Popular Mac apps that only run on Apple silicon

Most apps still run on both kinds of Mac. A growing number do not: they use the Neural Engine, Apple's on-device AI models or Metal features only Apple silicon has, or the maker simply stopped building for Intel.

This list is handy if you are still on an Intel Mac, or thinking about buying one used. Homebrew marks the apps that need Apple silicon, and we sorted them by installs.

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	Installs, 30 days	Installs, 365 days	Links
1	Vorssaint Not on MacPipMenu bar toolkit with keep-awake, system monitor and volume mixerdoor vorssaint @vorssaintGPL-3.0Swiftv3.4.3, Oct 2026	Installs, 30 days: 11,269	Installs, 365 days: 42,510	GitHubHomebrew
2	RRaycast Not on MacPipControl your tools with a few keystrokesRby Raycast	Installs, 30 days: 7,519	Installs, 365 days: 115,989	WebsiteHomebrew
3	LM Studio Not on MacPipDiscover, download, and run local LLMsEby Element Labs	Installs, 30 days: 6,162	Installs, 365 days: 58,513	WebsiteHomebrew
4	DDeepSeek Harness Not on MacPipPlugin-based AI agent desktop applicationDby DeepSeek	Installs, 30 days: 2,843	Installs, 365 days: 3,555	WebsiteHomebrew
5	GGemini Not on MacPipNative desktop AI assistant from GoogleGby Google	Installs, 30 days: 2,693	Installs, 365 days: 18,278	WebsiteHomebrew
6	HHerdr Not on MacPipDesktop app for terminals and coding agents	Installs, 30 days: 2,172	Installs, 365 days: 2,171	WebsiteHomebrew
7	Dia Not on MacPipWeb browserTby The Browser Company	Installs, 30 days: 1,651	Installs, 365 days: 7,836	WebsiteHomebrew
8	OmniWM Not on MacPipTiling window managerdoor OmniNullGPL-2.0Swiftv0.8.0, Nov 2026	Installs, 30 days: 1,299	Installs, 365 days: 2,133	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
9	KDE Connect Not on MacPipCommunicate with your handheld devicesKby KDE	Installs, 30 days: 1,219	Installs, 365 days: 3,289	WebsiteHomebrew
10	Comfy Desktop Not on MacPipNode-based image, video and audio generatorCby Comfy Org	Installs, 30 days: 1,160	Installs, 365 days: 5,384	WebsiteHomebrew
11	UUnsloth Desktop Not on MacPipDesktop application for Unsloth Studiodoor Unsloth AI @unslothai	Installs, 30 days: 1,014	Installs, 365 days: 1,612	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
12	Highball Not on MacPipTool to run Windows gamesdoor Gauthier Piarrette	Installs, 30 days: 816	Installs, 365 days: 1,203	GitHubHomebrew
13	LM Studio Bionic Not on MacPipAI agent for working with open modelsEby Element Labs	Installs, 30 days: 628	Installs, 365 days: 1,980	WebsiteHomebrew
14	Llama Not on MacPipMenu bar app for running local LLMsdoor ggml @ggml_orgMITSwift0.47.0, Nov 2026	Installs, 30 days: 587	Installs, 365 days: 1,765	GitHubHomebrew
15	WhatCable Not on MacPipMenu bar app for USB-C cable diagnosticsdoor Darryl MorleySwiftSwiftUIv1.5.0, Oct 2026	Installs, 30 days: 528	Installs, 365 days: 5,703	GitHubHomebrew
16	Crest Not on MacPipOpen-source web browserdoor Paul Davis	Installs, 30 days: 510	Installs, 365 days: 510	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
17	PlayCover Not on MacPipSideload iOS apps and gamesdoor PlayCover @playcoverappGPL-3.0Swift3.1.0, Sep 2024	Installs, 30 days: 508	Installs, 365 days: 4,388	GitHubHomebrew
18	Parallels Desktop Not on MacPipDesktop virtualization softwarePby Parallels	Installs, 30 days: 499	Installs, 365 days: 5,568	WebsiteHomebrew
19	EXO Not on MacPipRun AI models locally across multiple devicesEby EXO Labs	Installs, 30 days: 474	Installs, 365 days: 1,990	WebsiteHomebrew
20	VirtualBuddy Not on MacPipVirtualization tooldoor Guilherme Rambo @_insideBSD-2-ClauseSwift2.2.1, Oct 2026	Installs, 30 days: 452	Installs, 365 days: 2,549	GitHubHomebrew
21	Tinycast Not on MacPipApplication launcher and productivity tooldoor Abue Ammar @abue_ammarSwiftv0.12.11, Nov 2026	Installs, 30 days: 443	Installs, 365 days: 443	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
22	OOpenSuperWhisper Not on MacPipWhisper dictation/transcription appdoor StarmelMITSwift0.1.0, Mar 2026	Installs, 30 days: 443	Installs, 365 days: 8,634	GitHubHomebrew
23	ChatGPT Classic Not on MacPipOpenAI's previous ChatGPT desktop appOby OpenAI	Installs, 30 days: 406	Installs, 365 days: 4,288	WebsiteHomebrew
24	Ghostex Not on MacPipWorkspace for running and reviewing multiple CLI coding agentsdoor Mohamad Yahia @maddada	Installs, 30 days: 388	Installs, 365 days: 460	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
