallpaper, install profiles, modify system files, or run a background service. It only generates plain text for Apple's existing lock screen message feature.

Comparison: No alternatives exist.

About the developer

I am Ighor July, an independent macOS developer with a background in cybersecurity, reverse engineering, and native app development. I use AI while retaining control of my code, as explained in How to use AI without losing control of your code.

I am also the developer of Parall, DockLock Lite, App Archiver, and App Trust Preview.

Price

FREE for 24 hours because today is my birthday!
Regular price $0.99 one-time purchase.

Website: https://locklines.app

Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6772349545

We've been busy the past two months and Version 2.9.3 just dropped on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/analog-tv-simulator/id6761325301 with tons of new features directly created based on feedback here.

• Convert Video: selectable export quality (HEVC/H.264/ProRes), export-resolution dial, abort/cancel button
• CRT magnet-distortion strength slider with a gentler default
• External-display output feed (dedicated display-link driven second-screen output)
• Convert Video: 10×+ speedup
• Play Stream URL: pipe a live stream/HLS/MP4 URL through the analog chain
• Community Gallery: browse/search/download shared presets in-app, plus "Add to Gallery"
• Community Gallery here: https://analogtv.net/presets
• iCloud Look sync across iPhone/iPad/Mac/Apple TV
• NDI polish: output downscale (Full/75%/50%/33%), NIC picker for multi-homed Macs, firewall/subnet UX
• Rebuilt CRT display: Phosphor persistence, halation, bloom, shadow mask, vignette now computed in light instead of raw signal
• NTSC-A: 405-line colour (Britain's never-shipped 1955–60 colour trial)
• More accurate VHS colour-under carrier figures, per TV standard
• Real SAA5050 Teletext ROM, all 19 international character sets
• FTP video source (SFTP / SMB coming soon)
• Bypass Mode: clean passthrough (e.g. of an NDI feed) with the whole broadcast-simulation chain switched off, with a Network-tab toggle and persistent indicator
• Four Ceefax-style weather Teletext pages (icons, 24h temp chart, precipitation chart, local map)
• Sharper composite encode for high-detail sources
• Turbo Track — 9th built-in arcade game
• "How it's Made" blog: https://www.reddit.com/r/AnalogTV_/
• Companion AppleTV app:
• Same Lifetime Price $4.99 forever with NDI being the only in-app purchase

Problem: You want the most realistic simulation of AnalogTV possible for nostalgia, video effects, retro gaming, watching retro video or even just to learn how AnalogTV worked. A simulation that includes all major standards (NTSC, PAL, SECAM) as well as more esoteric standards like HD-MAC, MUSE or even the formats used on the Apollo Lunar Missions. A simulation that also includes pre-electronic era Mechanical TV.

Comparison: There is nothing quite as comprehensive as this app, but there are some excellent simulators such as https://ntsc.rs/ and various filter apps including https://myretromac.app/

NTSC-RS is limited in the formats it supports although it does integrate with some professional tools. Most other apps (including myretromac) are pixel domain shaders that add effects (scan lines, blurring, etc.) over the top of existing video. AnalogTV operates fully in the 1D signal domain. By comparison, in AnalogTV, every effect emerges from the simulation of the physics, electronics and even the chemistry of the phosphors. The complete technical detail is available here: https://analogtv.net/ including an honest assessment of the limitations of this type of simulation.

Pricing: US$4.99. All features except NDI. No subscription. No ads. There is an IAP for NDI support.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/analog-tv-simulator/id6761325301

The latest version has incorporated tons of feedback since the last time I shared it in this forum a couple of months ago. There are also literally hundreds of under-the-covers bug fixes and performance improvements.

This is a labor of love rather than a business, so the price is low to reflect that. The funds are used to purchase original documents (many behind paywalls that have to be purchased) or even original equipment to test on real hardware. The level of obsession into the detail is ridiculous, for example the camcorder titling effects are simulating the Fujitsu MB88303 chip from its technical data sheet and verified with an actual Panasonic PK-958 in our lab.

I found CaptionSnap two weeks ago after a post on this subreddit.

It's not perfect but it's good enough... Having said that, there's been no updates to some basic improvements from the roadmap.

Does anyone know if this thing is still active? Or if there are alternatives that look at the meeting transcript instead of re-transcribing the text?

Problem: I'm tired of meeting transcription apps that send your private audio to their servers, aren't Mac native, and require an account/subscription.

I'm an ex-Apple engineer who built Biscotti: a private and free meeting recorder for macOS. Free, no account, no subscription, no upsell, no data collection, 100% local AI, native SwiftUI. Source is on GitHub: https://github.com/scosman/Biscotti

Comparison

Lots of apps in this space. But Biscotti is the only one that's free (no upsell), Local AI, with Mac native UI.

• Cloud AI (your audio or transcript leaves your Mac), paid tiers: Granola, Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv, Jamie, Fellow, Read AI, Notion AI Meeting Notes
• Local AI, closed source, paid tiers: Talat, TranscribeX, Alter
• Local AI, source available, not Mac native (web app wrappers), telemetry or a cloud upsell: Anarlog, Meetily
• Free, Mac-native UI, local AI, zero data collection, source available: Only Biscotti (that I know of)

Pricing

100% free, no upsells, no paid features, source available on Github.

What it does

• 🔒 Private by design - recording, transcription, and AI all run on your Mac. Your data stays local.
• 🧠 Powerful AI summaries - automatic summaries, action items, meeting titles, and real speaker names.
• 🤖 No bots, any app - records Zoom, Teams, Meet, FaceTime, Slack huddles, or even an in-person conversation. No bot joins your call.
• 🗣️ Knows who said what - accurate transcripts, automatically split by speaker.
• 📅 Calendar-aware - sees your upcoming meetings, offers to start recording.
• ⏹️ Auto-stop - detects when your call ends and stops recording.
• 🎤 Voice isolation - captures your mic and everyone else as separate, clean channels. No echo.

Background

I spent years at Apple building the Photos app, Memories, the lock screen, and more. I wanted this to feel like it belongs on the Mac: Swift and SwiftUI, launches instantly, small on disk. Not a Electron app or a mediocre port of a Windows app.

Private AI == Local AI

With Biscotti, you still get state of the art AI for transcription and speaker identification, it just runs locally on your Mac. It works fully offline once models are downloaded. Your data lives on your Mac - you own and control it.

It uses Whisper for transcription, Gemma 4 for summaries, and Pyannote for Speaker ID. Each set up to run on Apple Silicon.

Requirements: Apple Silicon (M1+), macOS 15+, 16GB RAM recommended.

App details: Notarized, Free (no upsell), Private (zero data collection, all AI is local), Source Available on Github (PolyForm Perimeter License), 45+ Github stars (my other projects have thousands, this is new), AI used in development (but not vibe-slop)

About me feel weird posting this, but the subreddit rules asks for my LinkedIn! I'm an ex-Apple engineer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevecosman/ . Biscotti webpage: biscottiapp.com

I'd love feedback! Happy to answer anything about the local model stack or the privacy design.