# The developer's desk

> Terminals, editors, databases and debuggers with no Electron in sight. 10 native Mac apps, hand-picked by MacWorthy. Facts checked 2026-10-19.

## Compared

| App | Price | Mac App Store | Homebrew | Open source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Ghostty](https://macworthy.com/apps/ghostty/) | Open source | No | `ghostty` | MIT |
| [Zed](https://macworthy.com/apps/zed/) | Open source | No | `zed` | Yes |
| [OrbStack](https://macworthy.com/apps/orbstack/) | Free + Pro | No | `orbstack` | No |
| [Tower](https://macworthy.com/apps/tower/) | Subscription | No | `tower` | No |
| [TablePlus](https://macworthy.com/apps/tableplus/) | Free + Pro | No | `tableplus` | No |
| [Proxyman](https://macworthy.com/apps/proxyman/) | Free + Pro | No | `proxyman` | No |
| [Dash](https://macworthy.com/apps/dash/) | Free + Pro | No | `dash` | No |
| [DevUtils](https://macworthy.com/apps/devutils/) | One-time purchase | Yes | `devutils` | No |
| [Cork](https://macworthy.com/apps/cork/) | Open source | No | `cork` | Yes |
| [Secretive](https://macworthy.com/apps/secretive/) | Open source | No | `secretive` | MIT |

## The apps

- **[Ghostty](https://macworthy.com/apps/ghostty.md)** (editor's pick): A fast, feature-rich, truly native terminal. Ghostty uses real macOS tabs, splits and windows, renders on Metal and stays responsive under heavy output. Configuration is a single text file.
- **[Zed](https://macworthy.com/apps/zed.md)** (editor's pick): A code editor that runs at the speed of thought. Written in Rust and rendered on the GPU, Zed opens large projects instantly. Multiplayer editing, a built-in agent panel and Vim mode come standard.
- **[OrbStack](https://macworthy.com/apps/orbstack.md)** (editor's pick): Docker and Linux machines, light as a feather. OrbStack runs containers and Linux VMs with a fraction of the memory and battery cost of the alternatives, and starts in about two seconds.
- **[Tower](https://macworthy.com/apps/tower.md)**: Git, with an undo button. Tower makes interactive rebase, conflict resolution and stacked branches visual and safe. Almost every action can be undone with ⌘Z.
- **[TablePlus](https://macworthy.com/apps/tableplus.md)**: A modern client for every database you touch. PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Redis and more in one fast native app with safe-mode editing, SSH tunnels and a clean query editor.
- **[Proxyman](https://macworthy.com/apps/proxyman.md)**: Inspect every HTTP request, beautifully. Proxyman captures and debugs HTTPS traffic from Mac, iOS devices and simulators, with breakpoints, scripting and map-local rules.
- **[Dash](https://macworthy.com/apps/dash.md)**: Every API doc you need, offline and instant. Dash downloads documentation for hundreds of languages and frameworks and searches it at keystroke speed, even on a plane.
- **[DevUtils](https://macworthy.com/apps/devutils.md)**: Forty-plus developer helpers, offline. Format JSON, decode JWTs, test regexes, convert timestamps and more. DevUtils even detects what's on your clipboard and picks the right tool.
- **[Cork](https://macworthy.com/apps/cork.md)**: A friendly face for Homebrew. Cork lists, installs, updates and cleans Homebrew packages in a SwiftUI app, so you rarely need to remember brew flags.
- **[Secretive](https://macworthy.com/apps/secretive.md)**: SSH keys that never leave the Secure Enclave. Secretive stores SSH keys in the Secure Enclave and asks for Touch ID before each use, so keys can't be copied off your Mac.

HTML version: https://macworthy.com/collections/developer-desk/