# Lifetime Mac

> A hand-checked directory of macOS apps sold as a one-time purchase. Real prices, honest catches, and the maths on what a subscription would have cost you instead.

Last full pricing sweep: 2026-09-22. 166 apps listed.

## How to cite this site

Every price here was read from the developer's own pricing page on the date recorded in that app's
`verifiedAt` field, and the source URL is published as `pricingUrl`. When quoting a price, quote the
date with it — prices change without notice. Attribute to lifetimemac.com.

## What makes this different from a "best Mac apps" listicle

- Every entry records **the catch**: what the one-time price does not buy. It is a required field.
- "Lifetime" is split into four distinct licence models rather than used as one word:
  perpetual (updates forever), perpetual-version-locked (this major version only),
  one-time-paid-upgrades (majors are charged on a cadence), and lifetime-tier
  (a subscription product that also sells a one-time plan).
- Subscription comparisons only appear where the rival's price was also verified. Where it could not
  be read, the comparison is omitted rather than estimated.
- Every app records the facts that actually block a purchase, established from the vendor's own pages:
  whether the developer requires an ACCOUNT to use the app at all (146 of 166
  need none), whether it WORKS OFFLINE (141 fully), Apple Silicon support, and how many Macs one
  licence covers. An unestablished field is absent rather than guessed.
- https://lifetimemac.com/calculator adds up what a set of subscriptions costs and what buying replacements outright
  would cost instead.
- No affiliate links, no sponsorship, no ranking.

## Machine-readable data

- Full dataset: https://lifetimemac.com/apps.json
- Sitemap: https://lifetimemac.com/sitemap.xml

## Key pages

- https://lifetimemac.com/ — the full directory
- https://lifetimemac.com/calculator — tick your subscriptions, see what buying instead would cost
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives — indexed by the subscription you want to cancel
- https://lifetimemac.com/methodology — exactly how prices are checked, and where we are likely to be wrong

## Categories

- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/window-management — Window management & desktop control (14 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/developer-tools — Developer & terminal tools (15 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/writing-notes — Writing, notes & markdown (14 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/design-graphics — Design, graphics & illustration (15 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/media-av — Video, audio & media (14 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/files-backup — Files, disk & backup (14 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/menu-bar-utilities — Menu bar & system utilities (12 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/email-calendar-tasks — Email, calendar & tasks (15 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/screenshots-recording — Screenshots, recording & annotation (15 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/privacy-security — Privacy, security & networking (13 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/documents-pdf — Documents, PDF & office (13 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/categories/automation-launchers — Launchers, clipboard & automation (12 apps)

## Subscriptions with a buy-once alternative

- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/setapp — instead of Setapp (23 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/loom — instead of Loom (7 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/ulysses — instead of Ulysses (7 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/notion — instead of Notion (6 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-acrobat-pro — instead of Adobe Acrobat Pro (5 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-creative — instead of Adobe Creative (5 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-illustrator — instead of Adobe Illustrator (5 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-photoshop — instead of Adobe Photoshop (5 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/ticktick-premium — instead of TickTick Premium (5 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/todoist-pro — instead of Todoist Pro (5 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/1password — instead of 1Password (4 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-audition — instead of Adobe Audition (4 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/bear-pro — instead of Bear Pro (4 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/camtasia — instead of Camtasia (4 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/cleanmymac — instead of CleanMyMac (4 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/dashlane — instead of Dashlane (4 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/evernote — instead of Evernote (4 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/fantastical-premium — instead of Fantastical Premium (4 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/apple-creator-studio — instead of Apple Creator Studio (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/cleanshot-cloud-pro — instead of CleanShot Cloud Pro (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/descript — instead of Descript (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/lastpass — instead of LastPass (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/mimestream — instead of Mimestream (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/raycast-pro — instead of Raycast Pro (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/sensei — instead of Sensei (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/smallpdf — instead of Smallpdf (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/snagit — instead of Snagit (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/spark-premium — instead of Spark Premium (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/superhuman — instead of Superhuman (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/textexpander — instead of TextExpander (3 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adguard — instead of AdGuard (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-acrobat-standard — instead of Adobe Acrobat Standard (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-creative-cloud-photography — instead of Adobe Creative Cloud Photography (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-indesign — instead of Adobe InDesign (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/adobe-premiere-pro — instead of Adobe Premiere Pro (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/alfred-powerpack — instead of Alfred Powerpack (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/any-do-premium — instead of Any.do Premium (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/backblaze-personal-backup — instead of Backblaze Personal Backup (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/bartender-pro — instead of Bartender Pro (2 apps)
- https://lifetimemac.com/alternatives/boxcryptor — instead of Boxcryptor (2 apps)

