The most popular Mac apps, by real installs
Not a list of favorites. These are the 50 Mac apps people actually installed the most in the last 30 days, counted from Homebrew.
Mis à jour le 8 novembre 2026
On November 8, 2026, the top three are LibreOffice, Docker Desktop and Microsoft Visual Studio Code. Voir les 50, or how it's ranked.
Most "best Mac apps" lists are somebody's taste. That's fine, but it's not the question "what do people really use?". So here is a list with no opinions in the order: the Mac apps installed most often through Homebrew, the free package manager a lot of Mac people use to set up a new Mac.
It leans toward people who are comfortable with a terminal, so developer tools rank higher than they would in the Mac App Store. Apps that only ship through the App Store, like Final Cut Pro or Things, can't appear at all. Keep that in mind and it's a surprisingly honest picture.
- Source: Homebrew's public install analytics (formulae.brew.sh), which count installs by people who leave Homebrew's anonymous analytics on. App names and descriptions come from each Homebrew cask.
- Read on: November 8, 2026. The 30 days run from October 9, 2026 to November 8, 2026. MacPip reads it again every week.
- Ranked by: installs in the last 30 days. Nobody can pay for a place, and MacPip apps get no boost.
- Included: Casks that install a Mac app (an .app bundle). Command line tools, fonts and drivers are left out, and so are deprecated and disabled casks.
If you only add one free app from this list, make it Stats. It puts CPU, memory, network and battery in the menu bar, it's open source, and you stop wondering why the fan just turned on.
At a glance
The list
Select a column heading to sort. Apps marked Not on MacPip are shown for the ranking only and link to their own pages. Makers are named only where GitHub, the Mac App Store, MacPip or the maker's own website says who they are.
| App | Links | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LLibreOffice Not on MacPipFree cross-platform office suite, fresh version | Installs, 30 days: 56,542 | Installs, 365 days: 409,736 | Site webHomebrew |
| 2 |  Docker Desktop Not on MacPipApp to build and share containerised applications and microservices | Installs, 30 days: 36,171 | Installs, 365 days: 528,164 | Site webHomebrew |
| 3 |  Microsoft Visual Studio Code Not on MacPipOpen-source code editor | Installs, 30 days: 34,295 | Installs, 365 days: 479,148 | Site webHomebrew |
| 4 |  Blender Not on MacPip3D creation suite | Installs, 30 days: 33,810 | Installs, 365 days: 108,699 | Site webHomebrew |
| 5 | GGhostty Not on MacPipTerminal emulator that uses platform-native UI and GPU acceleration par GhosttyMITZig | Installs, 30 days: 29,800 | Installs, 365 days: 385,677 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 6 |  Google Chrome Not on MacPipWeb browser | Installs, 30 days: 23,362 | Installs, 365 days: 433,006 | Site webHomebrew |
| 7 |  OrbStack Not on MacPipReplacement for Docker Desktop | Installs, 30 days: 20,496 | Installs, 365 days: 196,746 | Site webHomebrew |
| 8 |  Obsidian Not on MacPipKnowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files par Obsidian.md | Installs, 30 days: 20,102 | Installs, 365 days: 207,750 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 9 |  Claude Not on MacPipAnthropic's official Claude AI desktop app | Installs, 30 days: 19,281 | Installs, 365 days: 225,732 | Site webHomebrew |
| 10 |  iTerm2 Not on MacPipTerminal emulator as alternative to Apple's Terminal app par George NachmanGPL-2.0Swift | Installs, 30 days: 17,749 | Installs, 365 days: 302,938 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 11 |  Android Studio Not on MacPipTools for building Android applications | Installs, 30 days: 14,140 | Installs, 365 days: 128,127 | Site webHomebrew |
| 12 |  ChatGPT Not on MacPipOpenAI's official ChatGPT desktop app | Installs, 30 days: 12,814 | Installs, 365 days: 94,001 | Site webHomebrew |
| 13 |  Mozilla Firefox Not on MacPipWeb browser | Installs, 30 days: 12,734 | Installs, 365 days: 182,564 | Site webHomebrew |
| 14 |  OpenCode Not on MacPipAI coding agent desktop client | Installs, 30 days: 12,009 | Installs, 365 days: 95,183 | Site webHomebrew |