25	DDelta Not on MacPipMultiplayer environment for coding with agents	Installs, 30 days: 380	Installs, 365 days: 416	WebsiteHomebrew
26	BBattery Not on MacPipApp for managing battery charging. (Also installs a CLI on first use.)door Mentor Palokaj @ActuallyMentor	Installs, 30 days: 306	Installs, 365 days: 8,261	GitHubHomebrew
27	BBetterCapture Not on MacPipScreen recorderdoor Joshua Sattler @jsattler_MITSwiftv2026.4, Sep 2026	Installs, 30 days: 298	Installs, 365 days: 2,551	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
28	kkimi Not on MacPipAI chat assistant from MoonshotMby Moonshot AI	Installs, 30 days: 290	Installs, 365 days: 1,907	WebsiteHomebrew
29	AirStats Not on MacPipMenu bar system monitordoor byren	Installs, 30 days: 287	Installs, 365 days: 532	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
30	BlueStacks Not on MacPipMobile gaming platformBby BlueStacks	Installs, 30 days: 287	Installs, 365 days: 3,158	WebsiteHomebrew
31	Blender LTS Not on MacPip3D creation suiteBby Blender Foundation	Installs, 30 days: 269	Installs, 365 days: 1,500	WebsiteHomebrew
32	MacParakeet Not on MacPipLocal speech-to-text, transcription, and meeting recordingdoor Daniel Moon	Installs, 30 days: 262	Installs, 365 days: 1,416	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
33	Osaurus Not on MacPipLLM server built on MLXdoor Osaurus @OsaurusAIMITSwift0.25.32, Nov 2026	Installs, 30 days: 233	Installs, 365 days: 6,327	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
34	Mirai Not on MacPipInference engine for AI modelsdoor Mirai Labs @trymirai	Installs, 30 days: 216	Installs, 365 days: 341	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
35	Meetily Not on MacPipMeeting transcription and analysis applicationdoor Zackriya Solutions	Installs, 30 days: 206	Installs, 365 days: 1,069	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
36	Muesli Not on MacPipLocal-first dictation and meeting transcriptiondoor Muesli	Installs, 30 days: 196	Installs, 365 days: 873	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
37	Headroom Not on MacPipReduce token usage for Claude Code and Codexdoor gglucass	Installs, 30 days: 195	Installs, 365 days: 760	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
38	Vicinae Not on MacPipApplication launcher and command palettedoor Vicinae HQ	Installs, 30 days: 190	Installs, 365 days: 670	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
39	GameHub Not on MacPipCompatibility layer for running Windows and Steam games	Installs, 30 days: 183	Installs, 365 days: 651	WebsiteHomebrew
40	Claudoscope Not on MacPipMenu bar dashboard for Claude Code sessionsdoor Liran Baba	Installs, 30 days: 179	Installs, 365 days: 179	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
41	Paper Not on MacPipDesign tool for creating interfaces and prototypesPby Paper	Installs, 30 days: 178	Installs, 365 days: 716	WebsiteHomebrew
42	bb Not on MacPipIDE for running and orchestrating coding agentsdoor get-bb	Installs, 30 days: 177	Installs, 365 days: 426	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
43	Pulse Not on MacPipSystem activity monitor for CPU, memory, GPU, disk and networkdoor EGOIST @localhost_5173	Installs, 30 days: 170	Installs, 365 days: 170	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
44	WWriter Not on MacPipLocal-first Markdown editordoor Joel @joelbqz	Installs, 30 days: 166	Installs, 365 days: 185	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
45	Biscotti Not on MacPipPrivate meeting transcriptiondoor Steve Cosman @scosman	Installs, 30 days: 160	Installs, 365 days: 160	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
46	MMumu Player Pro Not on MacPipAndroid emulatorNby NetEase	Installs, 30 days: 158	Installs, 365 days: 1,412	WebsiteHomebrew
47	RReolink Client Not on MacPipClient for viewing and managing security cameras and NVRsRby Reolink	Installs, 30 days: 109	Installs, 365 days: 176	WebsiteHomebrew
48	NNativ Not on MacPipRun AI models locallydoor Neywa Labs @Neywalabs	Installs, 30 days: 102	Installs, 365 days: 322	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
49	SiliconScope Not on MacPipSystem monitor for Apple Silicon with ANE, Media Engine and bandwidth trackingdoor Kennt YS Kim	Installs, 30 days: 102	Installs, 365 days: 736	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew
50	TThinkRail Not on MacPipAgentic development environmentdoor JetBrains @jetbrains	Installs, 30 days: 101	Installs, 365 days: 101	WebsiteGitHubHomebrew

