A monthly roundup pulling the highest-voted apps and threads from r/MacApps over the past month (not my picks, this is 100% based on upvotes & comments) — for anyone who doesn't check the sub every day. All credit to original posters; click through for full details.

Hi all! This month's list is a doozy since it's Techtember, and there were so many good apps and threads. I spent a few days and countless hours putting it together, so I really hope it's helpful. I also intentionally waited a few days into October, so September posts could cycle out of Best and the late-September ones had a chance to pick up upvotes. Last month's roundup is here: August 2026

Top New App Discoveries

1. Purge (Free, open source) — open-source Mac cleaner for caches, logs and files apps leave behind. Now also uninstalls apps and finds their leftovers, like Pearcleaner and AppCleaner. Over 25k downloads. 647 votes, 212 comments. → Alternatives: Mac Sai 53v/43c, Trace 2.0 50v/41c, Pearcleaner/AppCleaner alternatives thread 23v/69c
2. FeelMyMac (Lifetime) — adds haptic textures to cursor movement and scrolling on a compatible trackpad, so you feel a surface as you move. Six materials to pick from, like felt and fine grit. 478 votes, 248 comments.
3. Tinycast (Free, open source) — lightweight native launcher, posted as a Raycast alternative. 344 votes, 182 comments. → Alternatives: Look 113v/30c, CueStart 7v/38c, Tinycast vs Vicinae thread 78v/138c, what people switched to from Raycast 58v/130c
4. Tracer (Lifetime) — screenshot tool on the App Store, now on version 1.2.1. 341 votes, 863 comments. → Alternatives: CleanShot update 485v/143c, free CleanShot alternatives thread 33v/126c
5. Thaw 2.0.1 (Free, open source) — menu bar manager. The whole app was overhauled in this update. 326 votes, 82 comments. → Alternatives: ExtraBar 4v/32c, menu bar managers on macOS 27 thread 43v/83c
6. Glance (Free, open source) — Face ID for the Mac. Unlocks and authenticates when it recognizes your face, so you don't need to reach for Touch ID. 314 votes, 202 comments.
7. DockFix 5 (Lifetime) — replaces the macOS Dock with one you control: colors, size, position, custom icons, widgets, window previews and themes made by other users. 262 votes, 191 comments. → Alternatives: CoolDock 44v/48c, ExtraDock 9v/23c, docktor 103v/37c
8. Droppy 16 (Lifetime) — notch app with a file shelf, clipboard manager, screenshots, live activities and file sharing. 16 adds an extension SDK and a free iPhone app. 248 votes, 178 comments. → Alternatives: DynamicLake 26v/22c
9. CaskHub (Free, open source) — native app store for Homebrew casks. 1k GitHub stars and 40k downloads five weeks after its first post. 245 votes, 118 comments. → Alternatives: Homebrew 7.0, which now has its own GUI 671v/162c
10. FileWorks (Free) — dual-pane file manager with queued copy jobs, from the developer of Start. 240 votes, 125 comments. → Alternatives: Trellis (#22) 150v/111c, DockDuck 58v/173c, Cosmil 2.3 20v/20c
11. Nodes 2.0 (Lifetime) — note-taking app based on Markdown, built with SwiftUI and TextKit 2. Works without plugins or setup, fully local, with on-device AI. 231 votes, 182 comments. → Alternatives: Lede 96v/57c, Glyph 52v/113c, Acres 37v/69c
12. macUSB (Free, open source) — bootable USB creator for macOS, Linux and Windows installers. Can also download older macOS installers straight from Apple. 206 votes, 91 comments.
13. VPNonly (Lifetime) — pick which apps use the VPN, and the rest of your Mac stays on your normal connection. Works with any WireGuard provider and Nord. 202 votes, 107 comments.
14. Muro 5.0 (Free, source available) — live wallpapers for your desktop, lock screen and now screen saver. Low CPU and RAM use. 184 votes, 125 comments. → Alternatives: Wallper 63v/36c, Backdrop 2.7 32v/32c, Atheria 23v/64c
15. Lap (Free, open source) — local-first photo manager for very large libraries. Works on your existing folders with no import or cloud account. 184 votes, 115 comments.
16. Obry (Lifetime) — Stickies-style cards for screenshots and notes that sit at the edge of your screen. The cards have physics. 179 votes, 120 comments. → Alternatives: Notsy (#18) 172v/149c, Noticky 1.9 29v/53c
17. Spencer (Lifetime) — window manager that moves windows between Spaces without closing and reopening apps. Just turned 1. 176 votes, 74 comments. → Alternatives: SpaceJump 44v/57c
18. Notsy (Free) — sticky notes that stay on the edge of your screen. 172 votes, 149 comments. → Alternatives: Obry (#16) 179v/120c, Noticky 1.9 29v/53c
19. Better Window Switcher (Lifetime) — hold Option-Tab or swipe up to see your windows and browser tabs as 3D cards, with search. 158 votes, 107 comments. → Alternatives: Betterswitch 23v/61c, Tangrid 10v/17c
20. Foldicon (Lifetime) — custom icons for your folders so they don't all look the same. 154 votes, 75 comments.
21. OpenDisk (Free, open source) — disk space analyzer that shows your drive as a sunburst chart. Free alternative to DaisyDisk and NeoDisk. 152 votes, 47 comments. → Alternatives: Trace 2.0 50v/41c, DuckDisk 18v/15c, DiskScanPro 10v/17c, StorageRadar 3.0 8v/15c
22. Trellis (Lifetime) — file manager that keeps every folder you open visible on one canvas. 150 votes, 111 comments. → Alternatives: FileWorks (#10) 240v/125c, DockDuck 58v/173c, Cosmil 2.3 20v/20c

