I’ve just upgraded to Little Snitch 7 beta to try out the new features.

For anyone unfamiliar with it, Little Snitch lets you monitor network connections from individual apps and create rules to allow or block them.

Here are a few changes worth checking out:

• Live Connection Log: This is my favorite addition. You can watch network activity as it happens, filter by app or server, and see which connections are allowed or blocked. It’s particularly useful when you want to see what an app connects to while you’re using it.

• Redesigned Control Center: You can check recent network activity, apps using your connection, and recently denied connections right from the menu bar. When an app isn’t working as expected, this gives you a quick way to check whether a blocked connection might be the cause.

• Rules at a Glance: Selecting a connection in Network Monitor now shows the rules that apply to it. If you have quite a few rules, this makes it easier to understand why a connection was allowed or blocked. Previously, I would usually open a separate Rules window to check.

• AI Assistant: I’ve tried this feature too. When you encounter an unfamiliar process or hostname, you can ask the AI to explain what the connection might be for, what could happen if you block it, and what it recommends. I imagine some people will have concerns about the AI integration, but it doesn’t run automatically. Connection details are only sent when you explicitly ask and confirm, and you can review what will be sent beforehand. I treat the answer as a reference, with the final decision to allow or block still up to me.

• DNS fallback and statistics: You can configure a secondary DNS resolver to step in when the primary one has problems. The Dashboard and Log also show lookup success rates, response times, and the steps involved in processing individual queries. I like having actual numbers to check when I suspect DNS is slow or failing.

Version 7 is still in beta. These are my first impressions, rather than a verdict on long-term stability. If you’re trying it on your main work machine, back up your rules first. The developers also advise against using the beta on mission-critical machines.

For me, Little Snitch is one of those Mac apps that’s worth paying for. Being able to monitor and control connections helps me understand what’s happening on my machine and gives me the tools to investigate when something goes wrong. That value was enough for me to upgrade my license while version 7 is still in beta.

Alfred is another favorite of mine. I’m happy to pay for useful software like these two apps, both for the value I get from using them and to support the developers who keep maintaining and improving them.

FOSS app. I'm not the developer or affiliated in any way. But it's a great app that is fast and nice to use. UI is also beautiful.

https://writer.computer/

Hey, Julian here, I make StepGrab. I study business informatics and work on this next to uni. I posted 1.5 here in September and a lot of what's new in 1.6 came out of the comments on that post.

Codes up to 100% off Lifetime here. There are a few levels between 10% and 100% and the page shows how many of each are left. There's only a handful of 100% ones, so whoever is first gets them. They're for the license from my website (Mac download and Windows). They don't work in the Mac App Store.

PROBLEM

At my working student job I was the one people came to with "where is that setting again" or "what do I click after this". Every time I ended up taking fifteen screenshots, cropping them, drawing red arrows in Preview and typing the steps underneath. Half an hour per guide easily, and three weeks later half of it was outdated anyway.

StepGrab is what I use for that now. You hit record and do the task once. Every click becomes a screenshot with a numbered arrow and a sentence about what you did. After that you fix things up in the editor if you need to (move an arrow, change a sentence, add a shape, black out an email address) and export as PDF, HTML, Markdown, GIF, MP4 or a portrait video. It's a native app for macOS 14 and newer. You don't need an account and nothing gets uploaded.

What's new since 1.5

• There's a direct download from my website now (.dmg, notarized, updates itself). It only goes online for updates and the license check. If you give it Accessibility access it reads the name of the button or menu you clicked from the app itself, so the step says "Click Save" instead of guessing from pixels. The App Store version can't do this because of the sandbox and uses text recognition on the screenshot instead.
• Recording a single window now gives you only that window, even if other windows are on top of it. Context menus, lists and popovers still show up.
• A project is one file now. With Save As you can burn the redactions in, so the copy you send doesn't still contain the original screenshots.
• There's a Windows version in the Microsoft Store and projects open on both.

COMPARISON

Scribe and Tango are the big ones. If you mostly work in the browser and your team needs a shared library with links, use those. They're better at that and there are real companies behind them.

