Five Free Apps

https://preview.redd.it/18g8844xzojh1.jpg?width=260&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a98a40b830aa62d503defcdc97b2ef663e7d5a38

Each one of these can replace a paid app

wBlock \- a next-generation ad/content blocker for Safari: 750,000 rule capacity across 5 Safari content-blocking extensions (150k each), \~40MB idle RAM by running Safari's native content-blocking API out-of-process, Protocol Buffers + LZ4 filter storage, HTTP conditional-request updates, and iCloud sync of filter selections/custom lists/userscripts/whitelist. It bundles an Element Zapper, "Tube Cleaner & Player Cleaner" userscripts that restore native Picture-in-Picture/background playback on media sites, a full Greasemonkey-API userscript engine, UserCSS support, custom AdGuard-syntax filter-list import, per-site controls, a blocked-request logger, and regional filters. Open source on GitHub

Wick \- Wick brings timers, stopwatches, and alarms to the Mac with menu bar and Lock Screen access, a fully custom Liquid Glass material on macOS 26+, and -- its standout claim -- the first app to integrate with Alcove. Positioned as the polished Clock app Apple never finished

Forel \- An open-source (GPLv3) folder-automation app for macOS, pitched explicitly as a free Hazel alternative: watch folders, match files by name, extension, kind, size, date, tags, or Finder color label, then move, rename, tag, or run a script automatically.

macCurrent \- finds updates across the App Store, Homebrew, Sparkle, vendor updaters, and direct downloads; then tells you what's safe to install, what needs review, and what changed before you click update.

ImageFuel is a lightweight Mac app for browsing images and videos without importing them into a library -- point it at any folder and get an instant scrollable grid, with filename/path search (Cmd+F), image/video/all filtering, sort by date or name, a fullscreen lightbox, in-app crop, metadata stripping, and move-to-trash from the grid.

# Previous Collections

[A Curated Collection of Free Apps](https://appaddict.app/post/a-curated-collection-of-free-apps)
Another Curated Collection of Free Software
[AppAddict Free App List Number 3](https://appaddict.app/post/2025-01-31)
Free App List Number 4 | AppAddict

Nodes \- (edit NO LONGER FREE) A local-first markdown note-taking and PKM (personal knowledge management) app: plain markdown files kept directly on-device (open the folder in Finder, nothing is locked in), double-bracket links with rename-safe link following, tag-based organization instead of folders, semantic + keyword search, a force-directed graph view, a growth timeline, and PDFs/images embedded as notes alongside writing. Its most distinctive claim is "the quiet part": tag/description/reminder suggestions from a local LLM that runs entirely on-device -- the developer states it works with Wi-Fi off.

https://redd.it/1vpqyjm
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RewindClock - A floating, counter-clockwise desk clock for Mac [Free]

https://redd.it/1vpqh3f
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WishNote: a wishes/notes app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone
https://redd.it/1vpq5zr
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FinderCue - Finder finally has an address bar. Add one on top of Finder. 100% free forever

https://redd.it/1vpzset
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What Calendar App Are You Using

Hey! I'm looking for a calendar app and was wondering what you all use. I am looking for Here are some options I have looked at:

* [Apple Calendar](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calendar/id1108185179)
* [BusyCal](https://www.busymac.com/busycal/)
* [Fantastical](https://flexibits.com/fantastical)
* [Vimcal](https://www.vimcal.com/pricing)
* [Akiflow](https://akiflow.com/pricing)
* [Morgen](https://www.morgen.so/pricing)
* [Amie](https://amie.so/)
* [Notion Calendar](https://www.notion.com/product/calendar)
* [Structured](https://help.structured.app/en/articles/324674)
* [Sunsama](https://www.sunsama.com/pricing)
* [Motion](https://www.usemotion.com/pricing)

I was also wondering if any of you use a companion app along with your calendar like [Dato](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dato/id1470584107?mt=12), [Sidebar Calendar](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sidebar-calendar/id6744621424?mt=12).

Thanks :)

https://redd.it/1vqce0k
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Dedicated apps vs “Swiss Army Knife” apps

I’ve been seeing Vorssaint recommended a lot lately, and on paper it can replace a surprising number of dedicated utilities: Stats/iStats, Swish/Rectangle/etc, Dropover, Shottr/CleanShot, Pearcleaner/AppCleaner, Updatest, Mole, CaskHub, Amphetamine, and others.

