# The most starred open source Mac apps on GitHub

> Stars are GitHub's way of saying "I like this". Here are the open source Mac apps with the most of them, picked one by one so only real Mac apps made it in. Updated November 8, 2026. Page: https://macpip.com/rankings/most-starred-open-source-mac-apps

Search GitHub for "macOS" and the top results are lists, frameworks and the Swift language itself. Lovely, but you can't double-click any of them. So we went through the repos by hand and kept only apps: things you download, open and use on a Mac.

Every app here has its source code on GitHub under an open source license, was pushed to in the last 12 months and is made for the Mac first. Big cross-platform apps like VS Code or VLC are left out, since they would top every list and tell you nothing new.

## How this ranking works

- Source: GitHub's public repository data (stars, language, last push).
- Read on: November 8, 2026. Updated every week.
- Included: Mac apps picked by hand: downloadable, source on GitHub, made for the Mac first. Libraries, lists, command line tools, iPhone apps and "source available" apps are left out. Archived repos and repos without a push in 12 months drop out by themselves.

## The list

| # | App | GitHub stars | Last push | Maker | On MacPip | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghostty: A fast terminal with a real native Mac app. Also on Linux. | 63,889 | 2026-11-08 | Ghostty | No | https://github.com/ghostty-org/ghostty |
| 2 | IINA: The video player most Mac people switch to and keep. | 47,058 | 2026-11-08 | IINA | No | https://github.com/iina/iina |
| 3 | Stats: CPU, memory, network and battery in your menu bar. | 43,234 | 2026-11-08 | Serhiy Mytrovtsiy | No | https://github.com/exelban/stats |
| 4 | UTM: Run Windows, Linux or another macOS in a window. | 36,784 | 2026-11-07 | UTM | No | https://github.com/utmapp/UTM |
| 5 | MonitorControl: Brightness and volume keys for external displays. | 34,670 | 2026-10-14 | MonitorControl | No | https://github.com/MonitorControl/MonitorControl |
| 6 | Vorssaint: A big toolbox of small menu bar helpers in one app. | 33,654 | 2026-11-05 | vorssaint | No | https://github.com/vorssaint/vorssaint-utils |
| 7 | Rectangle: Snap windows with shortcuts. Small, free, does one job well. | 30,258 | 2026-11-06 | Ryan Hanson | No | https://github.com/rxhanson/Rectangle |
| 8 | Ice: Hides and sorts a crowded menu bar. | 29,989 | 2026-10-06 | Jordan Baird | No | https://github.com/jordanbaird/Ice |
| 9 | cmux: A Ghostty-based terminal with vertical tabs, made for coding agents. | 28,747 | 2026-11-08 | manaflow-ai | No | https://github.com/manaflow-ai/cmux |
| 10 | AeroSpace: A tiling window manager in the style of i3, set up with one text file. | 23,770 | 2026-11-06 | Nikita Bobko | No | https://github.com/nikitabobko/AeroSpace |
| 11 | CodeEdit: A code editor built the Mac way. Still early, moving fast. | 23,102 | 2026-10-17 | CodeEdit | No | https://github.com/CodeEditApp/CodeEdit |
| 12 | Karabiner-Elements: Remap any key on any keyboard. The classic. | 23,074 | 2026-11-08 | pqrs-org | No | https://github.com/pqrs-org/Karabiner-Elements |
| 13 | CodexBar: Shows your Codex and Claude Code usage in the menu bar. | 23,061 | 2026-11-08 | Peter Steinberger | No | https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar |
