Developer Tools Mac Apps

A Mac development setup is mostly small tools that each remove one daily annoyance: exposing localhost to a webhook, seeing what is really eating the CPU, getting back the snippet you copied an hour ago. This category collects the ones worth the install.

Everything listed runs natively on macOS, Apple Silicon included, and links straight to the developer's own site.

What to look for in a developer tools app

Native or Electron — native apps launch faster and cost far less battery, which matters for anything that sits in the menu bar all day.
Apple Silicon builds — look for a universal or arm64 binary rather than something running under Rosetta.
Data handling — for AI clients and clipboard managers, check whether history stays on device and whether you can bring your own API key.
Pricing model — several tools here are one-time purchases and a few are open source, so a subscription is worth questioning.