Vitals: a native Mac monitor with real watts, SMC temperatures and Neural Engine power (pay what you want, from $0)

https://preview.redd.it/42h9otnt8juh1.jpg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20c17b9b697d99e9ceeaf51c52a60259f877b15c

Hi r/macapps. I built Vitals because Activity Monitor tells me how busy my Mac is, but not what it costs in power or how hot it really runs.

Problem: macOS hides a lot. Real watts per block, chip temperatures and Neural Engine power are not shown anywhere by default. I wanted them in one window and in the menu bar, without opening Terminal every time.

What it does: it shows CPU, GPU and system power in watts (read with powermetrics), temperatures from the SMC, Neural Engine power, memory pressure instead of just a percentage, battery health, disk, network and a process list. There is a menu bar panel and a history of recent readings. It is written in Swift and it is English and Spanish.

Comparison: Activity Monitor is built in and good for CPU and memory, but it does not show power in watts, chip temperatures or Neural Engine power. Stats and AirStats are great free options for general monitoring, and if that is what you need, use them. Vitals is narrower: real watts read with powermetrics, SMC temperatures and Neural Engine power, in one window and in the menu bar.

What it is not: it is not notarized and I do not have a Developer ID, so macOS shows a warning the first time and you have to allow it in Privacy and Security. It is closed source. The installer asks for your admin password once to allow a single exact powermetrics command without a password. It does not ask for Screen Recording, Accessibility or Input Monitoring.

Network: Vitals makes two requests. One to api.ipify.org to show your public IP, and one once a day to my site for the version number (you can turn this off in Settings). No accounts, no telemetry, nothing about your Mac is sent.

Pricing: pay what you want, from $0. The suggested price is $9.99 and the app is the same either way.

Requirements: Apple Silicon, macOS 13 or later. Tested on a MacBook Pro M5 and a MacBook Neo.

I'm Carlos Avila, an independent developer behind Vitals.

Portfolio: https://prometeotec.com.mx

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-avila-dr

Privacy Policy: https://prometeotec.com.mx/privacidad.html

Terms of Service: https://prometeotec.com.mx/terminos.html

Download: https://prometeotec.com.mx/vitals.html

AI disclosure: built with the help of an AI coding assistant.

Would love to hear which readings you wish your Mac showed you.

https://redd.it/1x215yz
@macappsbackup

I built PolyDrive Disk — a ～10MB, sandboxed NTFS & Linux read write driver on the Mac App Store (no kernel extensions)
https://redd.it/1x236f1
@macappsbackup

DisplayShift: plug in a monitor and choose which windows move over

https://redd.it/1x21uom
@macappsbackup

Probably not the coolest app here, but I built a 5MB native Mac dictionary with open formats and AI you control.

Hey r/macapps,

Problem: A quiet place to look up words and really understand them.

I wanted a small, native dictionary app (also universal) where I could look up a word, take my time with its meanings and examples, and compare explanations across dictionaries. No distracting services or another subscription. Just a quiet place to understand what I’m reading.

So I built Open Dict. The Mac app is about 5.2 MB before adding dictionaries, no signup.

https://preview.redd.it/u9qzhy3phkuh1.png?width=2254&format=png&auto=webp&s=6e53955559ff5149b0d68a632dcdde636e470cb2

A few things, done well:

Bring your dictionaries: import MDX/MDD, MOBI, StarDict, dictd, TXT and TSV. Use your existing collection or explore free and open-source dictionaries. Local lookups work offline.
Search your whole library: one query across your dictionaries, with easy switching to compare definitions.
Choose your own AI: bring your API key for OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi or GLM, or connect a custom API. Auto-load the available fast models, choose your preferred one, and customize the explanations. AI is entirely optional.
Keep what you learn: save words, highlight sentences, and add notes. Sync through your own iCloud across Mac, iPhone and iPad (iPhone/iPad coming soon). No separate account or app subscription needed.

Two built-in AI prompts cover concise definitions and detailed learner explanations. Your own prompt can be as simple as:

>Explain {word} briefly in English, Japanese and Spanish, with two example sentences in each language.

The app fills in the word. You can edit and test your prompts whenever you like.

Comparison

Apple Dictionary is handy for quick, built-in lookups. Open Dict focuses on building your own library from common dictionary formats, searching across those sources, and adding AI explanations with models and prompts you control.

If you collect dictionaries or learn in several languages, that flexibility is the main reason to try it.

Pricing

The free version supports up to 5 dictionaries, with no other feature restrictions or time limit. A US$9.99 one-time purchase permanently removes the dictionary limit. No app subscription.

Open Dict is a Universal App: one purchase covers Mac, iPhone and iPad with the same Apple Account. Mac is available now; iPhone and iPad versions are in App Store review.

Mac App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/app/id6809827715

Website and screenshots:
https://kmate.io/opendict/

What do you use for dictionary lookups on your Mac? I’d love to hear what’s missing from your current setup.

Transparency

I’m Harvey, the developer of Open Dict.

Privacy policy:
https://kmate.io/opendict/privacy/

Help:
https://kmate.io/opendict/help/

FAQ:
https://kmate.io/opendict/faq/

https://redd.it/1x260hv
@macappsbackup

[OS] I built a open-source native macOS app to track screen time and remind you to take eye breaks.

https://redd.it/1x28j0w
@macappsbackup

Ink-on-parchment: my terminal writes every letter by hand, on a fresh sheet of paper

https://redd.it/1x1r5uj
@macappsbackup

I need an app that allows me to quickly save and organize all the links of my Safary tabs

I'm one of those people who never closes his Safari tabs. From time to time I make a quick look up and close those that are redundant or not important, but the hundreds of somewhat relevant apps are still there.

One of the solutions is, usually, to open the left bar, right click on the top of the tab group, copy all links, then paste the links into a text note.

But I'm quite sure there has to be a better way of not only saving hundreds of tab links, but also to organize them and be able to search among them once saved.

Have you stumbled upon (pun intended) any app or service specialized at this?

https://redd.it/1x1pekw
@macappsbackup

CamHold: loop a few seconds of yourself listening, or fake a bad connection, in any video call - Free / $9.99 Lifetime
https://redd.it/1x21lcc
@macappsbackup

I wanted Rainmeter on my Mac, so we built Widgetscape: 31 native desktop widgets on a grid, 8 free forever (I'm the dev)

https://redd.it/1x2c89o
@macappsbackup

[Free] Alquote - I built a macOS menu bar app to monitor Claude and Codex usage limits
https://redd.it/1x1uz3b
@macappsbackup

Recommendation for Menu bar apps hider

Hi Guys

I have a question about which app successfully hides menu bar apps on Golden Gate. I have tested several options, and they do not function there, though they worked well in earlier macOS versions.

Are there any recommendations from people who have tried and tested this?

https://redd.it/1x2gcvm
@macappsbackup

Glimpse: read your Markdown files like documents, with free Finder previews

https://redd.it/1x2iqls
@macappsbackup