(OS) I built my first Mac app: a tiny stock ticker that rotates in your Dock

https://reddit.com/link/1tewxww/video/krn53ve3qi1h1/player

Hey everyone @ r/macapps,

First-time Mac app developer/builder here.

I just launched my first macOS app and would love some feedback.

The app is called Rotating Stock Watchlist.

It’s a tiny stock ticker for your Mac Dock that rotates through your favorite stock tickers while you work. You can choose up to 25 stocks, and they rotate in the dock based on your desired interval (7s, 10s, 20s, etc).

The idea is simple:

Instead of opening a brokerage account, yahoo finance, bloomberg or any one of the million stock watchlist apps, I wanted something lightweight that sits passively in the Dock and keeps the main tickers I care about visible throughout the day.

Problem:

I sort of built this for myself. I personally have a small diversified portfolio of 5-7 stocks in my retirement account, and I honestly dont like opening my brokerage account/checking the balances in there, just set and forget for the most part (but i do like price updates, not to actively trade or buy/sell, but just get a gauge on where they are price wise).

I didnt want to constantly be checking Koyfin or Stocktwits (the two main watchlist apps I use)

Comparison:

Menu bar apps can be useful and is probably the closest to what this is (UpTick and TickerBar), and there are a lot of those out there, but I liked the idea of using the Dock itself and building this as a small glanceable, rotating ticker. (and this menu bar feature is on the roadmap to give users options).

What Rotating Stock Watchlist does:

\- Rotates through your selected stock tickers in the macOS dock

\- Lets you choose the rotation interval

\- Add/remove tickers from your watchlist

\- Rotates on your Mac in your dock while you work

\- Lightweight (973KB) and simple by design

Current version:

Right now, the app is Dock-focused.

The ticker rotates through your watchlist directly in the Dock icon, showing the stock symbol, price, and price movement.

The roadmap I’m thinking through is:

Dock ticker first. Menu bar option next and eventually giving users the choice to toggle between menu bar or dock ticker.

Future ideas I’m considering:

\- Menu bar ticker mode

\- Quick-add preset watchlists like Mag 7, semiconductors, energy, ETFs, crypto, etc.

\- Small quick-view charts (1D, 5D, 30D, etc)

\- More Dock/icon display customization (pausing, re-starting, etc)

\- Optional alerts/watchlist notifications

\- Maybe a combined stock + crypto mode later

\- Brokerage syncing??

Pricing:

The app is currently a simple one-time purchase:

$2.99 on the Mac App Store

No subscription. I am considering adding freemium to help with download numbers. Like you can download and watch up to 5 stocks and if you want to add more it will be $2.99. Willing to test different models here if you think thats a good idea.

My current App Store Connect stats are pretty shite. I just launched about a week ago and I still havent made my first sale outside of friends and family.

Current impressions; 1,150

Product page views: 87

Sale outside of friends/family: 0

I know this is super simple and basic, Im not curing cancer here, and the goal isnt to compete with Bloomberg or Yahoo Finance, I just wanted something simple that rotates in the dock and there wasnt anything really like this out there and wanted to test my building skills and see if I could actually build and launch a product for the first time. And I did do that!

I’d genuinely love feedback from this community:

\- What do you like/dislike about it?

\- Do I have something here?

\- Would you use this in the Dock or would you prefer it in the menu bar?

\- Would both be useful? (like a toggle option!?)

\- What would make this feel like a real daily-use Mac utility instead of just a novelty?

This is my first published Mac app, so any feedback, criticism, feature ideas, or App Store advice would be massively appreciated!

Also, lastly; My goal

with fbksoftware.com is to build a little portfolio of utility macOS apps with Rotating Stock Watchlist being my first product. Whether I launch them or acquire others in the future, I am open to either so if any of you have potential apps for sale, I would love to potentially purchase other macOS apps and fit them into the portfolio!

Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rotating-stock-watchlist/id6762836219?mt=12
Website: https://fbksoftware.com/
Privacy Policy: https://fbksoftware.com/#privacy
Support: https://fbksoftware.com/#support

Thanks guys!

https://redd.it/1tewxww
@macappsbackup

(OS) I built my first Mac app: a tiny stock ticker that rotates in your Dock

https://reddit.com/link/1tewp9m/video/gek8icm7mi1h1/player

Hey everyone @ r/macapps,

First-time Mac app developer/builder here.