Best Discussions

1. My current essentials for macOS — OP's essential apps by category and why they use each one. No subscription apps unless they're hybrid. 769 votes, 190 comments.
2. r/MacApps reached 250,000 members — 8 months after hitting 200k. 310 votes, 49 comments.
3. Developers: what Mac apps do you use every day? — looking for hidden gems too, not just the obvious ones. 202 votes, 260 comments.
4. Any Mac app you bought just because it looks and feels so good? 143 votes, 237 comments.
5. Productivity hacks of r/MacApps users — features you use a lot that maybe aren't well known. 119 votes, 167 comments.
6. There were 1700 menu bar apps, but around 100 of them vanished — MacMenuBar.com had to remove around 100 apps that were abandoned or disappeared. 95 votes, 53 comments.
7. What app went from "why would I need that?" to "I'm not going back"? 85 votes, 143 comments.
8. Raycast alternatives: Tinycast or Vicinae? 78 votes, 138 comments.
9. Steve Jobs development advice in the vibe clone age — a WWDC 1997 clip about starting with the customer experience and working back to the technology. 61 votes, 32 comments.
10. Raycast 2 went cross-platform. If you left it, what did you switch to? 58 votes, 130 comments.

News & Announcements

• Homebrew 7.0 is out and includes a GUI — 671 votes, 162 comments.
• CleanShot update — new video editor and studio mode. 485 votes, 143 comments.
• Raycast deleting posts with negative feedback about its new pricing — OP lists complaints about Raycast 2 (pricing, memory use, moving away from native) with examples of removed posts. 426 votes, 159 comments. Related: No BYOK in Raycast V2 for free users 28v/22c.
• Setapp has been completely enshittified — OP says Setapp is now filled with apps that cost extra on top of the $15/month subscription. 314 votes, 76 comments.
• Alfred 6 is coming this autumn — in beta now, and a free upgrade. 206 votes, 82 comments.
• Apple makes it easier for Mac developers to drop Intel support — universal Mac App Store apps that require macOS 13+ can now ship arm64-only updates. Optional for now. 142 votes, 37 comments.
• Audacity v4 — v4 installs as a separate app, and v3 is hard to uninstall because the two share files. 71 votes, 44 comments.
• macOS 27 and menu bar managers — threads about menu bar managers on macOS 27: Any good menu bar managers for macOS 27? 43v/83c, Do any menubar manager apps work in macOS 27.0? 25v/84c, macOS 27 menu bar spacing issue 25v/43c.
• Accessibility permission renamed to "Device control and Data access" — the old settings URL still opens the right pane, so existing apps don't break. 38 votes, 34 comments.

Also Worth a Look (Runner-ups)