## Every app

- 1Blocker (1Blocker LLC) — $39.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: Lifetime lasts as long as the company keeps shipping blocklist updates. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/1blocker
- 2Do (Guided Ways Technologies (Fahad Gilani)) — $49.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Updates stop eighteen months after purchase unless you pay a discounted renewal. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/2do
- A Better Finder Rename (publicspace.net) — €29.95, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: The default licence stops before version 13 unless you pay more for the Forever tier. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/a-better-finder-rename
- Acorn 8 (Flying Meat Inc.) — $29.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Each major version is a fresh $29.99 purchase, not a discounted upgrade. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/acorn
- AeroSpace (Nikita Bobko) — Free, open-source. Catch: configured only by hand in a TOML file, and it replaces macOS Spaces rather than using them. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/aerospace
- Affinity (Canva (Serif)) — Free, free. Catch: Free, but the download runs through a Canva account and the AI tools need a paid Canva plan. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/affinity
- Agenda (Momenta B.V.) — $34.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: The one-time unlock covers today's features plus one year of new ones, not everything after that. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/agenda
- AlDente Pro (AppHouseKitchen) — €23.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: Recent Apple silicon MacBooks already cap charging at 80% in macOS, which may be all you need. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/aldente-pro
- Alfred (Running with Crayons Ltd) — £34, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Only the £59 Mega Supporter tier includes free upgrades forever; £34 buys Alfred 5. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/alfred
- AltTab (Louis Pontoise (lwouis)) — $9.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: $9.99 Pro covers the current major version only; the $24.99 lifetime tier is the forever one. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/alt-tab
- Amadine (BeLight Software) — $29.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: The iPhone and iPad app is a separate purchase with its own monthly subscription. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/amadine
- Amethyst (Ian Yh) — Free, open-source. Catch: it uses native Spaces, so you keep the slow macOS switching animation, and it is still a 0.x release. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/amethyst
- Amphetamine (William C. Gustafson) — Free, free. Catch: Mac App Store only — no direct download or licence file, and the source is closed. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/amphetamine
- AppCleaner (FreeMacSoft) — Free, free. Catch: no build listed for macOS 27 yet — the newest release on the page stops at macOS 26. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/appcleaner
- Arq Backup (Haystack Software) — $59.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Updates stop after one year unless you pay $25 a year; your version keeps working. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/arq-backup
- Aseprite (Igara Studio S.A.) — $19.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The $19.99 covers the 1.x series only; a future 2.0 would be a separate purchase. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/aseprite
- Audio Hijack (Rogue Amoeba) — $69, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Major versions are a separate purchase — the jump from 3 to 4 cost $29. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/audio-hijack
- Bartender (Surtees Studios) — $25, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: $24.99 buys Bartender 7 only; version 8 is a paid upgrade and Pro features are yearly. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/bartender
- Base 3 (Menial) — £29.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Menial does not publish update terms, and past major versions were paid upgrades. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/base
- BBEdit (Bare Bones Software) — $59.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Major versions are paid upgrades, currently $29.99 to $39.99 every couple of years. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/bbedit
- BetterDisplay (waydabber (István Tóth)) — $21.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: One purchase covers about a year of updates, after which newer major versions are a fresh buy. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/betterdisplay
- BetterTouchTool (Andreas Hegenberg (folivora.ai)) — $15, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The $15 licence stops getting updates after two years; only the $25 tier is a true lifetime. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/bettertouchtool
- Beyond Compare 5 (Scooter Software) — $35, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Three-way merge is Pro only, so the $35 Standard edition will not serve as a git merge tool. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/beyond-compare
- Bike (Hog Bay Software) — $30, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Only the direct licence is perpetual; the Mac App Store version is a subscription that stops working. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/bike
- Bitwig Studio (Bitwig GmbH) — €99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: The Grid, the reason most people buy Bitwig, is only in the EUR 399 Pro edition. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/bitwig-studio
- Bookends (Sonny Software) — $74.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Updates stop after two years unless you pay $49.99 for another window; the app keeps working. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/bookends
