Comparison

Pushcut vs Maccess

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pushcut

Automate your digital life with smart notifications and custom widgets. Trigger workflows based on time, location, or external services. Design dynamic home screen widgets to display personalized information.

Highlights
  • Smart notifications
  • Customizable widgets
  • Location-based triggers
  • Scheduled alerts
  • HomeKit scene activation
  • Webhook integration
  • API for dynamic content
Features
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Pushcut helps you kick off your automation when it matters. Create fine-tuned interactions for HomeKit, Shortcuts, and custom workflows through smart notifications and widgets combined with powerful automation actions. Use HomeKit scenes, shortcuts, online integrations, and web services as notification actions that pop up exactly when they matter to you. Trigger these smart notifications from Shortcuts, HomeKit, schedules, locations, iBeacons, online services (like IFTTT, Zapier, Flow, Integromat, ...), home servers, or anywhere that knows what HTTP is. Design beautiful custom widgets and display dynamic information that you can provide using Shortcuts actions, online services or our own API. "The premiere companion utility for Shortcuts and Home on iOS" - Federico Viticci (MacStories) "An essential tool for HomeKit power users" - Christopher Close (HomeKit Hero) "Very powerful" - Rosemary Orchard (Take Control of Shortcuts) Features + Set up alerts & reminders to trigger scheduled & location-based smart notifications + Combine time and location triggers (eg: "weekdays at 6 PM when I am at work") + Schedule notifications from Shortcuts + Schedule a shortcut from Shortcuts + Design custom home-screen widgets + Trigger notifications and widget updates through a secure webhook or Pushcut API + Trigger notifications and widget updates from third-party integrations and online services like Zapier, Integromat, IFTTT, etc. + Define notifications with custom titles and messages + Add action buttons to the notifications for quicker access + Run shortcuts directly from notification actions + Activate HomeKit scenes directly from notification actions + Add URLs to the push notifications and open them directly from the notifications + Run online actions (webhooks, HTTP requests) directly from notifications without opening any app or website + Execute online actions in the background based on location or iBeacon events + Customize notification sounds and images + Deliver push notifications to specific devices individually + Use a powerful JSON API to deliver dynamic texts, shortcut inputs, and URLs + Turn a dedicated iOS device into your personal Shortcuts and HomeKit server Apple Watch + Interactive notifications (requires watchOS 6) + Run HomeKit scenes, online actions, and HTTP requests (like IFTTT webhooks) directly from your wrist + Execute multiple actions from one notification (with "Keep Open" flag) (Note: Opening Shortcuts, Safari, or other apps is not supported on Apple Watch) Free version limits: + define up to 3 notifications + define up to 2 background actions + define up to 1 action per notification + use with local triggers or basic webhooks (no dynamic content or online actions) — Pro — + custom dynamic widgets + unlimited notification definitions + unlimited actions per notification + activate HomeKit scenes + unlimited background actions + dynamic notifications from service integrations + fully customizable actions using the powerful JSON API + execute online actions and web requests directly + input parameters for shortcuts and online actions + run and monitor an Automation Server (limits apply) — Automation Server Extended — + schedule server actions periodically + trigger delayed server actions + up to 5000 server requests per day Payments You can subscribe to a monthly or annual subscription plan. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the time of purchase. A subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after making the purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.pushcut.io/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.pushcut.io/privacy

About

Maccess

Control your Mac remotely from your iPhone. Manage files, control media, and even use an AI assistant to perform tasks on your computer, all through an encrypted connection. Essential features are free locally, with advanced options available via subscription.

Highlights
  • Remote trackpad and keyboard control
  • Live screen mirroring
  • AI assistant for task execution
  • File browsing and management
  • Media and volume control
  • Send files from iPhone to Mac
  • Spotlight search on Mac
Features
Read full description

Your Mac, right there in your pocket. Pause the movie playing on your Mac without leaving the couch. Grab a file off your desktop from a coffee shop across town. Ask Mackie to open your presentation before you even sit down. Maccess turns your iPhone into a remote for everything your Mac can do — pairing takes one QR code scan, and every session is end-to-end encrypted. EVERYTHING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS • Trackpad and keyboard — smooth cursor control with multi-touch gestures, plus full text input • Live screen mirroring — watch your Mac's screen on your iPhone in real time • Works anywhere — on your home Wi-Fi, or from anywhere in the world over our cloud relay • Mackie, your AI assistant — talk or type, and Mackie sees your Mac's current state and gets it done • Spotlight search — find and launch anything on your Mac in seconds • Media and volume — play, pause, skip, and adjust volume from your phone • Send to Mac — beam photos and files from your iPhone straight to your desktop • Mac Finder — browse your Mac's files right from your phone • Screenshots — capture your Mac's screen and save it to your iPhone photo library • Apps and windows — see what's open, switch apps, and manage windows • Quick actions — screenshot, mute, keep awake, wake, sleep, and lock BUILT FOR TRUST • End-to-end encrypted with X25519 + ChaCha20-Poly1305 — your keystrokes, screen, and files are never readable by our servers, on local network or over the internet • Sign in with Apple — no passwords, no separate account • Pair in seconds by scanning a QR code REQUIRES THE FREE MACCESS HELPER Maccess works together with Maccess Helper, our free companion app for your Mac. Download it at https://maccess.io/download open it on your Mac, and scan the QR code once — local control over Wi-Fi works right away. MACCESS PRO The essentials are free on your local network. Maccess Pro unlocks remote access over the internet, the Mackie assistant, screen mirroring, Send to Mac, Spotlight search, Mac Finder, Apps & Windows, multiple Macs, advanced trackpad settings, and custom accent colors. Maccess Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, each with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://www.mymaccess.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Pushcut4 screens
Maccess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Maccess at 100% against Pushcut's 52%. Maccess also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly). Pushcut's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pushcut sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Maccess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pushcut ships an update monthly, Maccess every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pushcut versus Maccess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPushcutMaccess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (543 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews52.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings543 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size180 MB106 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSimon Peter LeebMaira Akram

Customer experience

Pushcut

All ratings541 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive52.2%
Neutral8.7%
Negative39.1%

Maccess

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pushcut

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Shortcuts not running properly on remote server
  • Widgets not updating in a timely manner
  • Notification delivery issues, especially with location-based triggers
  • Server setup process often fails

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add live activities support
  • Allow launching apps directly from notifications
  • Improve widget performance and reliability
  • Provide more notification sound options
  • Make server setup easier and more flexible

Maccess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Pushcut

Subscriptions4
  • Pro monthly$1.991 Month
  • Server Extended (Month)$2.491 Month
  • Pro yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Server Extended (Year)$22.491 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$39.99
2 purchases

Maccess

Subscriptions2
  • Maccess Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Maccess Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Pushcut free?
Pushcut is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Maccess free?
Maccess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pushcut or Maccess have ads?
Neither Pushcut nor Maccess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pushcut or Maccess?
Pushcut ships an update monthly, and Maccess every 2 days. Most recently, Pushcut was updated on October 21, 2026 and Maccess on October 14, 2026.

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