Alternative to CleanMyMac

I want an app that is free/open source which is an alternative to cleanmymac. doesnt matter the ui but should show what things are taking up the storage and have inbuilt cleaning option. Please suggest me apps for the same.

https://redd.it/1ptk0h3
@macappsbackup

How Many Apps Do You Think You Average Using Every Day?

The Apps I used on 2025-12-23

For the avid app collector there are a few tools available to help catalog and curate the assortment of programs that accumulate over time. You can use Apple's built in system report to get comprehensive information but it's rather dense and not illustrated. You can use an app like Apparency, but then you are limited to a single app at the time. My Applications, available in the app store for 99 cents, serves as both a database and a launcher for your computer.

One feature I love is a snapshot of my app usage for the past 24 hours. There is a screenshot of today's total posted above. Typically, for me it averages around 85 or so, depending on what I am working on. When I write app reviews, I try to mention alternatives, which leads to me opening a half dozen browsers or terminal emulators at a time to look at their features. I am also not shy about running a lot of startup items, so that's always going to jack up my daily total by 30 or so apps.

The My Applications general interface includes a count of the number of apps you have installed, 653 in my case. It breaks the apps down into publishers, for example I have 98 apps from Apple itself and 16 from the wonderful developer Sindre Sorhus. Apparently, many apps don't provide publisher information because I have a lot that are not listed. It also breaks the apps into categories such as utilities, productivity, developer tools, graphics and design etc. The categories, while helpful, are a little too broad for my taste, for example I have 227 labeled as utilities and it seems that could have been further narrowed into categories like disk utilities, archive utilities, etc.

The app interface lets you choose sorting by name or last launched. That can be helpful in determining what might be ready to remove. It tells you how many apps you currently have running and how may you have launched in the past day. If you click on individual apps, you have the option to launch them or to get more information regarding size on disk, location, language localizations, download date and date of last update. A complete permissions report is included. The package contents are listed as is a complete denoscription, apparently from the App store or developer's web site if provided. There are even screen shots provided.

https://redd.it/1ptzfst
@macappsbackup

Parall - The Parallel App Launcher for macOS delivers new menu bar and Dock features to any app

Parall is a macOS utility that lets you run multiple instances of the same app side by side. For compatible apps, Parall can also separate their data, so each instance can be used with a different account or a different environment, without logging in and out.

Parall is the first macOS app of its kind focused on true multi-instance launching through a fully native shortcut design. It is also my second first of its kind macOS app after DockLock Lite.

https://preview.redd.it/lwc9ulwspz8g1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=501d9df8987e9c4ace045b49a9c1d9afc1fc23fa

Recent updates go beyond the original multi-instance goal and add new features!

# Menu bar icon for any app via a Parall shortcut

You can enable a menu bar icon for a shortcut, so while the target app is running you get a tray-style menu entry to access or control it quickly. This is especially useful if you hide the Dock completely and still want fast access to your running apps from the menu bar.

How is the different Parall tray icon feature vs Badgeify app? Badgeify is a menu bar layer that runs in the background and mirrors app state and badges into the menu bar. Parall is different by design: the menu bar icon is part of the shortcut instance and exists only while that shortcut is running. It is intended to behave like something the target app developer would implement. It is also minimal code with effectively zero CPU and minimal RAM usage while idle, which keeps the surface for bugs very small.

# Full screen Window controls for Chrome-based browsers

For supported Chrome-based browsers, the shortcut menu bar icon can provide quick actions like opening new/private windows. This is useful when you run multiple browser instances and want fast per-instance controls.

https://preview.redd.it/3bjp63gvpz8g1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=607357107d4e2a012814fe3cb845543816f83024

# Per-shortcut full-screen menu bar visibility control for Chrome-based browsers

If you prefer the menu bar always visible in full screen for work, you might notice it stays visible even while YouTube or Netflix plays full-screen video, which is not what you want for watching movies. With Parall you can set a per-shortcut override to auto-hide the menu bar in full screen. For example: keep one Chrome shortcut configured to keep the menu bar visible for work, and another Chrome shortcut configured to hide it for distraction-free full-screen video.

https://preview.redd.it/usfm7d7xpz8g1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=a50bb757e0836716b71973084fce0c81a40b152e

# Draw text labels on top of Dock icons

You can draw a text label directly on the Dock icon, so icons can say what they are for, like "Work", "Personal", "School", "Client A", "Prod". This makes multiple instances easy to identify at a glance.

https://preview.redd.it/7xfqz5sypz8g1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=deb194dd74564271b5d426ec936ffedc2d060cb5

# Automatically erase app data when the shortcut closes

Parall can optionally erase a shortcut's redirected data storage when the shortcut quits. This is designed for educational use: start the app, experiment, quit, relaunch, and get a clean fresh state every time without manual cleanup.

# Advanced Dock icon visibility override

There is an advanced option to override Dock icon visibility by toggling an Info.plist flag in the shortcut. This can help if an app is stuck in the Dock but you prefer using only the menu bar icon for access. In that setup, you can hide the Dock icon for that shortcut while keeping the app reachable from the menu bar. Expect that feature to not work with every app.

