Software you own, not rent
While the industry pushes monthly subscriptions, this directory collects the opposite: Mac software you buy once or use for free — with no recurring fee and no features vanishing the moment you stop paying.
Every listing is reviewed by hand. Only software with a fair, subscription-free model gets in. Listing is free for now; developers can submit their own app at any time.
Current listings
Morphiqo
On-device face swap for video and photo
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac, iOS, iPadOS
免許試験・一発合格 (Japan Driving License Exam)
Practice app for Japan's driving licence theory exam
Free · iOS, iPadOS
Nova Sudoku
Sudoku with four levels and a daily challenge
Free · iOS, iPadOS
OmmiQ
Simple day planner, free and tracking-free
One-time purchase · Web
Tamadochi
A tiny pixel pet for your desk, bought once
One-time purchase · Mac
Driftlog: Travel Map & Diary
Travel map built from photo locations, one-time unlock
Freemium (no subscription) · iOS, iPadOS
Lease Log: Rent Tracker
Tenancy record on iPhone: photos, repairs, payments
Freemium (no subscription) · iOS
MenoLog: HRT & Menopause Log
Private menopause symptom logging on iPhone
Freemium (no subscription) · iOS
Mole Tracker: Skin Check Diary
Mole photo history with a PDF report
One-time purchase · iOS
SplashDuo
Turns your MacBook lid motion into a screen effect
One-time purchase · Mac
LightTable
Free digital darkroom with realistic film simulation
Free · Mac, Windows, Linux
ScrollMark
Bookmark scroll positions on webpages and jump back
One-time purchase · Mac
Tidy (tidymacapp.com)
Searches scanned PDFs and screenshots — locally on your Mac
One-time purchase · Mac
Murmur
Local AI voice studio for Mac — pay once
One-time purchase · Mac
Mole for Mac
Clean your Mac, manage apps, watch the system
One-time purchase · Mac
BetterStage
Mac window manager with named project stages
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
Bucketlist.nl
Collect and tick off bucket list ideas – free
Free · Web
NotchyTask
To-do list in your MacBook notch, stored locally
One-time purchase · Mac
Anthora
Local media search and cleanup for your own folders
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
PX7 GrooveFile
Catalog your record collection by barcode on Mac
One-time purchase · Mac
Atlas Red
Buy-once mind mapping in your browser
Freemium (no subscription) · Web
PX7 Markdown Typeset
Markdown to PDF, HTML, LaTeX and rich text on your Mac
One-time purchase · Mac
Heightmap
Turn photos into printable 16-bit height maps
One-time purchase · Mac
MandelKit
Mandelbrot and Julia fractals with deep zoom
One-time purchase · iOS, Mac
Mobile Darkroom
A local photo lab for iPhone and iPad — no cloud
One-time purchase · iOS
Quinque
The daily German word puzzle — free, no ads
Free · iOS, Mac
RadianceCap
iPhone capture app for sensor-rich 3D scenes
Free · iOS
RadianceView
Native Gaussian-splat viewer & editor for Mac
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
SADFinder
A better Finder for your Mac
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
SpawnHere
New windows on the display under your pointer
Free · Mac
UpscaleKit
Image upscaling right on your Mac, no upload
One-time purchase · Mac
Capora
Screenshots and demo videos, made on your Mac
One-time purchase · Mac
Nori Clipboard
Mac clipboard history with replayable paste sequences
One-time purchase · Mac
Kuta
Treadmill interval training, no subscription
Freemium (no subscription) · iPadOS
DeskCommit
Set up Mac displays from your keyboard
One-time purchase · Mac
Constellation: Visual Notes
Visual notes in an orbit view – local, no account
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
Cue: Reaction Time Game
Posner-style reflex test, two minutes per session
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
Mr Stash⋅Money Bucket Planner
Track savings in separate buckets
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
Thought Relay: Fast Notes
Capture thoughts fast — no account needed
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
TogetherJar: Shared Savings
Track a shared savings goal on one device
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
Vector: On-the-Go Action Notes
Action notes with status: Next, Waiting, Decision
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
Whats Due Soon: Countdown
Countdown for deadlines, bills and key dates
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
Box Breathing: Guided
Guided 4-4-4-4 box breathing with a visual cue
One-time purchase · Mac, iOS, iPadOS
Deadline Countdown: Stay Sharp
Deadline docket: overdue, today, tomorrow, next
One-time purchase · Mac, iOS
Emberkeep: Savings Streak
Turn saving into a daily streak, paid once
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
GoalLume: Savings Goal Tracker
Savings goals with photos and visible progress
One-time purchase · iOS, iPadOS
Private Voice Notes
Pick the folder first, then record — local-first
One-time purchase · Mac, iOS
Sketch Notes Whiteboard
Local Mac whiteboard, unlocked with one purchase
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
NotchLive
Live captions in the notch, no cloud
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
RooCards
Loyalty cards as barcodes on your iPhone
Freemium (no subscription) · iOS
Cadence
Weekly planning in a single window
One-time purchase · Mac, iOS
Dispatch
An ASO toolkit for indie developers
One-time purchase · Mac
Drip Send
Personal emails from your own mailbox
One-time purchase · Mac
Rank for Mac
Search Console data as a weekly SEO plan
One-time purchase · Mac
Wallset
Switch wallpapers with a keystroke
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
Suzume Mail
Mail threads that read like a conversation
One-time purchase · Mac
Folder Lock Vault
Folders sealed into encrypted vaults on your Mac
One-time purchase · Mac
MailTwin
Apple Mail replies in your own voice
One-time purchase · Mac
Vocal Notes
Transcription that never leaves your Mac
One-time purchase · Mac
Mundwerk
Fast, private dictation for macOS
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
