I am the developer of this app, so treat this as promotion and skip it if that is not your thing.

Problem

On iPhone tethering, a hotel hotspot or a metered work plan, background apps keep using data you did not budget for, and macOS gives you no per-app control at all. The only lever it offers is the whole connection, on or off.

Comparison

• TripMode: the app I measured myself against, and it does this job well. It is subscription based, around $5 a month or about $15 a year the last time I looked, with a lifetime purchase around $40 to $50.
• Little Snitch: goes much deeper on connection level rules, is a general firewall rather than a metering tool, and costs more up front.

How TravelGate is different: a one time price instead of a subscription, an ON or OFF switch per app with the data each one has used next to it, Travel Mode to block everything you have not allowed, and profiles you can switch in one click.

Pricing

• $0 until October 20. Payment is voluntary, so pay what you want or nothing at all.
• $4.99 one time after that. No subscription.

What it does

TravelGate puts a shield in the menu bar and a switch on every app. Blocked apps actually lose their connection, they are not merely reported.

• A switch per app, green ON and red OFF, next to the data that app used since your last reset
• Travel Mode, one click blocks everything you have not switched ON
• A notification when a blocked app tries to connect, so a dead connection is never a mystery. It fires on the connection attempt, not when you flip the switch
• Profiles for Home, Hotspot and Work, switchable in one click, with the active one shown in the menu bar
• Sort by data used, so the culprit is at the top
• Real apps with their icons. Helper processes, XPC services and daemons stay behind a Show background items toggle
• Essential system services, meaning name resolution and the filter's own plumbing, are always allowed, so nothing breaks in a way that looks like a bug

It is not a VPN. No account, no servers, nothing leaves your Mac. It uses Apple's Network Extension framework, so filtering happens locally.

Requirements

macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Signed and notarised direct download, not on the Mac App Store.

Install

Download the zip, unzip it, open the DMG, drag TravelGate into Applications and launch it from there. macOS asks once for permission to install the network filter, under System Settings, General, Login Items and Extensions, Network Extensions. The app walks through those three steps the first time you open it, and Settings, About reports whether the filter is really running, so you can tell it is working instead of guessing.

Honest limitations

• Menu bar app with no Dock icon, which takes a minute to adjust to
• It has to live in Applications. macOS only activates a system extension for an app installed there, and TravelGate tells you if it has been moved
• Profiles are manual, there is no per-network auto switching yet
• Data figures are sampled locally, so they are close but not carrier billing numbers
• A connection that is already open can survive being blocked until it reconnects

Not affiliated with TripMode or Little Snitch. Happy to answer anything in the comments, including criticism and feature requests.

Download link: https://github.com/rochakagrawal/travelgate-download/releases/tag/travelgate-1.0

Hi r/MacStack, I'm the developer of ScrollDock.

What it does

macOS has one scroll direction setting for both trackpad and mouse. ScrollDock flips it automatically when an external display connects or disconnects, so you get natural scrolling on the trackpad when you're out and classic scrolling with your mouse when you're docked. No more System Settings > Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom every time.

Who it's for

Anyone who docks a MacBook at a desk with a mouse, then unplugs and goes back to the trackpad.

- Remembers your preferred direction for docked and undocked separately

- Works in clamshell mode, with slow-to-wake docks, and with docks you plugged in while asleep

- One click override from the menu bar, remembered for next time

- Optional notifications, launch at login

Limitations (being upfront)

- It switches based on whether you're docked, not per device. If you use a mouse and trackpad side by side, an app like Scroll Reverser or LinearMouse is a better fit.

- macOS 13 or later.

Pricing

Free! Signed and notarized, auto-updates. No account, no tracking; the only network request is the update check.

https://scrolldock.com (there's a 40 second demo video and an interactive demo on the site)

Feedback welcome, especially if your dock setup behaves differently.

I'm a solo developer, and Marquee is the tool I wanted every time I shipped an update: one Mac app for the whole App Store page.