I just launched my first macOS app and would love some feedback.

The app is called Rotating Stock Watchlist.

It’s a tiny stock ticker for your Mac Dock that rotates through your favorite stock tickers while you work. You can choose up to 25 stocks, and they rotate in the dock based on your desired interval (7s, 10s, 20s, etc).

The idea is simple:

Instead of opening a brokerage account, yahoo finance, bloomberg or any one of the million stock watchlist apps, I wanted something lightweight that sits passively in the Dock and keeps the main tickers I care about visible throughout the day.

Problem:

I honestly built this for me. I personally have a small diversified portfolio of 5-7 stocks in my retirement account, and I honestly dont like opening my brokerage account/checking the balances in there, just set and forget for the most part (but i do like price updates, not to actively trade or buy/sell, but just get a gauge on where they are price wise).

I didnt want to constantly be checking Koyfin or Stocktwits (the two main watchlist apps I use)

Menu bar apps can be useful, and there are a lot of those out there, but I iked the idea of using the Dock itself as a small glanceable, rotating ticker. (and this menu bar feature is on the roadmap to give users options).

What Rotating Stock Watchlist does:

\- Rotates through your selected stock tickers in the macOS dock

\- Lets you choose the rotation interval

\- Add/remove tickers from your watchlist

\- Rotates on your Mac in your dock while you work

\- Lightweight (973KB) and simple by design

Current version:

Right now, the app is Dock-focused.

The ticker rotates through your watchlist directly in the Dock icon, showing the stock symbol, price, and price movement.

The roadmap I’m thinking through is:

Dock ticker first. Menu bar option next and eventually giving users the choice to toggle between menu bar or dock ticker.

Future ideas I’m considering:

\- Menu bar ticker mode

\- Quick-add preset watchlists like Mag 7, semiconductors, energy, ETFs, crypto, etc.

\- Small quick-view charts (1D, 5D, 30D, etc)

\- More Dock/icon display customization (pausing, re-starting, etc)

\- Optional alerts/watchlist notifications

\- Maybe a combined stock + crypto mode later

\- Brokerage syncing??

Pricing:

The app is currently a simple one-time purchase:

$2.99 on the Mac App Store

No subscription. I am considering adding freemium to help with download numbers. Like you can download and watch up to 5 stocks and if you want to add more it will be $2.99. Willing to test different models here if you think thats a good idea.

My current App Store Connect stats are pretty shite. I just launched about a week ago and I still havent made my first sale outside of friends and family.

Current impressions; 1,150

Product page views: 87

Sale outside of friends/family: 0

I know this is super simple and basic, Im not curing cancer here, and the goal isnt to compete with Bloomberg or Yahoo Finance, I just wanted something simple that rotates in the dock and there wasnt anything really like this out there and wanted to test my building skills and see if I could actually build and launch a product for the first time. And I did do that!

I’d genuinely love feedback from this community:

\- What do you like/dislike about it?

\- Do I have something here?

\- Would you use this in the Dock or would you prefer it in the menu bar?

\- Would both be useful? (like a toggle option!?)

\- What would make this feel like a real daily-use Mac utility instead of just a novelty?

This is my first published Mac app, so any feedback, criticism, feature ideas, or App Store advice would be massively appreciated!

Also, lastly; My goal with fbksoftware.com is to build a little portfolio of utility macOS apps with Rotating Stock Watchlist being my first

product. Whether I launch them or acquire others in the future, I am open to either so if any of you have potential apps for sale, I would love to potentially purchase other macOS apps and fit them into the portfolio!

Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rotating-stock-watchlist/id6762836219?mt=12
Website: https://fbksoftware.com/
Privacy Policy: https://fbksoftware.com/#privacy
Support: https://fbksoftware.com/#support

Thanks guys!

https://redd.it/1tewp9m
@macappsbackup

Mac's standard dock has finally met it's match and what we have is better.

https://preview.redd.it/wqk3dmx3vj1h1.png?width=1710&format=png&auto=webp&s=5cf365fd1f3c22d364d72bdd9859b697e3899e89


If you’re happy with Mac’s Dock or prefer using another launcher, this post probably isn’t for you. But if you’ve always wondered why Apple never gave us proper Dock customisation, enjoy.

Two months ago, I would have said Dock customisation on macOS was dead. Then, suddenly, the past few months delivered a wave of genuinely impressive dock apps.

