MacPorts

Mac

Easily install open-source software on macOS

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Overview

MacPorts is a trusted package manager for macOS that streamlines installing, updating, and managing open-source software. It offers access to thousands of ports (packages) spanning development tools, utilities, libraries, and more. Unlike some alternatives, it uses an isolated directory structure to avoid conflicts with macOS system files, ensuring stability and clean installations. It supports multiple macOS releases and allows users to switch between different versions of packages, catering to developers and power users alike. Its active community maintains and updates ports regularly, making it reliable for extending Mac capabilities.

Key Features

  • Extensive library of thousands of open-source ports
  • Isolated directory structure to prevent system conflicts
  • Support for multiple macOS versions and package version switching

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Tool Info

Pricing Free
Category Package Managers
Platform Mac

Pros

  • ⊕ Isolated installations keep system files conflict-free

Cons

  • ⊖ Source-based packages may require long compile times

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