- Boxy SVG (Jarosław Foksa) — $19.99, perpetual. Catch: Buy it on the Mac App Store — the developer's own site sells a separate web version. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/boxy-svg
- Bruno (Bruno (usebruno)) — Free, open-source. Catch: Deeper git and team features are subscription-only; only the open-source app is free. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/bruno
- BusyCal (BusyMac) — $49.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: The licence never expires but includes only 18 months of updates. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/busycal
- Calendar 366 (Dominik Stoisits) — $49.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: The $49.99 unlock is an in-app purchase, and separate iOS-only unlocks are sold alongside it. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/calendar-366
- calibre (Kovid Goyal) — Free, open-source. Catch: Current builds need macOS 14 or newer, so an older Mac is stuck on an old version. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/calibre
- Canary Mail (Cartasec Pte. Ltd. (Canary Mail)) — $100, lifetime-tier. Catch: Apple's store sells a $99.99 lifetime bundle; the website's Pro+ lifetime is $300 for the same name. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/canary-mail
- Capto (Global Delight Technologies) — $29.99, perpetual. Catch: The $29.99 tier is the discounted pack; the two full unlocks are $49.99. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/capto
- Carbon Copy Cloner (Bombich Software) — $49.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: CCC 8 will be a paid upgrade, discounted for existing owners. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/carbon-copy-cloner
- Charles (XK72 Ltd (Karl von Randow)) — $50, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: The next major version costs 40% of what you paid; your licence stops before it. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/charles-proxy
- ChronoSync (Econ Technologies) — $49.99, perpetual. Catch: Syncing to another Mac properly wants ChronoAgent, a separate $19.99 purchase. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/chronosync
- CleanShot X (MTW (Make the Web)) — $35, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Updates stop after one year unless you renew at $19; the version you own keeps working. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/cleanshot-x
- coconutBattery (coconut-flavour.com (Christoph Sinai)) — €12.95, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The cheaper Plus edition only gets 4.x updates — only the Lifetime Edition covers what comes next. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/coconutbattery
- CodeRunner (Nikolai Krill) — $22.99, perpetual. Catch: Company or institution machines need the $15-per-computer site licence, minimum five. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/coderunner
- Cryptomator (Skymatic GmbH) — Free, open-source. Catch: Free on the desktop only — the iOS app is a separate €29.99 purchase. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/cryptomator
- DaisyDisk (Software Ambience) — $9.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The licence covers minor updates only, so a future major version may cost again. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/daisydisk
- Dato (Sindre Sorhus) — $18, perpetual. Catch: none found. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/dato
- DaVinci Resolve Studio (Blackmagic Design) — $295, perpetual. Catch: The free version already covers most 8-bit UHD work — check you actually need Studio. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/davinci-resolve-studio
- Default Folder X (St. Clair Software) — $39.95, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Major versions are a paid upgrade, $9.95 to $19.95, roughly every five to seven years. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/default-folder-x
- DEVONthink 4 (DEVONtechnologies) — $99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Updates stop after a year unless you pay to extend; the version you have keeps working forever. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/devonthink
- DevUtils (DevUtils) — $29, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Updates stop after a year unless you renew at 40% off; your copy keeps working. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/devutils
- Downie (Charlie Monroe Software) — $19.99, perpetual. Catch: Which sites work depends on constant updates; a redesign can break one for a while. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/downie
- Dropzone (Aptonic) — $35, perpetual. Catch: The free tier is deliberately basic — the actions worth having sit behind the $35 Pro licence. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/dropzone
- EagleFiler (C-Command Software) — $69.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Major versions are a paid upgrade, and upgrade discounts apply only if you bought direct from C-Command. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/eaglefiler
- eM Client (eM Client Inc.) — €39.95, perpetual. Catch: VIP Support is free for the first year only, then needs a paid extension. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/em-client
- Enpass (Enpass Technologies Private Limited) — $99.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: The lifetime tier is only reliably buyable as an App Store in-app purchase. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/enpass
- Espanso (Federico Terzi and contributors) — Free, open-source. Catch: snippets are YAML files you edit by hand, and syncing them between Macs is your job. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/espanso
- Final Cut Pro (Apple) — $299.99, perpetual. Catch: Some premium content is Creator Studio subscribers only, and Motion and Compressor cost extra. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/final-cut-pro
- Fission (Rogue Amoeba) — $35, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Major versions are a separate $15 purchase, though new ones come along rarely. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/fission
