Mac
macOS app development, menu bar to desktop.
Skyriven designs and builds native Mac apps in Swift and SwiftUI, from small menu bar utilities to full desktop apps, and ships them through the Mac App Store or as signed, notarized downloads. The studio ships its own Mac apps, EZKanban and Blinken, through the same signing and release pipeline it uses for clients, and its space combat game Lunatic Fling is coming to the Mac as a native app.
What we build for the Mac
Menu bar apps
Always-there utilities with a global keyboard shortcut and a tiny footprint. EZKanban and Blinken are both menu bar apps.
Full desktop apps
Multi-window apps that follow Mac conventions: real menus, keyboard shortcuts, drag and drop, and a proper settings window.
iPhone apps, brought to the Mac
A native Mac version of your iPhone or iPad app on the same App Store listing, so purchases and Game Center scores carry over. Lunatic Fling is coming to the Mac this way, with keyboard, mouse, and controller support.
Signing and notarization
Developer ID signing, Apple notarization, and stapling, so your app opens on the first double-click with no Gatekeeper warning.
Mac App Store or direct download
Sandboxing and submission when the Mac App Store fits, or a DMG with a stable latest-version download link when it does not.
Local-first and private
Apps that keep data on the Mac by default. EZKanban and Blinken are local-only, with no accounts and no tracking.
Mac apps from the studio
Before we build yours, we build ours. Every app here was designed and built in-house.
EZKanban
Kanban · Oct 2026
A tiny kanban board in your Mac menu bar. Press ⌥⇧Space in any app to capture a task, then sort it later: Inbox, Doing, Done, with room for only three in Doing. Free, local-only, open source. The third tool from Axiomic Labs.
Blinken
Utility · May 2026
The HDD activity light from pre-2010 PCs, reborn for the Mac menu bar: a little red lamp that brightens when your disk works, with an amber swap-pressure meter. Free, local-only, open source. The first tool from Axiomic Labs.
Lunatic Fling
Space Combat · Oct 2026
Newtonian space combat for iPhone and iPad. No friction, a relativistic speed limit, and a ship that falls apart one piece at a time. A new sector every day, and the whole world flies the same one. Free to play, no ads, no tracking.
Pricing
Fixed scope, no hourly billing. Every project starts with a free 20-minute call and an exact proposal. We take on one build at a time, so yours gets the whole studio.
Prototype Sprint
3 to 4 weeksfrom $10,000
A working prototype on iPhone, Mac, or the web. Real, not a clickable mockup.
- Product and UX scoping session
- One platform: native SwiftUI or modern web
- Weekly builds on TestFlight or a preview URL
- Full source code and handoff walkthrough
50% to start, 50% on delivery
Start a sprintLaunch Build
Typically 6 to 10 weeksfrom $35,000
Your v1, designed, built, tested, and shipped to the App Store, Mac App Store, or the web.
- Product design and interface system
- Production-grade native or web engineering, one platform
- AI features where they earn their place
- QA, analytics, and crash reporting
40% to start, 30% at first beta, 30% at submission
Plan a launchCare
Month to monthfrom $1,500 /mo
Upkeep for a live app: OS updates, crash fixes, dependency and security updates, and small tweaks. No new features.
- Readiness for each year's iOS and macOS releases
- Crash and bug fixes
- Dependency and security updates
- Small copy and content tweaks
Billed monthly in advance
Ask about CareVenture-backed? You can pay up to half of a project fee in equity. How it works
Questions about macOS App Development
How much does it cost to build a Mac app?
With Skyriven, a working Mac prototype starts at $10,000 (Prototype Sprint, 3 to 4 weeks), and a production app shipped to the Mac App Store or as a notarized download starts at $35,000 (Launch Build, typically 6 to 10 weeks). Every project gets a fixed-scope proposal after a free 20-minute call.
Can you build a macOS menu bar app?
Yes. Menu bar apps are a studio specialty. EZKanban, a kanban board with a global capture shortcut, and Blinken, a disk-activity light with a swap-pressure meter, are both native menu bar apps Skyriven built and ships for free.
Should my Mac app be on the Mac App Store or a direct download?
It depends on the app. The Mac App Store brings discovery, built-in payments, and trust, but requires sandboxing, which rules out some system-level features. A signed, notarized direct download keeps those features and avoids Apple's commission, but you handle distribution and payments yourself. Your proposal will recommend one.
Do you use SwiftUI or AppKit for Mac apps?
Both. SwiftUI builds the interface, and AppKit handles the parts of the Mac that SwiftUI does not cover well yet, such as menu bar status items and window behavior. EZKanban and Blinken mix the two the same way.
Can you bring my iPhone or iPad app to the Mac?
Yes, as a native Mac app rather than an iPad app running on the Mac. It can share your existing App Store listing through Universal Purchase, so customers buy once and their progress and Game Center scores carry over. The studio is doing exactly this for its own game, Lunatic Fling, with keyboard, mouse, and controller support on the Mac.
More from the studio
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