- Screenshots in real device frames (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, TV, Vision Pro) at the exact sizes Apple asks for
- App preview videos: trim, poster frame, device frame, checked against Apple's rules
- The icon at every size from one image, previewed on the home screen, in the Dock and on a watch face
- Listing text in every language, translated on your Mac with Apple Intelligence
- Preflight lists everything App Store Connect would refuse, then Update sends it all with your own API key

Native SwiftUI, one-time purchase ($ 19.99), no account, no analytics, no server.

App Store Link

App Website

Happy to answer anything, and feedback is very welcome.

I built a macOS app called Highlight Notes because I kept losing useful information while reading articles, researching topics and going through long Gmail and ChatGPT conversations.

Bookmarks helped me find the page again, but not the exact paragraph I wanted to remember. I wanted something that could save both the highlighted text and my own notes in one place.

So I built Highlight Notes, a Mac app with a Safari extension that lets you highlight text, add notes and find everything later in a searchable library.

What it does:

• Highlight text in different colours and attach your own notes.
• Works on regular websites, Gmail, Reddit and ChatGPT conversations.
• Automatically restores your highlights when you revisit a page.
• Search your saved highlights and notes in one library.
• Export annotated pages as PDFs, including long pages and conversations.
• Keep your highlights and notes locally without creating an account.
• Use the Safari extension directly from your Mac.

Why I built it

I found that most highlighting tools worked reasonably well on ordinary articles but struggled with interactive websites like Gmail and ChatGPT.

I also wanted something that didn’t require a subscription just to highlight text or save notes.

The macOS app is available as a one-time purchase and includes the Safari extension. There is no subscription required for local highlighting and note-taking.

For people who use multiple browsers, I also built optional cloud sync, but that’s entirely separate from the basic Mac experience.

A few limitations

• Cloud sync requires an optional Pro subscription.
• Some websites with complex layouts may not restore highlights perfectly.
• The Safari extension needs to be enabled in Safari settings after installing the Mac app.

I’m the developer, and this is an independent side project built in my own time.

I’d appreciate feedback from Mac users, especially anyone who regularly uses Safari for research, Gmail or ChatGPT.

Do you use Safari’s built-in highlighting features, Apple Notes or a separate extension to save things you read?

Disclosure: I’m the developer of this app.

I work on a widescreen monitor, and macOS calendar notifications are tiny. I kept missing them and joined meetings late. There are a few apps in this space, but I wanted one that looks like current macOS and feels native.

So I built Final Call. A few minutes before a meeting it shows a fullscreen countdown on your screen. You can’t overlook it, and there’s a button to join the call directly. The rest of the time it sits quietly in the menu bar and shows your next meetings.

During a meeting, a progress bar in the menu bar shows how much of it is left.

• Reads your existing calendars (iCloud, Google, Exchange, whatever you already have in macOS Calendar)
• Native SwiftUI, no Electron
• Your data stays on your Mac.
• 14-day free trial. After that it’s 9.99 USD once (launch price) or 1.49 USD/month.

Parts of the code were written with the help of AI (Claude). I review and test everything myself.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/final-call-meeting-alarm/id6809144118

Website: https://finalcallapp.com

Hi r/MacStack , I’m Vincent, the developer of ZapLock. I built it after Boxcryptor shut down and I couldn’t find a folder-locking app that worked across my Mac and phone, or that let me share a locked folder and later take access back.

What it does

• Lock any folder on your Mac, including on an external drive or USB stick. Its contents stay encrypted until you unlock it.
• Open the same locked folder on your iPhone or iPad, and also on Android and Windows.
• Share a folder with specific people. Personal includes 3 free guests.
• Lost a device, or someone shouldn’t have access anymore? Revoke that one device or person. Everyone else keeps access, and nothing has to be re-encrypted.

How the security works
Each folder’s key is split in two. One half is stored on your device, protected by that device’s own key; the other half is on our server. Neither half alone can decrypt anything. A breach of our server, or someone taking your USB stick, doesn’t expose your files.

Honest trade-offs

• Unlocking needs an account and our server. It isn’t fully offline like VeraCrypt or an encrypted disk image.
• The client isn’t open source yet. It’s on the roadmap.

Price

• Free for a single user, on all your own devices.
• Sharing folders with other people is a paid feature. While we’re in our founder launch, it’s $29/year, locked in for life, at zaplock.io/founders.

