Guides, tips & comparisons

Multiple Claude Code Accounts: Best Tools (2026)

FavTray vs claude-swap vs CodexBar vs CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR aliases for using several Claude Code accounts: price, Codex, MCP logins and auto-switching.

Sep 29, 2026

How to Switch Claude Code Accounts on Mac

Switch Claude Code between work and personal accounts on a Mac: /logout and /login, CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR aliases, setup-token, or one click in FavTray.

Sep 29, 2026

How to Switch Codex CLI Accounts (CODEX_HOME)

Switch the Codex CLI between ChatGPT accounts: codex logout and login, a CODEX_HOME per account, why open sessions need a restart, and FavTray's one click.

Sep 29, 2026

See AirPods & Magic Keyboard Battery on Mac

Check AirPods, Magic Keyboard, Mouse and Trackpad battery on a Mac from Control Center, the Batteries widget, System Settings, Terminal or the menu bar.

Approve Claude Code From the Notch: Apps Compared

Approve Claude Code permission prompts from your Mac's notch: how the hooks work, what to check before you trust an app, and free and paid apps compared.

Barbee Alternatives for the Mac Menu Bar (2026)

Barbee vs Ice, Thaw, Hidden Bar, Bartender and FavTray: prices, macOS 26 and 27 support, and which Mac menu bar manager fits, checked September 2026.

Boring Notch Review (2026): Safety, Battery, Setup

Boring Notch is a free, open-source notch app for Mac. Is it safe, does it drain battery, how to get past Gatekeeper, and what to try instead.

How to Check GPU Usage on a Mac

Check GPU usage on a Mac with Activity Monitor's GPU History and % GPU column, powermetrics in Terminal, or a menu bar monitor. Works on Apple silicon.

Is Your USB-C Cable Slow? Check USB Speed on Mac

A fast SSD stuck at USB 2 speed is usually the cable. How to check the speed a USB device actually connected at on a Mac, and what each speed means.

How to See Claude Code Usage Limits on Mac

Check Claude Code's 5-hour and weekly limits with /usage, on claude.ai, in the status line, or live in the Mac menu bar, and see when you'll hit the limit.

Claude Usage Limits: How Plans and Resets Work

How Claude's 5-hour session and weekly limits work on Pro and Max, what the API costs, what happens at the limit, and how to watch it all from your Mac.

CleanMyMac Alternatives for Mac: Free and One-Time

CleanMyMac is a subscription cleaner. Free or one-time options: AppCleaner, Pearcleaner, Mole, GrandPerspective, DaisyDisk and read-only FavTray Space.

DaisyDisk Alternatives for Mac: Free and Paid

DaisyDisk is $9.99 and still the classic disk map. Compare GrandPerspective, OmniDiskSweeper, ncdu, DiskBuddy, CleanMyMac Space Lens and FavTray Space.

Best DiskBuddy Alternatives for Mac in 2026

DiskBuddy maps your disk eight ways and stages cleanup. Compare DaisyDisk, GrandPerspective, OmniDiskSweeper, macOS Storage and FavTray Space.

GitHub PRs and CI in the Mac Menu Bar: 7 Apps

Seven Mac menu bar apps for GitHub pull requests and CI status, free and paid: Gitify, PullBar Pro, GitBar, Trailer, RepoBar, CCMenu and FavTray.

iStat Menus Alternatives for Mac: Free and Paid

iStat Menus 7 is $11.99 and the deepest menu bar monitor. Compare Stats (free, open source), Vitals, Activity Monitor and FavTray's free System screen.

KeepingYouAwake Alternatives for Mac (2026)

Is KeepingYouAwake still maintained, and what runs on macOS 26 and 27? It compared with Amphetamine, Lungo, caffeinate and FavTray Keep Alive, by need.

Kill Port 3000 on Mac: Commands and Fixes

Port 3000 already in use on your Mac? The exact lsof and kill commands, what EADDRINUSE and operation not permitted mean, and fixes for Next.js and Rails.

privacy

Is My Mac's Mic or Camera On? Which App Uses It

How to tell if your Mac's mic or camera is on and which app is using it: the orange dot, the camera light, Control Center and FavTray's Camera & Mic.

privacy

Why macOS Keeps Asking for Permissions Again

Why Mac apps lose Screen Recording or Full Disk Access after an update, why some need a relaunch, and how to fix a switch that's on but not working.

