List of Mac software

The following is a list of Mac software – notable computer applications for current macOS operating systems.

For software designed for the Classic Mac OS, see List of old Macintosh software.

Audio software

Digital audio workstations

Further information: Digital audio workstation

• Ableton Live
• Ardour
• Cubase
• Digital Performer
• GarageBand
• Logic Pro and MainStage
• REAPER
• Reason
• Renoise
• Steinberg 2019 Mac Pro

Audio editing

• Audacity – digital audio editor

DJing

• djay – digital music mixing software
• Mixxx – DJ mix software

Notation software

Further information: Scorewriter

• Impro-Visor – notation software with a particular orientation towards jazz solos
• LilyPond
• Overture
• MuseScore

Misc audio tools

• Audio Hijack – audio recorder
• baudline – signal analyzer
• BeaTunes - BPM analyzer and iTunes companion tool
• Cog – open source audio player, supports multiple formats
• fre:ac – open source audio converter and CD ripper
• ixi software – free improvisation and sketching tools
• Jaikoz – music file mass tagger
• Max – Cycling 74's visual programming language for MIDI, audio, video; with MSP, Jitter
• Music MiniPlayer - miniplayer for Apple Music
• ReBirth – virtual synth program simulates Roland TR-808, TB-303
• Recycle – music loop editor

Discontinued audio apps

• Adobe Soundbooth – music and soundtrack editing
• Audion – media player
• BIAS Peak – mastering
• Finale – proprietary music notation software
• iTunes – audio/video Jukebox by Apple
• Logic Express – prosumer music production by Apple
• Logic Studio – music writing studio package by Apple
  • Apple Loops Utility – production and organisation of Apple Loops
  • Apple Qmaster and Qadministrator
  • Mainstage – program to play software synthesizers live
  • QuickTime Pro – pro version of QuickTime
  • Soundtrack Pro – post production audio editor
  • WaveBurner – CD mastering and production software
• RiffWorks – guitar recording and online song collaboration software

Chat (text, voice, image, video)

Active

Adium on Mac OS X

• Adium – multi-protocol IM client
• Colloquy – freeware advanced IRC and SILC client
• Discord – IM and VoIP social platform
• FaceTime – videoconferencing between Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
• iMessage – instant messaging between Mac, and iDevices
• Irssi – IrssiX and MacIrssi
• Kopete – free multi-protocol IM client
• LiveChat – online customer service software
• Microsoft Teams – team collaboration application
• Palringo
• Psi (instant messenger) – free IM client for the XMPP protocol
• Signal – open-source, encrypted messaging service for IM, voice calls and video calls
• Skype – telecommunications application supporting IM and VoIP-based videotelephony
• Snak – IRC client (shareware)
• Ventrilo – audio chatroom application
• Telegram – cross-platform, encrypted IM client

Discontinued

• aMSN – free Windows Live Messenger clone
• AOL Instant Messenger – discontinued as of December 15, 2017
• ChitChat – open-source IM client supporting the Yahoo! Messenger protocol
• HexChat – IRC client, discontinued as of February 9, 2024
• Ircle – IRC client (shareware)
• Microsoft Messenger for Mac – cross-platform IM client
• Yahoo! Messenger – IM client, also supporting VoIP, file transfers and webcam hosting

Children's software

• Kid Pix Deluxe 3X – bitmap drawing program
• Stagecast Creator – programming and internet authoring for kids

