The best developer tools apps for Mac
Editors, terminals, Git clients and debuggers that respect your machine.
Last checked · No paid placements
Our ranking
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Open sourceZedEditor's pick
A code editor that runs at the speed of thought.
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Open sourceGhosttyEditor's pick
A fast, feature-rich, truly native terminal.
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Free + ProOrbStackEditor's pick
Docker and Linux machines, light as a feather.
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Free + ProWarp
The terminal, reimagined around blocks and agents.
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Open sourceiTerm2
The terminal that taught macOS new tricks.
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SubscriptionNova
Panic's beautiful, extensible code editor.
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SubscriptionTower
Git, with an undo button.
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PaidFork
A fast, friendly Git client.
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SubscriptionKaleidoscope
See every difference, in text, images and folders.
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Free + ProTablePlus
A modern client for every database you touch.
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Free + ProPostico 2
PostgreSQL, made approachable.
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Open sourceSequel Ace
The free MySQL and MariaDB client.
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Free + ProProxyman
Inspect every HTTP request, beautifully.
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PaidTransmit 5
The legendary file transfer app.
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Free + ProDash
Every API doc you need, offline and instant.
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Open sourceCodeEdit
A native, open-source code editor in Swift.
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PaidDevUtils
Forty-plus developer helpers, offline.
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Open sourceCork
A friendly face for Homebrew.
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Open sourceXcodes
Install and switch Xcode versions painlessly.
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Open sourceHex Fiend
A fast hex editor for enormous files.
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$9.99Flow Diagram
Sequence diagrams and flowcharts written as text.
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Free + ProMacsmith
One window for the command-line plumbing of a dev Mac.
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Open sourceLunavect
Your Claude Code and Codex sessions, watched from the menu bar.
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Free + ProTracexy
Packet analysis organised by app and session.
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Free + ProRockxy
An open-source HTTP and HTTPS debugging proxy.
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Free + ProToplify
Watch where your apps rank on the App Store.
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Free + ProTablePro
An open-source database client for many engines.
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Open sourcePortKiller
See what is holding a port, and free it.
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Open sourceRepoBar
Your GitHub repositories, one click from the clock.
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FreeDevHub
A drawer of small developer tools that works offline.
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FreeContained
A Mac interface for Apple's container tool.
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Open sourceCaskHub
Browse and install Homebrew casks like an app store.
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PaidMakerNotch
Project health for indie developers, in the notch.
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Free + ProRiffle
Compare files, review changes and resolve merges.
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Free + ProInboxFox
A local SMTP inbox for testing app email.
Developer Tools apps side by side
| App | Price | Mac App Store | Homebrew | Open source | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zed | Open source | No | zed | Yes | 92k |
| Ghostty | Open source | No | ghostty | MIT | 62k |
| OrbStack | Free + Pro | No | orbstack | No | – |
| Warp | Free + Pro | No | warp | No | – |
| iTerm2 | Open source | No | iterm2 | GPL-2.0 | 18k |
| Nova | Subscription | No | nova | No | – |
| Tower | Subscription | No | tower | No | – |
| Fork | Paid | No | fork | No | – |
| Kaleidoscope | Subscription | No | kaleidoscope | No | – |
| TablePlus | Free + Pro | No | tableplus | No | – |
| Postico 2 | Free + Pro | Yes | postico | No | – |
| Sequel Ace | Open source | Yes | sequel-ace | Yes | 7.6k |
| Proxyman | Free + Pro | No | proxyman | No | – |
| Transmit 5 | Paid | No | transmit | No | – |
| Dash | Free + Pro | No | dash | No | – |
| CodeEdit | Open source | No | codeedit | MIT | 23k |
| DevUtils | Paid | Yes | devutils | No | – |
| Cork | Open source | No | cork | Yes | 4.7k |
| Xcodes | Open source | No | xcodes-app | MIT | 8.6k |
| Hex Fiend | Open source | No | hex-fiend | BSD-2-Clause | 5.9k |
| Flow Diagram | $9.99 | Yes | No | No | – |
| Macsmith | Free + Pro | No | No | No | – |
| Lunavect | Open source | No | No | MIT | 38 |
| Tracexy | Free + Pro | No | tracexy | No | 228 |
| Rockxy | Free + Pro | No | rockxy | No | 1.4k |
| Toplify | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
| TablePro | Free + Pro | No | tablepro | No | 6.3k |
| PortKiller | Open source | No | portkiller | MIT | 5.1k |
| RepoBar | Open source | No | repobar | MIT | 2.2k |
| DevHub | Free | Yes | No | No | – |
| Contained | Free | No | No | No | – |
| CaskHub | Open source | No | caskhub | MIT | 1.4k |
| MakerNotch | Paid | No | No | No | – |
| Riffle | Free + Pro | No | No | No | – |
| InboxFox | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
Choosing a developer tools app
What is the best developer tools app for Mac?
