Category guide · 10 comparisons

Open-source creative app alternatives

Explore free and open-source projects for capturing, editing, converting, and publishing visual or written work on a Mac.

Setapp apps
10
Recommendations
30
Unique projects
27

Showing 10 Create apps · sorted by selection rank

Explore create apps

Downie

Download YouTube videos

Create
1Open Video DownloaderTop pickAGPL-3.0-only9.0k ★
2yt-dlpUnlicense185.3k ★
3yt-dlp GUIMIT220 ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

Permute

Convert audio, images, and videos

Create
1Shutter EncoderTop pickGPL-3.0-only2.7k ★
2HandBrakeGPL-2.0 +224.1k ★
3FFmpegLGPL-2.1-or-later63.4k ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

Nitro PDF Pro

Work with your PDFs

Create
1LibreOfficeTop pickGPL-3.0-only4.2k ★
2OkularGPL-2.0-or-later1.5k ★
3PDFsam BasicAGPL-3.0-only4.5k ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

Ulysses

Write and publish from one app

Create
1ZettlrTop pickGPL-3.0-only13.4k ★
2novelWriterGPL-3.0-only3.1k ★
3JoplinAGPL-3.0-or-later56.0k ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

Craft

Create and structure documents

Create
1AppFlowyTop pickAGPL-3.0-only75.7k ★
2JoplinAGPL-3.0-or-later56.0k ★
3LogseqAGPL-3.0-only44.5k ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

MindNode Classic

Mind map and brainstorm ideas

Create
1FreeplaneTop pickGPL-2.0-only4.3k ★
2VYM - View Your MindGPL-2.0189 ★
3MindolphGPL-3.0-only199 ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

Folx

Download videos and torrents

Create
1AB Download ManagerTop pickApache-2.017.3k ★
2Persepolis Download ManagerGPL-3.0-only7.4k ★
3qBittorrentGPL-3.0-or-later39.5k ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

Pulltube

Download and trim videos

Create
1Open Video DownloaderTop pickAGPL-3.0-only9.0k ★
2ytDownloaderGPL-3.0-only10.2k ★
3yt-dlpUnlicense185.3k ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

PDF Squeezer

Compress PDFs without quality loss

Create
1FS PDF CompressorTop pickAGPL-3.0-only6 ★
2GhostscriptAGPL-3.0-or-later266 ★
3pdfcpuApache-2.08.8k ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

Boom 3D

Boost volume and audio quality

Create
1FineTuneTop pickGPL-3.0-only8.7k ★
2SystemEQ for MacGPL-3.0-only18 ★
3EqualiserGPL-3.0-only59 ★
Evidence · Aug 18, 2026Compare all three

About this category

This collection covers screenshot capture, photo editing, video downloading and conversion, PDF workflows, compression, and long-form writing. Creative replacements rarely match a commercial app feature for feature, so every shortlist pairs capabilities with license details, project status, platforms, and specific caveats to make the trade-offs visible.