Free, open-source Mac menu bar apps

piedol writes Mac apps in Rust and Swift and publishes their source on GitHub.

Photon is for screenshots and screen recording on Mac and Windows, Tamka for on-device dictation, Kivuko for NordVPN over WireGuard, Kipimo for system monitoring and cleanup, and Lavdeck for the DJI Mic Series Mobile RX receiver.

  • Photon’s capture overlay with a marked-up dashboard, the recording countdown and the Recording saved panel

    Photon

    Screenshots, markup and screen recording. Freeze the screen, mark up an area and copy it, or record at 60 fps, then trim the clip or make a GIF.

    macOS 15+ on Apple siliconWindows 10 and 11RustDownload for Mac and Windows

  • Tamka’s Models settings, its menu with recent dictations, and the listening indicator

    Tamka

    Dictation that runs on your Mac’s Neural Engine. Press ⌃V, speak, press it again, and the text appears at your cursor.

    macOS 26+ on Apple siliconRust and SwiftDownload for Mac

  • Kivuko’s menu while connected, with Location, Kill Switch, Auto-Connect and Block Ads and Trackers

    Kivuko

    A NordVPN client built on WireGuard. It reconnects after sleep and network changes, and macOS enforces its kill switch.

    macOS 14+ on Apple siliconNeeds a NordVPN subscriptionRustBuild from source

    Independent project; not affiliated with Nord Security.

  • Kipimo’s menu bar panel next to its Uninstall window

    Kipimo

    A system monitor and cleanup toolkit. A menu bar panel shows disk, memory, battery, CPU and network, and the tools clear caches, uninstall apps and check for updates.

    macOS 15+ on Apple siliconRustDownload for Mac

  • Lavdeck’s deck recording two mics in stereo, next to the Recordings window with a two-speaker take and its transcript

    Lavdeck

    A menu bar app for the DJI Mic Series Mobile RX. It shows both mics’ status, switches mono or stereo, sets gain and records 48 kHz 24-bit audio over USB.

    macOS 15+ on Apple siliconDJI Mic Series Mobile RXSwiftBuild from source for now

    Independent project; not made by or affiliated with DJI.

Compare the apps

ProjectWhat it doesRuns onBuilt withLicenseHow to get it
PhotonScreenshots, markup and screen recording for macOS and WindowsMac: Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later. Windows 10 (1903 or later) or 11, 64-bitRustOpen source (GPL-3.0)Download for Mac or Windows
TamkaOn-device dictation for the MacApple silicon, macOS 26 or laterRust and SwiftOpen source (GPL-3.0)Download for Mac, or build from source
KivukoA NordVPN client for the Mac menu bar, built on WireGuardApple silicon, macOS 14 or later, a NordVPN subscription and a paid Apple Developer Program membershipRustOpen source (GPL-3.0)Build from source
KipimoSystem monitor and cleanup tools for the Mac menu barApple silicon, macOS 15 or laterRustOpen source (GPL-3.0)Download for Mac, or build from source
LavdeckMic status, gain and recording for the DJI Mic Series Mobile RX, from the Mac menu barApple silicon, macOS 15 or later, with a DJI Mic Series Mobile RX on a USB connection that carries dataSwiftOpen source (GPL-3.0)Build from source for now

Licenses

Photon, Tamka, Kivuko, Kipimo and Lavdeck are open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. Use, study, share and change the apps for any purpose, including at work. Distributed modifications must stay under the same license. Read the license.

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome on GitHub.