[Free] slapss - a free, native Mac alternative to In Your Face. Full-screen meeting alerts, no tracking.

https://redd.it/1tkidtc
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[OS] Buffer v2 — Added Tags, Bookmarks, Secure Auto-Updates & Better Filtering ( Free )

https://redd.it/1tknedr
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[macOS] Seam v1.8 out now. Notch app with live AI coding activity, voice dictation, focus music.

https://redd.it/1tkmupw
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Best tools for designing screenshots?

What tools do you guys use for designing appstore screenshots? Specially for Mac appstore? I’ve been designing primarily in Figma and I was wondering if there are any better tools that help, maybe with some templates to start with. Any tips would be appreciated

https://redd.it/1tks2ey
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Almost every 3rd party mac app is a ram hog now, devs please

I know this isn’t new but it still pisses me off every time i open activity monitor when the app starts slowing down

why is Notion using a ridiculous amount of ram just to manage notes and docs
why is ChatGPT sitting there taking up more memory than apps doing actual heavy work
and somehow almost every third party app on mac is the same now

I know these are all electron apps but It feels like nobody cares about optimization anymore. My 16 GB RAM feels like the bare minimum now, which is insane considering what most of these apps actually do.

I think I'll have to upgrade now.

https://redd.it/1tkvhh9
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FolderDock – iOS folders, right in your Dock!
https://redd.it/1tl06s3
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DiskCatalogMaker alternative? Free or cheaper?

This app is $39 from the web site, $79 for some reason from the app store. Anyone know of other mac apps for cataloging offline disks? To search them without mounting...

https://redd.it/1tl30o1
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5 months after launch, I added a lot to OnText, a keyboard-first PopClip alternative for macOS

https://reddit.com/link/1tlcsnr/video/0f9i8r4d6v2h1/player

Hi r/macapps,

I posted OnText here once in December. Since then, I added some of the features I originally wanted the app to have, plus a lot of small improvements from actually using it every day.

Disclosure: I am the developer.

Problem:

I use selected text constantly, but copying it, switching to another app, pasting it into a chat window, then copying the result back breaks my flow. OnText is my attempt at a keyboard-first selected-text workflow: select text, press your hotkey, then run an action without leaving the app you are in.

The biggest change since my first post is Inline AI.

You can now:

\- select text in a Mac app

\- press the OnText hotkey

\- open Inline AI

\- rewrite, summarize, or ask a custom prompt

\- copy the result or replace the original selection in place

What I added around that workflow:

\- ChatGPT OAuth sign-in

\- provider support for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Ollama

\- attachment support for images, PDFs, and text documents, depending on the provider

\- prompt presets and conversation history

\- better selected-text sync

\- improved Markdown rendering for AI responses

Comparison:

PopClip is still the obvious comparison, and it is great if you want a mouse-first panel that appears automatically. OnText is aimed more at people who prefer a deliberate hotkey-first workflow: select text, press a hotkey, then choose the next action. It also supports custom actions through URLs, shell scripts, AppleScript, macOS Shortcuts, placeholders, regex/context rules, and Inline AI.

Pricing:

Free tier available. The app includes a 7-day Pro trial. Pro is $6.99 lifetime through Gumroad.

Current version: v1.5.46

Download/Website/docs/support: https://gityeop.github.io/OnText/

I am attaching a short demo video showing:

select text, press hotkey, open Inline AI, replace result.

I would especially like feedback on:

\- whether the hotkey-first workflow makes sense for your daily Mac use

\- whether Inline AI replacement feels useful or too much for a text action tool

\- which provider/attachment workflows you would expect to work

\- any apps where selected-text detection still feels unreliable

https://redd.it/1tlcsnr
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Vidi: A native macOS video player built around Liquid Glass design

https://redd.it/1tlhxss
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Vidi: A native macOS video player built around Liquid Glass design

https://redd.it/1tlil81
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I developed a mini visual calendar for recurring payments and subscriptions with smart App Store import
https://redd.it/1tlorlr
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I developed a mini visual calendar for recurring payments and subscriptions with smart App Store import
https://redd.it/1tlrekf
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Anyone tried PureMac?