# Example usage beyond multi-instance mode

Even if you do not need multiple instances or a menu bar icon, you can use Parall to customize your Dock. Replace any pinned app with a Parall shortcut that launches the same target app, but with a custom icon or a drawn text label, so your Dock can visually match

your workflow or background image.

This lets you style your existing macOS Dock directly, without any third-party Dock replacements, overlays, or visual hacks.

# Compatibility

Not every app supports multiple simultaneous instances or data separation. For the current compatibility list, visit parall.app/compatibility
Parall is written in Objective-C and supports macOS 10.10 or newer.

# Safety note

Parall never modifies macOS system files or the target apps you launch. It creates separate shortcut app bundles that launch your existing apps, so customization stays risk-free and reversible.

# Feedback request

If you want, leave a comment with the apps you care about and how you want to use them. If possible, I will test and report back how they behave with Parall, and if there is a feasible way to improve compatibility, I will look into it.

Find Parall on the Mac App Store, or visit parall.app for more information.

https://redd.it/1pu01q0
@macappsbackup

Replacement for GIMP for Tahoe 26.2?

I used to use and enjoy Gimp for my modest image manipulation needs but ever since I updated to Tahoe, it doesn't work properly on my macbook.

Is there an affordable (or better yet, free) alternative, easy to use, image editing app that I can use instead?

my setup: M3 Max 16 inch MacBook Pro with macOS 26.2, 48GB RAM, 1 TB SSD



https://redd.it/1pu45w0
@macappsbackup

Bought a dictionary App (Ultralingua), but could not open it because "Apple could not verify it is free of malware"

Hi,

I used to use the Ultralingua dictionary app in an older MacBook. Recently, I upgraded to MBP M5, and the older version of the app is not compatible any more.

So I paid for the new version. However, I could not even open it because of the warning message from Apple. Now, I know there is a way to bypass it, but I am not sure if that'd be a good idea. I wrote to their support two days ago and asked if they could send me a version of the dictionary app without this problem. So far, no response.

While the company is legit and still in business, I suspect it is in decline, as their last social media post was in 2018.

What do you guys suggest? What is the warning message about, and is it worth the risk to bypass it?

Thanks.

https://redd.it/1pu4sce
@macappsbackup

I got tired of reading those posts where people say they got tired of searching for an app to do x so they built their own. So I wrote my own post to reflect this.

Can I get an amen???

https://redd.it/1pu921g
@macappsbackup

Compression Programs - which is the best?

I remember my first zip program ever was WinZip. It was king of the jungle back in the day. Then WinRar came up. A new competitor.

Fast forward to today. There is a mind boggling number of compression programs.

Some people swear by Keka. It got me looking to see what is exactly unique about every program and what am I looking todo.

1) The most important thing for me is quickview/preview in bloom and finder.
2) Opens many different formats.
3) Has a nice interface

Those are top 3. I always uncompress and rarely compress.

So based on what I can see, better zip has the most quickview abilities and is very feature rich, edit items in the zip.

Peazip has over 200+ supported formats, which is great for some people.

Finally, one thing I have no given much thought about is mobile experiece. Keka appears to have a well rated mobile app.

I’d like feedback on what makes you chose the compression program you picked, was it well thought out, from a recommendation on here?





https://redd.it/1pud99f
@macappsbackup

Looking for app ideas

Hey folks, I’m bedrotting for the weekend. Hence, i’m looking for ideas that potentially solve a huge gap/problem for you, something you’d willingly pay for.

Any ap ideas, that you potentially would have a native desktop app, or a minimised tray app for.

https://redd.it/1puei4i
@macappsbackup

Is free lifetime access for honest feedback worth it? (Not promoting)

I need 1 advice.

I built a tool & I want honest feedback on UX, bugs and overall use.

Instead of asking for free feedback, I am thinking of giving free lifetime access in return.

.

My question is:
Does this actually work? Did you tried something like this?

Will people still give honest feedback or will most people just take access and stay quiet?

I am not promoting the tool here, I am trying to decide if this is a good way to collect real feedback or a bad ide.

If you have tried something like this please I would love to hear what happened.

Thanks in advance 🙌

https://redd.it/1pukwiu
@macappsbackup

Pages keeps misnumbering pages. Does anyone know of a more elegant workaround?

I was recently forced to move from the 09 version of Pages due to my old computer finally giving up the ghost. Since then I have been struggling with a number of missing features (no advanced search/replace, and limited options for headers and footers), but the one that is currently driving me crazy has to do with the fact that when I insert a section break and instruct the program to start in the next right side page, leaving a blank page in between it ignores that page in the page count, which leaves me with an even page on the right side (which is not how printed texts are supposed to work). To address it I keep adding blank sections in between. This brings the page numbers back to where they should to be, but it is a pain, and in some instances it messes with the headers and footers of the next section. Is there a more elegant workaround?