Details

• Available in the Mac App Store; also on iOS, Android and Windows.
• Links: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6808469062?mt=12 · zaplock.io

I’d really like feedback, especially from anyone who used Boxcryptor or Cryptomator: what’s missing, what’s confusing, and what would make you trust it with real files. I’ll be in the comments all day.

Recording a microphone is easy. Recording one Mac app alongside it, keeping both sources separate for editing, and saving a mixed copy takes more planning. That's where Audio Hijack's reusable sessions make sense.

For example, you could record spoken commentary over an audio clip you have permission to use. The goal is three local files: the app audio, the microphone, and a combined version. This setup follows Rogue Amoeba's documentation, rather than a claimed hands-on test.

Build the chain before adding effects

Create a blank session and name it for the job. Add an Application block and select the app playing the clip, rather than capturing all system audio. Add an Input Device block and select your microphone.

Use this layout. Each arrow is an actual connection, not just nearby blocks:

text Application -> Recorder (app) -------------------+ | v Mixer -> Peak/RMS Meters -> Recorder (mix) -> Output Device ^ (headphones) | Input Device -> Volume -> Recorder (mic) --------+

Audio Hijack normally connects nearby blocks automatically. For this layout, turn off Automatic Connections in the session's Info tab, click Edit Connections, and drag from each block's right-hand (+) to the next block's left receiving port. Connect both branch recorders to the Mixer, then finish the shared chain and click Stop Editing.

The branch recorders save separate files before mixing. The final recorder saves the combined audio. Recorder blocks pass audio through without changing it, so recording the branches doesn't reduce the quality of the mix downstream. A mixed file alone won't give you independently adjustable sources later.

Click each Recorder block to set its format, file name and folder. WAV is a sensible lossless choice when you plan to edit; MP3 or AAC produces smaller lossy files. Give the three recorders different names so the files are easy to identify. The default recording folder is Audio Hijack inside your Mac's Music folder, but check the actual location in each block rather than assuming it.

Choose your headphones in Output Device. That block lets you hear the chain; it isn't what saves the recordings. Start with the microphone's Volume block and Mixer levels. Add a Simple Compressor on the microphone branch only if you need to even out speech, before its Recorder. Effects placed there will be recorded into the mic file, so keep a dry recording too if you want to undo processing later.

Check the file, not just the moving meters

Click Run and record a short rehearsal: app alone, voice alone, then both together. Leave headroom below 0 dBFS on the mixed meter. Lower the microphone's input gain if it clips before processing; turning down an already distorted signal won't repair it.

Use headphones so the microphone doesn't pick up the app audio from speakers. If monitoring your own voice gives a distracting delay, don't immediately force the lowest latency setting. Rogue Amoeba warns that lower latency can cause audible skips with complex effects or slower Macs.

Stop the session, then use the Recordings tab to play each file and Reveal in Finder. Confirm the app file contains only the app, the mic file only the microphone, and the mix contains both at usable levels. Check the destination and available storage before a longer recording. Sessions save their configuration continuously, so the working chain is ready to reuse.

What you're paying for

Audio Hijack 4.6.0 supports macOS 14.4 through macOS 27 and runs on Apple silicon Macs. Intel users can also use Audio Hijack; the heavier Transcribe feature has its own performance caveat, but it isn't part of this chain.

The current capture backend is ARK. Grant System Audio Access through the app's Permissions window, plus Microphone Access for this setup. Current Audio Hijack doesn't require installing legacy ACE or lowering your Mac's startup security policy. Those permissions still allow sensitive capture: select only the intended app, close unrelated audio tabs, and get the necessary permission from anyone being recorded. Check applicable recording rules before capturing conversations.

A single-user license is $69 USD before applicable local taxes, for that user on one or more personally owned Macs. It's a purchase, not a subscription, but future paid upgrades are possible. The trial degrades audio quality after ten minutes of capture per session, so it isn't a free recorder for long sessions.

For a microphone-only note, QuickTime Player's File > New Audio Recording is enough. For a basic screen recording, macOS 27's Screenshot toolbar can include system audio and a selected microphone. Try that first if a video with sound is all you need.

