Former Apple engineer running Red Sweater Software, maker of MarsEdit
MarsEdit, FastScripts, Black Ink +2
stack --tool appkit · #27 of 80
Indie makers who build with AppKit (2026)
5 indie makers on IndieMakerList list AppKit in their stack — 3% of makers who share one — including Daniel Jalkut, Ryan Hanson and Gus Mueller. Apple's framework for building native macOS app user interfaces. Below: their products, self-reported revenue and the tools they pair with AppKit.
5
makers
27
products
—
combined revenue*
2
exits
Official site: developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit
Top indie makers using AppKit
5 makers, ranked by profile depth, audience and reported revenue.
Mac indie developer behind Rectangle, Rectangle Pro, Superkey and Hyperkey
Rectangle, Rectangle Pro, Superkey +7
Founder of Flying Meat, two-decade indie Mac maker of Acorn and Retrobatch
Acorn, Retrobatch, VoodooPad +1
Mac developer behind retro Apple Music remotes and PDX Transit
QuickTune, Music Remote, Music MiniPlayer +2
Veteran Mac developer who created NetNewsWire and MarsEdit
NetNewsWire, MarsEdit, Vesper
Products built by AppKit makers
A selection of the 27 products shipped by these makers.
MarsEdit
redsweater.com
Mac app for writing, previewing and publishing posts to WordPress, Micro.blog and other blogs.
by Daniel Jalkut
FastScripts
redsweater.com
Menu bar and keyboard shortcut launcher for AppleScripts and other scripts.
by Daniel Jalkut
Rectangle
rectangleapp.com
Free, open-source window management app for macOS based on Spectacle.
by Ryan Hanson
Rectangle Pro
rectangleapp.com
Paid Rectangle superset with window throwing, multi-window commands and custom shortcuts (formerly Hookshot).
by Ryan Hanson
A
Acorn
flyingmeat.com
Image editor for the Mac, designed to be powerful yet approachable and affordable.
by Gus Mueller
R
Retrobatch
flyingmeat.com
Node-based batch image processing app for macOS.
by Gus Mueller
Q
QuickTune
marioaguzman.github.io
Apple Music remote for macOS styled after QuickTime 7 on Mac OS X Tiger.
by Mario Guzmán
M
Music Remote
marioaguzman.github.io
Retro Apple Music remote recreating the Music Player app from the Mac OS X Public Beta.
by Mario Guzmán
NetNewsWire
netnewswire.com
Free, open-source RSS reader for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
by Brent Simmons
Mac blog editor originally made at Ranchero, now developed by Red Sweater Software.
by Brent Simmons
Tools commonly used with AppKit
How many AppKit makers also list each tool.
What AppKit makers build
Where AppKit makers are based
Other frontend tools indie makers use
AppKit indie makers FAQ
Which indie makers build with AppKit?
Indie makers on IndieMakerList who list AppKit in their stack include Daniel Jalkut, Ryan Hanson, Gus Mueller, Mario Guzmán and Brent Simmons.
How popular is AppKit with indie makers?
5 makers — 3% of the 170 profiles with a listed stack — use AppKit, ranking it #27 of 80 tools used by two or more makers.
What tools do indie makers use with AppKit?
The tools most often listed alongside AppKit are Swift (5 makers), Objective-C (4 makers), SQLite (1 maker) and UIKit (1 maker).
What do indie makers build with AppKit?
Makers using AppKit mostly work in Mac & Desktop App Makers (5), Open Source Makers (3) and Design Tools (2), and have shipped 27 listed products between them.
What is AppKit?
Apple's framework for building native macOS app user interfaces. Official site: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit
Know an indie maker who builds with AppKit? Submit a maker to IndieMakerList →
Stack data comes from each maker's posts, interviews and open-source repos. See every tool in the indie maker stack.