Rosetta Check
macOS App · Apple silicon
Your journey to 100% native starts here. Rosetta Check finds every Intel-based app on your Mac, recommends replacements with AI, and tracks your progress with readiness milestones — all the way to a fully Apple silicon native system.
Free until end of June · Then £2.99, one-time purchase · No subscription · No ads · No user tracking
What’s happening with Rosetta?
In 2020, Apple announced the transition from Intel processors to Apple silicon. Rosetta was designed to ease this transition by automatically translating Intel-based apps for use with Apple silicon. Rosetta will remain available throughout macOS 27, but starting with macOS 28, Rosetta functionality will only be available for certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks.
There’s plenty of time — but only if you know what’s on your system. Rosetta Check gives you the full picture in seconds.
Read Apple’s official guidance on Intel-based apps and Rosetta →
macOS 26.4
Apple begins showing notifications when you launch Intel-based apps. The countdown starts.
macOS 27
Last macOS version with full Rosetta support. Your window to prepare.
macOS 28
Rosetta functionality limited to certain older games. Intel-based apps will no longer work.
Everything you need for the journey
More than a scanner — Rosetta Check is your guide from Intel dependencies to a fully native Mac, with AI recommendations, background monitoring, and milestone tracking.
Instant Scan
Discovers every app on your Mac in seconds using Spotlight. One click, full picture.
AI-Powered Recommendations
For each Intel-based app, get AI-generated descriptions and native replacement suggestions tailored to your setup.
Readiness Milestones
Track your readiness score and get notified when you hit 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% native.
Background Monitoring
Persistent menu bar presence with real-time notifications when new Intel-based apps are detected or removed.
Rich Detail View
AI description, replacement recommendations, impact score, version, architecture, disk size, and distribution source — all in one sheet.
Community Insights
Optionally share anonymous app metadata with the community to power better AI recommendations and see what others are finding.
Colour-Coded Architecture
Every app is clearly labelled Intel, Universal, or Apple silicon with impact-weighted readiness scoring.
Export & Share
Save results as CSV or JSON. Copy a summary to clipboard. Great for IT teams managing fleet transitions.
See it in action
Clean, native macOS interface. Scan, explore, and plan — exactly how a Mac app should feel.
Intel-based apps at a glance
See every Intel-based app with colour-coded badges and architecture details.
Readiness Score
A clear percentage of how ready your Mac is for native-only macOS.
Rich app details
Version, bundle ID, size, architecture — everything in one sheet.
Quick actions
Right-click any app for instant actions — check for updates, reveal in Finder, and more.
Scan history
Track your progress over time as you update and replace Intel-based apps.
Three steps. That’s it.
No configuration, no setup wizards, no accounts. Open the app and you’re done.
Scan
Hit the scan button. Rosetta Check discovers every app on your Mac in seconds using Spotlight.
Review
See a clear, colour-coded list. Filter by architecture. Tap any app for the full picture.
Resolve
Get AI-powered replacement recommendations, track milestones to 100% native, and export reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about Rosetta, Apple silicon, and this app.
What is Rosetta 2?
Rosetta is Apple’s translation technology that enables a Mac with Apple silicon to use apps built for a Mac with an Intel processor. Rosetta will remain available throughout macOS 27. Starting with macOS 28, Rosetta functionality will only be available for certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks. Learn more from Apple.
Why am I seeing a Rosetta notification on macOS?
Starting with macOS 26.4, Apple shows a notification each time you open an Intel-based app that uses Rosetta. It’s a heads-up that the app will need to be updated for Apple silicon before macOS 28. Rosetta Check lets you see all those apps in one place so you can plan ahead.
What do the architecture badges mean?
Apple silicon — runs natively on M-series chips.
Universal — includes both Intel and Apple silicon code; runs natively.
Intel — requires Rosetta to run on Apple silicon Macs.
Each app also gets an impact score that reflects how heavily it contributes to your overall
readiness percentage, so you can prioritise the apps that matter most.
What macOS version do I need?
Rosetta Check requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later on any Mac with Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4, or newer).
Does it work on Intel Macs?
Rosetta Check is designed for Macs with Apple silicon, where the transition away from Rosetta is relevant. It will scan and categorise apps on any supported Mac, but if you’re still on Intel hardware the Rosetta transition doesn’t directly affect you.
How much does it cost?
Rosetta Check is free until the end of June 2026. After that it will be £2.99 as a one-time purchase from the Mac App Store. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no ads. Buy once, use forever.
Privacy Policy
Personal data
Rosetta Check does not track you as a user. No names, email addresses, device identifiers, or IP-based profiling. No analytics SDKs, no advertising frameworks, no crash-reporting services. The app includes an optional community-sharing feature (disabled by default) that uploads anonymous app metadata to help improve recommendations — see “Community sharing” below for full details. No personal information is ever transmitted.
What the app accesses locally
The app uses the macOS Spotlight index
(NSMetadataQuery)
to discover installed applications and reads their
Info.plist
metadata to determine architecture, version, and bundle identifier. This is read-only access
within the standard app sandbox. No files are modified and no special permissions are required.
Network requests
Rosetta Check makes the following network requests:
-
Apple iTunes Search API
(
itunes.apple.com) — used to check whether a native Apple Silicon version of an app is available on the Mac App Store. Only the app’s bundle ID is sent; no user data is included. -
Rosetta Check community API
(
rosettacheck.com) — used to fetch AI-generated descriptions, replacement recommendations, and community suggestions for detected Intel-based apps. See “Community sharing” below for details on the optional upload feature.
No other network requests are made. There is no analytics, telemetry, or advertising traffic.
Community sharing (opt-in)
The app includes an optional feature to share your scan results with the Rosetta Check community database. This is disabled by default and must be explicitly enabled in Settings. When enabled, it sends only anonymous application metadata:
- App name, bundle ID, version, and architecture
- Disk size and category (from the app’s metadata)
- macOS version and chip family (e.g. “M2”)
A randomly generated anonymous identifier is used to deduplicate uploads — it is not derived from any hardware or personal information. No personal information, file paths, usernames, or anything that could identify you is ever transmitted. This data powers the community insights and AI recommendations that benefit all users.
Third-party services
Beyond the Apple iTunes Search API (operated by Apple Inc.) and the Rosetta Check community API (operated by us), the app does not integrate with any third-party SDKs, analytics services, advertising frameworks, or tracking tools.
Data deletion
All scan data is stored locally on your Mac. Uninstalling the app removes all locally stored data. If you opted in to community sharing, the anonymous app metadata previously submitted is aggregated and cannot be traced back to you. To request removal, contact us.
Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy, please email [email protected].
Last updated: March 2026
Ready to reach 100% native?
Start your journey from Intel dependencies to a fully Apple Silicon Mac — with AI recommendations guiding you every step of the way.
macOS 13+ · Apple silicon · Free until end of June
Rosetta Check is not affiliated with Apple Inc. Apple, macOS, Rosetta, and Apple silicon are trademarks of Apple Inc.