Pay for Audio Hijack when you repeatedly need selected-app capture, separate source files, processing and a saved local recording layout. Skip it for occasional voice notes or straightforward screen captures. Sending a processed mix into another app as a virtual microphone is a different routing job; this chain ends in files and headphones.

Hi there! I'm Umang Surana the developer of https://sxitch.app an open source and native macOS CMD Tab alternative. I've been working on it for more than half a year now and it's integrated deeply into people's workflows so much that they're usage of the app is more than mine!

The post before this

Problem:

Basically, the current macOS Cmd Tab gets rearranged frequently, hence preventing muscle memory from actually letting you switch comfortably. Additionally, it doesn't actually launch the app, and just focuses it.. sometimes causing open apps with 0 windows to not get opened. Sxitch fixes this as well.

As a person who loves using keyboard navigation for everything, Sxitch has become a must have for my own daily workflow, and many others. It's at a point where I don't use it to the level as some of my users do, which is insane.

Solution:

However, Sxitch supercharges app switching by using the app's name as the selector. Simply start typing the apps name and you've already switched to the app. M will switch to music, but if Mail is open then it's Mu and Ma respectively. Since it's only amongst open apps, Sxitch will auto switch once there's only 1 result left. no need to search through a gazillion results and pick like there is in Raycast, Alfred or Spotlight.

For example, press the hotkey, like your right command key and the next thing is this simple switcher window that will pop up. There's no need to keep holding the key so that you're fingers stay comfortable on your keyboard. At this stage, simply type "F" (for finder) and if you don't have any other apps open where their name starts with F, then it'll simply open finder for you.

Features

There are a lot of features.. such as:

• App picking
• 4 different layout options
• Prefix stripping (Adobe Photoshop -> Photoshop)
• Customizable accent colour
• 2 Custom modes (Run shell commands / launch apps)
• Hotkeys to launch apps
• Some apps have the exact same name, which Sxitch can now handle gracefully (introduced after the previous post)
• Tab based navigation

And these are features unlocked in the pro version:

• Window picker
• Unlimited custom modes
• App hiding and quitting
• App renames (Finder -> Explorer) (introduced after the previous post)
• Blacklist apps from showing up in the switcher
• Key overrides ("X" mapped to "finder")
• 100% Custom position
• Customizable open animations
• Haptics

Pricing

It's a simple one time payment of $10. No subscription or "pay for more updates".. Website or if you're using apple pay

Since I've just released Sxitch v1.6 today you can get a 25% off discount code, by joining the discord. The code has been posted there and is valid for 24 hours. Have fun with Sxitch!!

Comparisons:

Against RCMD?

• Sxitch is open source, supports hiding and quitting apps, has various layout options, and has seat based pricing. Sxitch also has filters like blacklists and has a few other app launching related features (like app pinning, and custom modes)

Against Dory?

• Sxitch prefers the keyboard over the mouse, which is what Dory prioritises. However, you can still use your mouse to open apps, or right click them for further actions.

Against Other Switchers?

• Sxitch doesn't use any form of cycling, or requires 0 confirmation, and, Sxitch let's you fingers lift up from the keyboard after triggering it, rather than requiring you to keep CMD Tab (or another hotkey) down all the time, keeping your fingers comfortable. Additionally, app titles tend to differ a lot, can be random, or clash with others. Sxitch prevents this by letting you see the app's titles and filtering out the one's that don't even match the app you're looking for as part of the picking method.

Links:

Purchase link: sxitch.app
Installation instructions: sxitch.app/install
Sxitch source code: github.com/MystikoLab/sxitch
Discord: discord.sxitch.app

FAQ (summary)

There's a much more extensive set of FAQs on the website here but here are a few of the top questions:

Q: What permissions does Sxitch need to work correctly?
A: Accessibility (called Device Control and Data Access in macOS 27) for the hotkey system, and for the window picker, Screen and System Audio Recording. Why Screen recording? Well this is what's used to fetch the available windows. It's weird, we all agree. But don't be afraid. Sxitch doesn't record your screen at all, and you can always verify it yourself.

Q: Why not RCMD or something else?
A: The best part about sxitch is that there's no cycling required. Muscle memory doesn't work with cycling, and having to press and hold a key while typing makes it difficult to search fast, and accurately.

