Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Shortcat

Keep your hands on the keyboard and boost your productivity! Shortcat is a keyboard tool for Mac OS X that lets you 'click' buttons and control your apps with a few keystrokes. Think of it as Spotlight for the user interface.

Shortcat

Shortcat Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether Shortcat is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • Shortcat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-28

Features & Specs

  1. Efficiency

    Shortcat allows users to quickly find and execute commands using keyboard shortcuts, minimizing the need for mouse usage and speeding up workflow.

  2. Accessibility

    By reducing reliance on the mouse, Shortcat makes it easier for individuals with mobility impairments to navigate macOS applications.

  3. Customization

    Users have the ability to customize shortcuts and create their own workflows, tailoring the tool to their specific needs and preferences.

  4. Integration

    Shortcat integrates seamlessly with most macOS applications, allowing for a consistent user experience across different software environments.

  5. Learning Curve

    The tool is relatively easy to learn for those familiar with keyboard shortcuts, providing intuitive guidance and help features.

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Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about Shortcat and what they use it for.
  • I tried Servo, the undercover web browser engine made with Rust
    I'm no UX expert, but I regularly try out new (and old) toolkits to understand the problem space. It really sounds like you want an immediate mode toolkit. Retained mode will never be "super-snappy", there's an entire sandwich between your code and the pixels. Look at Blender or Reaper, this is the kind of "feel" you'd be getting. If you want retained mode + "true" native widgets on all platforms, investigate:... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Selfish reasons for building accessible UIs
    Shortcat in Mac and Tridactyl in Firefox uses accessibility annotations to pick up clickable elements and help navigate using only keyboard. In future, we could have local AI agents that could use the same and solve "why is my printer not available"? https://shortcat.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Show HN: My LLM CLI tool can run tools now, from Python code or plugins
    Do local multimodal llms have low latency? If it can plug into monitor video stream and the accessibility representation of UI (like Shortcat), it could answer if a printer is connected to the computer and preview a full page print and wait for us to hit print. https://shortcat.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • macOS Tips and Tricks
    Shortcat basically does this. It indexes a lot of native AX APIs and also menu items https://shortcat.app. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • macOS Tips and Tricks
    I love Shortcat (https://shortcat.app/). It lets you do almost anything on your screen without having to leave your keyboard. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • A mouseless tale: trying for a keyboard-driven desktop
    You might be thinking of [Shortcat](https://shortcat.app). I've been using it for a while and it mostly works but doesn't seem as polished as Homerow. Going to give that one a try now. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Nyxt: The Hacker's Browser
    This is a timely coincidence for me. I started using yesterday Shortcat [1] for the Mac, and I'm very pleased. It gives you access to pretty much everything with the keyboard, not just the browser. To be fair, Nyxt provides other features such as scripting. [1] https://shortcat.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Ask HN: What macOS apps/programs do you use daily and recommend?
    Shortcat: https://shortcat.app/ It makes it VERY easy to keep your fingers on the keyboard almost all the time, which really helps things fly. It's an equivalent of the AceJump plugin for IntelliJ if you've used that, but it uses the accessibility tree instead of the contents of the editor. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • I disabled my mouse for a week
    Many MacOS users donโ€™t know that, in almost all applications, 'Command + ?' opens the Help menu and immediately focuses a search field that allows the user to search and activate any menu command. An additional non-native but amazing (and free!) application is Shortcat (https://shortcat.app/). Among other amazing abilities, Shortcat lets the user access parts of the current applicationโ€™s GUI that may not be... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Fluent Search
    MacOS actually does better in this area of keyboardless software: you have https://www.homerow.app/ and https://shortcat.app/. Not sure about linux, but I would imagine that the home of OS hackers would have something similar. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • HOW DO I GET RID OF USING MY MOUSE?
    If you're on Mac try shortcat - it's solved most mouse issues for me. I use a mouse now <5% of tasks and keyboard shortcuts for the rest. Https://shortcat.app/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • MacOS Shortcat alternative for Linux
    As you may or may not know, there's an app called Shortcat for Mac, which is amazingly cool: it allows you to navigate the "whole" UI using the keyboard (something like Vimium in the browser, but for all the "normal" windows). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Exterminate your desk: How to remove your mouse
    Does anyone have experience with both Shortcat (https://shortcat.app/) and Homerow (https://www.homerow.app/) to make a comparison? - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • GitHub โ€“ GEIGEIGEIST/KLOR: a 36-42 key column-staggered split keyboard
    I use the UHK. [1] It offers programmable key layers, including a mouse key layer. That combined with apps like Shortcat [2] and I havenโ€™t needed an actual mouse or trackpad in months. That said, UHK offers thumb track pad and track ball modules if you just canโ€™t give it up. [1] https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/ [2] https://shortcat.app/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Corne with track button in oled?
    I'll also add that you probably want to pair this with some apps like ShortCat that lets you absolutely minimize time spent off of the homerow. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Simple questions and Help thread - Week of May 07, 2023
    Hi, anyone knows if there's an app for Windows like Shortcat or Homerow for MacOS? Basically, I want an app to control the GUI with my keyboard. I know that's already possible, but the two apps I posted do this in a very efficient way (minimal number of keystrokes). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Can you set keyboard shortcuts for Safari extensions using Alfred or any other app?
    I've had some success triggering Safari extensions using Shortcat It lets you trigger various UI elements by typing their title/description, in my case I type 'pin' and the Pinboard extension button is highlighted/shows up. Iirc it relies on the macos accessibility system to find labels for all the UI elements on screen. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How to avoid mouse in macos?
    I use Hammerspoon (https://www.hammerspoon.org/) to control the windows. You can create a tiling window manager with it the way you like it. I also use Shortcat (https://shortcat.app/) to maneuver around the GUI interface just using the keyboard. It works really well. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Vimium โ€“ The Hacker's Browser
    I like Shortcat https://shortcat.app. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Got the Advantage 2, how did you get used to the different layout from the usual keyboards?
    By the way. If you are on a Mac (like the submitter), it's worth using Shortcat, which makes pretty much every application keyboard-driven. Can help to drastically reduce mouse use. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Wasavi โ€“ VI editor for any webpage
    This looks very similar to shortcat https://shortcat.app/, can you tell me what your program offers that the other one (free, but also not OS) does not? On an unrelated note, I made the same thing (barebones), but for Linux and theoretically also Windows: https://github.com/phil294/vimium-everywhere. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago

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Is Shortcat good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss Shortcat here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.