This first post focuses on apps that replace Mac’s Dock entirely. Part two, coming Monday, will focus on apps that work with the default Dock.

ExtraDock. No demo, 30-day money-back guarantee, €9.99 per year

I’ve praised ExtraDock for years. It began as a project from a developer who tested nearly every dock app available and built the one he actually wanted to use.

After being acquired by the DockFlow team, it was rewritten into one of the best dock customisation apps available. You can create unlimited docks, place them anywhere, switch between vertical and horizontal layouts, customise icons, hide docks, restore them, and far more.

From simple setups to animated snow effects, ExtraDock keeps adding features. If someone asks for multiple docks that can appear, disappear, and behave independently, this is usually my first recommendation.

The developers also have a strong reputation for supporting users. If you want maximum flexibility, ExtraDock is still one of the best options available.

DockDoor Pro. Limited demo available, $20 once-off

DockDoor was already popular among people customising the default Dock, so discovering DockDoor Pro was interesting. Unlike the free version, DockDoor Pro replaces the Mac Dock entirely.

It looks almost identical to Apple’s Dock, except it includes the features Apple should have added years ago. After a week of testing, I still hadn’t explored all the options.

The developer was responsive and patient while I endlessly compared everything to the old cDock app. I’d honestly given up on animated docks until I saw icons bouncing impatiently while waiting to launch.

Stable, polished, easy to install, and packed with features, I can't wait for yet another new release.

Docky. Free basic version, $19.99 once-off

Docky is probably the newest app here. At first, I thought it was simply another clean dock replacement until I realised how much functionality was hidden underneath.

Like DockDoor Pro, Docky replaces the default Dock so seamlessly you barely notice the switch. The animations are excellent, icon customisation is extensive, and even the Trash icon supports full and empty states with custom icons.

It also supports the classic Snow Leopard dock style that many people still want.

InfiniDock. 14-day fully functional demo

InfiniDock used to feel unstable and limited. The latest version surprised me. The app has clearly been redesigned and now looks polished, modern, and far more capable.

Animation exists, though not at the same level as some competitors. Still, it’s visually appealing and worth trying.

My only frustration is the lack of folder support inside the dock itself. Otherwise, it’s a solid app with a long history behind it.

MaxiDock. Limited demo available, $19 once-off

MaxiDock allows unlimited docks anywhere on the screen, vertically or horizontally. It supports animation, invisible docks, drag-and-drop functionality, and extensive customisation.

I nearly settled on MaxiDock permanently, but I dislike how folders need their own separate dock instead of cycling through setups using shortcuts.

I also still experience a strange issue where some apps refuse to relaunch after closing. I'm one of the few users affected.

Still, the demo is excellent and definitely worth trying if you’re already exploring dock apps.

Sidebar. 7-day fully

functional demo, $21 once-off

Sidebar has been around for years and remains one of the strongest dock replacements available. It was also one of the first apps I purchased during my invisible dock obsession.

Back then, cDock still existed and macOS security restrictions were less aggressive. Sidebar filled the gap by offering heavy customisation without requiring security hacks.

If animation matters most to you, Sidebar may feel limited. Beyond hover enlargement, it doesn’t focus heavily on animation.

What it does offer is an absurd level of customisation. I’ve used it for years and still haven’t explored half its features.

It now installs in an easier mode, but I’d strongly recommend switching to professional mode immediately. Chances are, whatever functionality you imagine, Sidebar probably already supports it.

DockFix. 7-day fully functional demo, €15 once-off

I discovered DockFix during the peak of my Dock obsession. Originally, it exposed hidden macOS Dock settings in a cleaner interface, before eventually becoming a full dock app.

Today it competes directly with the others and in some areas goes even further. It recently received a major performance overhaul with reduced CPU usage and added features.

The dock itself doesn’t animate much, but the icons certainly do. Icons can flip, shrink, bounce, rotate, and more.

Once you finish customising the dock, revisit settings and especially the workflow section. Many powerful options are hidden there.

DockStar. 30-day fully functional demo, $20 once-off

DockStar lets you create multiple docks, position them anywhere, and arrange icons freely. For pure customisation, it’s excellent.

Its main limitation is that newly launched apps do not automatically appear in the dock while it’s running. Animation is also fairly limited.

What makes DockStar interesting is that it goes far beyond dock replacement. It can place images anywhere on the screen, create sticky notes, and handle many desktop customisation tasks.