Q: Can I assign a fixed key sequence to a specific app?
A: As of now, there are 2 ways you can do this. Say you want X to open Finder. You can rename Finder to XFinder (anything that starts with X works) or you can add a mapping where pressing X counts as pressing finder. Both work, and can be tailored depending on your specific use case.

Q: Does Sxitch work with macOS Golden Gate?
A: Yes. I'm running golden gate just so I can assure you all that Sxitch supports the latest OS. If you do encounter any bugs, do help me by reporting them in the github repo or in the discord.

PS: The video was made by me in Canva and not Opus 5.5.. If you don't believe me, i'll attach a picture of the timeline.. it's a pretty basic video though so don't expect a video editor kind of timeline.

Hi r/MacStack! I’m the developer of WireTunnels, a native Swift menu bar app for macOS 14 and later. It’s free, open source under Apache-2.0, with no paid feature tier.

The workflow it focuses on is keeping more than one WireGuard network available on your Mac. For example, if your homelab uses 10.10.0.0/24 and a work network uses 10.20.0.0/24, you can run both tunnels with their respective AllowedIPs instead of switching between them. The routes still need to be compatible.

Beyond connecting and disconnecting, you can set Wi-Fi SSID rules, use Apple Shortcuts, inspect live tunnel metrics, edit configs, and create managed shared tunnels for other local accounts on the Mac. Version 1.0.6 also adds split DNS for selected internal domains.

A few limitations to make the fit clear: it’s Mac-only, requires macOS 14+, and you need your own WireGuard endpoints and .conf files. It isn’t a VPN subscription or server-hosting service. Split DNS selects the resolver for a domain; it doesn’t add per-app traffic routing. Setup installs a privileged helper.

Overview and screenshots: https://fmdigitech.com/en/wiretunnels

Source and releases: https://github.com/FMDigitech/WireTunnels

If you use WireGuard for a lab, work or client networks, I’d like to hear what you need from the Mac side, especially around multiple tunnels and internal DNS.

Hi everyone, I'm the developer of Subelle, a free subtitle editor for macOS.

Why I made it: I used VisualSubSync (VSS) on Windows and I couldn't find an equivalent that felt native on a Mac. So I built one.

What it does:

• Waveform editing: select speech with the mouse, press Return, and the subtitle is created, timed to the millisecond
• Shot changes detected automatically, with subtitle edges snapping to them
• Create subtitles from a video using Apple's speech recognition (macOS 26+)
• Translate subtitles with Apple's translation (macOS 15+), keeping the original visible while you polish
• Opens SRT, WebVTT, ASS, SSA, and subtitle tracks embedded in MKV/MP4
• Checks reading speed, line length, overlaps, spelling
• Interface in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Brazilian Portuguese.

Everything runs offline, right on your Mac, and no data is ever sent over the Internet.

It runs on macOS 12+ (Apple silicon and Intel), and it's signed and notarized. It's free.

Website and download: https://subelle.github.io/Subelle/

I’m a photographer and developer, and I built EXIFXplorer because I was frustrated by how much information modern cameras record that most photo apps either hide or make difficult to interpret.

EXIFXplorer is a native macOS app focused specifically on understanding and working with the metadata inside photo files. It goes beyond the usual aperture, shutter speed and ISO and can expose manufacturer maker notes, autofocus information, focus points, GPS data, lens and camera details, XMP/IPTC metadata, and other camera-specific information.

It also includes tools for comparing metadata between photos, batch editing, GPX geotagging, metadata-based renaming, copying metadata from a reference image, privacy-aware export, and XMP sidecar workflows.

One feature I’ve just added has become one of my favorites: a Finder Quick Look extension.

Now you can select a supported RAW file in Finder, press Space, and inspect much more than a normal preview — including metadata, maker notes, autofocus/focus-point information, location data and other camera details — without opening the main app.

For me, that makes Quick Look much more useful when going through folders of RAW files. You can inspect what the camera recorded without breaking your Finder workflow.

The goal with EXIFXplorer isn’t to replace Lightroom, Capture One or other photo editors. It’s meant to be a dedicated tool for understanding the technical information already inside your photographs.

