Free and open-source macOS apps cover the everyday needs of a Mac: arranging windows, taming the menu bar, watching and recording video, managing ebooks and keeping notes. The apps below are all listed in the Stackora catalog under Desktop Apps and macOS apps. Each one is summarized with its license and publisher so you can compare them quickly.

Window management

Rectangle is a free macOS desktop app for moving and resizing windows with keyboard shortcuts and snap areas. It is based on Spectacle, so it suits anyone who wants to keep windows organized without dragging them by hand. Rectangle is published by rxhanson.

Menu bar tools

A crowded menu bar is a common complaint, and two open-source apps address it from different angles.

Hiding and arranging items

Ice is an open-source menu bar manager, licensed under GPL-3.0, that hides, shows and arranges menu bar items. It is a good choice if your menu bar is full of utilities you only need occasionally. The project is maintained by jordanbaird.

Monitoring system status

stats is an MIT-licensed macOS app that shows CPU, GPU, memory, disk, network, battery, fan and sensor data in the menu bar. It is useful when you want continuous visibility into how your Mac is performing. It is published by exelban.

Keeping the Mac awake

KeepingYouAwake is a free, MIT-licensed menu bar app that prevents your Mac from sleeping for a set time or until you turn it off. It is a small utility for presentations, downloads or long builds. It is published by newmarcel.

Displays and media

External monitor control

MonitorControl is a free, MIT-licensed menubar app for adjusting external monitor brightness and volume using the native Apple keys and on-screen display. Developed by the MonitorControl publisher, it fills a gap for Mac users with non-Apple displays.

Video playback

IINA is a modern, GPL-3.0 video player for macOS built on mpv. It decodes a broad range of formats and offers subtitles, playlists and customizable controls. The project is published by iina.

Video recording and streaming

obs-studio is free, GPL-2.0 software for live streaming and screen recording. It lets you capture, composite, encode and stream video, and it has one of the largest star counts in this list. The publisher is obsproject.

Video editing

shotcut is a free, GPL-3.0 video editor for Windows, macOS and Linux, built on the MLT multimedia framework and Qt. Its cross-platform support makes it practical if you work across several operating systems. It is published by mltframework.

Video transcoding

HandBrake is an open-source desktop video transcoder for Linux, macOS and Windows. It converts existing videos into MP4, MKV or WebM for phones, TVs and browsers. It is published by HandBrake.

Reading and ebooks

calibre is a free, GPL-3.0 cross-platform desktop ebook manager. It views, converts, edits and catalogs e-books and can sync them with e-reader devices. It is published by kovidgoyal.

Notes and productivity

For knowledge work, three open-source options stand out, each with a different structure.

  • AppFlowy is an AGPL-3.0 desktop note-taking and knowledge-base app for documents, wikis and projects. It includes AI features and keeps your data under local control. It is published by AppFlowy-IO.
  • logseq is a privacy-first, AGPL-3.0 knowledge management app for notes, linked pages, PDF annotation and tasks. It supports Markdown and Org-mode. It is published by logseq.

How to choose

Start with the problem you have, then pick the app that solves it directly.

  • If windows are hard to arrange, choose a window manager such as Rectangle.
  • If the menu bar is overloaded, choose Ice to hide items, or stats if you want system metrics in the bar.
  • If you need the Mac to stay awake temporarily, KeepingYouAwake is a minimal option.
  • If you use external displays, MonitorControl brings brightness and volume control to them.
  • For video, IINA covers playback, obs-studio covers recording and streaming, shotcut covers editing, and HandBrake covers transcoding.
  • For ebooks, calibre handles management and device sync.
  • For notes, compare AppFlowy and logseq on how you prefer to structure information.

Check each project's license before using it in a commercial setting. Licenses vary across this list, from MIT to GPL and AGPL, and some entries do not list a license in the catalog.

Recommendation

For most Mac users, the most useful starting set is a window manager, a menu bar tool and one media app matching your main task. Install one at a time, learn its shortcuts, and add more only when a specific need appears. Browse the full macOS apps collection to find more options in the same spirit.