Open Source Macintosh Applications for Enthusiasts

quadratic14 appsUpdated Sep 2, 2019

Many complete, open-sourced, and often crowd-sourced applications can competently take the place of commercial software. This includes applications for the great Macintosh OS X. I use each of these for my various endeavors.

Python
Like
Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented, extensible programming language. It provides an extraordinary combination of clarity and versatility, and is free and comprehensively ported.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Programming Language
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Symbian S60
BSD
AROS
Linux Mobile
Haiku
AmigaOS
OpenSolaris
MorphOS
quadratic’s note
Python! The simple yet powerful programming language behind everything from Dropbox to 2017's, "Doki Doki Literature Club," is also open source. With many powerful frameworks to its name and many resources for getting started, Python is an easy language to pick up, and a powerful ally.
Audacity
Like
Free open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder with 32-bit float processing. Supports many formats and plugins for Windows, macOS, Linux.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Audio Recorder
Audio Editor
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
AppImageHub
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
+6
quadratic’s note
Audacity is a
VLC Media Player
Like
Cross-platform, free media player supports multimedia files, DVDs, streaming, offers hardware acceleration, 4K, lossless audio, and more.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Media Player
Audio Player
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Windows Mobile
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
BSD
HUAWEI AppGallery
iPad
AppImageHub
Apple Watch
Snapcraft
Google Chrome
Apple TV
Flathub
PortableApps.com
F-Droid
Kindle Fire
Haiku
Android TV
OpenAPK
Homebrew
Chocolatey
Xbox
+4
AppCleaner
Like
AppCleaner is a small application which allows you to thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps.
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Software Uninstaller
System Cleaner
Platforms
Mac
quadratic’s note
I'm not even sure this is open source, but it enables the riddance of proprietary software.
Übersicht
Like
Übersicht lets you run system commands and display their output on your desktop in little containers, called widgets. Widgets are written using HTML5, which means they
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Desktop Customization Tool
Shell Extension
Platforms
Mac
+1
quadratic’s note
Honestly, I don't remember putting this one on this list, but it can't be that bad if it isn't a virus.
Mozilla Firefox
Like
Open-source browser with Gecko engine, supporting HTML add-ons and providing privacy features like Enhanced Tracking Protection and third-party cookie blocking.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Web Browser
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
BSD
HUAWEI AppGallery
iPad
AppImageHub
Snapcraft
Linux Mobile
Flathub
Samsung Galaxy Store
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Flatpak
Homebrew
Chocolatey
Gecko
F-Droid
+8
quadratic’s note
Mozilla Firefox, usually called by the latter part of its name, is a well-known web browser that is entirely free and open source.
MuseScore Studio
Like
Create, notate, and playback music with free, open-source software for Windows, Mac, and Linux supporting MIDI, MusicXML, PDF export, and community sharing.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Music Production App
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
PortableApps.com
Haiku
+1
quadratic’s note
MuseScore is an open-source application for sheet music composition. It also interacts with MIDI devices that can control its built-in instruments.
Blender
Like
Free open-source 3D software for modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering, compositing, video editing, and simulation.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
3D Modeler
3D Animator
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Steam
Flatpak
+9
quadratic’s note
Blender is a free and open source 3D modeling and animation written in Python. It is a viable replacement to similar programs like Maya.
Inkscape
Like
Open source vector graphics editor supporting SVG with features like custom brushes, pressure sensitivity, and layer management across multiple platforms.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Vector Graphic App
Digital Painting Tool
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
+8
quadratic’s note
Inkscape is a vector graphics editor with capabilities comparable to Adobe Illustrator CC. It is free, open sourced, and crowd-sourced by its community.
Krita
Like
A free, open-source painting program for professional artists offering customizable UI, 9 brush engines, layer support, and color management.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Digital Painting Tool
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android Tablet
KDE Plasma
Epic Games Store
PortableApps.com
F-Droid
Steam
AppImage
+6
quadratic’s note
Krita is an exceptional painting program that plays well with programs like Inkscape.
OBS Studio
Like
Comprehensive software providing screen recording and live streaming on Mac, Windows, and Linux with powerful encoding support and unlimited scenes.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Screen Recorder
Screen Casting Tool
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Steam
FreeBSD
+8
quadratic’s note
Open Broadcaster Software, or OBS, is an open source, cross-platform screen recorder that allows for streaming to many sites. It replaces these services' proprietary streaming tools.
iTerm2
Like
Terminal emulator for macOS supporting split panes, session restoration, advanced search, inline images, SSH connections, automation, and tmux integration.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Terminal Emulator
Platforms
Mac
iPhone
iPad
+9
quadratic’s note
iTerm2 is a terminal emulator for macOS that allows for a great deal of customization, while also being incredibly functional. It acts as a replacement to macOS' preinstalled terminal emulator.
Hyper
Like
Hyper™ is a beautiful and extensible, cross-platform terminal built on open web standards. It provides an elegant command-line experience that is consistent across all supported platforms which includes macOS, Windows and various Linux distributions like Fedora and Debian.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
Shell
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Electron / Atom Shell
+3
quadratic’s note
For users running platforms other than macOS, (or Mac users who are control freaks (that is to say, Mac users.)) Hyper fills the role of the clean-looking, powerful, and highly hackable terminal emulator. Hyper is built on another open-source framework, GitHub's Electron, and uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for much of its code as such. It replaces its platforms' preinstalled terminal emulators.
Visual Studio Code
Like
Free, extensible code editor with Git integration, AI-driven IntelliCode, and 30,000+ extensions, supporting various languages like Python, Java.
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Code Editor
IDE
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Chrome OS
Snapcraft
Chocolatey
+2
quadratic’s note
Despite being developed and maintained by the once notoriously proprietary software company Microsoft, Visual Studio Code is a fully functional, general purpose code editor with several professional and innovative features. Like Hyper, it is built on GitHub's Electron framework.