Kitsmith / Guides / Best free Mac apps
The best free Mac apps
104 apps across the catalog are priced free today — not a separate “free tier” pick, just every listing where the price we verified at the source is $0. Grouped below by what they do, with the same price line, maker, and verification date as their full listing.
boring.notch
FreeFree, open-source island with media controls and small utilities — the no-commitment entry point.
Notchy
FreeA free Dynamic Island for the Mac notch.
SuperIsland
FreeLive activities plus a next-meeting countdown with one-tap join for Zoom, Meet, and Teams.
Perch
FreeA dynamic notch island distributed through the Mac App Store.
Pulse
Free during betaGesture-driven widgets around the notch — music, meetings, clipboard, weather, and batteries at a glance.
DynamicNotch
FreeA free, open-source island built on its own engine — live activities, HUDs, and a floating capsule for notchless Macs.
Itchy
FreeA free notch hub with 12 built-in modules and a Swift SDK for building your own.
NotchNest
FreeA free, feature-dense notch hub with on-device AI clipboard, calendar briefings, notes, and a Pomodoro timer.
NotchSpace
FreeAn intentional drag-in workspace at the notch — not a passive clipboard, but a shelf you actively curate.
Amphetamine
FreeA free keep-awake utility — a one-click toggle or automatic Triggers stop your Mac (and optionally its display) from sleeping, with power-user depth most caffeine-style apps skip.
Caffeine
FreeA free, open-source menu bar toggle that stops your Mac from sleeping, dimming, or starting a screen saver — the original 2006 utility, still maintained today.
KeepingYouAwake
FreeA free, open-source keep-awake menu bar toggle with preset durations and an automatic low-battery cutoff, from a solo German developer.
AlDente
Free (Pro: $13.99/yr, $24.99 lifetime, or via Setapp)A free MacBook battery charge-limiter — cap charging between custom bounds — with a Pro upgrade ($13.99/yr, $24.99 lifetime, or via Setapp) adding automatic scheduling and heat protection.
coconutBattery
Free (Plus: $12.95 current-version or $17.95 lifetime, one-time)A free battery-health reader for Mac, iPhone, and iPad — running since 2005 — with an optional one-time Plus upgrade for lifetime analytics and low-battery alerts.
Arc
FreeThe spatial browser that put Spaces, Split View, and a sidebar-first layout ahead of tabs — now in maintenance mode while its maker builds an AI-first successor.
Vivaldi
FreeA deeply customizable Chromium browser from a company that turns down investor money on principle, built by one of the original Opera co-founders.
Zen Browser
FreeA free, open-source Firefox fork focused on Workspaces and a calmer, more compact tab layout.
Google Chrome
FreeGoogle’s own Chromium browser, with Gemini AI built into the address bar and sign-in sync across every device.
Firefox
FreeThe independent, non-profit-backed browser — tracker blocking on by default, no shareholders to answer to, and Mozilla says it never sells personal data.
Ditch
FreeDrag an app to the notch and it cleanly removes it, plus every hidden cache, preference, and leftover file.
AppCleaner
FreeA free, longstanding drag-and-drop app uninstaller from FreeMacSoft — finds and removes the leftover caches and preference files a Trash drag leaves behind.
Pearcleaner
FreeA free, source-available Mac cleanup suite — app uninstall, orphaned-file search, Homebrew management, and more — from Alin Lupascu, currently on hold since late 2025.
GrandPerspective
Free (or $2.99 via Mac App Store — same app)A free, open-source disk-usage visualizer using tree maps — 20+ years running from a single developer — also on the Mac App Store for $2.99.
OnyX
FreeA free, all-in-one Mac maintenance utility — verify system files, clear caches, uninstall apps, and tweak hidden settings — from French developer Titanium Software, since 2003.
OpenEmu
Free, open sourceA free, open-source multi-console emulator for Mac that organizes your ROMs into one unified, box-art library — NES, SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, PS1, and more.
Dolphin
Free, open sourceA free, open-source GameCube and Wii emulator for Mac — with HD upscaling, netplay, and support for standard PC and Bluetooth Wii controllers.
RetroArch
Free, open sourceA free, open-source frontend that runs dozens of individual emulator "cores" — NES through PS2 and beyond — through one unified interface, on Mac and nearly every other platform.
PCSX2
Free, open sourceA free, open-source PlayStation 2 emulator for Mac, with native Apple Silicon support and most of the PS2 library considered playable.
DOSBox-X
Free, open sourceA free, open-source DOS emulator for Mac — a more actively developed, feature-rich fork of the original DOSBox project, for running classic DOS games and software.
Rectangle
FreeFree, open-source window snapping for macOS — keyboard shortcuts and drag-to-edge snap areas, built as a spiritual successor to the discontinued Spectacle app.
AltTab
Free (Pro: $9.99 one-time or $24.99 lifetime)A free, open-source window switcher — live thumbnails, up to 9 custom shortcuts, and trackpad gestures — with an optional $9.99 Pro upgrade for search and extra styles.