InputConfig (Free, open source, turns a game controller into a keyboard and mouse*)* 149v/50c, Boxvy (Free, turns websites into desktop widgets, floating bubbles or menu bar items*)* 146v/73c, Arc PDF (Free, 11.6 MB PDF reader, annotator, editor and OCR*)* 144v/96c, OpenClip (Free, open source, PopClip alternative with 100+ extensions*)* 144v/171c, Caxton (Lifetime, editor for multi-gigabyte text files and CSVs*)* 128v/72c, Griply (Lifetime, goals and tasks app, now with projects and two-way calendar sync*)* 125v/249c, ActionClip V2 (Lifetime, text-selection action menu with 225 extensions*)* 121v/215c, search (Free, open source, lightweight WebKit browser*)* 119v/54c, flowy 2.0 (Lifetime, screen recorder and video editor*)* 117v/366c, Floodtide (Lifetime, MacUpdater alternative*)* 116v/137c, OmniWM (Free, open source, Niri/Hyprland-style tiling window manager*)* 115v/60c, Look (Free, open source, launcher, now in official Homebrew*)* 113v/30c, Tungsten Edge (Lifetime, open source, per-window taskbar*)* 108v/113c, AppSift (Free, search, compare and price-track App Store apps*)* 104v/57c, docktor (Free, widgets in the empty space on either side of the Dock*)* 103v/37c, ChopShop (Lifetime, small A/V editor for quick cuts and stitching*)* 101v/57c, MetalSharp (Free, run Windows games on Apple silicon*)* 98v/109c, No Rush (Free, ambient places with their own local time and weather*)* 98v/73c, Lede (Free, Markdown editor from the developer of Verso and Skein*)* 96v/57c, VisiGrid (Free, open source, Excel alternative*)* 92v/51c, Dynamic Menu Bar (from $6.99 one-time, menu bar that takes its color from your screen*)* 92v/108c, Parall (Lifetime, run multiple instances of an app with separate accounts*)* 90v/60c, StepGrab 1.5 (Lifetime, record a task and get a written guide*)* 88v/44c, StemKit (Free, split YouTube songs into stems locally*)* 84v/60c, Netutilus (Free -> $9.99 one-time, 20 network tools with history and monitoring*)* 84v/101c, Keyty (Free, open source, keystroke and mouse visualizer*)* 84v/40c, Resurf (Lifetime, save design references, articles and ideas in one place*)* 77v/36c, Parchley (Free, open source, offline PDF to Markdown converter*)* 73v/34c, Bulletin (Lifetime, infinite canvas with functional blocks*)* 72v/89c, Neon Vision Editor (Free, open source, native code and text editor*)* 70v/59c, Lumae (Free, video editor for screen recordings and screenshots*)* 65v/54c, Wallper (Lifetime, live wallpapers with music sync*)* 63v/36c, FrameDrop (Lifetime, search 11 million openly licensed images*)* 62v/55c, Splice (Lifetime, inline emoji and GIF insertion*)* 62v/89c, Stash Anything (Free or $9.99 lifetime, save and find things later*)* 61v/102c, HealthAtlas (Free, open source, Apple Health export analyzer*)* 60v/73c, Edgy (Lifetime, makes the edges of your screen glow*)* 59v/67c, DockDuck (Lifetime, dual-pane file manager*)* 58v/173c, Vibe 1.14 (Free, open source, waveform-focused music player*)* 56v/47c, Mac Sai (Free, open source, Mac cleaner*)* 53v/43c, Petrichor 1.7 (Free, open source, offline music player*)* 53v/35c, Slidr ($4.99 one-time, finer volume and brightness steps*)* 53v/49c, Glyph ($15 early access, open source, Markdown notes*)* 52v/113c, Shoo! ($17.99 one-time, app locker that quits the app instead of covering it*)* 52v/23c, Spatial Slideshow (Free, open source, 3D photo slideshows*)* 51v/23c, Trace 2.0 (Lifetime, storage analyzer and uninstaller*)* 50v/41c, Nodoo (Free, Things-style task manager with collaboration*)* 50v/68c, NetFluss 2.6 (Free, open source, menu bar network monitor and DNS switcher*)* 50v/24c, Folder Preview Pro 3.0 (Lifetime, Quick Look for folders*)* 50v/42c, Stay Steady (Free, budgeting app that reads European bank statements on your device*)* 46v/41c, ScreenCharms (Lifetime, hang custom charms from your screen*)* 46v/82c, Spectati (Lifetime, one client for Plex, Jellyfin and more*)* 46v/141c, Gloss 2.1 (Lifetime, text expansion*)* 45v/51c, rift (Free, open source, tiling and scrolling window manager*)* 44v/21c, Copyr (free for personal use, file copier that skips bad files and verifies copies*)* 44v/66c, Photo Transfer via USB (Lifetime, iPhone photos into folders by trip or date*)* 44v/41c, DiskPress (Lifetime, automatic compression and deduplication*)* 44v/76c, SpaceJump (Lifetime, navigate macOS Spaces*)* 44v/57c, CoolDock (Lifetime, second dock of widgets*)* 44v/48c, Verso (Lifetime, word processor*)* 42v/29c, WattMate (Lifetime, battery app that shows how many minutes you'd get back by quitting an app*)* 42v/61c, Silkwave Clarity (Free, speech isolation for system audio*)* 41v/37c, Jott.it (Lifetime, bullet journal on text files*)* 41v/31c, Charya (Free, learns your routine and sets up your Mac*)* 40v/38c, visualOS (free in browser, one-time for Mac, Milanote alternative*)* 39v/46c, ProcessSpy (Lifetime, process monitor*)* 39v/44c, Acres (Lifetime, canvas of plain Markdown notes*)* 37v/69c, Cats Lock 2.0 (Lifetime, keyboard lock for when your cat walks on it*)* 36v/51c, Minstrel (Lifetime, writing app for fiction*)* 32v/152c, TypeSeer (Lifetime, offline autocomplete*)* 30v/105c, PeakHour 6 (Lifetime, menu bar internet monitoring*)* 25v/123c, Morphjet (Lifetime, offline file converter*)* 23v/395c

More apps with 10+ votes are in the pinned comment below. (Edit: Yikes I just realized I can't pin comments)

Past Roundups

• August 2026

[Disclaimer: AI assisted]

If I missed something or you have a favorite alternative to one of these picks, drop it below and I'll fold notable ones into next month's roundup. Hope this was helpful (again) & enjoy!

What were your favorite apps from September?