App Stack
App Stack for Mac puts folders of apps right in your Dock, among your app icons. Click one, pick an app. The icon shows what's inside.
macOS 26+ · 2 MB · no account, no permissions
This is a live demo: click a stack in the Dock.
Previews of the first four apps, on a tile in the colour you picked. You stop reading labels and start reaching.
A stack is a real Dock icon. Drag it between Mail and Safari, or make it the first thing on the left. Folders in the Dock could never do that.
A small panel right above the icon, on whichever edge your Dock lives: a grid, a list, or a fan like the Dock's own. Pick an app and it's gone. No window to manage, no hotkey to learn.
Each stack has its own name, colour and apps. Drop apps on its icon from Finder; drag one out of the grid or list and it's gone with a poof, like an icon off the Dock. Or right-click it: Remove from Stack, in any layout.
A stack is more than a folder. Right-click it and choose Open All: every app in it starts, the last one in front. Quit All closes them again. Make one for each part of your day.
Mail, Calendar, Notes and Reminders, all up when you log in with Open All at Login. Quit All at the end of the day, and work is closed.
Music, TV, Podcasts and Books for the evening. One click in, one click out, and nothing from work in sight.
Xcode, Terminal, TextEdit and Shortcuts for one job. Open it when you sit down to it; when the project ships, delete the stack.
Written in Swift for macOS 26 and later, on Macs with Apple silicon.
No Accessibility, no screen recording. Nothing to approve in System Settings.
Your stacks live on your Mac. It goes online only for updates and your license.
Right-click the icon for layout, icon size, labels and new stacks. The panel holds nothing but your apps.
Stacks track apps by bookmark. Rename or move an app and it stays in the stack.
Follows the system appearance, Increase Contrast and Reduce Motion. Nothing to set.
The free version is the whole app for one stack, with no time limit. When you want a second one, buy App Stack once and use it on two Macs.
A Dock folder is stuck on the right next to the Trash and shows a generic icon. A stack goes anywhere among your apps, shows previews of what's inside, and opens a small panel right above itself.
One stack with every feature: all layouts, icon sizes, Open All, Quit All, Open at Login. No time limit, no nag. A license lets you make more stacks; stacks you already made keep working either way.
It brings back the folders. It doesn't try to show every app on your Mac; Spotlight's Apps view already does that. Most people make four to six stacks and stop thinking about it.
macOS 26 Tahoe and later, on a Mac with Apple silicon. A license covers two Macs at once; to move to a new Mac, deactivate the old one in About App Stack.
No. It launches apps the way Finder does and positions its panel from where you clicked. Nothing to approve.
App Stack checks for updates while the main app is running, normally once a day. You can turn automatic checks off in About App Stack and check manually at any time. It may also download release notes and updates. With a license, it contacts Lemon Squeezy to activate, validate or deactivate the license. No account, no analytics. Your stacks are files on your Mac.
A charge starting with LEMSQZY*. Lemon Squeezy sells App Stack on our behalf and handles payment and tax, so its name is on the charge.
Within 30 days, no questions asked. Write to [email protected]; we usually issue the refund within 2 working days, and it can take up to 10 days to show on your statement.
Mail
Calendar
Notes
Reminders
Numbers
Keynote
Music
TV
Podcasts
Books
Chess
Photos
Messages
WhatsApp
Signal
Slack
FaceTime