The GUI for MacPorts: PortAuthority

Universal Binary

Buy: $24.95

PortAuthority provides a graphical user interface for the MacPorts package management system for Mac OS X. MacPorts is a powerful command-line tool for installing and updating a variety of Unix-based applications for the Mac. Its power, though, comes at the cost of some complexity; in the past the only way to utilize MacPorts was to type in various commands into the Mac's Terminal application, which can be intimidating for those users without a Unix background.

PortAuthority aims to bring the power of MacPorts to the traditional Mac user by providing a user-friendly graphical interface to MacPorts. Using a familiar combination of windows, icons, and menus, PortAuthority users can search, install, update, and remove MacPorts programs and the MacPorts infrastructure itself.

Learn How to Use PortAuthority

Why PortAuthority?

Easy-to-use solution for managing MacPorts.
Actively-developed; new enhancements come regularly.
Thorough documentation.
"...so well designed, I think I'll find myself using it quite a bit over time."--Ernest Rothman, co-author of Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks
"I hope you’ll all download the PortAuthority program and give it a try. It's quite nice..."--Christopher Roach, MacDevCenter
" If you use MacPorts and want an easy way to manage things, don't pass PortAuthority by!"--VersionTracker user

Installing PortAuthority

To install PortAuthority, download the latest version. It can be installed anywhere on your machine. Earlier installations can be moved to the trash. The download is a 30-day demo; you can purchase a license to use the program past the 30-day trial period. Mac OS X 10.4 is the minimum supported platform. A MacPorts installation is also required; MacPorts can be downloaded from http://www.macports.org.

Sales Policies

You can purchase a license via PayPal. You will receive your serial number within 24 hours; during our regular business hours (10 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time U.S.), our response time is generally one hour. Because we provide a free 30-day trial period, all sales are presumed final and no refunds are available; please be certain you have thoroughly tested the program before purchasing a license.

Upgrading PortAuthority from Earlier Versions

PortAuthority 2.6 is a free upgrade to users with a valid serial number from version 1.x. Users of version 1.0 and earlier, which did not include serial numbers, will have to purchase a license.

What's New in Version 2.6

Faster display of all MacPorts packages: only queries MacPorts database on startup and when package is installed or removed, not when "All" is selected from tree view.
Growl support: Now displays Growl notifications on systems with Growl installed.
Adds standard Mac "window" menu to better fit with system interface guidelines.
Preferences now update immediately on window close; no need to hit "save" button. Better compliance with system interface guidelines.
No longer connects to server on every startup to check for new version; user controls this process.
New "license" menu item displays user's serial number.
User help now online; eliminates use of OS X help viewer.