Lifetime Mac

Open source

No licence to buy, and the source is public. How we tell the licences apart

36 apps
AeroSpaceNikita BobkoFree

Configured only by hand in a TOML file, and it replaces macOS Spaces rather than using them

AmethystIan YhFree

It uses native Spaces, so you keep the slow macOS switching animation, and it is still a 0.x release

BrunoBruno (usebruno)Free

Deeper git and team features are subscription-only; only the open-source app is free

calibreKovid GoyalFree

Current builds need macOS 14 or newer, so an older Mac is stuck on an old version

CryptomatorSkymatic GmbHFree

Free on the desktop only — the iOS app is a separate €29.99 purchase

EspansoFederico Terzi and contributorsFree

Snippets are YAML files you edit by hand, and syncing them between Macs is your job

GhosttyMitchell Hashimoto and contributorsFree

Support is GitHub issues, and some niche iTerm2 features are still missing

GifskiSindre SorhusFree

It converts video you already have — recording the screen is another app's job

GrandPerspectiveErwin BonsmaFree

None found

HammerspoonHammerspoon contributorsFree

There is no GUI at all, so every behaviour you want is something you write in Lua

HandBrakeHandBrake TeamFree

It will not read the copy protection on a commercial DVD or Blu-ray by itself

IceJordan BairdFree

The repo has not been pushed to in a year and some README features are still unimplemented

IINAIINA ProjectFree

Volunteer-run, so fixes and releases arrive when contributors have time

ImageOptimKornel LesińskiFree

Free covers the Mac app only — server-side compression is the paid ImageOptim API

InkscapeThe Inkscape ProjectFree

The macOS build is a GTK port — menus, shortcuts and dialogs don't behave like a Mac app

iTerm2George NachmanFree

One maintainer sets the pace, and very high-volume output feels slower than GPU terminals

ItsycalSanjay Madan (Mowglii)Free

Events can be created and deleted but not edited — editing still means a trip to Calendar.app

Karabiner-ElementsTakayama FumihikoFree

Anything interesting is a JSON complex modification, and it remaps keyboards only

KeePassXCKeePassXC TeamFree

No sync of its own, and the iOS app is a separate paid purchase from someone else

KeyCastrKeyCastr contributorsFree

Needs system-wide Input Monitoring permission, so it can see everything you type

KritaKrita Foundation / KDE communityFree

The $12.99 Mac App Store build unlocks nothing extra — it is a donation with auto-updates

LibreOfficeThe Document FoundationFree

Complex Word and Excel files can shift on round-trip, especially macros and tracked changes

LuLuObjective-See FoundationFree

No commercial support, and rule handling is rougher than the paid alternatives

MaccyAlex RodionovFree

No iOS app and no sync, so the history stays on the one Mac

MarkEditMarkEdit-appFree

None found

MonitorControlMonitorControl contributorsFree

Support is a GitHub issue tracker, and each new macOS release needs a matching build

OBS StudioOBS ProjectFree

No editor and no official support — scenes and macOS audio routing are yours to set up

PikaCharlie GleasonFree

Picking and contrast only — no palettes, no measuring, no screenshot tools

RectangleRyan HansonFree

Saved layouts, display-triggered layouts and window throwing are held back for the paid Rectangle Pro

SkimSkim projectFree

Reads and annotates only — no page editing, OCR or form filling

StatsSerhiy Mytrovtsiy (exelban)Free

Fan control is in legacy mode and, in the README's words, receives no updates or fixes

SyncthingThe Syncthing projectFree

No official Mac app — you configure it in a browser, and the menu bar wrappers are third-party

ThunderbirdMZLA Technologies (Mozilla)Free

Nothing to pay, but it is a cross-platform app that never quite feels Mac-native

VeraCryptIDRIX / VeraCrypt projectFree

Needs macFUSE, a system extension that can lag weeks behind a new macOS release

ZettlrHendrik ErzFree

Export beyond HTML needs Pandoc, and PDF needs a LaTeX install on top

ZoteroDigital ScholarFree

The app is free forever, but only 300 MB of sync storage is; a PDF library outgrows that fast