The New FavTray: A Mac Developer Dashboard

FavTray, rebuilt: one Mac developer dashboard for GitHub PRs and CI, Claude/Codex/Cursor limits, localhost ports, cloud costs, projects and notes.

Give Notch Apps Permission for Spotify & Music

How to give Sapphire, Boring Notch, NotchNook or FavShelf permission for Apple Music and Spotify on Mac, plus Accessibility, Screen Recording, Bluetooth.

Per-App Volume on macOS Without a Driver

macOS has no per-app volume slider. Since macOS 14.2, Core Audio process taps make one possible without an audio driver. How it works, and its limits.

Build a Personal Mac Dashboard With Claude Code

Build a personal dashboard on your Mac with Claude Code or Codex: pick the numbers, write it with the FavTray Skill, and refresh it in place with a sourceKey.

Sapphire Notch App Review: Is It Free and Safe?

Sapphire is a free, open-source notch app with monthly AI tiers. Is it safe, what it costs, the permissions it asks for, and why Bloom is Windows-only.

How to Save a Claude Artifact Locally on Your Mac

Save a Claude artifact on your Mac: download or export it from claude.ai, keep the HTML a Claude Code artifact is built from, or keep a dashboard in FavTray.

SoundSource Alternatives for Per-App Volume on Mac

SoundSource is $49 and does far more than volume. If you only need per-app volume, compare Background Music, eqMac, SoundDial and FavTray on macOS 14.2+.

Turn Data Into a Mac Dashboard With Claude Code

FavTray Artifacts: ask Claude Code or Codex to make an artifact, and FavTray draws the JSON as a native Mac dashboard with tables, charts and stat cards.

Best Vitals Alternatives for Mac in 2026

Vitals groups processes by app with 30 days of history, but needs macOS 15 and has no trial. Compare Activity Monitor, Stats, iStat Menus and FavTray.

What's Eating Your Mac's Disk? A Developer Guide

Xcode DerivedData, simulators, node_modules, Docker and caches: how to measure each one read-only on a Mac, and clear it with the tool that owns it.

What's Keeping My Mac Awake? How to Find It

Find the app that stops your Mac sleeping with pmset -g assertions or Activity Monitor, see what woke it overnight, and fix the usual culprits.

KeepingYouAwake Review: macOS 27 and Alternatives

KeepingYouAwake is a free, open-source app that stops your Mac sleeping. How to install it, whether it works on macOS 27, and when to pick something else.

Sep 26, 2026

Max, the $99 Desk Buddy, Comes Free With FavTray Pro

My Dock Buddies sells the character Max as a standalone $99 desktop pet. FavTray Pro and Lifetime include him at no extra cost, wired into your actual workday instead of running on his own clock.

Sep 14, 2026

FavTray Alternatives (2026): Notchy, NotchNook, Boring Notch, Alcove, Atoll — Compared by the People Who Make FavTray

Looking for a FavTray alternative? Here are the five real options, what each costs, what each does that FavTray doesn't, and when you should pick them over us.

FavTray 1.11 Features: All 179 Functions Across 17 Tools (Counted From the Code)

Every FavTray 1.11 function in one table — 179 across 17 tools, from the 20-20-20 timer to the stand-up shrimp. Each row links to its feature page; every number comes from the source code, not a marketing round-up.

We Measured It: FavTray's Idle CPU and Memory With Every Tool On

0.3–0.5 % CPU at idle with every tool enabled, sampled on an M5 Max running macOS 26.6, plus memory at idle and at its peak. The method, the numbers, the rules that keep the notch island from costing anything when it's closed, and how to check your own Mac in 30 seconds.

How Mac Notch Apps Count Features (FavTray 1.11)

Notch apps count features; FavTray counts tools. Counted Notchy's way, FavTray 1.11 came to 179 functions. The convention, and the full table to check.

Notchy Alternatives for Mac (2026): Free and Paid

Notchy is a good free notch app. The alternatives: open source, paid once, and FavTray's developer island, and when each one is the better pick.

body health

Water and Stand-Up Reminders for Mac That You Can't Unsee: A Tank and a Shrimp on the Edge of Your Screen

Most hydration and posture apps are a notification you swipe away. FavTray's Hydrate and Move are objects: a water tank that shows the level, a shrimp that curls the longer you sit, and a notch that floods when you hit the goal. How it works and why objects beat alerts.