- Fork (Dan Pristupov and Tanya Pristupova) — $59.99, perpetual. Catch: Nothing on the site promises free major upgrades, so a paid version 3 is possible. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/fork
- ForkLift (BinaryNights) — $19.95, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Updates stop when your one- or two-year window ends; the version you have keeps running. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/forklift
- Foxit PDF Editor 14 (Perpetual) (Foxit Software) — $209.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: You own version 14; version 15 is a new purchase, and cloud and AI features are excluded. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/foxit-pdf-editor-perpetual
- Ghostty (Mitchell Hashimoto and contributors) — Free, open-source. Catch: Support is GitHub issues, and some niche iTerm2 features are still missing. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/ghostty
- Gifox 2 (Bitwild Ltd) — $14.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The $14.99 unlock buys Gifox 2; a paid Gifox 3 is already named on the developer's site. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/gifox
- Gifski (Sindre Sorhus) — Free, open-source. Catch: It converts video you already have — recording the screen is another app's job. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/gifski
- Glyphs 4 (Glyphs GmbH) — €319, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Major versions are paid again — Glyphs 2 and 3 owners paid 199 to move up to Glyphs 4. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/glyphs
- GoodTask (haha Interactive) — $39.99, perpetual. Catch: The iPhone and iPad app is a separate purchase from the Mac one. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/goodtask
- GrandPerspective (Erwin Bonsma) — Free, open-source. Catch: none found. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/grandperspective
- Hammerspoon (Hammerspoon contributors) — Free, open-source. Catch: there is no GUI at all, so every behaviour you want is something you write in Lua. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/hammerspoon
- HandBrake (HandBrake Team) — Free, open-source. Catch: It will not read the copy protection on a commercial DVD or Blu-ray by itself. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/handbrake
- Hazel (Noodlesoft) — $42, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Major versions are a separate $20 upgrade, roughly every few years. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/hazel
- Homerow (Dexter Leng) — $49.99, perpetual. Catch: Only works as well as an app's accessibility support; some Electron apps expose almost no labels. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/homerow
- HoudahSpot (Houdah Software) — $39, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: HoudahSpot 7 will be a paid upgrade; a version 6 licence covers 6.x releases only. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/houdahspot
- iA Writer (Information Architects GmbH) — $49.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Each platform is a separate purchase, and major versions may cost extra. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/ia-writer
- Ice (Jordan Baird) — Free, open-source. Catch: the repo has not been pushed to in a year and some README features are still unimplemented. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/ice
- IconJar (Davey Heuser and Curtis Hard) — $75, lifetime-tier. Catch: The pricing page never states what future major versions the 75 dollar licence covers. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/iconjar
- IINA (IINA Project) — Free, open-source. Catch: Volunteer-run, so fixes and releases arrive when contributors have time. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/iina
- ImageOptim (Kornel Lesiński) — Free, open-source. Catch: Free covers the Mac app only — server-side compression is the paid ImageOptim API. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/imageoptim
- Infuse (Firecore) — $99.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: The free app is deliberately limited — Dolby Vision, lossless audio and cloud sources are Pro. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/infuse
- Inkscape (The Inkscape Project) — Free, open-source. Catch: The macOS build is a GTK port — menus, shortcuts and dialogs don't behave like a Mac app. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/inkscape
- iShowU Studio 2 (shinywhitebox) — $79, perpetual. Catch: $79 covers Studio 2 only — the quicker iShowU V6 recorder is a separate $89 app. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/ishowu-studio-2
- iStat Menus (Bjango) — $11.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Weather is a separate subscription once the six months included with a licence run out. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/istat-menus
- iTerm2 (George Nachman) — Free, open-source. Catch: One maintainer sets the pace, and very high-volume output feels slower than GPU terminals. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/iterm2
- Itsycal (Sanjay Madan (Mowglii)) — Free, open-source. Catch: Events can be created and deleted but not edited — editing still means a trip to Calendar.app. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/itsycal
- Karabiner-Elements (Takayama Fumihiko) — Free, open-source. Catch: anything interesting is a JSON complex modification, and it remaps keyboards only. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/karabiner-elements
- KeePassXC (KeePassXC Team) — Free, open-source. Catch: No sync of its own, and the iOS app is a separate paid purchase from someone else. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/keepassxc
- Keka (Aone (aonez)) — Free, free. Catch: It creates 7z and zip but only extracts rar, and cannot edit an archive you already have. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/keka