Amethyst
FreeA free, open-source tiling window manager for macOS built along the lines of Linux’s xmonad — 16k GitHub stars, and free forever with no paid tier at all.
BetterCmdTab
FreeA free, open-source Cmd+Tab replacement — grid or live-preview switching, fuzzy app search and launch, plus basic window tiling — zero telemetry, from a solo Polish developer.
Hammerspoon
FreeA free, open-source Lua bridge to macOS system APIs — not a dedicated window manager itself, but the deepest way to script your own custom window-tiling behavior.
Simple SVN Server
FreeA free, one-click SVN (Subversion) server for your Mac — no configuration beyond creating a repository and pressing start.
Simple Git Server
FreeA free, one-click Git server for your Mac — create a repository and start the git:// service in under a minute.
Personal Web Server
FreeA free, sandboxed local web server — pick a folder, serve it over HTTP on a port you choose, nothing else on disk is reachable.
NetworkCat
FreeA free TCP/UDP/WebSocket client for testing and debugging your own network programs and devices, from a solo indie portfolio.
Transmission
FreeA free, open-source BitTorrent client built to feel like a native Mac app rather than a cross-platform port.
qBittorrent
FreeA free, open-source torrent client built as an ad-free µTorrent alternative, with a built-in search engine.
Deluge
FreeA free, open-source BitTorrent client with a plugin system and a full web interface.
Motrix
FreeA free, open-source download manager for HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, and magnet links — not a BitTorrent-only client.
FTP Mounter Lite
Free (one drive at a time; the separate full version removes that limit)Mount an FTP, SFTP, or WebDAV server as a local drive in Finder — free, one drive at a time.
FileDrop Lite
Free (one file at a time; the separate full version removes that limit)Send a file to another Mac in one step from Finder’s Share menu — free, one file at a time, over FileDrop, SFTP, or FTP.
Syncthing
FreeFree, open-source, peer-to-peer continuous file sync — no central server, no account, your data stays on your own devices.
Cyberduck
FreeA free, open-source (GPL) file transfer client for FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3, and most major cloud storage providers — from iterate GmbH.
Ghostty
FreeA fast, native terminal emulator built by Mitchell Hashimoto (HashiCorp co-founder) as a personal project — GPU-accelerated, with a shared Zig core so the macOS GUI is written in Swift, not a cross-platform wrapper.
iTerm2
FreeThe long-running free, open-source replacement for macOS’s built-in Terminal — split panes, real search, and deep customization, maintained by one developer since the 2010s.
Tabby
FreeA free, open-source, highly configurable terminal with an integrated SSH client, serial terminal, and plugin system, for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
WezTerm
FreeA free, open-source, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator and multiplexer written in Rust, with built-in remote multiplexing and Lua-based configuration.
Microsoft Copilot
FreeMicrosoft’s free AI chat app for Mac — text and voice chat, AI image generation, and writing help, blending OpenAI and Microsoft’s own models.
FreeChat
FreeA free, open-source, fully offline AI chat app for Mac — runs GGUF models like Llama and Mistral locally, no account or internet connection needed.
Pico: Local AI Chat Server
FreeTurns your Mac into a private, offline AI chat server running open models like Llama, Qwen, and DeepSeek — free, no cloud, no account.
Coding Agents
TrackNotch
FreeReal-time LLM usage and rate-limit tracking across Claude, OpenAI, Cursor, and Codex, right in the notch.
Chimlo
FreeA native activity island for Codex and Claude Code — read questions, approve tool calls, and reopen finished work.
X Island
FreeA free Dynamic Island for AI coding agents — monitor, approve, and jump back into Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or OpenCode.
Ice
FreeFree, open-source menu bar management — the community’s answer to Bartender.
Hidden Bar
FreeA tiny open-source toggle that tucks menu bar icons out of sight.
Dozer
Free, open sourceA free, open-source menu bar icon hider — drag icons behind a Dozer arrow to tuck them out of sight, with an optional second hidden group.
Screensavers & Wallpaper
Aerial
FreeThe Apple TV aerial-video screensaver for Mac, with live wallpaper mode, your own videos, and community expansion packs.
Fliqlo
FreeA minimalist flip-clock screensaver — large white numerals on black, the way airport departure boards used to look.
SaveHollywood
FreePlays your own video files — trailers, WWDC sessions, home movies — as a Mac screensaver.
TopNotch
FreeMakes the notch disappear by blending the menu bar to black — wallpapers, multi-display, done.
LinearMouse
FreeA free, open-source mouse and trackpad utility for Mac — per-app scrolling, pointer-speed, and button-remap profiles that switch automatically by device, app, or display.
Scroll Reverser
FreeA free, open-source Mac utility that reverses scroll direction, with independent settings for trackpads and mice (including Magic Mouse).
UTM
Free (direct download); $9.99 one-time (Mac App Store — identical app, funds development + auto-updates)A free, open-source virtual machine app built specifically for Apple platforms — runs Windows, Linux, and even extra macOS guests, using Apple’s own virtualization framework or QEMU.
