--- title: "macOS app development · SwiftUI and AppKit | Royan AB" url: https://royan.se/services/mac-apps/ lang: en description: "Royan AB builds native Mac apps and menu-bar utilities in SwiftUI and AppKit, signed and notarized, for the Mac App Store, Homebrew or direct download." --- # Native Mac apps and menu-bar tools that feel at home on macOS. We build Mac software in SwiftUI and AppKit and ship it the right way: signed, notarized and distributed through the Mac App Store, Homebrew or direct download. We publish our own Mac apps, so we know the full path. [Book a consulting call](mailto:contact@royan.se?subject=Mac%20app%20project) [See our work](https://royan.se/work/) What we build ## Desktop software with platform detail. A good Mac app respects the menu bar, the keyboard, windows and system permissions. Those details are where most cross-platform desktop apps fall short. ### Native Mac apps SwiftUI for the interface and AppKit where fine control is needed: custom windows, panels, drag and drop, keyboard shortcuts. ### Menu-bar utilities Small always-available tools and agent apps that live in the menu bar, start at login and stay out of the way. ### Floating and overlay windows Always-on-top and click-through windows that sit over other apps, on every desktop and in full screen. ### Developer tools Tools that drive command-line programs, devices and emulators, and MCP servers that open them to AI coding agents. ### Signing and notarization Developer ID signing, hardened runtime, Apple notarization and the App Sandbox, set up in CI so every release is trusted by macOS. ### Distribution and updates Mac App Store review, Homebrew casks or direct download with automatic updates. We help you choose and we set it up. How a project runs ## Prove the hard part first. On macOS the risk is usually one system limit: a permission, the sandbox or a private API. We test that limit in the first week, before design and features. ### Spike Week 1 We build a small proof of the riskiest part, and decide the distribution path: App Store sandbox or Developer ID. - Riskiest system limit tested - Distribution path decided - Scope and milestones agreed ### Build Every week A signed build you can run arrives each week, with a short written update. - Weekly signed build - Native look and keyboard support - Accessibility from the start ### Ship Release and after Notarization, store review or Homebrew release, then updates and support as macOS changes each year. - Notarized releases from CI - App Store review handled - Updates for new macOS versions FAQ ## Questions about Mac apps. ### Mac App Store or direct distribution: which is better? It depends on what the app must do. The Mac App Store gives easy install and payment, but requires the App Sandbox, which blocks some system access. Apps that start other programs or control other apps often need Developer ID distribution through Homebrew or direct download. We have shipped both ways. ### What do signing and notarization mean? Signing proves who made the app. Notarization means Apple has scanned the release for malware. macOS opens a signed and notarized app without a security warning. Our apps are signed and notarized under Royan AB's Apple Developer ID. ### Do you use SwiftUI or AppKit? Both. SwiftUI is our default for the interface. We use AppKit for parts that need fine control, such as custom windows, menu-bar items and text handling. ### Can you port our iOS or web app to the Mac? Yes. We look at what can be shared and what should be rebuilt for the Mac, so that the result is a real Mac app and not a stretched phone screen. ### Do you also build Electron apps? Yes, when one codebase for Mac, Windows and Linux is the requirement. We use Electron and TypeScript, and we sign and notarize the Mac build in the same way. Related ## Mac apps we shipped. ### Oh My Android A SwiftUI control panel for the Android Emulator, with a Layout Inspector and an MCP server. [Read the case study](https://royan.se/work/oh-my-android/) ### LyricGlow Real-time synced lyrics in the menu bar for Spotify and Apple Music, with more than 1,300 downloads. [Read the case study](https://royan.se/work/lyricglow/) ### SongLit Live word-by-word lyrics for Mac, published on the Mac App Store. [View the product](https://royan.se/songlit/) Royan AB · Stockholm ## Need a Mac app or a menu-bar tool? Tell us what it must do. [Book a consulting call](mailto:contact@royan.se?subject=Mac%20app%20project)