| 15 |  Stats Not on MacPipSystem monitor for the menu bar par Serhiy MytrovtsiyMITSwiftv3.0.26, Nov 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 11,921 | Installs, 365 days: 146,443 | GitHubHomebrew |
| 16 |  Vorssaint Not on MacPipMenu bar toolkit with keep-awake, system monitor and volume mixer par vorssaint @vorssaintGPL-3.0Swiftv3.4.3, Oct 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 11,269 | Installs, 365 days: 42,510 | GitHubHomebrew |
| 17 |  VLC media player Not on MacPipMultimedia player | Installs, 30 days: 10,794 | Installs, 365 days: 123,104 | Site webHomebrew |
| 18 | BBetterDisplay Not on MacPipDisplay management tool par waydabber | Installs, 30 days: 9,852 | Installs, 365 days: 94,811 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 19 | GGodot Engine Not on MacPip2D and 3D game engine par Godot Engine | Installs, 30 days: 9,530 | Installs, 365 days: 45,065 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 20 |  UTM Not on MacPipVirtual machines UI using QEMU par UTM @UTMappApache-2.0Swiftv5.0.8, Oct 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 9,413 | Installs, 365 days: 70,187 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 21 | DDBeaver Community Edition Not on MacPipUniversal database tool and SQL client | Installs, 30 days: 9,371 | Installs, 365 days: 128,870 | Site webHomebrew |
| 22 |  Ollama Not on MacPipGet up and running with large language models locally par Ollama @ollama | Installs, 30 days: 8,979 | Installs, 365 days: 91,726 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 23 |  Rectangle Not on MacPipMove and resize windows using keyboard shortcuts or snap areas par Ryan HansonSwiftv2.0.4, Oct 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 8,932 | Installs, 365 days: 116,454 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 24 | ZZed Not on MacPipMultiplayer code editor par Zed Industries | Installs, 30 days: 8,847 | Installs, 365 days: 112,475 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 25 | PPostman Not on MacPipCollaboration platform for API development | Installs, 30 days: 8,205 | Installs, 365 days: 134,096 | Site webHomebrew |
| 26 |  Maccy Not on MacPipClipboard manager par Alex Rodionov @p0dejeMITSwift2.8.0, Oct 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 8,164 | Installs, 365 days: 110,868 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 27 | RRaycast Not on MacPipControl your tools with a few keystrokes | Installs, 30 days: 7,519 | Installs, 365 days: 115,989 | Site webHomebrew |
| 28 | OOBS Not on MacPipOpen-source software for live streaming and screen recording | Installs, 30 days: 7,463 | Installs, 365 days: 52,367 | Site webHomebrew |
| 29 |  Hammerspoon Not on MacPipDesktop automation application par Hammerspoon TeamMITObjective-C1.1.1, Feb 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 7,416 | Installs, 365 days: 57,272 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 30 |  Spotify Not on MacPipMusic streaming service | Installs, 30 days: 7,347 | Installs, 365 days: 94,391 | Site webHomebrew |
| 31 |  Brave Not on MacPipWeb browser focusing on privacy | Installs, 30 days: 7,286 | Installs, 365 days: 91,235 | Site webHomebrew |
| 32 |  Cursor Not on MacPipWrite, edit, and chat about your code with AI | Installs, 30 days: 7,146 | Installs, 365 days: 114,813 | Site webHomebrew |
| 33 |  LocalSend Not on MacPipOpen-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop par LocalSend | Installs, 30 days: 7,057 | Installs, 365 days: 68,642 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 34 |  IINA Not on MacPipFree and open-source media player par IINA @iina_appGPL-3.0Swiftv1.5.1, Nov 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 6,902 | Installs, 365 days: 72,359 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 35 |  Discord Not on MacPipVoice and text chat software | Installs, 30 days: 6,848 | Installs, 365 days: 93,749 | Site webHomebrew |
| 36 |  Slack Not on MacPipTeam communication and collaboration software | Installs, 30 days: 6,842 | Installs, 365 days: 83,918 | Site webApp StoreHomebrew |