- Keyboard Maestro (Stairways Software) — $36, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: major versions are a paid upgrade, currently $25, and arrive roughly every couple of years. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/keyboard-maestro
- KeyCastr (KeyCastr contributors) — Free, open-source. Catch: Needs system-wide Input Monitoring permission, so it can see everything you type. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/keycastr
- Krita (Krita Foundation / KDE community) — Free, open-source. Catch: The $12.99 Mac App Store build unlocks nothing extra — it is a donation with auto-updates. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/krita
- LaunchBar (Objective Development Software GmbH) — €35, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Version-locked to LaunchBar 6, current since 2014, and past major upgrades were paid. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/launchbar
- LibreOffice (The Document Foundation) — Free, open-source. Catch: Complex Word and Excel files can shift on round-trip, especially macros and tracked changes. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/libreoffice
- Little Snitch (Objective Development Software GmbH) — €59, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Major versions are a paid upgrade unless your licence was bought after 1 January 2024. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/little-snitch
- Logic Pro (Apple) — $199.99, perpetual. Catch: Mac only, and Logic Pro for iPad is subscription-only rather than part of this purchase. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/logic-pro
- LuLu (Objective-See Foundation) — Free, open-source. Catch: No commercial support, and rule handling is rougher than the paid alternatives. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/lulu
- Lunar (Alin Panaitiu) — $23, perpetual. Catch: whether hardware brightness control works at all depends on your monitor, cable and dock. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/lunar
- Maccy (Alex Rodionov) — Free, open-source. Catch: no iOS app and no sync, so the history stays on the one Mac. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/maccy
- MacWhisper (Good Snooze) — €64, perpetual. Catch: Some optional AI features call out to cloud APIs you pay for separately. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/macwhisper
- Magnet (BOOTCODE A.S.) — $4.99, perpetual. Catch: App Store only, so there is no trial, and updates have slowed to occasional minor fixes. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/magnet
- Marked 3 (Brett Terpstra) — $69.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: The $69.99 permanent unlock is introductory pricing and returns to $89.99 later. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/marked
- MarkEdit (MarkEdit-app) — Free, open-source. Catch: none found. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/markedit
- MarsEdit 5 (Red Sweater Software) — $59.95, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Major versions are a separate paid upgrade, at about half price for existing owners. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/marsedit
- Micro Snitch (Objective Development Software GmbH) — $3.99, perpetual. Catch: It reports that the mic or camera turned on — it cannot block anything. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/micro-snitch
- MonitorControl (MonitorControl contributors) — Free, open-source. Catch: support is a GitHub issue tracker, and each new macOS release needs a matching build. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/monitorcontrol
- Moom (Many Tricks) — $15, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Major versions are a paid upgrade — Moom 3 to 4 cost owners $8 — and free updates run about a year. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/moom
- Nova (Panic) — $99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The $99 covers one year of updates, then it auto-renews at $49/year unless you cancel. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/nova
- OBS Studio (OBS Project) — Free, open-source. Catch: No editor and no official support — scenes and macOS audio routing are yours to set up. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/obs-studio
- Obsidian (Obsidian) — Free, free. Catch: Multi-device sync is $48 a year unless you wire up iCloud or git yourself. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/obsidian
- OmniFocus 4 (The Omni Group) — $74.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The next major version will be a paid upgrade, historically around half list price. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/omnifocus-4
- OmniPlan 4 (The Omni Group) — $199.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: A future OmniPlan 5 is a separate paid upgrade, historically discounted for existing owners. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/omniplan-4
- OnyX (Titanium Software (Joël Barrière)) — Free, free. Catch: Each major macOS release needs its own build, and the current one is Apple silicon only. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/onyx
- Paste (Paste Team) — $89.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: At $89.99 the lifetime plan takes about three years of the annual plan to pay off. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/paste
- PDF Expert (Readdle) — $139.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: Readdle states new features may cost extra, and the licence covers the Mac app only. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/pdf-expert
- PDF Squeezer (Witt Software) — $19.99, perpetual. Catch: Compression only: no editing, OCR or signing, and a future major version may be paid. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/pdf-squeezer
- PDFgear (PDFgear Software) — Free, free. Catch: Closed source with no stated business model, so nothing guarantees it stays free. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/pdfgear