Droppy is another app in a similar category, with lots of utilities bundled into one app.

The obvious appeal is consolidation, fewer apps, fewer background processes, fewer updates, and one place for everything.

But how good are these apps compared with dedicated tools that focus on a single job?

For people who have actually replaced apps like Shottr, Swish, Stats or Dropover with Vorssaint or Droppy: did you stick with the all-in-one app, or did you eventually go back to the dedicated ones?

Curious whether consolidation is genuinely an upgrade, or mostly a convenience with some trade-offs in polish and depth.

https://redd.it/1vqdb43
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More Free Mac Apps

Here are five free Mac applications you've most likely never come across. A project template/scaffolding automator, a local music player, resize batch images, a posture app that takes Advantage of the AirPods motion sensors, plus a financial calculator for cash flow simulation. 

[Prefab](https://preview.redd.it/fasdu52xvvjh1.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3e5699da14bdafe16a25a450c31b845f5eb01ee)

* [Prefab](https://www.prefabapp.io/) \- Capture a folder structure as a reusable "blueprint," add variable placeholders to names and contents, then deploy it anywhere via the app, menu bar, or Finder right-click. Deployment can chain actions: git init, npm install, opening the project in an editor, arbitrary terminal commands. Built for developers but pitched at anyone with a repeatable folder-setup ritual: lawyers, researchers, creatives.

[Playhead](https://preview.redd.it/ptueua2ivvjh1.jpg?width=1055&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e96c7c71959e9a6eeab744c06714f3111b7f9fc2)

* [Playhead](https://playheadapp.com/) \- Local-first music player for people who keep their own files instead of streaming. The pitch is "waveform-first": it generates and caches waveform data so you can see and scrub a track's structure instead of a plain progress bar. Two browsing modes, Library and Folder (preserves your existing structure), aimed at DJs, producers, and messy real-world collections. Supports MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF/AIF, M4A, OGG, OPUS, AAC; includes a metadata editor.
* [IResize Pro](https://daniele.ch/applicazioni.php) \- Batch image resizer. Set a target width or height, it scales proportionally and keeps your originals. Outputs JPEG/PNG/TIFF/GIF; imports JPG/PNG/GIF/TIFF/HEIC/BMP/WebP. Includes batch renaming, an optional colored border, and an upscaling prompt for undersized images.

[Headjust](https://preview.redd.it/jfwiiaojvvjh1.jpg?width=728&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56951105a64df8fe7fd4a4b1d1bede98f3e16b3f)

* [Headjust](https://headjust.app/) \- Native Mac app that uses the head-motion sensors already built into compatible AirPods/Beats to make posture drift visible without policing it.

[InterestThing](https://preview.redd.it/iejatrykvvjh1.jpg?width=1268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54f9dc880063646adcf66ff4e8fc6c1260270abb)

* [InterestThing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/interestthing/id6743959861?mt=12) \- Mac-only financial calculator for modeling cash-flow problems (loans, leases, valuations, financial planning) as a timeline of discrete events instead of a fixed template. Each event -- inflow, outflow, unknown, fixed principal, interest-only payment, rate change, balance date -- can be one-off or periodic, fixed or gradient amounts, paired with one of four interest types (simple, capitalized simple, capitalized simple with US Rule, compound) and three time-interval methods

https://redd.it/1vqkzqs
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DockFlow - Switch between setups & dock presets in an instant

https://redd.it/1vqllrb
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[macOS] Chronoid - Automatic Time Tracking & Productivity - iCloud Sync + AI Connectors

https://redd.it/1vqrh1k
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Ugh… App icon design!

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?

https://redd.it/1vqs6bi
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[OS] Capptivo: Open-source alternative to Screen Studio (auto zoom, captions, editor)

https://redd.it/1vqyywe
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Timse: a pomodoro timer where skipping the break means typing a code

https://redd.it/1vr3m5r
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I launched a Mac app in February. Four months later, a copycat replicated it and is selling/advertising it...

https://redd.it/1vr6ac1
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[OS] DemoTape: tell your coding agent what to demo and get a finished video, no timeline editor required

https://redd.it/1vr7hpx
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