| 14 | Maccy: A light clipboard history you open with one shortcut. | 22,245 | 2026-10-26 | Alex Rodionov | No | https://github.com/p0deje/Maccy |
| 15 | Mos: Smooth scrolling for a regular mouse, and its own scroll direction. | 21,852 | 2026-10-25 | Caldis_Chen | No | https://github.com/Caldis/Mos |
| 16 | Aerial: The Apple TV aerial videos as your screen saver. | 21,242 | 2026-05-16 | John Coates | No | https://github.com/JohnCoates/Aerial |
| 17 | Background Music: Volume per app, and it pauses your music when something else plays. | 19,379 | 2026-06-10 | Kyle Neideck | No | https://github.com/kyleneideck/BackgroundMusic |
| 18 | Compositor: A layered image editor that wants to be the Photoshop of open source. | 18,537 | 2026-11-08 | Robbie | No | https://github.com/robbietilton/Compositor |
| 19 | iTerm2: The terminal many Mac developers have used for years. | 18,265 | 2026-11-08 | George Nachman | No | https://github.com/gnachman/iTerm2 |
| 20 | AltTab: Windows-style alt-tab with window previews. | 16,503 | 2026-11-04 | lwouis | No | https://github.com/lwouis/alt-tab-macos |
| 21 | Hammerspoon: Automate almost anything on your Mac with small Lua scripts. | 16,393 | 2026-07-08 | Hammerspoon Team | No | https://github.com/Hammerspoon/hammerspoon |
| 22 | Amethyst: Automatic tiling windows, with no config file needed. | 16,318 | 2026-11-06 | Ian Ynda-Hummel | No | https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst |
| 23 | Hidden Bar: Tucks menu bar icons away behind one arrow. | 15,360 | 2026-10-31 | Dwarves Foundation | No | https://github.com/dwarvesf/hidden |
| 24 | Easydict: Dictionary and translation, with offline text recognition. | 15,248 | 2026-11-08 | tisfeng | No | https://github.com/tisfeng/Easydict |
| 25 | KeyCastr: Shows the keys you press, for screencasts and demos. | 15,200 | 2026-09-07 | KeyCastr | No | https://github.com/keycastr/keycastr |
| 26 | Palmier Pro: A video editor built around AI tools. | 14,702 | 2026-11-02 | Palmier | No | https://github.com/palmier-io/palmier-pro |
| 27 | LuLu: A free firewall that asks before apps call out. | 13,528 | 2026-11-02 | Objective-See Foundation | No | https://github.com/objective-see/LuLu |
| 28 | FluidVoice: Dictation that runs on your Mac, not in the cloud. | 12,909 | 2026-11-08 | ALTIC | No | https://github.com/altic-dev/FluidVoice |
| 29 | Thaw: A newer open source menu bar manager. | 12,622 | 2026-11-08 | thaw-app | No | https://github.com/thaw-app/Thaw |
| 30 | GitUp: A fast, visual Git client with an editable history graph. | 12,159 | 2026-10-08 | GitUp | No | https://github.com/git-up/GitUp |
| 31 | PlayCover: Runs iPhone and iPad apps on Apple silicon Macs. | 12,109 | 2026-10-22 | PlayCover | No | https://github.com/PlayCover/PlayCover |
| 32 | Loop: Window management with a radial menu. Pretty and quick. | 11,945 | 2026-10-18 | Kai | No | https://github.com/mrkai77/Loop |
| 33 | Boring Notch: Turns the notch into a music and file shelf. | 11,316 | 2026-11-08 | The Boring Team | No | https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch |
| 34 | Mac Mouse Fix: Makes a cheap mouse feel like a trackpad. Free version is older. | 11,223 | 2026-11-08 | Noah Nuebling | No | https://github.com/noah-nuebling/mac-mouse-fix |
| 35 | NetNewsWire: A fast, free RSS reader from people who love the Mac. | 10,513 | 2026-11-08 | Ranchero Software | No | https://github.com/Ranchero-Software/NetNewsWire |