Developer tools and IDEs

See also: Apple Developer Tools

• Apache Web Server – free and open-source web server software
• AppCode – an Objective-C IDE by JetBrains for macOS and iOS development
• Aptana – an open source integrated development environment (IDE) for building Ajax web applications
• Clozure CL – an open source integrated development environment (IDE) for building Common Lisp applications
• Code::Blocks – open source IDE for C++
• CodeWarrior – development environment, framework
• Coldstone game engine – game engine specializing in role-playing and adventure-style games
• Dylan – programming language
• Eclipse – open source Java-based IDE for developing rich-client applications, includes SWT library, replaces Swing by using underlying OS native windowing abilities
• Fink – Debian package manager for ported Unix software
• Free Pascal – Object Pascal compiler, XCode plugin available
• GNU Compiler Collection – collection of compilers for different programming languages, hardware architectures and operating systems
• Glasgow Haskell Compiler
• Helix – relational database IDE
• Homebrew - Package manager for installing many open source, mostly terminal based, utilities. Includes Apache, PHP, Python and many more.
• HotSpot – Sun's Java Virtual Machine
• IntelliJ IDEA – a JAVA IDE by JetBrains (free limited community edition)
• Komodo – commercial multi-language IDE from ActiveState
• Lazarus – cross-platform IDE to develop software with Free Pascal, specialized in graphical software
• LiveCode – high-level cross-platform IDE
• MacApp – application development framework for Pascal and C++
• Macintosh Programmer's Workshop (MPW)
• Macports – a package management system that simplifies the installation of free/open source software on the macOS.
• Macromedia Authorware – application (CBT, eLearning) development, no Mac development environment since version 4, though can still package applications with the 'Mac Packager' for OS 8 through 10 playback
• Mono – open source implementation of Microsoft .NET Framework with a C# compiler
• NetBeans – modular, open source, multi-language platform and IDE for Java written in pure Java
• Omnis Studio – cross-platform development environment for creating enterprise and web applications for macOS, Windows, Linux, Solaris
• Panorama – database engine
• Perl – programming language
• PHP – programming language
• Python – programming language
• Qt Creator – an IDE for C++ GUI applications, by Trolltech
• Real Studio – cross-platform compiled REALbasic BASIC programming language IDE
• ResEdit – resource editor
• Script Debugger – an AppleScript and Open Scripting Architecture IDE
• SuperCard – high-level IDE
• Tcl/tk – scripting shell & GUI utility that allows cross platform development. Included with macOS.
• TextMate – multipurpose text editor that supports Ruby, PHP, and Python
• Torque (game engine) – game creation software
• Visual Studio Code – code editor and IDE with debugging features
• WebKit – open source application framework for Safari (web browser)
• WebObjects – Java web application server and a server-based web application framework
• wxPython – API merging Python and wxWidgets
• Xcode – IDE made by Apple, which comes as a part of macOS and is available as a downloadon, was called Project Builders of Florida tech

Email

Email clients

• Apple Mail – the bundled email client
• Claris Emailer – classic Mac OS only, no longer available
• Entourage – email client by Microsoft; analogous to Microsoft Outlook
• Eudora
• Foxmail
• Lotus Notes
• Mailbird
• Mailplane – a WebKit-based client for Gmail
• Microsoft Outlook
• Mozilla Thunderbird
• Mulberry – open-source software for e-mail, calendars and contacts
• Opera Mail
• Outlook Express
• Postbox
• Proton Mail
• Sparrow – as well as Sparrow Lite

Other email software

• Gmail Notifier

FTP clients

• Classic FTP
• Cyberduck
• Fetch
• Fugu
• FileZilla
• ForkLift
• Interarchy
• Transmit
• WebDrive – FTP and cloud client
• Yummy FTP

Games

Main article: List of Macintosh games

• Steam – digital distribution software for video games and related media

Graphics, layout, desktop publishing

CAD, 3D graphics

• 3D-Coat
• Autodesk Alias
• Ashlar-Vellum – 2D/3D drafting, 3D modeling
• ArchiCAD
• AutoCAD
• Blender
• BricsCAD
• Cheetah3D
• Cinema 4D
• FreeCAD
• SketchUp – 3D modeling software
• Houdini
• Lightwave
• MacDraft - 2D CAD
• Maya
• Modo
• PowerCADD
• ZBrush

Distributed document authoring

• Adobe Acrobat – software to view, create, manipulate, print and manage PDF files
• Preview – built-in image viewer and PDF viewer of the macOS operating system

Icon editors, viewers

• Icon Composer – part of Apple Developer Tools
• IconBuilder – plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Fireworks for the editing and creation of icons
• Microsoft Office

