Parall App
Badgeify App
CloudMounter for Mac
Mountain Duck
Coherence X
Unite for macOS
Shelter
island
Fluid
WebCatalog
Nativeifier
Coherence X
ToDesktop
Unite for macOS
Rambox
Franz
Parall is a native macOS app that lets you run multiple instances of the same application at the same time. Each shortcut behaves like its own install with its own Dock icon, optional tray menu, configuration and data folder.
Instead of scripts or duplicated app bundles, Parall creates tiny shortcut apps that launch the original app with custom settings. When the main app updates, all shortcuts follow it automatically.
Key features
- Launch multiple instances of the same app side by side.
- Each shortcut behaves like a separate app in the Dock with its own icon and state.
- App data redirect supported for almost all non sandboxed macOS apps.
- Shortcuts always stay in sync whenever the original app updates.
- Add a tray menu icon to control any app.
- For supported browsers get quick actions from tray menu icon to open new windows.
- Assign unique icons or add draw text label to easily distinguish profiles in the Dock.
- Control menu bar behavior in native full screen for supported apps and force the menu bar to always show or always auto hide for Chrome based browsers.
- Experimental control of Dock icon visibility for advanced setups that need special Dock behavior.
- Add command line parameters or flags for each shortcut.
- Advanced Info.plist overrides for fine grained app behavior tuning.
- Define environment variables per shortcut for flexible control and behavior separation.
- Parall runs only when you use it. No background processes.
- Offline and private. Operates entirely offline and never transmits any data.
Parall has no background services and works fully offline. It never injects code or modifies existing apps. Shortcuts are lightweight .app bundles that simply launch your installed apps with isolated data and configuration so you can keep work, personal, testing or client profiles cleanly separated on the same Mac.
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Parall App's answer
Parall is built specifically to run multiple instances of your existing macOS apps as if each one were a separate install, with its own Dock icon, optional tray icon, configuration and data folder, and without any background service. Instead of wrapping websites or mounting cloud storage, Parall creates lightweight shortcut apps that launch the real native app bundle already on your Mac, with per shortcut data redirection, environment variables, Info.plist overrides and full native behavior for features like Dropbox sync or Chrome based profiles.
Parall App's answer
Most alternatives solve only part of the problem. Cloud mounting apps like CloudMounter or Mountain Duck mount cloud accounts as drives instead of running the real app. Web wrappers like Fluid, Coherence X or Unite turn websites into apps instead of working with the native Mac apps you already use. Multi service tools like Shift or Station keep everything inside one big container window. Tray utilities like Badgeify add menu bar items from a single always running background process.
Parall is different because it multiplies the native apps that are already on your Mac. Every shortcut is its own tiny app that launches the real bundle with its own Dock icon, optional tray icon, data folder, environment variables and Info.plist overrides, and there is no permanent background service. For cases like multiple Dropbox, Slack, Discord, Chrome or VS Code profiles you get separate Dock icons, real native behavior and clean profile isolation, instead of workarounds built on top of a browser or a cloud API.
Parall App's answer
Parall is a fully native macOS app built in Xcode using Objective C and C++. It relies on standard macOS frameworks like Cocoa and AppKit to integrate cleanly with the system, Dock and menu bar. I design and refine the app icon and graphics in Pixelmator Pro. For the English text in the app, website and documentation, I use ChatGPT to polish the wording since English is not my first language.
Parall App's answer
Parall is aimed at Mac users who need more than one clean instance of the same app at the same time. Typical examples are developers who test multiple environments, people who work with several client or company accounts, and power users who keep separate profiles for work, personal use, testing or streaming. It is especially useful if you depend on apps like Chrome based browsers, Dropbox, Slack, Discord, VS Code or similar tools and want each account or role to have its own Dock icon, its own data and its own controlled behavior without complex scripts or virtual machines.
Parall App's answer
I spent years on Windows where running multiple instances of the same app is usually straightforward. When I moved to macOS, I accepted that most apps only run as a single instance and that you are supposed to live with one Dock icon per app. I personally never needed multiple Chrome instances, until one Reddit user wrote to me and described a very simple wish: two Chrome icons in the Dock, each opening a different profile.
That conversation flipped a switch. I started noticing how many people were fighting the same thing, using extra browsers, strange scripts or manual copies of app bundles just to separate profiles or accounts. At that point I decided to build a native tool that solves this cleanly. No scripts, no automation tools, no hacks. Just lightweight shortcut apps that let you run multiple native instances side by side with their own icons and data. That became Parall.
Parall App's answer
Parall is mostly used by individual power users, developers and small teams who need multiple clean instances of apps like Dropbox, Chrome based browsers, Slack, Discord or VS Code on a single Mac. Parall does not include telemetry or usage tracking, and purchases go through the Mac App Store, so I do not maintain or publish a list of specific companies or "biggest" customers.
Based on our record, Fluid seems to be a lot more popular than Parall App. While we know about 19 links to Fluid, we've tracked only 1 mention of Parall App. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.
Parall is available on the Mac App Store and can do much more than this post covers. Learn more here: https://parall.app. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
> Is ToDesktop For Me? > If you want to make a desktop app of a website for your personal use, ToDesktop is overkill. I just want to point out that a lot of us "pros" learn how to use tools like this by semi-personal use. Therefore, you might want to consider a free personal version that's crippled in a mildly annoying way: For example, no installer, don't sign the app, and have an easily-ignorable nag. (Therefore... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
If you haven't used Fluid - https://fluidapp.com , I would recommend trying the free download. Source: about 3 years ago
You can use Min, Fluid or any browser with full screen mode to have the same effect. Source: about 3 years ago
Https://fluidapp.com/ might do it for you. Other applications like this also exist. Source: over 3 years ago
Does Fluid[1] work as a solution for you? Iโm on an older OS with an older version but I love it for creating single-site apps. [1] https://fluidapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
Badgeify App - Badgeify is a macOS app that adds your app icon & notifications to the menu bar, never miss any notification, start your favorite apps with a single click.
WebCatalog - Run your favorite web apps natively
CloudMounter for Mac - Ultimate cloud storage manager with native M1 support
Nativeifier - Turn any webpage into a native app
Mountain Duck - Cyberduck for mounting volumes in the file explorer. Available for Mac and Windows.
Coherence X - Coherence X4 is a powerful tool that allows you to turn any website into a chromium-based, isolated, native application on your Mac.