About
Acorn is the Mac image editor from Flying Meat, a one-developer studio that has been refining it since 2007. Version 8 covers the serious ground, layers, masks, curves, levels and non-destructive filters, then adds modern touches: AI subject selection, Live Text for lifting text out of images, machine-learning super resolution upscaling, LUT colour grading and JPEG XL support.
Apple named Acorn a finalist for Mac App of the Year in the 2025 App Store Awards, notable recognition for a $29.99 one-time purchase in a category dominated by subscriptions. It automates neatly through Apple Shortcuts, opens PSD, SVG and RAW files, and its Data Merge feature can batch-produce personalised designs from a spreadsheet. There is a 14-day free trial, and it runs on macOS 14 and later.
Alternatives
- Affinity by Canva
Pick Affinity if you want a free editor or your Mac is older: it costs nothing with a free Canva account and runs on macOS 10.15 Catalina or later.
- Pixelmator Pro
Pick Pixelmator Pro if your Mac is on macOS 26 and you want Apple's own image editor bought once for $49.99, rather than through a subscription.
At a Glance
- Requires
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- Price
- $29.99 one-time, with a 14-day free trial
- Get It From
- flyingmeat.com and the Mac App Store
Curator's Note
“Nearly two decades of one developer's care shows in every corner of this app.”
Theo, Mac Dept.
