MoePeek
A lightweight, privacy-focused macOS menu bar translator built with pure Swift 6, featuring on-device Apple Translate.
What is MoePeek?
MoePeek is a lightweight, native macOS menu bar application that provides instant text translation through various methods like selection, OCR screenshots, and clipboard input. It solves the problem of needing quick, private translations without switching contexts or using resource-heavy applications.
macOS users who frequently need quick translations while working in other applications, particularly those who value privacy, system performance, and a minimalistic, native user experience.
Developers choose MoePeek for its exceptional combination of a tiny footprint (~5MB), privacy-focused on-device Apple Translation, pure Swift 6 native performance, and support for a wide array of translation services including local LLMs.
Overview
A lightweight macOS selection translator built with pure Swift 6, featuring on-device Apple Translate for privacy, only 5MB install size and stable ~50MB memory usage. 一款轻量级 macOS 划词翻译工具，纯 Swift 6 开发，设备端 Apple 翻译保护隐私，安装体积仅 5MB，后台运行内存稳定约 50MB
Use Cases
Best For
- Quickly translating selected text in any macOS application without switching windows
- Translating text from images or screenshots using OCR on macOS
- Privacy-conscious users who want on-device translation without cloud API calls
- Users seeking a lightweight, native alternative to Electron-based translation tools
- Integrating translation shortcuts into a PopClip workflow on macOS
- Translating clipboard content instantly with a custom keyboard shortcut
Not Ideal For
- Teams requiring polished, production-grade software with full support and documentation
- Users on non-macOS platforms (Windows, Linux, etc.) needing cross-platform translation tools
- Environments where dealing with Gatekeeper warnings and manual permission setups is a dealbreaker
- Projects needing robust, enterprise-level stability with no edge cases in text selection or window handling
Pros & Cons
Pros
Built with pure Swift 6 and only 3 dependencies, resulting in a ~5MB app size and stable ~50MB memory usage, avoiding Electron or WebView bloat.
Offers on-device Apple Translation for complete privacy, alongside multiple cloud and local LLM services, giving users control over data exposure.
Supports selection translation, OCR screenshot, clipboard translation, and manual input via customizable shortcuts, covering diverse use cases.
Uses floating panels that never steal focus, allowing seamless translation without interrupting the current application, as highlighted in the features.
Cons
The README admits it's a personal side project with rough edges in text selection and window handling, lacking the refinement of commercial alternatives like Clicknow or PopClip.
Not notarized with Apple, requiring manual Terminal commands to bypass Gatekeeper warnings and permissions (Accessibility, Screen Recording) that can deter non-technical users.
Requires macOS 14+, with on-device Apple Translation only available on macOS 15+, restricting features for older OS versions without clear fallbacks.
As a solo project, the developer batches issues and PRs on weekends, leading to delayed responses and minimal community support compared to actively maintained tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
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