Druckkosten
Print-cost calculator for print shops
One-time purchase · Mac
CameraView
All your HomeKit cameras in one grid
Free · Mac
Acorn
Image editing without the bloat
One-time purchase · Mac
RadianceKit
Gaussian-splatting toolkit for macOS
Freemium (no subscription) · Mac
Sublime Text
A blazing-fast code and text editor
One-time purchase · Mac
Rectangle
Snap windows with keyboard shortcuts
Free · Mac
Monodraw
ASCII diagrams and art
One-time purchase · Mac
Keka
Compress and extract files
Free · Mac
Maccy
Clipboard history that stays out of the way
Free · Mac
NetNewsWire
A fast, ad-free RSS reader
Free · Mac
Cyberduck
Files to servers and clouds
Free · Mac
ImageOptim
Shrink images without quality loss
Free · Mac
IINA
The modern media player for macOS
Free · Mac
HandBrake
Convert video, free and powerful
Free · Mac
Transmission
A lean BitTorrent client
Free · Mac
Listen4Me
Real-time live captions of speech
Free · iOS, iPadOS
Sections: Productivity · Utilities · Graphics · Media · Internet · Development · Games · Accessibility
Keyword index
no subscription one-time purchase subscription-free free open source macOS offline freemium iPhone local storage no account notes Apple Silicon finance Gaussian splatting keyboard shortcuts local photo editing clipboard manager countdown deadlines due dates keyboard shortcut live captions Mac menu bar multiple displays on-device AI on-device transcription PDF export photogrammetry radiance fields reminders savings goals speech-to-text tiling to-do list transcription window manager 16-bit height map 3D capture iPhone 3D from photos 3D scanning 3D scenes 3D viewer 7z accessibility action log AES-256 AI email assistant AI image enlargement AI prioritization Amazon S3 animation annotations app marketing App Store Connect App Store optimisation app uninstaller Apple Health Apple Mail Apple Wallet Apple Watch ASCII art ASCII diagrams ASO Atom attention audio export audio recorder audio to text automatic wallpaper rotation AV1 barcode scanner batch rename files Mac bilingual bills BitTorrent bookmark box breathing brain training brainstorming tool breathing exercise bring your own API key bring your own SMTP browser mind map bucket list bucket method budget cache cleanup camera grid camera pose camera viewer caption app captions card widget CD catalog change wallpaper checklist cleanup clipboard clipboard history cloud storage CNC relief code editor collection manager compress files compression contribution tracking Core ML upscaler cost calculator country counter curves daily challenge daily word game day planner decision log deep zoom deliverability SPF DKIM DMARC demo video depth bokeh diagramming diagrams dictation disk analyzer display arrangement documentation downloading torrents downloads sorting draft emails driving licence duplicate finder DVD ripper email outreach email replies encrypt folder encryption without the cloud enlarge photos extract face swap fast feed reader file archiver file management file transfer film simulation Finder alternative Finder replacement Finder with tabs fitness five-letter word focus folders follow-ups fractal explorer fractals free download FTP client GDPR German word puzzle German Wordle Google Search Console H.265 habits health log height map heightmap Mac history HomeKit HomeKit cameras HRT notes iCloud sync without an account image compression image editor image upscaler Mac IMAP import contacts improve click-through rate inspiration interval training interview transcription iPad iPhone to-do app Japan Julia set keyboard-first keyword ranking laser engraving layers learning lens simulation lid angle LiDAR depth Lightroom alternative live translation local AI local no upload local processing local transcription location history logic game loyalty cards iPhone Mac captions mac cleaner Mac email client Mac file manager Mac menu bar Mac SEO tool Mac task list Mac vault Mac wallpaper app MacBook macOS dictation macOS player mail threads Mandelbrot Markdown converter Mac Markdown to LaTeX Mac Markdown to PDF Markdown to rich text masks media player media search meeting notes menopause menu bar app menu bar utility Metal rendering mind map mind map app mind map OPML export mind mapping mini game mini-games mole diary move-in photos multi-monitor news reader newsletter without a subscription niche research no ads no in-app purchases notch number puzzle OCR offline Markdown Mac offline speech recognition on-device on-device speech recognition open windows optimize PNG outline to mind map P2P password protect a folder paste history PDF report photo editor photo history photo import photo lab iPhone photo library photo to relief pixel pet plan your week plugins PLY export Posner task print cost calculator print shop pricing privacy programming progress progress tracking protect files puzzle PWA quick file filter quote generator RadianceKit rank tracking RAW development RAW photo editor reaction time reading real-time captions record collection reduce image size reflex test refresh rate relaxation renaming rent payments rental resolution retouching review mining rewards cards road signs RSS RSS reader running saving savings savings goal scan barcode card screen effect screen recording screenshot scroll position search self-contained HTML export SEO without a monthly dashboard SFTP shared jar shrink JPEG simulation sketching skin check SMTP speech synthesis splat editor store card wallet streak stress relief subtitles sudoku surveillance symptom tracker system monitor task management task manager technical SEO audit text diagrams text editor text-to-speech theme filter theory exam torrent client travel diary travel ideas travel map treadmill trip planning unrar upscale images UV printing video converter video editing video player video transcoder video transcription vinyl visual notes voice capture voice cloning voice memos voice typing wallpaper switcher week view weekly planner Whisper whiteboard window management window positioning window snapping word guessing game workspaces ZIP Zoom captions