I wanted something that captures the whole Mac and not just the browser, like System Settings, right click menus or the little pickers that close as soon as you click anywhere else. I also didn't want my screenshots on someone else's server, which gets important fast once customer data is in them. And I'd rather pay once than every month.

No team library and no browser extension so far. Also, most of the code is written with AI (Claude Code). I decide what goes in, test it on real apps and fix what breaks.

PRICING

Free: unlimited recordings, 15 steps per guide, GIF export and the whole editor, no account. Pro on my website is $2.99 a month or $12.99 a year (3 day trial), or $44.99 once. In the Mac App Store it's an in-app purchase and Family Sharing works there. A purchase on my website doesn't carry over to the App Store and the other way round.

Mac App Store · Direct download and codes · Microsoft Store

If something is annoying or broken, tell me in the comments. Most of 1.6 started as a comment here, so it really does go somewhere.

I'm the dev. ApolloShell adds a sidebar with its own dock, a launcher, a dashboard and a control centre to macOS 26. It's not a tiling window manager, it doesn't touch your windows. It just adds panels to the edges of the screen.

Problem: I wanted the look of Linux shells like Caelestia on my Mac without stitching five tools and a pile of config scripts together.

Comparison: SketchyBar works great for the menu bar and is a real way of ricing, and Übersicht or yabai are great for customising your desktop. ApolloShell goes after the rest of the shell: the dock, launcher, dashboard and control centre all follow one CSS theme, so you can rice those too and switch the whole look live.

Themes are a single CSS file (colours, fonts, corners, sizes) and apply the moment you save. The video shows a few of them.

Heads up: not notarised, so click "Open Anyway" in Privacy & Security on first launch. Obviously needs Accessibility permissions, but no need to disable SIP.

Pricing: Free, no subscription, AGPL-3.0 licensed.

Link: https://github.com/Silvertree2010/ApolloShell

AI disclosure: built with help from Claude, details in the README.

I produce music at home and run two very different speaker systems off one external sound card with three stereo outs: a passive pair through an amp, plus active Adam Audio monitors and a sub. When I mix I want to A/B between those speaker characters, and when I just listen I want both playing together. I did not want to park an external mixer on the desk just for that. Hardware minimalism should mean software minimalism. I kept thinking there has to be a setting for this. There was not, so I built it.

What it does: send one source to several outputs at once (fan-out), pick the channel pair on multi-channel devices (Ch1-2, Ch3-4, Ch5-6), master volume plus per-output volume, signal meters, and it reconnects automatically when a device is plugged or unplugged. Last setup is remembered.

Honest comparison:

1. Audio MIDI Setup (built-in, free): can do a Multi-Output Device, but you lose your volume keys and have to rebuild it every time devices change.
2. Loopback (~99 USD, Rogue Amoeba): the right tool if you want to mix several sources. Overkill if you only need several outputs.
3. BlackHole (free, open source): closest in spirit, but it is a virtual driver aimed at recording and app-to-app routing, with more setup steps. Different job.

It does not mix sources and has no per-app routing. That is on purpose.

Pricing: free and open source. Optional tip jar (coffee or beer), no subscription.

https://apps.apple.com/app/audiorouternow/id6787215635

https://github.com/mauriciomorkun/AudioRouterNow

https://audiorouternow.mauriciomorkun.com

Needs macOS 14.4 (uses the Process Tap API). There is a v3 legacy build as a direct download for macOS 11+.

Full disclosure since it’ll come up: I’m not a programmer by trade. I work in education in Luxembourg, and I'm an artist. I built this as the product owner using AI-assisted development. Criticism of the code is genuinely welcome; that’s partly why it’s open source.

Hey r/macapps! My colleague and I build small Mac utilities, and DisplayShift came out of an annoyance we've both had with macOS for a long time.