Free Notch Apps for Mac: 5 Real Options (2026)

A notch island on Mac can be free: Notchy, Boring Notch, Atoll, Sapphire's free core and FavShelf's glance cost $0. What each includes, and the catch.

Notch Island on Mac: Get One Free in 2 Minutes

No Mac has an island built in. Add one like the iPhone's in 2 minutes with a free notch app (FavShelf, Boring Notch or Notchy). Steps and fixes.

NotchNook vs Boring Notch (2026): Status and Price

Boring Notch is free and open source. NotchNook went offline in September 2026 and is back on sale at a new site. Features, battery and safety compared.

What Is the MacBook Notch For? What's Inside It

The MacBook notch holds the camera, camera LED and True Tone sensor, nothing more. Which Macs have it, whether Macs get an iPhone-style island, and fixes.

7 Best Bartender Alternatives for Mac (Free, 2026)

Best free Bartender alternatives in 2026: Thaw, the maintained Ice fork, and Hidden Bar, which works on macOS 27. Plus Barbee, Vanilla, Ice and FavTray.

Best Clipboard Managers for Mac in 2026

The 6 best Mac clipboard managers compared: Maccy, Paste, Raycast, Clipy, PastePal, and FavTray — history depth, search, privacy, and price.

10 Best Widget Apps for Mac & MacBook (2026)

The best widgets for Mac and MacBook in 2026: free desktop widgets, Stats, iStat Menus, Dato, Widgetter, notch apps and FavTray's live deck, with prices.

Best Meeting Reminder Apps for Mac (2026)

Never join a meeting late again: In Your Face, Meeter, Dato, Fantastical, and FavTray compared — full-screen alerts, one-click join, and menu bar countdowns.

Best Window Manager for Mac 2026: Free & Tiling

Rectangle is the best free Mac window manager; AeroSpace is the best tiling one, with no SIP changes. Nine compared, incl. yabai, Magnet, Moom and Raycast.

CleanShot X Alternatives: Free and One-Time (2026)

CleanShot X costs $35 up front plus $19 a year for updates. Compare Shottr, Monosnap, Xnip, macOS built-ins, and FavTray for capture and annotation.

Best Mac Notch Apps (2026): Island Picks Compared

Every real Mac notch app, checked 28 Sep 2026: Boring Notch, Notchy, NotchNook, Sapphire, Alcove, Atoll, FavShelf and more. Price, open source, macOS.

wellness

10 Free Mac Apps for Desk Health and Wellness in 2026

Free Mac apps for eyes, posture, and focus: Time Out, Stretchly, f.lux, FavTray's free eye-rest timer, Pomodoro tools — no subscriptions.

MacBook Notch Hiding Menu Bar Icons? macOS 27 Fix

Icons vanishing behind the MacBook notch? macOS 27 adds a » overflow button. How it works, the Tahoe settings that free space, and which apps still work.

privacy

10 Privacy-First Mac Apps That Never Phone Home (2026)

Local-only Mac apps with no accounts, no cloud, no telemetry: Maccy, KeePassXC, LuLu, Obsidian, IINA, FavTray — plus how to verify any app.

Top 10 Mac Menu Bar Apps for Everyone (2026)

The 10 menu bar apps every Mac user should know in 2026 — not just developers. Raycast, Ice, Stats, Itsycal, Maccy, AlDente, FavTray — each run on our own Macs on macOS Tahoe.

How to Rewrite Text Anywhere on Mac with AI (No Copy-Paste)

Polish, proofread, summarize, translate, or rewrite text in any Mac app from a floating toolbar — no switching to ChatGPT. Runs on your own AI provider or a local model.

Jun 30, 2026

DeepSeek vs OpenAI for Writing: Which API to Use in 2026

DeepSeek vs OpenAI for everyday AI writing — quality, speed, and real per-token cost. Which to plug into a bring-your-own-key Mac tool, and how to switch.

Jun 30, 2026

Best Mac Developer Tools for Your Menu Bar in 2026

The definitive guide to Mac menu bar developer tools in 2026 — productivity launchers, system monitors, AI trackers, and utilities ranked with comparison tables.

FavTray Review: Mac Menu Bar Developer Tools in One App

Complete FavTray review: developer tools in one menu bar icon — eye rest, AI costs, meetings, GitHub, and a notch island. With pricing.