Even if it never becomes your main dock, it’s still worth trying because of everything else it can do.

ActiveDock 2. Fully functional 7-day demo, then $13.99

ActiveDock has existed for years and still offers a capable dock replacement with icon changes, customisation, and some animation support.

The ecosystem around it is also fairly large, with additional dock-related tools sold separately.

App Store Dock Apps

I largely stopped buying Dock apps from the App Store. Many are expensive, offer no demos, and promise far more than they deliver.

Another Dock is the exception.

Another Dock. No demo, $4.99

Originally released for free on Reddit, Another Dock later moved to the App Store.

It includes themes, custom dock backgrounds, icon customisation, the ability to hide the Dock entirely, and support for docks positioned anywhere on screen.

It’s not as advanced as the larger desktop apps, but at this price, it’s an excellent value and definitely worth watching.

Some other App Store dock apps worth exploring:

Super Floating Dock
Dockshelf
DockPilot
SideDock
SwitchGlass

Windows-style Dock Apps

Several of the apps above already support Windows-style layouts, but they focus specifically on recreating the Windows taskbar experience.

Taskbar. Free trial, then $25 once-off

Taskbar does exactly what the name suggests. A full Windows-style dock replacement for macOS.

uBar. 14-day trial, then $30 basic license

UBar was once considered abandoned until development suddenly resumed in 2025 with several rapid updates.

It remains one of the best-known Windows-style taskbar replacements for macOS and is also available through Setapp. Stable and polished, but at $30 there are far cheaper apps above with far more features.

On Monday, I’ll post part two, focusing on apps that customise the default macOS Dock rather than replacing it

completely.



https://redd.it/1tf2y84
@macappsbackup

Numsy: A simple menu bar calculator

https://redd.it/1tf5ecj
@macappsbackup

[macOS] Built an app for watching maps scroll on all my devices, an airplane window for any screen

https://redd.it/1tf814i
@macappsbackup

Alternative to "Later" App

I've seen a post here from a while ago saying that the app "later" is basiscally abandonware now and is not being actively maintained. What's a good alternative which I can use to save desktops with specific app window layouts etc
Thanks a lot in advance

https://redd.it/1tfd6mf
@macappsbackup

Alternative for the “Later” App

I've seen a post here from a while ago saying that the app "later" is basiscally abandonware now and is not being actively maintained. What's a good alternative which I can use to save desktops with specific app window layouts etc

Thanks a lot in advance

https://redd.it/1tfdc1y
@macappsbackup

Let’s do something interesting (AwesomeCopy)

I happened to receive a code for a free license of AwesomeCopy to do with what I please. I fully intend to give it away to a lucky person. (I have 2 licenses and no need for a third)

I know not everyone can afford to buy useful software, even at reasonable (or cheap in AwesomeCopy’s case. I would pay more for it than I have) cost. Life sometimes gets in the way of getting things we need sometimes. This happened a little while ago with a college student who had built a workflow around using Droppy. When it went to being paid for all features (even at a very modest price) it was out of his reach. I messaged the young man, we talked a bit, and I bought a license for him.

I want to do the same kind of thing here. I am a software engineer by trade. For more than 35 years. It’s always been difficult for me to find that sweet spot of pricing that makes it accessible to as many people as possible, yet covers my costs, time, and effort. Hearing stories of people who just cannot buy a license as much as they would want to always pains me.

So, with that out of the way, here’s the deal.

I have a code for one (and only one) free license to AwesomeCopy. I’m not going to just toss it out to people who beg for one. I want to make a difference in someone’s life, and help promote AwesomeCopy in the process. (Yes, it’s a small thing, but even small things can make big impacts)

Type up why you need AwesomeCopy and what barriers are preventing you from being able to purchase it yourself.

OR

Type up someone else’s story (you don’t have to name them) that you feel deserves a free copy.

Finally, as one last requirement, promise to spread the word about AwesomeCopy. Be an evangelist for the tool.

… no I’m not affiliated with Evan. A situation came up where he was kind enough to give me this code for a free license, and I want to repay his efforts on this awesome utility.

