Best Free Mac Apps

The short answer. “Free” in this list means no payment is required to use the app, and that is worth unpacking before you install anything. Genuinely free software is free because it is open source, because it is funded by donations, or because a paid tier elsewhere pays for it. Freemium apps are also in here in spirit — free to start, with features behind a payment — and the two are not the same commitment. The question that separates a good free app from a trap is not the price. It is what the developer gets out of it, because that is what decides whether the free version stays good.

This guide covers 30 free mac apps for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment. Last verified 2026-10-05.

Quick comparison

What actually decides this

• Free versus freemium. Free means no payment is required; freemium means a paid tier exists and some capability sits behind it. Both appear as “free” on a download page, and knowing which you have tells you what you may run into later.
• What is gated. For a freemium app the useful question is what the paid tier adds. If it is convenience or scale, the free version may be all you need; if it is a capability you rely on, the free version has a ceiling you will hit.
• How the project is funded. Software that costs nothing to make still costs something to maintain. Donations, an open-source community, a paid tier or corporate backing each produce a different long-term behaviour, and a free app with no visible funding model is the one to be careful with.
• Whether free means ad-supported. Some free apps pay for themselves with advertising or by bundling other software. That is not automatically disqualifying, but it changes what the app is doing on your machine.
• Updates. A free app that is still updated is a different proposition from one that was abandoned. Free and maintained is the combination worth looking for, and it is rarer than free alone.

The apps

PDFgear

PDFgear is a PDF tool for macOS. Completely free PDF editor for Mac with a built-in AI assistant: edit text and images, convert to 30+ formats, OCR scanned pages, redact, fill forms and sign, with no ads or watermarks. It is released under proprietary. It is free. Genuinely free: the site states there are no ads, no product promotions, no forced upgrades and no watermarks on saved PDFs.

Full profile and verified facts for PDFgear →

WeChat

WeChat is a messaging app for macOS. Tencent’s official WeChat client for macOS, distributed as a universal installer from Tencent’s own servers and through the Mac App Store, where the build lags the direct download. It is released under Proprietary; free to use, published by Tencent with no licence text released. It is free. Free, with no paid tier, subscription or in-app purchase.

Full profile and verified facts for WeChat →

WhatsApp Desktop

WhatsApp Desktop is a messaging app for macOS. WhatsApp’s messaging client for macOS, distributed through the Mac App Store as ‘WhatsApp Messenger’, free to use and requiring macOS 15.1 or later. It is released under Proprietary; free to use, published by WhatsApp with no licence text released. It is free. Free, with no paid tier or subscription for personal messaging.

Full profile and verified facts for WhatsApp Desktop →

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is a web browser for macOS. Microsoft’s Chromium-based browser for macOS, with vertical tabs, workspaces, split screen, a built-in password manager and Mac-specific Touch ID and Spotlight integration. It is released under proprietary. It is free. Free with no paid tier, and the browser works without signing in.

Full profile and verified facts for Microsoft Edge →

Vivaldi

Vivaldi is a web browser for macOS. A Chromium-based web browser from Vivaldi Technologies with a built-in mail client, calendar, feed reader and notes. It is released under proprietary. It is free. Bundles a mail client, calendar, feed reader and notes, so those do not need separate apps.

Full profile and verified facts for Vivaldi →

Arc

Arc is a web browser for macOS. A Chromium-based browser with a workspace-style sidebar, Spaces and Profiles — now maintained with Chromium updates only. It is free. According to the developer, replaces tabs with a vertical sidebar organised into Spaces and Profiles.

Full profile and verified facts for Arc →

SourceTree

SourceTree is a Git client for macOS. Free Git and Mercurial client for macOS and Windows from Atlassian, with a visual commit graph, interactive rebase, Git LFS, git-flow and submodules. It is released under Proprietary; distributed free of charge by Atlassian, with no licence text published. It is free. Free outright, with no paid tier, licence key or seat limit.

Full profile and verified facts for SourceTree →

Beyond Compare

Beyond Compare is a file comparison tool for macOS. Compare files and folders with powerful commands. It is free. Scooter Software: Home of Beyond Compare.

Full profile and verified facts for Beyond Compare →

bruno

bruno is an API client for macOS. Bruno is a offline-only, fast and git-friendly opensource API client. It is released under MIT. It is free. Bruno is the Git-native API client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and Websocket. A local and open-source solution to Postman. Fast, developer-first, and no cloud syncing.

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OnyX

OnyX is a system maintenance utility for macOS. System maintenance utility for cleanup, verification, and hidden settings. It is released under Donationware (freeware); may be copied and distributed at no charge, but not modified for distribution. It is free. Free donationware: no registration and no paid tier, and it may be used, copied and distributed at no charge.

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AdBlock One

AdBlock One is an ad blocker for macOS. Free ad blocker for Safari. It is free.