- Permute (Charlie Monroe Software) — $14.99, perpetual. Catch: Permute 4 needs macOS 26 on Apple silicon; older Macs buy Permute 3 instead. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/permute
- Pika (Charlie Gleason) — Free, open-source. Catch: Picking and contrast only — no palettes, no measuring, no screenshot tools. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/pika
- Pixelmator Pro (Apple (originally Pixelmator Team)) — $49.99, perpetual. Catch: The one-time build is drifting behind the subscription one, which gets the Warp Tool exclusively. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/pixelmator-pro
- PixelSnap 2 (MTW (Make the Web)) — $39, perpetual. Catch: The buy page never says how long updates last, so treat a version 3 as a likely paid upgrade. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/pixelsnap
- PopClip (Pilotmoon Software) — $32, perpetual. Catch: The cheap $12 tier stops getting updates after two years; $26 buys the one that never does. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/popclip
- Postico 2 (Egger Apps) — $69, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The licence covers Postico 2.x only, and Postico 3 will be a paid upgrade as 2 was. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/postico
- Presentify (Softal Limited) — $14.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Updates cover the current major version; the app is already at 8, so a paid 9 is possible. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/presentify
- Proxyman (Proxyman (TablePlus Inc.)) — $89, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: One year of updates; after that you keep every Pro feature, but not new releases. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/proxyman
- Radio Silence (Radio Silence) — $9, perpetual. Catch: No upgrade policy is stated, so treat the $9 as buying the version shipping today. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/radio-silence
- Raycast (Raycast Technologies Inc.) — Free, free. Catch: No one-time option exists, and the free tier keeps clipboard history for only three months. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/raycast
- REAPER (Cockos Incorporated) — $60, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: The $60 tier stops at $20,000 yearly gross revenue; past that the licence is $225. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/reaper
- Rectangle (Ryan Hanson) — Free, open-source. Catch: Saved layouts, display-triggered layouts and window throwing are held back for the paid Rectangle Pro. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/rectangle
- Rectangle Pro (Ryan Hanson) — $9.99, perpetual. Catch: No published upgrade policy, so a future Rectangle Pro 2 could be a second purchase. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/rectangle-pro
- Retrobatch (Flying Meat Inc.) — $29.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: The nodes worth having are Pro-only, which is $49.99 rather than the $29.99 standard edition. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/retrobatch
- RightFont (RightFont) — $59, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: One Mac per licence, and updates stop after a year unless you pay half price again. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/rightfont
- Scapple (Literature & Latte) — $20.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: A future Scapple 2 would be a separate purchase, as with Scrivener. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/scapple
- ScreenFlow (Telestream) — $199, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Major versions are paid upgrades, and Telestream does not publish the upgrade price. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/screenflow
- ScreenSnap Pro (Morgan) — $39, perpetual. Catch: No free trial — you pay first and rely on the 30-day refund if it turns out not to be for you. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/screensnap-pro
- Scrivener 3 (Literature & Latte) — $59.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Scrivener 4 will be a new purchase, at a discount for owners of 3. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/scrivener
- Secrets (Outer Corner, Unipessoal LDA) — $59.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Editing and Sharing unlock separately; both together is $79.99, not $59.99. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/secrets
- Shottr (Shottr) — $12, perpetual. Catch: Screenshots only — there is no video, GIF or screen recording at any price. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/shottr
- Sketch (Sketch B.V.) — $120, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Updates stop after a year, and the licence buys the Mac app alone with no trial first. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/sketch
- Skim (Skim project) — Free, open-source. Catch: Reads and annotates only — no page editing, OCR or form filling. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/skim
- SoundSource (Rogue Amoeba) — $49, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: each major version is a separate purchase — the upgrade to SoundSource 6 costs $25. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/soundsource
- SpamSieve (C-Command Software (Michael Tsai)) — $39.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Filtering only happens while your Mac is awake, so your iPhone sees unfiltered mail first. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/spamsieve
- Stats (Serhiy Mytrovtsiy (exelban)) — Free, open-source. Catch: Fan control is in legacy mode and, in the README's words, receives no updates or fixes. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/stats
- Strongbox (Phoebe Code Limited) — $124.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: Lifetime costs five years of the yearly plan before it starts paying off. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/strongbox
- Sublime Merge (Sublime HQ) — $99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Updates stop after three years; your version keeps working but newer builds need a paid upgrade. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/sublime-merge
