MacDupl is a macOS utility that duplicates apps already installed on your Mac into independent, fully isolated instances, giving each clone its own logins, cookies, caches, and Dock identity.
What is MacDupl?
MacDupl scans your Applications folder and turns any app it can clone into a second, genuinely separate macOS app — so you can stay signed in to two accounts of Slack, Chrome, Discord, or WhatsApp without logging out. It takes an app already on your disk as input and produces a new app bundle with its own isolated storage and a color-tinted icon. It runs on macOS 13 Ventura or later on both Apple Silicon and Intel, is signed and notarized by Apple, and sells for a one-time $19 Pro license after a 3-day free trial. MacDupl is made by the independent developer behind macdupl.app.
What makes MacDupl stand out?
- Real second instances — each clone is an actual macOS app with its own identity, while the original stays untouched and independently launchable; nothing is redistributed or modified on a server.
- Roughly 2-second builds — clones are assembled locally as APFS copy-on-write duplicates, so a 700 MB app costs almost no extra disk because the clone shares its blocks with the original.
- Complete isolation — every instance keeps separate logins, cookies, caches, and preferences, and credentials never leak between clones or into the shared Keychain.
- Dock identity with 9 icon tints — each clone gets a color-tinted, badged icon and a distinct entry in the Dock, Launchpad, and app switcher.
- Engine-aware cloning — MacDupl detects Electron, Chromium, Firefox/Gecko, and native engines and applies the right isolation strategy automatically, with 52 listed per-app setup guides.
- No telemetry — there are no analytics or cloud calls; the only network requests are license validation and app update checks.
- One dashboard — launch, stop, reset a session, recolor, or delete any instance from a single place, with signed automatic updates.
- Clone refresh on app updates — when the original app changes version, MacDupl regenerates the clone from it while keeping your login and data intact.
Who should use MacDupl?
- People with work and personal accounts: run two Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Discord instances side by side instead of logging out and back in all day.
- Developers and freelancers: keep separate VS Code, Warp, TablePlus, and browser instances per client or environment, each with its own credentials.
- Multi-account browser users: run Chromium-based browsers and Firefox-family apps as isolated profiles without managing separate browser profile menus.
- Anyone testing sign-in flows: create a clean instance to act as a fresh user without wiping data from your main account.
What can you do with MacDupl?
- Work/personal split: clone Slack or Microsoft Teams once, name the copy "Personal," tint it a different color, and stay signed into both organizations at the same time.
- Client work: give each client its own Notion, Figma, or browser instance so logins and cached data never mix between projects.
- AI assistant accounts: run multiple ChatGPT or Claude desktop instances with different subscriptions or teams signed in simultaneously.
- Messaging as a second device: clone WhatsApp (Beta) so each instance links to WhatsApp as its own device, with separate app-group storage and keychain.
How does MacDupl work?
MacDupl works in three steps: it scans your Applications folder and lists everything it can clone, you name the instance and pick one of nine icon tints, then you press Create and roughly two seconds later a new app appears in your Dock ready for a second sign-in. Each instance can then be launched, stopped, session-reset, recolored, or deleted from the dashboard. Optional "Keep MacDupl running in the background" keeps clones refreshed the moment the original app updates.
Pricing
MacDupl uses a try-then-buy model: a 3-day free trial unlocks every Pro feature with no credit card required, and a $19 one-time Pro license then allows unlimited app instances, all engine families, and automatic signed updates on your personal Macs. It is not a subscription. When the trial ends nothing is deleted — you simply cannot create or reopen instances until you buy a license, and the "Add clone" button shows an upgrade prompt. A Creator Reward Program grants a free lifetime Pro license to people who post a video of MacDupl on social media.
FAQ
Does MacDupl work with App Store apps?
Mostly no. Sandboxed App Store apps such as Microsoft Office cannot be cloned because their data lives in a shared container a copy would still read, so MacDupl hides them. WhatsApp is the tested exception and ships as Beta: each instance gets its own storage and links as its own device, but runs with the hardened runtime switched off. Your original WhatsApp keeps all its protections.
How much disk space do clones use?
Almost none. Clones are APFS copy-on-write duplicates that share their disk blocks with the original app, so only each instance's own data — logins and cache — takes real space.
What are the system requirements?
MacOS 13 Ventura or later, on either Apple Silicon or Intel Macs. MacDupl is signed and notarized by Apple and updates itself through signed automatic updates.
Is any of my data sent anywhere?
No. MacDupl has no telemetry and no analytics. The only network requests it ever makes are validating your license key and checking for app updates.
Why does a clone ask for microphone or screen permissions again?
Because each clone is a genuinely separate app in macOS's eyes, the system asks for permissions once per clone. That is the flip side of real isolation — the same mechanism that keeps account data from leaking between instances.
