# Free & open source

> Native apps you can read, build and keep forever, without paying a thing. 14 native Mac apps, hand-picked by MacWorthy. Facts checked 2026-10-19.

## Compared

| App | Price | Mac App Store | Homebrew | Open source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Ghostty](https://macworthy.com/apps/ghostty/) | Open source | No | `ghostty` | MIT |
| [Zed](https://macworthy.com/apps/zed/) | Open source | No | `zed` | Yes |
| [IINA](https://macworthy.com/apps/iina/) | Open source | No | `iina` | GPL-3.0 |
| [Rectangle](https://macworthy.com/apps/rectangle/) | Open source | No | `rectangle` | Yes |
| [Ice](https://macworthy.com/apps/ice/) | Open source | No | `jordanbaird-ice` | GPL-3.0 |
| [Maccy](https://macworthy.com/apps/maccy/) | Open source | No | `maccy` | MIT |
| [NetNewsWire](https://macworthy.com/apps/netnewswire/) | Open source | No | `netnewswire` | MIT |
| [Keka](https://macworthy.com/apps/keka/) | Open source | Yes | `keka` | Yes |
| [LuLu](https://macworthy.com/apps/lulu/) | Open source | No | `lulu` | GPL-3.0 |
| [Secretive](https://macworthy.com/apps/secretive/) | Open source | No | `secretive` | MIT |
| [Stats](https://macworthy.com/apps/stats/) | Open source | No | `stats` | MIT |
| [AltTab](https://macworthy.com/apps/alttab/) | Open source | No | `alt-tab` | GPL-3.0 |
| [MarkEdit](https://macworthy.com/apps/markedit/) | Open source | No | `markedit` | MIT |
| [VoiceInk](https://macworthy.com/apps/voiceink/) | Open source | No | `voiceink` | Yes |

## The apps

- **[Ghostty](https://macworthy.com/apps/ghostty.md)** (editor's pick): A fast, feature-rich, truly native terminal. Ghostty uses real macOS tabs, splits and windows, renders on Metal and stays responsive under heavy output. Configuration is a single text file.
- **[Zed](https://macworthy.com/apps/zed.md)** (editor's pick): A code editor that runs at the speed of thought. Written in Rust and rendered on the GPU, Zed opens large projects instantly. Multiplayer editing, a built-in agent panel and Vim mode come standard.
- **[IINA](https://macworthy.com/apps/iina.md)** (editor's pick): The modern media player for macOS. Built on mpv, IINA plays nearly anything with Picture-in-Picture, online subtitles, thumbnails and a design that feels like Apple made it.
- **[Rectangle](https://macworthy.com/apps/rectangle.md)**: Window snapping with keyboard shortcuts. Rectangle moves and resizes windows into halves, thirds and corners with shortcuts or drag-to-edge snapping. Free and open source.
- **[Ice](https://macworthy.com/apps/ice.md)**: A powerful, free menu bar manager. Ice hides menu bar items behind a click or hover, offers a separate bar for overflow and lets you restyle the menu bar.
- **[Maccy](https://macworthy.com/apps/maccy.md)**: A tiny, keyboard-first clipboard manager. Maccy lives in the menu bar and keeps a searchable list of what you copied. It is free, open source and out of your way.
- **[NetNewsWire](https://macworthy.com/apps/netnewswire.md)**: A free, open-source RSS reader done right. Fast, private and native, NetNewsWire reads your feeds without ads or tracking. It syncs with iCloud, Feedbin, Feedly and more.
- **[Keka](https://macworthy.com/apps/keka.md)**: The macOS file archiver. Compress and extract 7z, ZIP, RAR, TAR and more by dragging onto the Dock icon. Free to download, paid on the App Store to support development.
- **[LuLu](https://macworthy.com/apps/lulu.md)**: The free, open-source outbound firewall. LuLu blocks unknown outgoing connections until you approve them. Simple, free and from respected Mac security researchers.
- **[Secretive](https://macworthy.com/apps/secretive.md)**: SSH keys that never leave the Secure Enclave. Secretive stores SSH keys in the Secure Enclave and asks for Touch ID before each use, so keys can't be copied off your Mac.
- **[Stats](https://macworthy.com/apps/stats.md)**: Free system monitor for the menu bar. Stats shows CPU, GPU, memory, disk, network, battery and sensors as compact menu bar widgets. Open source and lightweight.
- **[AltTab](https://macworthy.com/apps/alttab.md)**: Windows-style alt-tab, with window previews. AltTab switches between individual windows rather than apps, with thumbnails and plenty of options. Free and open source.
- **[MarkEdit](https://macworthy.com/apps/markedit.md)**: TextEdit, if it spoke Markdown. A free, open-source Markdown editor that opens instantly, stays lightweight and behaves like a proper Mac app.
- **[VoiceInk](https://macworthy.com/apps/voiceink.md)**: Open-source, on-device voice typing. VoiceInk transcribes your voice into any text field with local Whisper models and context-aware modes, and its source is public.

HTML version: https://macworthy.com/collections/free-and-open/