PureMac is a free and open source alternative to CleanMyMac. It helped me find a few expendable GBs, but I'm wondering what other people have experienced.

https://redd.it/1tlu5l0
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macOS Tahoe Gatekeeper blocking everything - cleaner fix than disabling it globally?

macOS Tahoe tightened Gatekeeper compared to Sequoia and stuff that ran fine before now gets blocked even after right-click Open. Turning it off system-wide feels like overkill.

Is there a per-app workaround that doesn't involve running spctl in terminal every single time? Asking for a mix of apps - some developer tools, some audio stuff, all from outside the App Store.

https://redd.it/1tlvdos
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[macOS] Canto v0.8.0 — meet Canto Chat: a private chat home with vault + web grounding

https://redd.it/1tlzwuy
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A Free Tool to Create Apple Shortcuts with Natural Language and a Roundup of the Best Shortcut Enhancement Apps

https://preview.redd.it/jjzgd8mjyz2h1.jpg?width=1187&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=724bec191f6110cfc0940be839ca238ccb2d60bf



It's been a couple of years since I wrote a roundup of free and low cost apps that enhance Apple Shortcuts, so I'm going to update it to the 2026 edition.

# Free Plugin to Create Shortcuts with Natural Language

I like using Apple shortcuts when it makes sense for my workflow, but configuring some of the advanced features breaks my brain. I can muddle through simple loops and variables, but it's not easy for me and I don't set any speed records. That's why I was pretty happy this week to see Fredrico Vittici release [Shortcuts Playground](https://www.macstories.net/shortcuts-playground), a FOSS plugin for the big two coding assistants that allows you to describe what you want to happen in natural language to start a process that produces a genuine Apple shortcut you can adopt or share with others. It's absolutely free.

# Best Stand Alone App for Triggers - Shortery

Most of the powerful and well know Mac automation apps like Keyboard Maestro, Hazel and Better Touch Tool can trigger shortcuts through hotkeys and system events, but not everyone wants to invest the time to learn those apps. Thankfully, [Shortery](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shortery/id1594183810?mt=12) exists. At $29.99, it's not the low cost option it once was, but it is pretty easy to use. Apple also added some automation triggers to macOS after resisting for a long time.

* **macOS Shortcuts covers the basics**
* Apps
* Files and folders
* Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth
* Displays
* Focus
* Time
* Wake/sleep
* **Shortery adds the extras**
* Audio
* Camera
* Clamshell
* Calendar
* Keyboard hotkeys
* Login/logout
* LAN
* Power details
* Screen lock/unlock
* Sunrise/sunset
* More granular device triggers

# Best Deep System Control: Shortcutie

For $10, you can get [Shortcutie](https://sindresorhus.com/shortcutie) by Sindre Sorhus. It provides 70+ system-level operations Apple won't allow through ordinary channels. Examples include changing your default browser without confirmation dialogs, clearing all notifications with one action and quitting every running application all at once.The app scrapes active browser tabs, runs JavaScript directly and it can grab selected text from whatever window you're in.

# Best for Extra Shortcut Actions: Toolbox and Actions

Sindre Sorhus has an older and free Shortcut enhancement app called Actions that has 170 Shortcut actions encompassing every Apple platform. [You can see a partial list here.](https://sindresorhus.com/actions)

Another app that's been around for a while but is still insanely useful is [Toolbox Pro](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/toolbox-pro-for-shortcuts/id1476205977).It's still getting regular updates and new features for anyone who's paid the $5.99 lifetime unlock cost. It considerably deepens the functionality of several areas:

* Date and time
* Dictionaries
* Contacts
* Files
* Media
* Reminders
* System tasks
* Text

# Best for Persistent Data: Data Jar

Shortcuts efficiently passes data while running but struggles with memory retention. [Data Jar](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/data-jar/id1453273600) (donationware) addresses this by storing structured data that shortcuts can read and update later, making it ideal for workflows that require tracking state over time. Data Jar is what can make a shortcut feel like an app.