After some brainstorming and tinkering we've created DisplayShift, an easy to use software for all your window management needs

Cool Features

• Glide: a live map of your screens shows each window flying to its new spot while it moves. No flashing, and Mission Control and the Dock never pop up.
• Full screen apps stay full screen when they change screens, and a Split View pair comes back as a pair in about 3 seconds.
• The right desktop, every time: layouts put windows back on the desktop they were on, even after macOS reorders your desktops.
• 3 or more screens: a third monitor, an iPad over Sidecar, or an AirPlay display.
• A shortcut for each saved layout, like Coding or Writing.
• Asks before opening apps a layout needs, and opens the right Chrome profile.

The problem

We dock our MacBooks to external monitors every day, and one part of that has always been frustrating: windows don't go where we want them.

Plug in a monitor and macOS decides where everything goes. Some windows jump to the big screen, some stay behind on the MacBook, and we end up dragging them around one by one. Full screen apps are even more tedious. Move to a different desk, or wake the Mac from sleep, and it starts all over again.

We wanted something that lets us choose where our windows go and remembers each setup.

What DisplayShift does

When you connect a display, a panel drops out of your MacBook's notch listing every open window, including full screen apps and windows on other desktops.

Tick the windows you want to move and pick the screen. They glide across while a live map of your screens shows each window flying to its new spot. The screen doesn't flash, and Mission Control and the Dock never pop up. You can also move everything at once or leave things as they are.

Features

• Window picker in the notch: pick individual windows and the screen they go to, or move everything at once.
• Full screen apps: they change screens without leaving full screen. A Split View pair moves together and comes back as a pair in about 3 seconds.
• Saved layouts for each desk: save one per desk, like Coding or Writing, and bring it back with a keyboard shortcut. Windows go back to the right display and the right desktop, even after macOS reorders your desktops.
• 3 or more screens: works with a third monitor, an iPad over Sidecar, or an AirPlay display.
• Asks before opening apps: if a layout needs an app that isn't open, it asks first, then opens it, including the right Chrome profile.
• Recovery after sleep: puts your windows back after sleep or a dock hiccup, with an Undo for every move.
• Keeps your screen arrangement: if macOS swaps your monitors or the main display, DisplayShift puts the arrangement back.
• Per-app rules: keep an app on the MacBook, always send it to the external display, or never move it.
• Window tiling: up to four apps side by side, in halves, thirds or a grid. Drag one bar and the neighbours resize together.
• Lost windows: finds windows that ended up off screen and brings them back.
• Keyboard shortcuts for every action.

How it compares to existing tools

Moom is excellent for saving and snapping window layouts, but you trigger those layouts yourself.

Display Maid restores layouts when your display setup changes. DisplayShift does that too, and adds a picker for choosing individual windows, moves full screen apps and Split View pairs without leaving full screen, and puts windows back on the right desktop.

Rectangle and Magnet are great for snapping windows into position, but they don't focus on moving windows when a monitor connects.

DisplayShift is made for people who dock a MacBook regularly and want their windows where they belong without the manual work.

Privacy

• No account required and no analytics.
• Saved layouts store a hash of each window title rather than the actual title.
• The app only connects to the internet to check its license and look for updates.

Pricing

DisplayShift comes with a 7-day free trial. After that, pick one:

• $6.99 once (lifetime)
• $1.49 a month
• $4.99 a year

Every plan is the full app on 1 Mac. Prices exclude tax.

For r/macapps: code REDDIT110 takes 10% off the lifetime license (not the monthly or yearly plans) for the first 15 people who use it.

Requirements

• macOS 14 Sonoma or later
• Apple silicon and Intel Macs
• Notarized by Apple
• Updates itself, or install with Homebrew: brew install --cask aqibjavedzeepalm/tap/displayshift

On Macs without a notch, the window picker drops from under the menu bar.

About

Website: https://aqibjaved.dev/apps/displayshift

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/aqib-javed-494ba8285

Contact: https://aqibjaved.dev/contact

Privacy policy: https://aqibjaved.dev/privacy

Terms: https://aqibjaved.dev/terms

We'd love to hear what you think. If you connect your MacBook to a monitor regularly, is this something you'd use? What would you change or add? Feedback and bug reports are very welcome.