The best mac utilities, according to hackers

10 mac utilities recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.

All mac utilities

Claude usage menu bar appPeople like its clear graphics, detailed display, and simple single-file code. The usual caveat is that it sometimes fails to show reset times.15recommend
noTunes by tombonezRecommended to stop Apple Music from launching on macOS, since the built-in app cannot be deleted or disabled.15recommend
PanicLockFree menu bar button that instantly disables Touch ID and locks the Mac; critics say it does not protect data already in memory or on an unencrypted drive.12recommend
ItsyhomePeople recommend it as a fast menu bar alternative to the Home app for controlling HomeKit devices, with open source code and webhook integration.12recommend
CodexBarFree macOS menu bar app tracking Claude and Codex usage, with support for more providers; critics report high RAM use and crashes.11recommend
PeekShows live website previews when you hover over the Mac menu bar, and a CLI lets Claude Code see the browser. Some critics say they find little value in it.9recommend
NightwatchA Mac menu-bar app that shows whether tonight's sky is clear, with a custom horizon setting. Critics say it doesn't belong in an already crowded menu bar.8recommend
macOS keyboard layout fixer menu bar appFree menu bar app that fixes text typed in the wrong keyboard layout, so people stop switching layouts by hand. Caveat: some report it doesn't work in iTerm2.7recommend
App TamerPeople use it to cap CPU use of background apps and daemons such as Backblaze, which gives them back a responsive Mac. The main caveat is that it doesn't tame everything.6recommend
RemoveMacAIFree Mac app that turns off Apple Intelligence on macOS 27 and reclaims disk space; it is unofficial and reversible. One critic reported system data grew to 74 GB afterward.5recommend