Our editor's picks are Zed (open source), Ghostty (open source) and OrbStack (free + pro). Zed: A code editor that runs at the speed of thought.
Are there free developer tools apps for Mac?
Yes. 27 of the 35 apps here are free to download: Zed, Ghostty, OrbStack, Warp, iTerm2, TablePlus, Postico 2, Sequel Ace, Proxyman, Dash, CodeEdit, Cork, Xcodes, Hex Fiend, Macsmith, Lunavect, Tracexy, Rockxy, Toplify, TablePro, PortKiller, RepoBar, DevHub, Contained, CaskHub, Riffle and InboxFox.
Which open-source developer tools apps are there for Mac?
Zed, Ghostty, iTerm2, Sequel Ace, CodeEdit, Cork, Xcodes, Hex Fiend, Lunavect, PortKiller, RepoBar and CaskHub are open source, with code on GitHub.
How does MacWorthy pick these apps?
Every app is native to macOS, actively maintained and tried by hand before it is listed. Nobody pays to be included or to be ranked higher. Facts such as price and install commands were last checked on October 19, 2026.
Every developer tools app we list
Zed
A code editor that runs at the speed of thought.
Ghostty
A fast, feature-rich, truly native terminal.
OrbStack
Docker and Linux machines, light as a feather.
Warp
The terminal, reimagined around blocks and agents.
iTerm2
The terminal that taught macOS new tricks.
Nova
Panic's beautiful, extensible code editor.
Tower
Git, with an undo button.
Fork
A fast, friendly Git client.
Kaleidoscope
See every difference, in text, images and folders.
TablePlus
A modern client for every database you touch.
Postico 2
PostgreSQL, made approachable.
Sequel Ace
The free MySQL and MariaDB client.
Proxyman
Inspect every HTTP request, beautifully.
Transmit 5
The legendary file transfer app.
Dash
Every API doc you need, offline and instant.
CodeEdit
A native, open-source code editor in Swift.
DevUtils
Forty-plus developer helpers, offline.
Cork
A friendly face for Homebrew.
Xcodes
Install and switch Xcode versions painlessly.
Hex Fiend
A fast hex editor for enormous files.
Flow Diagram
Sequence diagrams and flowcharts written as text.
Macsmith
One window for the command-line plumbing of a dev Mac.
Lunavect
Your Claude Code and Codex sessions, watched from the menu bar.
Tracexy
Packet analysis organised by app and session.
Rockxy
An open-source HTTP and HTTPS debugging proxy.
Toplify
Watch where your apps rank on the App Store.
TablePro
An open-source database client for many engines.
PortKiller
See what is holding a port, and free it.
RepoBar
Your GitHub repositories, one click from the clock.
DevHub
A drawer of small developer tools that works offline.
Contained
A Mac interface for Apple's container tool.
CaskHub
Browse and install Homebrew casks like an app store.
MakerNotch
Project health for indie developers, in the notch.
Riffle
Compare files, review changes and resolve merges.
InboxFox
A local SMTP inbox for testing app email.