There are no shortage of Twitter applications out there. Each client seems to have a slightly different feature set too. I’ve tried a lot of them and below is a list of good Twitter applications that have been built for the Mac. No Adobe Air suggestions here, and most are available only on the Mac.
Bluebird
Simple and pretty, this app has the ability to be one of the nicest looking Twitter apps. It also comes with three built in themes which are very nice and supports multiple accounts. This one is one I haven’t played with much, but am loving it the more I use it. Only downside so far is no way to distinguish between read and un-read tweets.
Canary
Still in beta, Canary is said to be the sexiest Twitter client out there. It’s a nice start and will be one to watch. No support for multiple accounts but has all the other features you’d need.
EventBox
Not only for Twitter, EventBox also integrates Facebook, Flickr, RSS and Google Reader. More services on the way too they say. It’s a bit big for me, but yet I really like it. Would love to see it get multiple Twitter account support.
Lounge
Lounge made quite an entrance recently. It looks good, has nice features and supports multiple accounts. It’ll be a good one to watch as it grows. Also available for the iPhone.
Nambu
Nambu is my favorite Twitter client right now. It’s visually appealing, has the ability to clear out read tweets, a menu bar icon for easy access, and makes managing multiple accounts extremely easy. Even comes with three different ways to view your timeline. Nambu also plans to add Facebook support. Highly recommended. Also available for the iPhone.
NatsuLion
Nice Twitter client with the necessary features. Makes keeping track of read and unread tweets easy by just mousing over the tweets. I don’t see a way to re-tweet though. Humm… Also available for the iPhone.
Pwitter
Pwitter has a nice simple interface. It reminds me of Twitterrific only with a lot more features. Has a nice menu bar icon for hiding and showing the main window which is always nice. Missing the ability for multiple accounts though. If you use Twitterrific, this would be a great step up.
Syrnix
Nice Twitter client but lacks re-tweet capabilities. You can bookmark your last read message so when you come back, you know what you’ve read and what you haven’t.
Tototl
Don’t know a lot about this one. Tototl looks like a simplistic Twitter client but is not one I’ve tried.
Twitterrific
Probably the most popular Mac Twitter client. Works under 10.4 and 10.5 and comes in a very small footprint with a menu bar icon for easy access. Downsides are that it doesn’t segment out direct messages and replies into their own area and doesn’t have a re-tweet option. It doesn’t work with multiple accounts either. Also available for the iPhone.
TwitterPod
TwitterPod seems to have had a great start, but development has stalled. Missing are quite a few options, but it’s still a nice basic client. Would love to see it advance a bit more.
Twucket
I think Twucket is a different take on Twitter clients. It doesn’t seem to have a lot of options, just the basics. Not having used it, I don’t know a lot about it.
Bonus Round! Twitter apps that are coming soon.
Beak
This one is not out yet, but I signed up for the beta and hope to try it out soon.
Adium
Again, not out yet but eagerly anticipating. Adium rocks at IM, can it do the same for Twitter?
Those are the 14 Mac Twitter applications that I’ve looked into. There are probably more out there as I discover new ones all the time.
There are also additional Adobe Air based Twitter apps, Firefox extensions and Dashboard widgets that work on the Mac too.
Which one is your favorite? What did I miss?
Tweetdeck?
Tweetdeck didn’t make the list as it’s an Adobe Air application and not Mac specific. However, it is a very nice one.
How about Bluebird? Or the newly announced “Tweetie for Mac”, codenamed “Bigbird”. Just sayin’.
I did not know about Tweetie for Mac. Thanks for the heads up!
Sorry, I missed Bluebird in the list. *feels ashamed of himself*
Nice list. Twitterific *does* support multiple accounts, its just not well documented (cmd + L is the default I think)
To me, multiple accounts means not having to log out and log back in.
Good list but it would have been great if you’d stated which version of OSX each supported. Have gone from excitement to disappointment repeatedly checking out the links…
Good point. Most are 10.5 only. The only exceptions are Twitterrific and TwitterPod. Adobe Air apps may be your best choices for features.
Adium is really cool! got to be my personal favourite.
Where the hell is Tweetie?
Tweetie was not yet released when this list was made. But it is fantastic!
I remember this Application for Mac, for Twitter. I think it was CandyApp. It showed a Lollypop like image, with a Swirl in the middle, and the ‘Twitter’ Icon.
Any help?
Sorry. Doesn’t ring a bell.
I used Tweetdeck for a while, but it’s not very convenience when you need to manage multiple account, because the only I found to switch between different account’s tweets is to change the default account, anybody ca help me?
Just add more than one account and they’ll all show in your Tweetdeck window. There is no need to switch or change anything.
There are also Kiwi for the mac and Blogo which both support Twitter and have been released.
Yea, new ones have been popping up left and right lately.
thanks for sharing information
good work. i chose nambu finally.
Tweetie has a catchy style of posting tweet. Love that function without actually open the timeline windows. With the shortcut button for it of course.
Echofon isn’t that bad with the simple slick design and sidebar to view info without interfering the timeline. You can view the whole convo-replied on the side bar too.
I’m pretty much confused bout these two lately. Love the Echofon details and design, in the same time can’t miss the tweeting shortcut and pop up windows on Tweetie. Both are love.
Mac apps does rock. Nuff said. : )