The Mac Menu Bar Clutter Problem (and How to Solve It)

Too many Mac menu bar icons? Here is a practical guide to reducing clutter — hide, consolidate, or replace your way to a cleaner menu bar.

How to Track AI API Costs Without a Cloud Service

Track your Claude, OpenAI, and AI coding agent costs locally on your Mac — no cloud proxy, no third-party servers. A privacy-first approach to AI spend monitoring.

Claude Code vs Cursor: Agents Compared

Claude Code and Cursor agent mode are the two dominant AI coding agents. Compare features, costs, token usage, and which works better for your workflow.

Is Claude Max Worth It? Pro vs Max Math (2026)

Claude Max costs $100 (5x) or $200 (20x) a month. Pro vs Max in hours of use, how the 5-hour and weekly limits work, and when the API is cheaper.

Cursor vs Copilot vs Windsurf in 2026

Compare Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Windsurf AI coding assistants. Features, pricing, token usage, and which saves developers the most money.

Developer Subscription Fatigue in 2026

Developers now spend $200-500/month on tool subscriptions. Audit your AI tools, utilities, and SaaS costs with this guide to cutting subscription bloat.

Is Gemini Cheaper Than Claude? API Pricing 2026

Yes at the budget end: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is $0.10/$0.40 per 1M tokens vs Claude Haiku 4.5's $1/$5. Mid-tier, no: Gemini 3.1 Pro outprices Sonnet 5.

Kill Port on Mac: One Command for 3000 or Any Port

Kill port 3000 on Mac in one line: lsof -ti tcp:3000 -sTCP:LISTEN | xargs kill. Why the LISTEN filter spares your browser, plus 5000, 5173 and 8080.

OpenAI Codex vs Claude Code Compared

Compare OpenAI Codex and Claude Code AI coding agents. Features, pricing, autonomy levels, and real-world performance side by side.

Rectangle vs FavTray Window Snapping

Compare Rectangle (free) and FavTray's window manager for Mac. Layouts, shortcuts, features, and why you might want an all-in-one tool.

Stats vs iStat Menus vs FavTray

Compare Stats (free), iStat Menus ($11.99), and FavTray for Mac system monitoring. Features, pricing, resource usage, and which to pick in 2026.

Apple Watch Stand Reminders Are Not Enough for Devs

Why the Apple Watch stand reminder falls short: hourly-only intervals, no eye breaks, no workflow awareness — and how a break app fixes it.

Apr 5, 2026

Best Break Reminder Apps for Mac (Free, 2026)

The best break reminder apps for Mac in 2026, free and paid: Stretchly, Time Out, Workrave, Pomy and FavTray, for eye breaks, stretches and focus.

Apr 5, 2026

The Science of Microbreaks for Developer Productivity

Research-backed evidence on microbreaks: Cornell, PLOS One, and attention studies show why 20-second breaks every 20 minutes boost accuracy.

Apr 5, 2026

The 20-20-20 Rule: Complete Guide

Learn how the 20-20-20 rule prevents digital eye strain. Science-backed guide with implementation tips, common mistakes, and automation tools.

AI Coding Assistant Pricing 2026: What You Pay

AI coding assistant pricing, checked September 2026: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor and Windsurf (now Devin), from free tiers to $200 plans.

Best AI Usage Tracking Tools for Developers in 2026

Compare the best AI usage tracking tools: Helicone, LangSmith, Portkey, OpenAI dashboard, and FavTray. Features, pricing, and privacy compared.

Best Eye Rest Timer Apps for Mac in 2026

Compare the top eye rest timer apps for macOS in 2026. Features, pricing, and pros/cons for Time Out, LookAway, Pomy, stretchly, and FavTray.

Best Mac Menu Bar Apps for Developers (2026)

The menu bar apps developers keep: Raycast, Stats or iStat Menus, CleanShot X, a port killer, a keep-awake toggle and an AI usage meter. Prices compared.

Best Programming Fonts for Eye Strain: 7 Compared

Detailed comparison of 7 top monospace fonts for coding eye strain — JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, Cascadia Code, MonoLisa, Berkeley Mono, SF Mono, and Monaspace.

Night Shift vs f.lux on Mac: Which to Use in 2026

Night Shift vs f.lux on Mac: schedules, colour range, per-app disable, f.lux's last update (2023), and why neither fixes eye strain; breaks do.

body health

36 Body Break Exercises for Programmers

All 36 desk exercises by category: neck, shoulders, wrists, back, legs, hydration, posture, walking — step-by-step, without leaving your desk.

