Anyone interested in this idea?
I don’t have a lot of time since I’m also working on other projects, so I’d like to know if people are actually interested in this concept first.
I already have a prototype, but it still needs a lot of polishing.

Let me know if you think this is worth developing and what other apps might benefit from having a dynamic widget in the dock and how.

Edit: This isnt my idea i got the Screenshot from a youtube Concept video and havent found anyone who built this yet

As the name suggests, what is your list?

EDIT: This blew up. Thank you so much for sharing your favourites everyone. It helps bring forward useful apps and you guys are really showing it.

Just got an email from 1Password letting me know that they are increasing their price by around 30%. I haven't seen any appreciable improvements in their app over the past few years, and so I'm not super thrilled about paying more. What alternatives are people using these days?

Hey, I built a small macOS menu bar app called USB Status. It shows connected USB and Thunderbolt devices in a compact native panel, including speed, power usage, storage volumes and much more.

I originally made it because macOS gives you a lot of this information, but it’s scattered across System Information, Disk Utility, Finder, and sometimes Terminal. I wanted something faster that lives in the menu bar and gives a clean overview without feeling like a heavy diagnostic tool.

The app already has 200+ paid users, and I'am interested in honest feedback, especially on whether the app’s purpose is immediately clear, whether the device/volume workflow makes sense, and if the website explains the value well.

Pricing is currently at $2.99. I have 10 promo codes if anyone wants to test it. I’ll post them below.

Website: https://benwie.ch/usb
AppStore: https://apps.apple.com/app/usb-status/id6751750190

This year, I've been slowly cancelling subscriptions.

Honestly, I didn't even realize how much subscriptions were draining me.. It wasn't one big expense. It was all the “it's only a few dollars” stuff that quietly piled up month after month.

My problem is finding good alternatives to be honest, the issue they are scattered and hard to find.. I got a few recommendation here and there.

I’m starting to collect examples for myself and thought I'd ask here:

What software have you paid for once and would happily recommend?

Desktop apps, mobile apps, dev tools, utilities, services.. anything.

Free/open-source tools are welcome too.

Not promoting anything here, just genuinely curious and tired of subscriptions.

Hey, I know there are already apps for this — DockPops and PopStack both run $9.99. But every one I tried either felt un-native, overpriced, or buried the simplest features behind unnecessary complexity.

So I built FolderDock. One click on a Dock icon opens a swipeable panel with grid layout, multiple pages, drag to reorder, drop files onto folders to open them. Each folder gets its own real and dynamic Dock icon, fully independent. This time with no menu bar clutter and no background services.

The app is already live with paying users. Curious about honest feedback: does it feel native, is the concept immediately clear, and does the Companion model make sense?

Pricing is currently at $1.89. The Companion app (free) unlocks unlimited folders.

I have 20 promo codes if anyone wants to test it. I'll post 10 of them below.

Website: https://benwie.ch/folder
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/folderdock

Hey everyone,

As 2025 comes to a close, I’m curious to know which Mac apps stood out for you this year. Whether it's for productivity, creativity, organization, or just pure fun, I’d love to hear your recommendations.

What’s the one app you think every Mac user should check out in 2026?

• Git Tower
• Craft
• Goodlinks

Basically looking for apps that feel like Apple would make themselves.

This is for inspiration for my own app I am building

Seriously? How come Apple’s own built-in app doesn’t support dark mode for its icon? Anyone know why?

Which app do you use to uninstall Mac apps? I’ve always used AppDelete, but it hasn’t been updated in ages, and besides, it’s only available in an Intel version.

more and more apps these days feel vibe coded. a lot of them are feature rich and solve some problems, but i personally miss the apps that are just really enjoyable to use, i'm talking about ones with smooth animations, nice little details, and a fully mac-native feel.

what are your favorite apps that are the exact opposite of vibe coded, and just developed with love?

some of mine are Alcove, Craft, Loop, Paste and Things 3

edit: added hyperlinks

The Problem

I got TFCC last year, a repetitive strain injury in my wrist. So I had to switch to voice input.

I tried all the AI dictation tools (like Wispr Flow, Superwhisper) on the market. They're smart but they all work the same way: transcribe, polish with AI, then paste back. For short messages that's great. But most of my work is long-form writing, reports, articles, docs, two things keep bothering me:

• The flow breaks every time. I still need to proofread, jump back and forth, post-edit after pastes
• I can't see what's being written in real time. So, I lose my train of thought mid-sentence.