Useful for:

* Settings
* Preferences
* Counters
* Lists
* Saved variables
* Workflow state

# Best for Notes Centric Workflows: Actions for Obsidian

[Actions for Obsidian](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/actions-for-obsidian/id1659667937) \- Adds missing functionality to Shortcuts that allow you to do things like import content from the web, import from your calendars and contacts, integrate health data with notes and more.

# Other Useful Shortcuts Enhancers

* [BarCuts: A macOS Shortcuts

Launcher](https://actions.work/barcuts/) \- a menu bar app that shows you shortcuts available in your current app without cluttering things up
* [Menu Box](https://menubox.app/) \- Universal app to create custom shortcut menus

# Useful Shortcuts Sites

* [Routine Hub](https://routinehub.co/)
* [Matthew Cassinelli](https://matthewcassinelli.com/)
* [Shortcuts Gallery](https://shortcutsgallery.com/)
* [MacStories Shortcuts Archive](https://www.macstories.net/shortcuts/)

https://redd.it/1tlzjjz
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Default Dock Customisation

Give your Dock new functionality



As promised, this is the second part of the dock review obsession. This time, the focus is fully on apps that replace or enhance the default Mac dock while still working alongside it, meaning the original dock does not need to be hidden or disabled.

The first four apps mentioned stand out. If you plan on keeping the standard Mac dock, these are the apps genuinely worth looking at.

In typical software fashion, good ideas get copied quickly. But after testing many alternatives, there are clear leaders. Those are the apps I focused on here. The alternatives are listed below with short descriptions, including free options where available.

There are already some excellent dock customisation apps available, but two features still seem strangely missing. The first is proper customisation of Apple’s own system icons. Iconchamp once had a workaround for this, but it no longer works under Mac Tahoe.

The second is the ability to hide an app’s dock icon completely. Older versions of macOS handled this far better, but many modern apps now force their icons onto the dock with no option to remove them.

After far too many terminal commands, plist edits, and strange experiments, I still have not found a proper solution. So if you know of one, please send me a message.

DOCKFLOW: Yearly €9.99, no demo but 30-day money-back guarantee
Crossed my path about a year ago, and at first, I genuinely didn’t understand what it was supposed to do. Dynamically swapping the Mac dock sounded more ambitious than practical, especially given how limited and stubborn the default dock is.

Then I installed it, used it properly, and completely bought into the concept. After mentioning or reviewing it close to 22 times, I can honestly say I’m a big fan.

This is one of those apps that feels like functionality Apple should have built into macOS from the start. In simple terms, DocFlow lets you change your dock depending on what you’re doing: a minimal setup at home, and with a single shortcut, a completely different dock at work with the apps and folders you actually need.

The app has become popular enough that a wave of copycats followed, but once you use DocFlow properly, it’s obvious this isn’t just a basic utility thrown together overnight.

If all you want is bare functionality with no shortcuts or customisation, there are free alternatives, and some even cost more than DocFlow. But if the idea interests you, try DocFlow itself first. I suspect you’ll understand the appeal almost immediately.

PARALL: Once off Purchase fee of $9.99 on Mac Store,
When the developer of Parall first reached out to ask my opinion on animated dock icons, not animated docks, but actual animated icons themselves, I honestly thought the idea sounded great but probably unrealistic. Especially when he also mentioned custom icon replacement and the ability to run multiple instances of the same app simultaneously. Knowing the limitations of the Mac dock, I did not think this would be easy to achieve.

Imagine my surprise when I received an early demo version shortly afterwards. Even with a few teething problems at the time, it was already doing something genuinely different that the Mac dock had never really seen before.

Several updates later, and the app has become incredibly stable, easy to install, and surprisingly fun to use. Once you have icons swinging side to side, spinning, bouncing, or reacting dynamically, you quickly realise how much personality it adds to the desktop experience. The app also allows you to customise the icons and install multiple instances of the same app, which is genuinely useful in certain workflows.

It is unfortunate, however, that at this stage Apple’s own default icons, for the most part,