I'm Dominik, creator of Monocle, and I'm genuinely excited to share the biggest update since launch — version 3.0!
TLDR: I wanted Monocle 3.0 to feel like something that shipped with your Mac.
What is Monocle? For those who don't know Monocle: Think noise-canceling, but for your Mac screen. It's a modern take on window dimming that elegantly blurs everything except your active window. It isn't just about productivity — it's about presence. Feeling calm while you work, write, browse, or think.
…just wiggle your mouse.
Why 3.0 so soon? I know this is unusual. Version 2.0 just launched here 2 months ago. Seems too early for another major update, right? But the changes I've made since then are so fundamental that calling this 2.X wouldn't do it justice. This had to be 3.0 (free for existing users of course!)
So what makes 3.0 special?
• Whole New Design — Rebuilt from the ground up with a native macOS feel. Monocle now feels like something that shipped with your Mac.
• Custom Blur Intensity — After almost a year of trying, I finally hacked Apple's NSVisualEffectView to allow fully custom blur intensity (Yay!). Apple doesn't expose this, so it took countless failed attempts.
• Shake to Toggle — Just wiggle your cursor and Monocle turns on. Shake again and it turns off. Such a natural gesture that it genuinely feels like magic.
• Massive Performance Optimizations — Your Mac will run cooler and your battery will last significantly longer.
• Grayscale Mode & Custom Tints — Turn background windows black and white, or add subtle color tints. Choose from presets or match your system accent color.
• Automation Support — Control Monocle via Shell, AppleScript, or Shortcuts using URL schemes.
• Homebrew Support — Finally! Install with brew install --cask monocle-app
• New App Icon — The letter 'M' merged with the Finder smile creates an abstract relaxed face.
Give it a try: 7-day free trial, then one-time payment ($9 single seat / $20 for three seats). No subscriptions, ever.
Wall of Love I've been receiving dozens of beautiful emails from the users with appreciation and notes on how Monocle helps them focus. Here are my latest favorites:
"Hi Dominik, I usually send feedback to just a handful of developers, and I must say that the 3.0 version is impressive. All details you have implemented recently is just fantastic. The Liquid Glass theme is also so nice and fluid, well done! Continue with the good work! I can’t wait to see new features coming to your app. Regards, Felipe"
"Hi Dominik, a fan here. Honestly Monocle 3.0 is probably the best designed third-party app on Mac platform I have seen in the past 5 years, if not ever. The blur effect is mind-blowing. Keep up the good work. Best, Que"
"Hi Dominik, I'm probably just one of thousands of fans who you will never meet IRL but I'm grateful to you for doing so much amazing work on our behalf! Monocle is absolutely my favorite app; it has changed the way I work by calming my brain in ways I didn't know I needed. I can't wait to experience the new version. Thank you! Amy"
Monocle was built with zero coding experience — just AI and a whole lot of stubbornness.
I restarted the project three times before releasing v1.0. But each time, I understood it a little more deeply.
A year of reviewing every line AI suggested, questioning every change. Slowly, it started to shape into something I love using every day.
Wow, Monocle looks amazing! Love the simplicity of shaking the cursor to focus. Does it play nicely with multiple monitors? Definitely giving it a try!
@heyiamdk Noise cancelling for your screen with cursor shake activation is brilliant! The focus/zone feature combined with screenshot capabilities makes this super practical for demos and deep work.
How does the shake sensitivity detection work across different trackpad vs mouse setups? And can users customize which apps or windows get included/excluded from the focus mode?
Love the idea of dimming distractions without breaking flow — this feels like presence by design.
But after I installed this app, pop-up prompt "version of the application "Monocle" cannot be used with this version of macOS." Did I download the wrong version? ps: the version is Monocle-3-0.dmg.
Wow, Monocle is brilliant! Love the simple shake-to-blur mechanic for instant focus. How does it handle multiple monitors - does the blur apply globally or per display?
Cool stuff @heyiamdk! I'll definitely give Monocle a try!
ps best of luck on your launch today! Don't get sloppy though, I'm rapidly closing in on the product hunt leaderboard at place #11 today!
Congrats on the launch!
I remember trying a previous version of this and I was curious to try v3, but when I download the 7-day trial, it says the trial has expired (assuming it's detecting some config file from the previous trial) – is there a way to reset the trial so I can test it again?
@Monocle for macOS This is genius for focus management. The cursor-shake activation is delightfully tactile. For adoption: are you seeing desktop setup creators use this? Also, how does this integrate with focus modes on macOS? Could be a perfect compliment to system-level focus settings.
Noise-cancelling for the screen makes sense. Shake to focus is weirdly perfect. My brain drifts to Slack every 5 mins, so this might help. Curious about multi-monitor + screen share, and battery hit. If it feels native, that’s the win. Kinda like Stage Manager without the rules.
