A short list, on purpose
MacWorthy is a hand-picked directory of 244 native Mac apps. It exists because app stores reward volume and ads, and finding the one good tool for a job still takes too long.
What gets listed
Every app has to meet all of these:
- Native to the Mac. Built for macOS with Apple's frameworks, or with a toolkit that respects Mac conventions: real menus, keyboard shortcuts, system text handling and dark mode. Thin web wrappers don't qualify.
- Actively maintained. Updated for current versions of macOS, with a developer who answers.
- Tried by hand. Someone on our side installs it and uses it for real work before it is listed.
- Honest pricing. The price model is clear before you download it.
- Respects your data. No dark patterns, no surprise tracking.
No paid placements
Nobody can pay to be listed, to be ranked higher, or to become an editor's pick. We don't use affiliate links. If that ever changes, every affected link will be labelled on the page that carries it.
One thing to know: MacWorthy is made by the team behind Enconvo. It appears among the homepage picks, labelled as our own app. Every other app is listed on its merits.
Where the facts come from
Each app page separates our opinion (the description and the ranking) from facts we check against public sources:
- Prices, macOS requirements and versions come from the Mac App Store listing, where the app has one. Subscription apps often show as “free” there, so we only quote a store price for apps sold up front.
- Homebrew casks are matched against the official Homebrew cask index, by name and by the developer's website.
- Licenses, stars and last commit dates come from each project's GitHub repository.
Facts were last checked on . Prices change, so the developer's site is always the final word. If something is wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.
How lists are ordered
Category pages and collections put editor's picks first, then follow the order we would recommend the apps to a friend. The open-source page is ordered by GitHub stars. None of this is for sale.
For people and machines
Every app page has a plain Markdown version (add .md to the address), and the whole directory is summarised in /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt for AI assistants. You're welcome to quote MacWorthy; a link back is appreciated.
Affiliation
MacWorthy is not affiliated with Apple. Mac, macOS and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc. App names and icons belong to their developers.