Vorssaint: The Free Open-Source macOS Menu Bar Toolkit That Replaces a Dozen Paid Apps
Vorssaint is a free, open-source macOS menu bar app that combines per-app volume mixing, system monitoring, window management, clipboard history, and more into one tool.
Vorssaint: The Free Open-Source macOS Menu Bar Toolkit That Replaces a Dozen Paid Apps
If you're a Mac power user, you've probably accumulated a collection of menu bar utilities: one for volume control, another for system monitoring, a window switcher, a clipboard manager, and maybe a keep-awake tool. Each one adds a little icon to your menu bar, consumes memory, and often comes with a subscription or a one-time purchase. Vorssaint is a free, open-source alternative that consolidates all of these functions into a single, well-designed menu bar app.
What Is Vorssaint?
Vorssaint is a macOS menu bar toolkit written in Swift and SwiftUI. It's designed to replace a whole stack of paid Mac utilities with one app that lives behind a single menu bar icon. It's local-first, meaning core features run entirely on your Mac, with network access only for update checks, speed tests, and Homebrew actions you explicitly start. There's no account, no telemetry, no subscription, and no cloud backend.
Core Features
Per-App Volume Mixer
This is the feature that most users reach for first. Vorssaint puts a real audio mixer in your menu bar, allowing you to adjust the volume of individual applications independently. Mute a loud video while your music keeps playing, or boost a quiet call without turning up everything else. No extra audio drivers are needed, and there's nothing to set up first.
On macOS 26 and newer, the slider takes on a Liquid Glass look, while earlier versions of macOS keep the familiar appearance.
System Monitor
Vorssaint provides a comprehensive system monitor panel that shows:
- CPU, GPU, and memory usage
- Temperatures and battery details
- Uptime and small history graphs
- Optional menu bar readouts
You can also set up optional notifications for sustained CPU load, high CPU temperature, critical memory pressure, low disk space, and low battery.
Network Monitoring
Watch live upload and download rates, session totals, and run a speed test whenever you're curious. This is useful for diagnosing network issues or just keeping an eye on your bandwidth usage.
Power and Battery
Keep an eye on system draw, adapter input, battery flow, health, cycle count, and which apps are consuming significant energy right now.
Window Management
Vorssaint includes several window management features:
- Window Switcher: A richer alternative to ⌘Tab with live thumbnails, including multiple windows from the same app.
- Window Layout: Move the active window to halves, corners, center, or the usable screen with optional shortcuts.
- Shelf: Park files, images, text, and links near your cursor for a moment, then drag them wherever they belong later.
- Finder Cut and Paste: Use ⌘X and ⌘V to move selected files, while text fields keep their usual shortcuts.
- Quit on Close: Let an app quit when its last window closes, with exceptions for apps you want to leave running.
- Green Button Maximizer: An optional take on the green button that keeps the window in the current Space and puts it back to its old size on the next click.
- Clipboard History: Keep a local text history with pinned items, search, manual ordering, and quick paste shortcuts.
Keep Awake
Run a timer or keep your Mac awake until you say stop. Closed lid mode is available for when you want the Mac to keep going with the screen down. It's opt-in and tightly scoped so it never catches you off guard.
Uninstaller
Drop an app onto Settings, look over the caches, preferences, and logs it left around, then move them all to the Trash together. This is a much cleaner way to remove applications than just dragging them to the Trash.
Clean URL
Strip tracking junk out of copied links, with an option to do it automatically. This is a simple but effective privacy feature.
Cleaning Mode
Lock the keyboard for a quick wipe down and unlock from the overlay or a repeated key tap.
Scroll Direction
Flip the mouse wheel independently without touching the trackpad's natural scrolling.
Fan Control (Beta)
A safe testing entry is in place, with manual controls held back until each Mac model is checked out properly.
Installation
The easiest way to install Vorssaint is with Homebrew:
brew install --cask vorssaint/tap/vorssaint
If you already have Vorssaint installed and want to adopt it into Homebrew without re-downloading:
brew install --cask --adopt vorssaint/tap/vorssaint
After that, updates arrive with:
brew upgrade --cask vorssaint
You can also download the latest disk image from the releases page, open it, and drag Vorssaint into Applications.
Vorssaint is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens with no security warning, and the stable signing identity holds on to the permissions you grant across updates.
Building from Source
If you prefer to build it yourself:
git clone https://github.com/vorssaint/vorssaint-utils.git
cd vorssaint-utils
./build.sh # compile, generate the icon, and assemble the signed bundle
./build.sh --install # the same, then install into Applications and launch
You'll need Xcode Command Line Tools installed.
Privacy and Permissions
Vorssaint is designed to be private by default. It runs on your machine and asks for nothing it doesn't need. No account, no telemetry, no analytics, and no tracking. Network access is limited to visible features: update checks, the speed test, and Homebrew searches/analytics/installs when you use the Homebrew manager.
Every macOS permission is optional, and the first run walks you through each one. A feature that is missing a permission simply stays quiet instead of breaking. Here's a quick overview:
- Accessibility: Used by scroll direction, window layout, the switcher, Dock Preview, Finder cut and paste, and quit on close. Without it, those features stay off.
- Screen Recording: Used for window titles and thumbnails in the switcher and Dock Preview. Without it, previews fall back or stay unavailable.
- System Audio Recording: Used for per-app volume and output routing in the mixer. Without it, apps stay on normal system audio.
- Notifications: Used for keep awake, battery, monitor, and update alerts. Without it, the app stays silent.
- Full Disk Access (optional): Used for a deeper uninstaller scan. Without it, it scans the reachable places only.
- Administrator (once, optional): Used for password-free closed lid toggling. Without it, a password prompt appears on each toggle.
Finder cut and paste, the uninstaller, and Homebrew's Terminal handoff can also ask macOS for Automation access the first time they talk to Finder or Terminal. The shelf needs no permission at all.
Requirements
- A Mac with Apple Silicon
- macOS 14 Sonoma or newer
- Xcode Command Line Tools (only if building from source)
Uninstallation
To completely remove Vorssaint:
./Tools/uninstall.sh
This script quits the app, drops the login item, resets its privacy grants, deletes the app along with its preferences and saved state, and removes the optional closed lid rule. You can also drag the app to the Trash and run tccutil reset All com.vorssaint.utils to clear its permissions.
Why Vorssaint Matters
For developers and power users, the macOS menu bar is prime real estate. Every utility you add consumes memory, adds visual clutter, and often comes with its own update mechanism and privacy policy. Vorssaint solves this by consolidating a dozen common utilities into one app that's free, open-source, and privacy-respecting.
The fact that it's written in Swift and SwiftUI means it integrates well with modern macOS, and the open-source nature means you can inspect the code, contribute features, or customize it to your needs.
Conclusion
Vorssaint is a remarkable open-source project that demonstrates how a well-designed, single-purpose app can replace a whole ecosystem of paid utilities. If you're a Mac user who values privacy, efficiency, and a clean menu bar, Vorssaint is worth a try. It's free, it's open-source, and it just works.
Check out the GitHub repository for more details, documentation, and to contribute.