| 36 | FineTune: Volume per app and multi-output audio from the menu bar. | 10,076 | 2026-07-09 | Ronit Singh | No | https://github.com/ronitsingh10/FineTune |
| 37 | ImageOptim: Drop images in, smaller files come out. | 10,032 | 2026-07-13 | ImageOptim | No | https://github.com/ImageOptim/ImageOptim |
| 38 | Tinycast: A light launcher for everyday tasks. | 9,292 | 2026-11-08 | Abue Ammar | No | https://github.com/abue-ammar/tinycast |
| 39 | Secretive: Keeps your SSH keys in the Secure Enclave. | 9,257 | 2026-10-18 | Max Goedjen | No | https://github.com/maxgoedjen/secretive |
| 40 | WhatCable: Tells you in plain English what each USB-C cable can do. | 9,095 | 2026-10-13 | Darryl Morley | No | https://github.com/darrylmorley/whatcable |
| 41 | Sloth: Shows every open file, socket and pipe, app by app. | 8,991 | 2026-10-15 | Sveinbjorn Thordarson | No | https://github.com/sveinbjornt/Sloth |
| 42 | Clipy: A clipboard history with snippets. | 8,964 | 2026-11-08 | Clipy Project | No | https://github.com/Clipy/Clipy |
| 43 | VirtualBuddy: Virtual Macs on Apple silicon, simple to set up. | 8,938 | 2026-11-04 | Guilherme Rambo | No | https://github.com/insidegui/VirtualBuddy |
| 44 | MiaoYan: A light Markdown notebook. | 8,751 | 2026-11-08 | Tw93 | No | https://github.com/tw93/MiaoYan |
| 45 | WWDC: Watch Apple's developer videos in a proper app. | 8,749 | 2026-06-17 | Guilherme Rambo | No | https://github.com/insidegui/WWDC |
| 46 | CotEditor: A plain text editor that opens instantly. | 8,677 | 2026-11-08 | CotEditor Project | No | https://github.com/coteditor/CotEditor |
| 47 | Xcodes: Install and switch between Xcode versions. | 8,641 | 2026-10-13 | XcodesOrg | No | https://github.com/XcodesOrg/XcodesApp |
| 48 | Gifski: Turns videos into good looking GIFs. | 8,598 | 2026-09-11 | Sindre Sorhus | No | https://github.com/sindresorhus/Gifski |
| 49 | Osaurus: Run local AI models and agents in one native app. | 8,148 | 2026-11-08 | Osaurus | No | https://github.com/osaurus-ai/osaurus |
| 50 | Mochi Diffusion: Makes images with Stable Diffusion on your own Mac. | 7,977 | 2026-11-08 | Mochi Diffusion | No | https://github.com/MochiDiffusion/MochiDiffusion |
| 51 | DeskPad: A virtual display, handy for sharing just one screen. | 7,926 | 2026-02-28 | Bastian Andelefski | No | https://github.com/Stengo/DeskPad |
| 52 | MacVim: Vim, with a Mac window around it. | 7,891 | 2026-11-01 | MacVim | No | https://github.com/macvim-dev/macvim |
| 53 | Postgres.app: A full PostgreSQL server you start from the menu bar. | 7,787 | 2026-11-05 | Postgres.app | No | https://github.com/PostgresApp/PostgresApp |
| 54 | PureMac: A free cleaner with no tracking. | 7,693 | 2026-11-08 | Moamen Basel | No | https://github.com/momenbasel/PureMac |
| 55 | Keka: Opens and makes zip, 7z, rar and more. | 7,633 | 2026-10-19 | aONe | No | https://github.com/aonez/Keka |
| 56 | FSNotes: Markdown notes kept as plain files. | 7,568 | 2026-11-08 | Oleksandr H. | No | https://github.com/glushchenko/fsnotes |
| 57 | Sequel Ace: MySQL and MariaDB, the friendly way. | 7,561 | 2026-11-02 | Sequel-Ace | No | https://github.com/Sequel-Ace/Sequel-Ace |
| 58 | Dayflow: Writes a timeline of your day from your screen, privately. | 7,401 | 2026-11-03 | Jerry Liu | No | https://github.com/JerryZLiu/Dayflow |