| 37 | ddraw.io Desktop Not on MacPipOnline diagram software par draw.io @drawio | Installs, 30 days: 6,661 | Installs, 365 days: 52,417 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 38 | 11Password Not on MacPipPassword manager that keeps all passwords secure behind one password | Installs, 30 days: 6,542 | Installs, 365 days: 61,620 | Site webHomebrew |
| 39 |  LM Studio Not on MacPipDiscover, download, and run local LLMs | Installs, 30 days: 6,162 | Installs, 365 days: 58,513 | Site webHomebrew |
| 40 |  T3 Code Not on MacPipMinimal GUI for AI code agents par Ping.gg @pingdotgg | Installs, 30 days: 5,959 | Installs, 365 days: 18,061 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 41 |  Zoom Not on MacPipVideo communication and virtual meeting platform | Installs, 30 days: 5,816 | Installs, 365 days: 64,931 | Site webHomebrew |
| 42 | OOpenMTP Not on MacPipAndroid file transfer par Ganesh Rathinavel Medayil @ganeshrvel | Installs, 30 days: 5,669 | Installs, 365 days: 29,039 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 43 | HHomebrew Not on MacPipHomebrew's official GUI par Homebrew @MacHomebrewAGPL-3.0Swiftv0.6.0, Oct 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 5,379 | Installs, 365 days: 12,464 | GitHubHomebrew |
| 44 |  Warp Not on MacPipRust-based terminal | Installs, 30 days: 5,364 | Installs, 365 days: 132,749 | Site webHomebrew |
| 45 | CCC Switch Not on MacPipConfiguration manager for AI coding agents par Jason Young @Jason_Young1231 | Installs, 30 days: 5,356 | Installs, 365 days: 117,282 | GitHubHomebrew |
| 46 |  SwiftBar Not on MacPipMenu bar customization tool par SwiftBarMITSwiftv2.1.1, Aug 2026 | Installs, 30 days: 4,922 | Installs, 365 days: 32,038 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 47 |  Bitwarden Not on MacPipDesktop password and login vault par Bitwarden @bitwarden | Installs, 30 days: 4,913 | Installs, 365 days: 57,112 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 48 | BBruno Not on MacPipOpen source IDE for exploring and testing APIs par Bruno Software Inc | Installs, 30 days: 4,880 | Installs, 365 days: 71,879 | Site webGitHubHomebrew |
| 49 |  Microsoft Edge Not on MacPipMulti-platform web browser | Installs, 30 days: 4,877 | Installs, 365 days: 53,286 | Site webHomebrew |
| 50 |  Unity Hub Not on MacPipManagement tool for Unity | Installs, 30 days: 4,829 | Installs, 365 days: 25,917 | Site webHomebrew |
The makers behind this list
The people and teams who build these apps, as they name themselves on GitHub or MacPip. Say thanks, star a repo, or follow them.
- GhosttyGhostty, a team
- Obsidian.mdObsidian, a team
- George NachmaniTerm2
- Serhiy MytrovtsiyStats
- vorssaintVorssaint
- waydabberBetterDisplay
- Godot EngineGodot Engine, a team
- UTMUTM, a team
- OllamaOllama, a team
- Ryan HansonRectangle
- Zed IndustriesZed, a team
- Alex RodionovMaccy
- Hammerspoon TeamHammerspoon, a team
- LocalSendLocalSend, a team
- IINAIINA, a team
- draw.iodraw.io Desktop, a team
- Ping.ggT3 Code, a team
- Ganesh Rathinavel MedayilOpenMTP
- HomebrewHomebrew, a team
- Jason YoungCC Switch
- SwiftBarSwiftBar, a team
- BitwardenBitwarden, a team
- Bruno Software IncBruno, a team
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Obtenir les données
Download this list as CSV or read it as Markdown. Free to use: please cite it as MacPip, "The most popular Mac apps, by real installs", https://macpip.com/rankings/most-popular-mac-apps, read November 8, 2026.
Questions
What is the most popular Mac app right now?
By installs through Homebrew in the 30 days to November 8, 2026, it is LibreOffice, with 56,542 installs. Then Docker Desktop and Microsoft Visual Studio Code.
Where do these numbers come from?
From Homebrew's public analytics. Homebrew counts each install by people who leave its anonymous analytics switched on, and publishes the totals for 30, 90 and 365 days. 2,527,744 cask installs were counted in the last 30 days.
Why is my favorite app missing?
Apps sold only in the Mac App Store are not in Homebrew, so they cannot show up here. Apps installed by downloading them from the maker's site are not counted either. This is one honest slice of Mac use, not all of it.
How often is this list updated?
Every week. MacPip reads Homebrew's numbers again when the copy it has is 7 days old, and the date at the top of the page is the day the numbers were read.