Start writing!

https://redd.it/1tfinqy
@macappsbackup

Let’s do something interesting (AwesomeCopy)

I happened to receive a code for a free license of AwesomeCopy to do with what I please. I fully intend to give it away to a lucky person. (I have 2 licenses and no need for a third)

I know not everyone can afford to buy useful software, even at reasonable (or cheap in AwesomeCopy’s case. I would pay more for it than I have) cost. Life sometimes gets in the way of getting things we need sometimes. This happened a little while ago with a college student who had built a workflow around using Droppy. When it went to being paid for all features (even at a very modest price) it was out of his reach. I messaged the young man, we talked a bit, and I bought a license for him.

I want to do the same kind of thing here. I am a software engineer by trade. For more than 35 years. It’s always been difficult for me to find that sweet spot of pricing that makes it accessible to as many people as possible, yet covers my costs, time, and effort. Hearing stories of people who just cannot buy a license as much as they would want to always pains me.

So, with that out of the way, here’s the deal.

I have a code for one (and only one) free license to AwesomeCopy. I’m not going to just toss it out to people who beg for one. I want to make a difference in someone’s life, and help promote AwesomeCopy in the process. (Yes, it’s a small thing, but even small things can make big impacts)

Type up why you need AwesomeCopy and what barriers are preventing you from being able to purchase it yourself.

OR

Type up someone else’s story (you don’t have to name them) that you feel deserves a free copy.

Finally, as one last requirement, promise to spread the word about AwesomeCopy. Be an evangelist for the tool.

… no I’m not affiliated with Evan. A situation came up where he was kind enough to give me this code for a free license, and I want to repay his efforts on this awesome utility.

Start writing!

https://redd.it/1tfilpq
@macappsbackup

I built CopyFix: a lightweight clipboard manager with LLM-powered writing tools built in.

https://redd.it/1tfq857
@macappsbackup

I built CopyFix: a lightweight clipboard manager with LLM-powered writing tools built in.

https://redd.it/1tfq1so
@macappsbackup

Survey - what's your current go-to for meeting transcriptions?

Attempt number two to post this...

Survey - what's your current go-to for ai meeting transcription?

Given the proliferation meeting transcription apps, I'm wondering what people here are actually using and liking?

I've tried several over the last year: Hyprnote (changed its name twice now to "Anarlog"?), Speakr, Transcribe X, Caption Snap and have some other tools that support transcription but I haven't tried because I can't really figure them out in general... (sorry, Alter)

My biggest issue is that I meet with a lot of different people in a week and in many meetings it's not uncommon for there to be more than a dozen participants. I have yet to discover an app that nails speaker identification. For the ones that claim to support it, you only see them demo a 60-second meeting with 2 people. They don't showcase examples of a meeting with 10 people talking over the course of an hour, because that would show users how ill-suited their solution is for the kinds of meetings that we actually have and need to track.

The closest I've seen to flawless speaker identification is Caption Snap, because speaker attribution is handled by the meeting platform itself as opposed to the transcription app; however this approach has its own set of issues and the output is currently not reliable enough to be trusted.

So, for those of you that meet with more than one or two people at a time, and have nonstop meetings all day every day, what are you using to capture transcripts with reliable speaker identification? I genuinely don’t care about the money if the solution is rock solid.

https://redd.it/1tg15y0
@macappsbackup

Looking for an app which 'pauses' my applications and windows for a certain amount of time

I remember seeing it in a video a couple of weeks ago, but after searching for it, I couldn't find it or what the app was called. I'm a student currently in exams and so would love the ability to just dismiss all my open windows until I needed them back to do other things during my breaks. Does anyone know any apps that can do this? Thanks!

https://redd.it/1tg5no4
@macappsbackup

What's one little app that isn't a conventional must-have but you can't live without now? (paid or free)

There are definitely many great apps out there, but I'm curious about the hidden gems that just do one small thing very well.

I'll go first. InstantSpaceSwitcher is a free app that removes the animation when switching between spaces. It saves a fraction of a second each time, but over the day it makes me feel like I'm working much faster.

And Slidr is a paid ($5) app that allows you to control your brightness and volume using the edge of your trackpad as sliders. There's a free trial and it's addictive once you try it.

Looking forward to hearing your recs!

https://redd.it/1tg959b
@macappsbackup

Forma 1.2: Now With Multiple Boards

https://redd.it/1tgjb34
@macappsbackup

I hated screenshots cluttering my camera roll, so I built my own app. My family now use it for everything.
https://redd.it/1tgk9yt
@macappsbackup

[OS] macUSB v2.2 - The all in one USB creator for Mac. Now with Linux & Windows support!
https://redd.it/1tgku6g
@macappsbackup