| 59 | LinearMouse: Mouse and trackpad settings Apple left out. | 7,142 | 2026-11-06 | LinearMouse | No | https://github.com/linearmouse/linearmouse |
| 60 | Applite: A friendly app store for Homebrew apps. | 7,128 | 2026-09-12 | Milán Várady | No | https://github.com/milanvarady/Applite |
| 61 | VoiceInk: Voice to text on your Mac, private and quick. | 7,051 | 2026-11-07 | Prakash Joshi Pax | No | https://github.com/Beingpax/VoiceInk |
| 62 | OpenInTerminal: Opens the current Finder folder in Terminal or your editor. | 7,048 | 2026-10-25 | Jianing Wang | No | https://github.com/Ji4n1ng/OpenInTerminal |
| 63 | KeepingYouAwake: Keeps your Mac awake with one click. | 7,040 | 2026-08-15 | Marcel Dierkes | No | https://github.com/newmarcel/KeepingYouAwake |
| 64 | VimR: A Neovim app for the Mac. | 7,015 | 2026-10-10 | Tae Won Ha | No | https://github.com/qvacua/vimr |
| 65 | MacPass: A native KeePass password manager. | 6,900 | 2026-10-29 | MacPass | No | https://github.com/MacPass/MacPass |
| 66 | eqMac: A system-wide equalizer. | 6,829 | 2026-09-19 | Bitgapp | No | https://github.com/bitgapp/eqMac |
| 67 | DockDoor: Window previews when you hover the Dock. | 6,537 | 2026-11-08 | ejbills | No | https://github.com/ejbills/DockDoor |
| 68 | NearDrop: Receives files from Android phones with Quick Share. | 6,343 | 2026-09-19 | Gregory K | No | https://github.com/grishka/NearDrop |
| 69 | OnlySwitch: Lots of quick toggles in one menu bar menu. | 6,044 | 2026-11-08 | Bo Liu | No | https://github.com/jacklandrin/OnlySwitch |
| 70 | MarkEdit: Like TextEdit, but for Markdown. | 5,954 | 2026-11-04 | MarkEdit.app | No | https://github.com/MarkEdit-app/MarkEdit |
| 71 | Lunar: Smart brightness for external monitors. | 5,735 | 2026-10-25 | Alin Panaitiu | No | https://github.com/alin23/Lunar |
| 72 | MeetingBar: Your next meeting and its join link in the menu bar. | 5,398 | 2026-11-04 | Andrii Leitsius | No | https://github.com/leits/MeetingBar |
| 73 | Finicky: Picks which browser opens each link. | 5,258 | 2026-10-28 | John Sterling | No | https://github.com/johnste/finicky |
| 74 | LyricsX: Lyrics for whatever song is playing. | 5,253 | 2026-07-22 | ddddxxx | No | https://github.com/ddddxxx/LyricsX |
| 75 | Atoll: A Dynamic Island for the notch. | 5,227 | 2026-11-08 | Hariharan Mudaliar | No | https://github.com/Ebullioscopic/Atoll |
| 76 | SwiftBar: Put the output of any script in your menu bar. | 4,761 | 2026-11-08 | SwiftBar | No | https://github.com/swiftbar/SwiftBar |
| 77 | OpenUsage: Tracks what your AI subscriptions are using. | 4,569 | 2026-11-08 | Robin Ebers | No | https://github.com/robinebers/openusage |
| 78 | Syntax Highlight: Quick Look previews with colors for code files. | 4,344 | 2026-09-16 | sbarex | No | https://github.com/sbarex/SourceCodeSyntaxHighlight |
| 79 | Textream: A free teleprompter. | 4,255 | 2026-09-06 | Fatih Kadir Akın | No | https://github.com/f/textream |
| 80 | UnnaturalScrollWheels: Flips the mouse wheel, leaves the trackpad alone. | 4,242 | 2026-08-03 | Theron Tjapkes | No | https://github.com/ther0n/UnnaturalScrollWheels |
| 81 | macshot: Screenshots and recordings with notes and arrows. | 4,074 | 2026-11-01 | sw33tLie | No | https://github.com/sw33tLie/macshot |
| 82 | Syncthing: Syncs folders between your devices, no cloud. | 4,010 | 2026-10-22 | The Syncthing Project | No | https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-macos |