Break Reminder Apps Built for Developers

Why willpower fails for developer screen breaks, how smart break reminders integrate with coding workflows, and which tools actually work.

Claude Code Pricing Explained: Pro vs Max vs API in 2026

Compare Claude Pro ($20/mo), Max ($100-200/mo), and direct API pricing. Find which plan saves developers the most based on real usage patterns.

Claude vs OpenAI API Pricing: Which Is Cheaper?

Claude vs OpenAI API pricing, checked September 2026: Sonnet 5 vs GPT-6 Sol, Fable 5.1 vs GPT-6 Astra, Haiku vs Luna, long prompts, batch and caching.

Dark Mode vs Light Mode for Coding Eye Strain

Research-backed analysis of dark mode vs light mode for coding eye strain. Learn what actually reduces fatigue and when each mode works best.

Developer Eye Strain: Prevention That Works

Developer-specific tips for preventing eye strain: monitor setup, dark mode, font sizing, break timing, and tools built for coding workflows.

body health

Developer RSI Prevention: Exercises, Tools, Habits

A complete RSI prevention guide for developers: the 5 RSI types, desk exercises by category, ergonomic setup, and break reminder tools.

How to Keep a Mac Awake: 5 Ways (Lid Closed Too)

Keep a Mac awake: run caffeinate -d, or set Lock Screen to Never. KeepingYouAwake vs Amphetamine, lid-closed mode, and staying Active in Slack and Teams.

LLM API Pricing 2026: Cost per 1M Tokens Compared

LLM API pricing per 1M tokens, checked September 2026: Claude, GPT-6, Gemini and DeepSeek side by side, with batch and cache discounts and cost per task.

macOS caffeinate Man Page: All 7 Flags Explained

The macOS caffeinate man page in plain English: all 7 flags (-d -i -m -s -u -t -w), examples for builds and AI agents, and how to check it's working.

Mac Display Settings for Coding: Reduce Eye Strain

Optimize your Mac display settings for coding comfort. Brightness, True Tone, ProMotion, resolution, font size, and external monitor setup guide.

Keep Mac Awake: Amphetamine vs KeepingYouAwake vs FavTray

Head-to-head comparison of the top Mac keep-alive apps — features, pricing, privacy, and which one wins for each use case.

5 Mac Productivity Habits Every Remote Developer Should Build

Practical Mac productivity habits for remote developers — scheduled breaks, AI cost awareness, keyboard-first workflows, and workspace organization.

Customize Mac Menu Bar: Rearrange & Hide Icons

Rearrange Mac menu bar icons with ⌘-drag, hide them in System Settings > Menu Bar, and see which menu bar managers still work on macOS 27. No app needed.

Mouse Jigglers for Mac: Risks and Better Alternatives

Can IT detect mouse jigglers on Mac? Hardware vs software mouse movers, detection methods, risks, and legitimate keep-alive alternatives.

OpenAI API Cost Calculator and Pricing Guide

Calculate OpenAI API costs for GPT-4o, GPT-4, o1, and o3 models. Token pricing breakdown with per-task estimates and comparison to Claude.

Pomodoro vs the 20-20-20 Rule: Use Both

Compare the Pomodoro technique and 20-20-20 rule for eye strain prevention. Learn when to use each, and how to combine them for maximum benefit.

How to Reduce AI API Costs by 40%: Practical Tips for 2026

Actionable strategies to cut AI API spending by 40% or more. Covers prompt optimization, caching, model selection, batch processing, and monitoring.

Claude Code Using Too Many Tokens? 7 Ways to Cut Your Usage

Reduce Claude Code token usage with 7 techniques: clear stale context, block bulky files, use Haiku for simple work and write tighter prompts.

Screen Time and Eye Health: What the Research Says in 2026

What the research says about screen time and eye health: digital eye strain, blink rate, the 2023 20-20-20 study, blue-light glasses and myopia.

How to Track Claude API and Claude Code Costs

Track Claude API and Claude Code spend: /usage, the status line, the Console Usage page, spend limits, prompt-cache pricing and a Mac menu bar tracker.

Track Total AI Spending: Claude, OpenAI, Cursor

Consolidate AI tool costs across Claude, OpenAI, Cursor, and Copilot into one view. Frameworks and tools for tracking total developer AI spending.