File conversion and management

Active

• Adobe Bridge – digital asset management app
• BibDesk – free bibliographic database app that organizes linked files
• Font Book – font management tool
• GraphicConverter – graphics editor, open/converts a wide range of file formats
• Photos – photo management application

Discontinued

• iPhoto – discontinued photo management application

Layout and desktop publishing

Active

• Adobe InDesign – page layout
• iCalamus – page layout
• iStudio Publisher – page layout
• Pages – part of iWork
• QuarkXPress – page layout
• Ready, Set, Go! – page layout
• Scribus – page layout
• TeX – publishing
  • MacTeX – TeX redistribution of TeX Live for Mac
  • Comparison of TeX Editors
• The Print Shop – page layout

Discontinued

• iBooks Author – created interactive books for Apple Books

Raster and vector graphics

This section lists bitmap graphics editors and vector graphics editors.

Active

• Adobe Illustrator – vector graphics editor
• Adobe Photoshop – also offers some vector graphics features
• Affinity Designer – vector graphics editor for Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows
• Anime Studio – 2D based vector animation
• Collabora Online – enterprise-ready edition of LibreOffice
• Corel Painter
• EazyDraw – vector graphics editor; versions available that can convert old formats such as MacDraw files
• Fontographer
• GIMP – free bitmap graphics editor
• GraphicConverter – displays and edits raster graphics files
• Inkscape – free vector graphics editor
• Luminar
• Paintbrush – free simple bitmap graphics program
• Photos – official photo management and editing application developed by Apple
• Photo Booth – photo camera, video recorder
• Pixelmator – hardware-accelerated integrated photo editor
• Polarr – photo editing app
• Retouch4me Arams – AI-based photo editor
• Seashore – open source, based around the GIMP's technology, but with native macOS (Cocoa) UI

Discontinued

• Adobe Fireworks – supports GIF animation
• Adobe FreeHand – vector graphics editor

• Aperture – Apple's pro photo management, editing, publishing application
• GIMPShop – free open source cross-platform bitmap graphics editor
• MacPaint – painting software by Apple (discontinued)

Integrated software technologies

Main article: List of macOS components

• Finder
• QuickTime
• Terminal
• X11.app

Language and reference tools

• Cram (software)
• Dictionary (software)
• Encyclopædia Britannica
• Rosetta Stone (software) – proprietary language learning software
• Ultralingua – proprietary electronic dictionaries and language tools
• World Book Encyclopedia – multimedia

Mathematics software

• Fityk
• Grapher
• Maple (software)
• Mathematica
• MATLAB
• MathMagic
• Octave (software) – open source
• R (programming language)
• Sysquake
• SciLab – open source

Media center

• Boxee – Mac and Apple TV
• Front Row
• Mira
• MythTV
• SageTV
• Plex
• Kodi

Multimedia authoring

• Adobe Director – animation/application development
• Adobe Flash – vector animation
• Adobe LiveMotion – a discontinued competitor to Flash, until Adobe bought Macromedia
• Apple Media Tool – a discontinued multimedia authoring tool published by Apple
• Dragonframe - stop motion animation and time-lapse
• iBooks Author – created interactive books for Apple Books (discontinued)
• iLife – media suite by Apple
• Unity – 3D authoring

Networking and telecommunications

• Apple Remote Desktop
• Google Earth
• iStumbler – find wireless networks and devices
• Karelia Watson (defunct)
• KisMAC
• Little Snitch – network monitor and outgoing connection firewall
• NetSpot – software tool for wireless network assessment, scanning, and surveys, analyzing Wi-Fi coverage and performance
• Timbuktu – remote control
• WiFi Explorer – a wireless network scanner tool

News aggregators

Main article: News aggregator

• Feedly – news aggregator, and news aggregator reading application
• NetNewsWire – news aggregator reading application
• NewsFire – news aggregator reading application
• RSSOwl – news aggregator reading application
• Safari (web browser) - news aggregation via built-in RSS support
• Apple Mail – news aggregation via (discontinued) built-in RSS support