| 83 | Reminders MenuBar: Your Reminders in the menu bar. | 4,009 | 2026-11-04 | Rafael Damasceno | No | https://github.com/DamascenoRafael/reminders-menubar |
| 84 | QLMarkdown: Quick Look previews for Markdown files. | 3,745 | 2026-10-04 | sbarex | No | https://github.com/sbarex/QLMarkdown |
| 85 | uPic: Uploads pictures and files and copies the link. | 3,725 | 2026-06-12 | Svend | No | https://github.com/gee1k/uPic |
| 86 | QuickLook Video: Finder thumbnails and previews for more video formats. | 3,639 | 2026-11-06 | Jonathan Harris | No | https://github.com/Marginal/QuickLookVideo |
| 87 | OmniWM: A tiling window manager for Apple silicon Macs. | 3,574 | 2026-11-08 | OmniNull | No | https://github.com/OmniNull/OmniWM |
| 88 | FlashSpace: Fast virtual workspaces, without Mission Control. | 3,555 | 2026-10-26 | Wojciech Kulik | No | https://github.com/wojciech-kulik/FlashSpace |
| 89 | Snapzy: Screenshots and screen recording, open source. | 3,542 | 2026-11-08 | Trong Duong | No | https://github.com/duongductrong/Snapzy |
| 90 | macUSB: Makes bootable USB installers. | 3,410 | 2026-11-03 | Krystian Pierz | No | https://github.com/Kruszoneq/macUSB |
| 91 | wBlock: A free ad blocker for Safari. | 3,210 | 2026-11-08 | Alexander Skula | No | https://github.com/0xCUB3/wBlock |
| 92 | Sol: A launcher and command palette. | 3,203 | 2026-11-01 | Oscar Franco | No | https://github.com/ospfranco/sol |
| 93 | OpenSuperWhisper: Dictation with Whisper models on your Mac. | 3,134 | 2026-11-03 | Starmel | No | https://github.com/Starmel/OpenSuperWhisper |
| 94 | MenuMeters: The old favorite for CPU and network graphs in the menu bar. | 3,088 | 2026-10-28 | yujitach | No | https://github.com/yujitach/MenuMeters |
| 95 | Quicksilver: The launcher that started it all, still going. | 2,943 | 2026-10-30 | Quicksilver for macOS | No | https://github.com/quicksilver/Quicksilver |
| 96 | Homebrew app: Homebrew's own Mac app. | 2,817 | 2026-11-06 | Homebrew | No | https://github.com/Homebrew/BrewUI |
| 97 | Flycut: A simple clipboard manager for developers. | 2,700 | 2026-08-07 | Gennadii Potapov | No | https://github.com/TermiT/Flycut |
| 98 | Pika: A color picker that checks contrast too. | 2,614 | 2026-11-08 | @superhighfives | https://macpip.com/apps/super-high-fives | https://github.com/superhighfives/pika |
| 99 | Kaset: A YouTube Music app for the Mac. | 2,527 | 2026-10-31 | Sertaç Özercan | No | https://github.com/sozercan/kaset |
| 100 | BetterShot: Screenshots, recordings and a small video editor. | 2,439 | 2026-10-24 | Kartik Labhshetwar | No | https://github.com/KartikLabhshetwar/better-shot |

## Questions

### What is the most starred open source Mac app?
Ghostty, with 63,889 stars on GitHub on November 8, 2026. Next are IINA (47,058) and Stats (43,234).

### How many open source Mac apps are on this list?
132 apps are on our list today. The page shows the top 100, and the CSV has all of them.

### Are open source Mac apps safe?
Open code means anyone can read what an app does, which helps. It is not a promise. Download from the project's own GitHub releases or Homebrew, and check that macOS recognizes the developer when you first open it.

### Why are VS Code, VLC or OBS not here?
They are open source and run on a Mac, but they are made for every platform at once. This list is for apps made for the Mac first, so it shows you things you might not know yet.