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.

• vorssaintVorssaint
• OmniNullOmniWM, a team
• Unsloth AIUnsloth Desktop, a team
• Gauthier PiarretteHighball
• ggmlLlama, a team
• Darryl MorleyWhatCable
• Paul DavisCrest
• PlayCoverPlayCover, a team
• Guilherme RamboVirtualBuddy
• Abue AmmarTinycast
• StarmelOpenSuperWhisper
• Mohamad YahiaGhostex
• Mentor PalokajBattery
• Joshua SattlerBetterCapture
• byrenAirStats
• Daniel MoonMacParakeet
• OsaurusOsaurus, a team
• Mirai LabsMirai, a team
• Zackriya SolutionsMeetily, a team
• MuesliMuesli, a team
• gglucassHeadroom
• Vicinae HQVicinae, a team
• Liran BabaClaudoscope
• get-bbbb, a team
• EGOISTPulse
• JoelWriter
• Steve CosmanBiscotti
• Neywa LabsNativ, a team
• Kennt YS KimSiliconScope
• JetBrainsThinkRail, a team

On MacPip, too

Mac apps listed on MacPip that fit this list, each with its own page.

• CuewakeLeave it here. Find it when you’re back.
• LingerSave what moves you. Recall it in your own words.
• NotchMuseSynced lyrics in your Mac menu bar and beside the notch
• uRSS 2.0Fast, private RSS reader and Podcast app for mobile devices

Related lists

• Popular Mac apps that still need Rosetta
• The most popular AI apps for Mac
• Apple silicon native Mac apps
• The most popular Mac apps, by real installs
• All Mac app rankings

Haal de gegevens op

Download this list as CSV or read it as Markdown. Free to use: please cite it as MacPip, "Popular Mac apps that only run on Apple silicon", https://macpip.com/rankings/apple-silicon-only-mac-apps, read November 8, 2026.

Vragen