Office and productivity

• AbiWord
• Adobe Acrobat – PDF viewer and editor
• Address Book – bundled with macOS
• AppleWorks – word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation applications (discontinued)
• Banktivity – personal finance, budgeting, investments
• Bean (word processor) – free TXT/RTF/DOC word processor
• Bear – markdown note-taking application
• Celtx
• Collabora Online enterprise-ready edition of LibreOffice
• CricketGraph – graphmaker
• Delicious Library
• FileMaker
• FlowVella
• Fortora Fresh Finance
• Helix (database)
• iBank – personal finance application
• iCal – calendar management, bundled with macOS
• iWork – suite:
  • Pages – word processor application
  • Numbers – spreadsheet application
  • Keynote – presentation application
• Journler – diary and personal information manager with personal wiki features
• KOffice
• LibreOffice
• MacLinkPlus Deluxe – file format translation tool for PowerPC-era Mac OS X, converting and opening files created in other operating systems
• Mellel
• Microsoft Office – office suite:
  • Microsoft Word – word processor application
  • Microsoft Excel – spreadsheet application
  • Microsoft PowerPoint – presentation application
  • Microsoft Entourage – email application (replaced by Microsoft Outlook)
  • Microsoft Outlook – email application
  • Microsoft OneNote – note-taking application
  • Microsoft Publisher – desktop publishing application
• MoneyWiz – personal finance application
• Montage – screenwriting software
• NeoOffice - discontinued
• Nisus Writer
• OmniFocus
• OpenOffice.org - discontinued
• WriteNow
• Taste – word processor (discontinued)

Operating systems

Main article: Macintosh operating systems

• Darwin – the BSD-licensed core of macOS
• macOS – originally named "Mac OS X" until 2012 and then "OS X" until 2016
• macOS Server – the server computing variant of macOS

Outliners and mind-mapping

• FreeMind
• Mindjet
• OmniOutliner
• OmniGraffle
• XMind

Peer-to-peer file sharing

• aMule
• BitTorrent client
• FrostWire
• LimeWire
• Poisoned
• rTorrent
• Transmission (BitTorrent)
• μTorrent
• Vuze – Bittorrent client, was Azureus

Science

• Celestia – 3D astronomy program
• SimThyr – Simulation system for thyroid homeostasis
• Stellarium – 3D astronomy program

Text editors

• ACE
• BBEdit
• BBEdit Lite
• Coda
• Emacs
• jEdit
• iA Writer
• Komodo Edit
• Nano
• SimpleText
• Smultron
• SubEthaEdit
• TeachText
• TextEdit
• TextMate
• TextWrangler
• vim
• XEmacs
• Ulysses

Utilities

• Activity Monitor – default system monitor for hardware and software
• AppZapper – uninstaller (shareware)
• Automator – built-in, utility to automate repetitive tasks
• Butler – free, launcher and utility to automate repetitive tasks
• CandyBar – system customization software (commercial)
• CDFinder – disk cataloging software (commercial)
• DaisyDisk – disk visualization tool
• Dashboard – built-in macOS widgets
• Grab – built-in macOS screenshot utility
• Growl – global notifications system, free
• iSync – syncing software, bundled with Mac OS X up to 10.6
• LaunchBar – provides instant access to local data, search engines and more by entering abbreviations of search item names, commercial
• Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing – proprietary, typing tutor
• OnyX – a freeware system maintenance and optimization tool for macOS
• Path Finder – replacement for Apple's Finder
• Quicksilver – a framework for accessing and manipulating many forms of data
• SheepShaver – PowerPC emulator, allows, among other things, running Mac OS 9 on Intel Macs
• Sherlock – file searching (version 2), web services (version 3)
• Stickies – put Post-It Note-like notes on the desktop
• System Settings – default Mac system option application
• UUTool – uuencoded/uudecode and other transcoding
• Xsan – storage network utility
• Yahoo! Widget Engine – JavaScript-based widget system

Anti-malware software

macOS includes the built-in XProtect antimalware as part of GateKeeper. The software listed in this section is antivirus software and malware removal software.

• BitDefender Antivirus for Mac – antivirus
• Intego VirusBarrier – antivirus
• MacScan – malware removal
• Malwarebytes — malware removal
• McAffee VirusScan – antivirus
• Norton Antivirus for Mac – antivirus
• Sophos – antivirus

Archiving, backup, restore, recovery

This section lists software for file archiving, backup and restore, data compression and data recovery.