✨ This feels less like a utility and more like a state of mind — love the idea of dimming the world with a simple cursor shake. Curious what led you to choose this interaction over a keyboard shortcut, and how you’ve seen it change users’ focus or “presence” over time?
Very tasteful app for folks with big screens! 🚀
Congratulations on your launch!
I've been loving Monocle and use it both a) focus/zone in and b) screenshots/demos. This new 3.0 version is WILD though. Literally felt like it came out of no way and it's soooo good. It totally elevated Monocle's experience. The shake to start is a really smart and seamless way to activate Monocle, though I wish I could adjust the sensitivity for it.
My favorite thing though is how @heyiamdk created the setting's panel, it's so cleeeaann and a great inspiration for others building Mac Apps.
Very well done and congrats on 3.0!
About Monocle 3.0 for macOS on Product Hunt
“Noise-cancelling for your screen now with cursor shake”
Monocle 3.0 for macOS launched on Product Hunt on December 18th, 2025 and earned 416 upvotes and 35 comments, earning #2 Product of the Day. Every moment, something steals our focus until we can’t remember what we sat down to do. But it doesn’t have to be this way… …just wiggle your mouse.
Monocle 3.0 for macOS was featured in Productivity (649.7k followers), User Experience (364.7k followers) and Health (6.3k followers) on Product Hunt. Together, these topics include over 161.6k products, making this a competitive space to launch in.
Who hunted Monocle 3.0 for macOS?
Monocle 3.0 for macOS was hunted by Dominik Kandravý. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Reviews
Monocle 3.0 for macOS has received 2 reviews on Product Hunt with an average rating of 5.00/5. Read all reviews on Product Hunt.
Want to see how Monocle 3.0 for macOS stacked up against nearby launches in real time? Check out the live launch dashboard for upvote speed charts, proximity comparisons, and more analytics.
Dominik Kandravý
Hi everyone! 👋
I'm Dominik, creator of Monocle, and I'm genuinely excited to share the biggest update since launch — version 3.0!
TLDR: I wanted Monocle 3.0 to feel like something that shipped with your Mac.
What is Monocle?
For those who don't know Monocle: Think noise-canceling, but for your Mac screen. It's a modern take on window dimming that elegantly blurs everything except your active window. It isn't just about productivity — it's about presence. Feeling calm while you work, write, browse, or think.
…just wiggle your mouse.
Why 3.0 so soon?
I know this is unusual. Version 2.0 just launched here 2 months ago. Seems too early for another major update, right? But the changes I've made since then are so fundamental that calling this 2.X wouldn't do it justice. This had to be 3.0 (free for existing users of course!)
So what makes 3.0 special?
• Whole New Design — Rebuilt from the ground up with a native macOS feel. Monocle now feels like something that shipped with your Mac.
• Custom Blur Intensity — After almost a year of trying, I finally hacked Apple's NSVisualEffectView to allow fully custom blur intensity (Yay!). Apple doesn't expose this, so it took countless failed attempts.
• Shake to Toggle — Just wiggle your cursor and Monocle turns on. Shake again and it turns off. Such a natural gesture that it genuinely feels like magic.
• Massive Performance Optimizations — Your Mac will run cooler and your battery will last significantly longer.
• Grayscale Mode & Custom Tints — Turn background windows black and white, or add subtle color tints. Choose from presets or match your system accent color.
• Automation Support — Control Monocle via Shell, AppleScript, or Shortcuts using URL schemes.
• Homebrew Support — Finally! Install with brew install --cask monocle-app
• New App Icon — The letter 'M' merged with the Finder smile creates an abstract relaxed face.
Give it a try: 7-day free trial, then one-time payment ($9 single seat / $20 for three seats). No subscriptions, ever.
Wall of Love
I've been receiving dozens of beautiful emails from the users with appreciation and notes on how Monocle helps them focus. Here are my latest favorites:
"Hi Dominik, I usually send feedback to just a handful of developers, and I must say that the 3.0 version is impressive. All details you have implemented recently is just fantastic. The Liquid Glass theme is also so nice and fluid, well done! Continue with the good work! I can’t wait to see new features coming to your app. Regards, Felipe"
"Hi Dominik, a fan here. Honestly Monocle 3.0 is probably the best designed third-party app on Mac platform I have seen in the past 5 years, if not ever. The blur effect is mind-blowing. Keep up the good work. Best, Que"
"Hi Dominik, I'm probably just one of thousands of fans who you will never meet IRL but I'm grateful to you for doing so much amazing work on our behalf! Monocle is absolutely my favorite app; it has changed the way I work by calming my brain in ways I didn't know I needed. I can't wait to experience the new version. Thank you! Amy"
Monocle was built with zero coding experience — just AI and a whole lot of stubbornness.
I restarted the project three times before releasing v1.0. But each time, I understood it a little more deeply.
A year of reviewing every line AI suggested, questioning every change. Slowly, it started to shape into something I love using every day.
https://x.com/heyiamdk/status/1998669666051346936?s=20