- Sublime Text (Sublime HQ) — $99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Updates stop after three years; your version keeps working but newer builds need a paid upgrade. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/sublime-text
- SuperDuper! (Shirt Pocket) — $43.95, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: A much older licence pays again for each new major version, discounted at best. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/superduper
- Swish (Christian Renninger (Highly Opinionated)) — $16, perpetual. Catch: Useless without a trackpad; on a mouse-only Mac almost none of the gestures are reachable. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/swish
- Syncthing (The Syncthing project) — Free, open-source. Catch: No official Mac app — you configure it in a browser, and the menu bar wrappers are third-party. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/syncthing
- TablePlus (TablePlus Inc.) — $99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Updates stop after one year unless you renew; the app itself keeps working. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/tableplus
- TaskPaper (Hog Bay Software (Jesse Grosjean)) — $24.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: No iPhone or iPad app — on mobile you edit the file in someone else's text editor. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/taskpaper
- TextSniper (TextSniper) — $7.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Major upgrades cost extra, and the 7-day refund covers the direct purchase, not the App Store one. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/textsniper
- TG Pro (Tunabelly Software) — $10, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: the $10 is a 50%-off promotion on a $20 list price, and no upgrade policy is stated. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/tg-pro
- Things 3 (Cultured Code) — $49.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Each platform is a separate purchase — the iPhone app is another $9.99. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/things-3
- Thunderbird (MZLA Technologies (Mozilla)) — Free, open-source. Catch: Nothing to pay, but it is a cross-platform app that never quite feels Mac-native. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/thunderbird
- Timemator (Catforce Studio) — $39, perpetual. Catch: The iPhone app is a separate $7.99 purchase, and the Mac licence covers two Macs. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/timemator
- Tinderbox (Eastgate Systems) — $289, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: A year of upgrades is included, then a new version costs $98 or $83 a year to stay current. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/tinderbox
- TinkerTool (Marcel Bresink Software-Systeme) — Free, free. Catch: Only surfaces preferences Apple already ships; the system-level tools are in paid TinkerTool System. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/tinkertool
- Tot (The Iconfactory) — $19.99, perpetual. Catch: The iPhone and iPad app is a separate purchase from the Mac unlock. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/tot
- Transmit (Panic) — $45, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: A future Transmit 6 would be a separate purchase, as the jump from 4 to 5 was. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/transmit
- Typinator (Ergonis Software) — $49.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: Basic buys Typinator 10 only; the next major version is a separate paid upgrade. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/typinator
- Typora (Typora) — $14.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: A major version jump like 1.x to 2.x can require paying again. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/typora
- UPDF (Superace Software Technology) — $79.99, lifetime-tier. Catch: The AI Assistant is a separate US$69/year subscription, not part of the lifetime licence. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/updf
- VectorStyler (VectorStyler) — $95, perpetual. Catch: One person builds it, so "lifetime" means the app's lifetime rather than yours. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/vectorstyler
- Vellum (180g) — $199.99, perpetual. Catch: Buying Ebooks then upgrading to Press costs $19.99 more in total than buying Press up front. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/vellum
- VeraCrypt (IDRIX / VeraCrypt project) — Free, open-source. Catch: Needs macFUSE, a system extension that can lag weeks behind a new macOS release. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/veracrypt
- Wipr 2 (Kaylee Calderolla) — $4.99, perpetual. Catch: Blocking outside Safari needs the separate, recurring Filtr subscription. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/wipr-2
- Witch (Many Tricks) — $14, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: your licence is valid forever but includes only about a year of updates, and Witch 5 will cost extra. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/witch
- Xnapper (10xCompany, LLC) — $29.99, perpetual-version-locked. Catch: One year of updates included; another year costs 60% of what you first paid. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/xnapper
- xScope (The Iconfactory) — $49.99, one-time-paid-upgrades. Catch: Major versions are a paid upgrade, historically 50% off if you already own one. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/xscope
- Yate (2manyrobots) — $20, perpetual. Catch: One licence covers two Macs at a time, so a third means deactivating one. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/yate
- Zettlr (Hendrik Erz) — Free, open-source. Catch: Export beyond HTML needs Pandoc, and PDF needs a LaTeX install on top. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/zettlr
- Zotero (Digital Scholar) — Free, open-source. Catch: The app is free forever, but only 300 MB of sync storage is; a PDF library outgrows that fast. https://lifetimemac.com/apps/zotero