• Archive Utility – built-in archive file handler
• Archiver – paid, file archiving
• BetterZip – file archiver and compressor
• Compact Pro – data compression
• Disk Drill – data recovery
• Stellar Data Recovery – data recovery
• The Unarchiver — file archiving
• Time Machine (macOS) – built-in backup software
• WinZip – file archiver and compressor utility

Discontinued archiving apps

• Backup – discontinued Apple backup utility, part of MobileMe
• Stuffit – data compression

Disc burning apps

• Roxio Toast – DVD authoring application

Discontinued disc burning apps

• Adobe Encore
• Disco – disc burning
• DVD Studio Pro – DVD authoring application
• iDVD – a basic DVD-authoring application

Video

• Adobe After Effects – digital visual effects, motion graphics and compositing application
• Adobe Premiere Pro – timeline-based video editing software
• Adobe Presenter Video Express – screencasting and video editing software
• ArKaos – VJ software
• Avid
• DaVinci Resolve – video editing suite
• DivX
• DivX Player
• DVD Player (Apple) – DVD player software built into macOS
• FFmpeg – audio/video converter
• Final Cut Express
• Final Cut Studio – audio-video editing suite:
  • Apple Qmaster
  • Cinema Tools
  • Compressor
  • DVD Studio Pro
  • Final Cut Pro
  • LiveType
  • Motion 2
  • Soundtrack Pro
• HandBrake – DVD to MPEG-4 and other formats converter
• iMovie – basic video editing application
• Miro Media Player
• MPlayer
• Perian
• QuickTime – including its Player and QuickTime Pro
• RealPlayer
• Shotcut – open source rich video editor
• Shake
• Windows Media Player
• VLC media player – free and open-source media player

Virtualization, emulation, dual-booting

• Bochs
• Boot Camp – a multi-boot utility built into macOS from 10.5 on Intel Macs only
• CrossOver – commercial implementation of Wine
• DOSBox – DOS emulator
• Hercules emulator
• pcAnywhere – VNC-style remote control
• Parallels Workstation – commercial full virtualization software for desktop and server
• Q – emulates an IBM-compatible PC on a Mac, allows running PC operating systems
• VMware Fusion – virtualization software
• Wine – Windows API reimplementation
• Virtual PC – full virtualization software allows running other operating systems, such as Windows and Linux, on PowerPC Macs (discontinued in 2007)
• VirtualBox
• vMac – emulates a Macintosh Plus and can run Apple Macintosh System versions 1.1 to 7.5.5.

Web browsers

Firefox

Camino

• Amaya – free
• Brave – free and open-source, Chromium-based
• Camino – open source
• Flock – free, Mozilla Firefox based
• Google Chrome – free, proprietary, Chromium-based
• iCab – free
• Konqueror – open source
• Lynx – free
• Mozilla – open source, combines browser, email client, WYSIWYG editor
• Mozilla Firefox – open source
• Microsoft Edge – free, proprietary, Chromium-based
• Netscape Navigator – free, proprietary
• OmniWeb – free, proprietary
• Opera – free, proprietary, Chromium-based
• Safari (web browser) – built-in from Mac OS X 10.3, available as a separate download for Mac OS X 10.2
• SeaMonkey – open source Internet application suite
• Shiira – open source
• Sleipnir – free, by Fenrir Inc
• Tor (anonymity network) – free, open source
• Torch (web browser) – free, by Torch Media Inc.
• Vivaldi – free, proprietary, Chromium-based
• Internet Explorer for Mac – free, by Microsoft
• WebKit – Safari application framework, also in the form of an application

Web design and content management

• Adobe Contribute
• Adobe Dreamweaver
• Adobe GoLive
• Claris Homepage
• Coda
• Freeway
• iWeb
• NVu
• RapidWeaver – a template-based website editor

Weblog clients

• ecto
• MarsEdit

See also

• List of Macintosh software published by Microsoft
• List of Unix commands