Full profile and verified facts for AdBlock One →

Amphetamine

Amphetamine is a battery and power utility for macOS. Keep your Mac awake. It is free.

Full profile and verified facts for Amphetamine →

Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo is an image editor for macOS. Photo editing studio inside Affinity, the free professional creative application from Canva that merged the former Designer, Photo and Publisher apps into one program. It is free. According to the developer, every tool in the Vector, Pixel and Layout studios is available free, with no restrictions or payment required.

Full profile and verified facts for Affinity Photo →

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is a vector graphics editor for macOS. Vector design studio inside Affinity, the free professional creative application from Canva that merged the former Designer, Photo and Publisher apps into one program. It is free. According to the developer, every tool in the Vector, Pixel and Layout studios is available free, with no restrictions or payment required.

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Amazing AI

Amazing AI is an AI image generator for macOS. Generate images from text using Stable Diffusion. It is free. Generate images from text using Stable Diffusion. Simply describe the image you desire, and the app will generate it for you!

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Adapter

Adapter is a media converter for macOS. Free audio, video and image conversion software. It is free. Adapter converts images, audio and video on Mac and Windows. It’s a user interface powered by FFmpeg with VLC previews and much more. Get it free for Mac and Windows.

Full profile and verified facts for Adapter →

BeMyEars

BeMyEars is a transcription app for macOS. Live captioning tool with on-device transcription and multilingual support. It is free.

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Camera Preview

Camera Preview is a camera utility for macOS. Preview your webcam, take photos, and use it as a mirror. It is free. Preview your webcam and take photos. Instant access to your Mac.

Full profile and verified facts for Camera Preview →

ClashX Guide

ClashX Guide is a proxy client for macOS. Guides and troubleshooting tools for ClashX. It is free.

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DashVPN

DashVPN is a proxy client for macOS. Smart-routing proxy client with support for VLESS, Shadowsocks, and HTTPS subscriptions. It is free. Smart VPN Client for Outline Servers.

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RerouteMe

RerouteMe is a networking tool for macOS. An easy one-click macOS Proxy Configuration app. It is free.

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The Unarchiver

The Unarchiver is a file archiver for macOS. Unarchive many different kinds of archive files. It is free. Free, with the developer stating it is ‘free and always will be’ and that there are no in-app purchases.

Full profile and verified facts for The Unarchiver →

eZip

eZip is a file management tool for macOS. Lightweight archive tool for ZIP, RAR, 7Z, and other common formats. It is free.

Full profile and verified facts for eZip →

Marta

Marta is a file management tool for macOS. File Manager for macOS written entirely in Swift. It is free.

Full profile and verified facts for Marta →

Antivirus One

Antivirus One is a security utility for macOS. Security scanner for malware, adware, and web threats. It is free. Antivirus One Free Download. Get protection against viruses, malware and spyware on your Mac. Easy-to-use virus scanner for macOS.

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Buttercup

Buttercup is a password manager for macOS. The Password Manager You Deserve. It is free.

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MalwareBytes

MalwareBytes is a security tool for macOS. Malware scanner and removal tool. It is free. Sorry, it looks like you’ve hit a Download or Purchase restriction This restriction is based on your current location. Check out…

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AppCleaner

AppCleaner is an app uninstaller for macOS. Thoroughly uninstall apps. It is released under Proprietary; the site carries an ‘All rights reserved’ notice and publishes no licence text. It is free. Free: the site lists no price and offers the download directly, with an optional PayPal donation and no paid tier described.

Full profile and verified facts for AppCleaner →

Cleaner One

Cleaner One is a disk cleaner for macOS. Disk cleaning and Mac optimization. It is free.

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OmniDiskSweeper

OmniDiskSweeper is a Mac cleaner for macOS. Scans files by size so you can quickly find space hogs. It is free. Creators of Mac, iPad, and iPhone productivity software. Proud to bring you OmniFocus, OmniOutliner, OmniGraffle, and OmniPlan.

Full profile and verified facts for OmniDiskSweeper →

How to choose

• Free of charge. PDFgear, WeChat, WhatsApp Desktop, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Arc, SourceTree, Beyond Compare, bruno, OnyX, AdBlock One, Amphetamine, Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, Amazing AI, Adapter, BeMyEars, Camera Preview, ClashX Guide, DashVPN, RerouteMe, The Unarchiver, eZip, Marta, Antivirus One, Buttercup, MalwareBytes, AppCleaner, Cleaner One and OmniDiskSweeper — no payment is required.

Common mistakes

• Reading “free” as one category. Free, freemium and a time-limited trial all get labelled the same way and behave differently.
• Assuming free means unlimited. Check what the paid tier gates before you plan a workflow around the free one.
• Treating free and open source as the same axis. They are independent: an app can be free and closed, or paid and open source.
• Never asking how a free app is sustained. The funding model is what predicts whether the free version is still good in two years.

How this guide was put together

Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.

A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.

The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.

Verified 2026-10-05.