Oracle VirtualBox
Free (base app, GPLv3); Extension Pack free for personal/educational use, paid Oracle license required for commercial useA free, open-source virtualization tool backed by Oracle, running natively on Apple Silicon since version 7.1 — the long-running default for anyone who wants a no-cost hypervisor.
Multipass
FreeA command-line tool from Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu) that spins up disposable Ubuntu VMs in seconds — built for developers simulating cloud servers locally, not a general-purpose desktop VM app.
Maccy
FreeA free, open-source clipboard manager that does one job — searchable clipboard history, keyboard-first, with nothing else bolted on.
Clipy
FreeA free, open-source clipboard and snippet manager for Mac — a maintained continuation of the classic ClipMenu, distributed outside the App Store.
f.lux
FreeThe original blue-light filter — free software that warms your screen’s color temperature after sunset and shifts back to daylight in the morning, based on your location.
Shifty
FreeA free, open-source menu bar app that adds power-user controls to macOS Night Shift — per-app and per-website exceptions, custom schedules, and a quick-toggle slider.
Zettlr
Free and open source; supported by donationsA free, open-source Markdown workbench built for academic writing — citation manager integration, Zettelkasten-style note linking, and one-click journal export via Pandoc.
MacDown 3000
Free and open sourceA free, open-source continuation of the discontinued MacDown editor, started by a different maintainer in 2026 — not the original project, but built in its spirit.
RustDesk
Free and open source; optional self-hosted Pro server plans from $11.88/mo billed annuallyFree, open-source remote desktop with 113K+ GitHub stars — self-host your own server, or just use the free public relay.
Windows App
Free (Mac App Store)Microsoft’s own client for Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and remote PCs — free on the Mac App Store, formerly called Microsoft Remote Desktop.
Video Converters
iMovie
FreeApple’s free, built-in video editor — trailers, 4K editing, and green-screen effects, with a straight hand-off into Final Cut Pro when a project outgrows it.
VN: Video Editor
Free — no watermark, no subscription required for core editing, per the developerA free, no-watermark, no-subscription multi-track video editor that grew out of mobile — now on Mac with the same 4K/HDR timeline, auto captions, and beat-synced cuts.
Tunnelblick
FreeA free, open-source OpenVPN client for Mac — no ads or affiliate links, and the developer states it keeps no logs, but you supply your own VPN server or provider config.
WireGuard
FreeThe official Mac client for the WireGuard VPN protocol — simpler and faster than OpenVPN by design, free on the Mac App Store, but you still need your own server or provider config.
More free picks
Each of these is the only free-priced app currently in its own section — still fully verified, just not enough neighbors yet for a section of its own here.
Blender
FreeFree, open-source 3D creation software — modeling, sculpting, animation, VFX, and rendering in one app, owned by its contributors rather than a company.
DBeaver Community Edition
FreeA free, open-source universal database client — one app for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, and more, from DBeaver Corporation.
GnuCash
FreeFree, open-source double-entry accounting software for personal and small-business use, with native Apple Silicon and Intel builds.
Mozilla Thunderbird
Free forever (donation-supported)A free, open-source, donation-funded email client from the Mozilla family — unified inbox, calendar and contacts, and no ads or AI training on your mail.
One Thing
FreePut a single task in your menu bar and keep it in view until it is done.
OpenSuperWhisper
FreeA free, open-source macOS dictation app using Whisper or Parakeet, with global shortcuts and mouse-button triggers.
PhotoScape X
FreeA free all-in-one photo editor, batch processor, and collage/GIF maker from Mooii Tech — editing, cut-out, RAW support, and screen capture in one app.
Stats
FreeFree, open-source system monitor in the menu bar.
Stretchly
FreeOpen-source break reminders — micro-pauses and long breaks, cross-platform.
System Color Picker
FreeA free, no-frills wrapper around macOS’s built-in color picker, from prolific indie developer Sindre Sorhus — palettes, global shortcuts, and Hex/HSL/RGB/OKLCH/LCH/CMYK copy formats.
VLC media player
FreeThe free, open-source media player that plays almost anything — no codec packs, no ads, no tracking, maintained by the VideoLAN project since the 1990s.
ZipMaster
FreeA free, no-ads archive tool — compress and decompress Zip, RAR, 7-Zip, and more, with password support.
Not included: Meeter, priced free but marked discontinued in the catalog — its site and Mac App Store listing are currently down, so it isn't recommended here even though the price would qualify. See every listing, including that one.
Browse all 104 in the full catalog →
Free Mac apps — questions people ask
Is "free" here really free, or a trial wearing a free badge?
Every app on this page carries the same price line as its own listing page — most are free outright, one or two are free during a beta. Whatever it says under the app name is what we verified, not a generic "free" label.
How is this list picked?
It isn’t a separate editorial pick — it’s every app in the Kitsmith catalog currently priced free, pulled straight from the same verified data every other page on this site uses. Nothing is added here that isn’t already a full listing you can click into.