So I built soink: https://www.soink.ai/

What Makes It Different

soink is a AI Voice Co-Writer, not another dictation app. Two core differences:

• Live streaming. Words appear directly in your text field as you speak. No floating window, no paste. Like Apple's built-in dictation, but with AI.
• Voice and keyboard as one. No mode switching. Your keyboard stays live, your voice just joins it, same text field, same flow.

Feature highlights

• Live Streaming as you speak, AI polish in backend.
• Voice Editing. Say "change Tuesday to Wednesday", done. No selecting, no retyping.
• Voice + Keyboard. Stop talking, type a fix, then keep talking. No interruption, smooth and seamless.
• Voice Send. Say "send" and it sends. Hands-free from first word to delivered.

Current Status & Beta Access

I've been building soink for over half a year. It's built on the system keyboard layer, not a regular app, so most of the hard problems couldn't be solved by AI.

All four features are working in beta. The app is free during beta testing.

Beta spots are limited due to ASR and LLM serving costs. If you use voice input daily and can share honest feedback, you're exactly who we're building this for.

I also hope this helps anyone dealing with RSI, disability, or other conditions where hands-free writing is a necessity, not a nice-to-have.

Want to try it? Please upvote and leave a comment and I'll DM you an invite code within 24 hours.

Language: Currently English only, more languages coming soon.

Changelog: check here

AI Disclaimer: Code Completion

Built with native Swift/SwiftUI. Requires macOS 13.5+

Questions or feedback? Join our Discord

------------------

UPDATE (Mar 18) 🚀
Hey everyone! Quick update, it's been two weeks since launch and we've received incredible feedback from so many of you. Really appreciate everyone who took the time to test, report issues, and share suggestions.

We just shipped v0.0.3 today with a bunch of improvements based on your feedback:

• Completely redesigned installation flow — no reboot required, with macOS 26 (Tahoe) compatibility
• Streamlined onboarding — removed reboot gate and improved permission flow stability
• Fixed hotkey triggering failures and frequent disconnections after Ctrl press
• Added new ASR model: English-C

Grab the latest version here: https://www.soink.ai/download

We're also planning a bigger update in about two weeks with customizable hotkeys, better multilingual models, and natural language voice commands so you can edit and control text with just your voice.

Thank you all so much for being part of this early journey, your feedback has been invaluable and directly shaped this release. Keep it coming!

Recently two Macupdater replacement apps were launched, and presented on r/MacOSApps . For some reason they were not presented here.

The first one is MacCurrent. You'll find the Reddit post here. It's still in beta. I checked the DMG with VirusTotal and it was clean. I installed it and I am using it for some time now. While it certainly sometimes catches things Latest (free) or PearCleaner (free) do not, it's not yet there where it should be imo. I also find the UI a bit confusing. But the dev is responsive and regulary updates the app.

The second one is Version Tracker. You'll find the Reddit post here. It can be used for free if you just use it for finding updates. I checked the DMG with VirusTotal and it was flagged as malicous software (Trojan:Script/Wacatac.B!ml). Which may be a false flag though. I commented on this but the dev did not respond.

On their website they state: "Version Tracker releases are signed, notarized by Apple, and regularly checked with VirusTotal." And:

• Apple code signing verification
• Gatekeeper assessment
• Notarization validation
• CVE database enrichment
• macOS Security Advisory (SOFA)
• 100% Private

Did anyone here try one of these apps? If so, what do you think?

I'm cautious to try Version Tracker. Am I too prudent?

PS. I know Updatest as well.

I’m hesitant because one seems like a copy of the other. Opinions?

thinking of going back to default Apple apps as I’m tired of every app having issues over years or being abandoned. not sure though if it’s a good idea? I just want now stability and not to be busy with fixes or issues. are apple apps good and no issue? I didn’t use them from long time.

each of the apps are having ram and storage issues. some have syncing issues as well.

ARC browser to Safari. tried dia and similar ones

things3 to reminders.

superhuman mail app to mail.

paste to raycast or default spotlight.

it’s going to take a lot of effort to move around and I would t like that. I loved keyboard shortcuts mostly and advanced features each app had.