(crossposted to r/pages)

https://redd.it/1pulw6g
@macappsbackup

Quick Exposé is now FREE. Activate App Expose by simply hovering over Dock
https://noteifyapp.com/quick-expose/

https://redd.it/1pun6by
@macappsbackup

Hammerspoon 1.1.0 Released and a discussion about the future
https://github.com/Hammerspoon/hammerspoon/releases/tag/1.1.0

https://redd.it/1puo0w5
@macappsbackup

Sandwich Proxy - A developer friendly, free burp-like proxy

Hey folks, I made a local proxy app for Mac - Sandwich Proxy (website). It is a proxy that can export requests as curl and detect secrets, pretty similar to Burp and to chrome developer tools but it can sit between requests and do MITM TLS intercept.


Burp is great but too expensive for my limited usage. Wireshark and macros are too complex.

I've built sandwich to help me on red team exploration for apps and at my own development cycle and as part of my journey to learn Swift and SwiftNIO.


The security alerts feature is inspired on another project of mine, https://github.com/gleicon/mcp-osv which is a plugin to assist teams using Ai Copilots to have their repo checked by vulnerabilities and credentials at development time.

Sandwich is geared at production and deployed apps but can serve a similar purpose.

https://redd.it/1pupct2
@macappsbackup

"Adopting" apps into Homebrew - Is it worth doing?

I use a lot of mac apps and very often after I install a new one via a .dmg file or something like that, Cork and Updatest prompt me to adopt them with homebrew.

What's the point of doing that? Is there still any good reason to do it. Updating tools like Updatest have become "agnostic" about how you installed your apps, in most cases, it seems like.

For context, my setup: M3 Max 16 inch MacBook Pro with macOS 26.2

https://redd.it/1puqk3z
@macappsbackup

QSpace Pro Users - Are You Blocking Access To Their Servers in China?

I use QSpace Pro ("QSP") and I also use Little Snitch.

Being a bit obsessive about security, I normally block QSP from accessing QSP's servers in China but it's a wee bit of a nuisance because I have to temporarily unblock that in order to check for updates.

How do other QSP users handle this?

https://redd.it/1puqvzx
@macappsbackup

Need tips to easily migrate from Raindrop.io to Anybox

As noscript says, I decided to move away from Raindrop after experiencing performance issues. I became hit or miss whenever I tried to save a bookmark. So I have been trying Anybox for a week now, and found it to be super polished, visually appealing and more importantly, doing the 1 thing I wanted to do with precision.

I think I missed the BF sale on Pro, but tbh I don‘t know whether I need it or not. so maybe I buy LT if I need it next year.

Does anyone know of any easy migration tips/tricks to move my saved data from Raindrop to Anybox? Any help is appreciated 😉

Edit: I have around 600 saved links so doing it manually is actually hard 😅

https://redd.it/1puwjcw
@macappsbackup

Let It Snow Desktop App - App Store [FREE, NO SUBS]
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/let-it-snow-desktop/id6755482420?mt=12

https://redd.it/1pv09xc
@macappsbackup

Bookmark Manager that archives webpages & videos

Hello! I am looking for a bookmark manager or pkm app that allows me to give it a url of a website and it will create a copy of that website. I know a lot of bookmark managers already do this, but I am looking for something that also works well with YouTube videos if possible.

https://redd.it/1pv152d
@macappsbackup

Created a Free & Open-source Floating App widget with Focus/Pomodo Timer. In case someone has any use for this.

Hey there, wanted to share Madda Floating Clock and Pomodo/Focus Timer with you all.
.
.

I have a 55" OLED TV screen as my main monitor and couldn't look at the very top to see the time. Also needed a floating focus timer app to tally how much time I spent working each day.

It's very customizable and remembers the position you set it in for each monitor setup. Also compared to Dato, it can be moved to be next to the dock.

I didn't find anything that fit my requirements exactly so decided to create my own. Hope someone finds this useful and please feel free to fork it or do whatever you want with it.

Open to feedback so please let me know if you're missing a setting or have a usecase that's not supported currently so I can add it.


It's coded with Claude Opus but I guided it a lot and checked every line and wrote some parts by hand (so it's not "vibe coded", more like "agentic coded")

Also it shows the day name and number in the menu bar.

Instructions to install it are in the readme on Github.

https://github.com/maddada/MaddaFloatingClock


Hope the admins don't mind I didn't sign it because I don't want to pay $99 for a dev license.



Screenshots (with optional timers shown - can be disabled):

Pomodoro timer \(click on the clock to show it or hide it\)

Focus timer \(click on the timer to pause it, click on the clock to accumulate focus time for the day\)

Almost everything about the clock can be configured


Thank you



https://redd.it/1pv0el2
@macappsbackup

Best CD player?

Im looking for a CD player that has gapless playback and a good UI and runs on macOS 13. Any recommendations please? Thanks.


Also burning and ripping doesn't matter too much. Maybe it does but not as much as listening.

https://redd.it/1pv3sqk
@macappsbackup