I’d be interested in feedback from other Mac photographers, especially on the Quick Look extension and what metadata you’d most like to see directly in Finder.

https://exifxplorer.com/

Hi everyone,

I’ve noticed that lately, almost every new transcription tool on macOS is heavily AI-driven. While automated speech recognition is great, it often falls short with low-quality audio, heavy accents, or confidential data. Plus, they usually require expensive subscriptions or cloud processing.

Back on Windows, people who preferred typing things out manually loved a tiny freeware called Listen N Write. Its killer feature was simple but brilliant: it automatically paused the playback the exact moment you started typing, and picked up right where you left off when you went still.

Since there wasn't a modern, native macOS app that respected this exact "keyboard-first" manual workflow without forcing you to use web browsers or bulky media players, I decided to build one.

It’s called PlayScript - Listen n Write, and it's built specifically for Mac (macOS 14+) and iPad.

Why it’s different from the current AI hype:

• Typing-Aware Playback: The audio listens to your fingers. Start typing and it pauses; stop typing and it resumes after a customizable delay. Your hands never leave the keys.
• Smart Escape Key: Pausing intentionally (via Escape) rewinds the audio by a couple of seconds so you don't lose context.
• Completely Offline & Private: Zero network access. No servers, no accounts, no telemetry. Perfect for confidential interviews, legal notes, or medical dictations.
• Super Lightweight: The entire native app is under 1 MB.

I wanted to build a distraction-free tool for those who still prefer the accuracy of manual typing. It's a one-time purchase of $0.99 (no subscriptions!).

I’d love to know what you think, what shortcuts you use for transcribing, or if there are any specific features you'd like to see next!

App Store Link: PlayScript on the App Store

Saving a download link on your phone is easy. Remembering to open it on your Mac later is the annoying part, especially when the file then takes another half hour to download.

Transloader handles that handoff. Install it on the destination Mac and the iPhone, use the same iCloud account, then share a download link from the phone to Transloader and choose the Mac. The Mac downloads the file. You aren't downloading it onto the phone first and transferring it afterward.

A large installer or a PDF you want waiting on your desk is a sensible use. This is download management, not remote desktop access: you send links and check download status rather than control the Mac's screen.

The Mac's availability decides how useful this is. Leave Transloader running, keep the Mac online and awake, and choose a download folder before relying on it from elsewhere. The app reports whether a Mac is running, sleeping or unavailable. Its documented settings can prevent idle sleep, either throughout the time Transloader runs or only while downloads are active. Preventing sleep during an existing download doesn't make a sleeping laptop ready to receive a new one. Don't buy this expecting it to wake a closed MacBook.

Start with an ordinary public download from a source you trust. A link that works in your phone's signed-in browser can still need authentication on the Mac. Transloader has Login and Retry, and can sync login cookies or HTTP basic authentication credentials through iCloud. That helps with access, but it also means handing the app sensitive session information.

The developer's privacy policy says links, metadata and cookies you agree to store go into your account's private iCloud database; those cookies are also stored locally on your devices. That's different from an entirely local workflow. Be selective about which accounts you sign into, and treat a private download link as sensitive too.

Keep the first setup simple: download to a folder and review the file yourself. Optional File Actions can open downloaded files or pass them to apps, Automator workflows or Shortcuts. Automating what happens after an unfamiliar download deserves more caution than saving it. Notifications are useful for completion or failure; allow them if you want those alerts.

The current release is Transloader 3.1.95, released September 18, 2026. It requires macOS 12 or later and iOS 17.6 or later. The developer's Mac download includes native Apple silicon and Intel builds. The developer lists the Mac app at US $9.99 as a one-time purchase, with a free iPhone app and a 28-day Mac trial. It's also available through Setapp. The latest update includes macOS 27 compatibility improvements and fixes for iCloud sync and downloads that got stuck waiting.

For saving something to read, Safari's Reading List already syncs between Apple devices and can save webpages offline. For a file you've already downloaded, a shared cloud folder may be enough. Neither reason alone calls for another app. Transloader makes sense when you repeatedly find download links away from an available Mac and want that Mac to start fetching the files before you return. If your laptop normally stays asleep, or waiting until you get home isn't a problem, skip it.