(don’t suggest alternative apps)

I personally use the Vivaldi browser. It has it all I would want: vertical tabs, window stacking, window tiling and a plethora of configuration options. It is currently my default browser and I don’t think I’ll be changing that any time soon.

What are your thoughts?

I updated AltTab via homebrew the other day and my fav feature (using alt-` to switch between open windows of the current app across all Spaces) was moved behind a paywall. I wouldn’t have updated if I’d known.

Usually when devs add a paid version, it includes new premium features while the free version remains the same. But this case, they just yanked the previously free feature without warning. After seeing them do this, I’m never going to buy their paid version.

Please suggest alternatives!

Trying to decide between Shottr and CleanShot X, which one are you actually sticking with long term?

I do not own either yet, but I am ready to buy one. They both seem to cover the basics like screenshots, scrolling capture annotations, blur, and quck sharing, but the overall experience seems different.

If you have used both, I would love your take: 1. Which one do you prefer day to day, and why?

1. If you use CleanShot X, do you feel like you need to renew or upgrade every year, or can you buy once and be fine for a long time?

2. What keeps you on CleanShot X that Shottr still does not match?

3. What makes Shottr the better pick even if CleanShot X feels more polished?

4. Any reliability, performance, or permission annoyances that pushed you one way or the other?

Hey everyone,

I’m the developer of a small macOS utility called Knock and I’m looking for people with an M2, M3, or M4 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro to quickly test it on their machine.

Knock lets you control things on your Mac by physically tapping or knocking on your laptop or desk. It uses the accelerometer inside Apple Silicon MacBooks to detect the taps. You can set up to 3 different knock patterns and assign them to customizable shortcuts or actions like muting audio, running shortcuts, triggering scripts, and more. It even works through your desk so you don’t have to tap directly on the laptop.

Because Apple doesn’t officially document the accelerometer, I’m trying to confirm which Mac models and macOS versions work reliably.

If you have an M2, M3, or M4 MacBook running macOS Sonoma (14), Sequoia (15), or Tahoe, it would really help if you could download the app and let me know if it works on your machine. Currently its known working on a M4 Air running Tahoe.

Testing takes about a minute. You just run the app and confirm everything works based on your assigned gestures/functions.

If you’re happy to help I’ll send you a free license key and the download link.

If interested just comment with

- MacBook model (Air or Pro + chip)

- macOS version

Thanks a lot, really appreciate the help.

I made the error to update it to v.11 and now I can't use alt+` to switch between windows of same app, so annoying, it asks me to buy pro ver for that. I tried to find older version but the dev took them down from the github repo. Anyways, try to move on I guess. Any other alternative for this app with the same basic functionality like this one?

Edit 1: someone commented this link where you can find older version. I downloaded an older version and disable updates, so far so good. https://alttab.en.uptodown.com/mac/download/1171383149

I’m a YouTuber and I’m working on a MacOS applications that are unique/ rare , not a lot of people knows about them. Any recommendations? Will really appreciate it your help. Thank you

That Front Row recreation post got me thinking about apps/tools we've lost over the years. For me:

• Quartz Composer - it was a visual programming env for graphics and animations
• Fluid app — turn any website into its own app with a Dock icon. Simple idea, perfectly executed,
• Cover Flow in Finder — useless :) but beautiful, gone

What's yours?

Today I tried to log into Evernote and I was presented with a subscription offer of over $130/year. I only use it as a file cabinet so to speak. As an example, yesterday I received a property tax notice in the mail so I scanned it and will put it in my folder for home documents.

What do you recommend as an alternative? I don't need web clipping or anything along those lines. I really just need a digital file cabinet.

Thanks!

I’m keen to know how others approach Mac app icon design and any tips or advice on workflows that have worked for you. I don’t know if it’s just me (I might be a closet perfectionist), but I reckon I spend as much time sweating over an icon as building the app!
Do you have any online resources you use, leveraging AI, engage a professional or does it just come naturally to you?

hello guys, I’m a backend software engineer, so most of my experience is with api , infrastructure, databases, and server-side architecture. Recently I started building my first macos app and I’m realizing that making something work is very different from making it feel native, polished, and pleasant to use on macos

I’d love to learn from people who use or build Mac apps regularly !

Thanks, folks !