Unite for Mac releases a new version to turn websites into web apps

Apple announced macOS Sonoma at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) earlier this year with the ability to turn websites into “web apps” and add them to the dock. In response, Unite, which offers similar functionality, has now released a new version with powerful customization options.

Unite 5 comes with an easier flow to create an app, a curated suggestion feature to let you quickly add new web apps, an app library to manage all web apps, and support for custom link forwarding. This is the first major update for Unite — developed by Binyamin Goldman — in three years after Unite 4 was released in 2020.

The new version quickly lets you make a web app by adding a URL and picking a logo. You can select additional options for the app such as link forwarding, compact mode and menu bar app, and create an app. Unite also lets you see a preview of the app before adding it to your dock.

If you don’t want to bother adding URLs, Unite 5 has a suggestion section with categories such as social media, messaging, storage and file sharing, entertainment, email and productivity. This page has almost all popular sites so you can add them quickly. Unite 5 also has an app library function, which lets you launch, edit or remove the app.

Additionally, there is a search function that doubles up for searching the apps in your library or suggesting new ones for creation.

The new link-forwarding functionality lets you set default redirection for certain links per app. This means you can have certain links open in other apps and others in browsers.

Unite 5 has a lot of browser-based functionality such as support for hiding/showing toolbar and title bar changing of default search engine, and multi-tab apps powered by its own browser. It has also introduced features like better support for the menu bar, notification sync with focus modes, improved bookmarking and better customization for keyboard shortcuts. Plus, Goldman told TechCrunch that he’s working on releasing Unite for Teams next year.

Unite 5 costs $29.99 for a single Mac license with a provision for additional licenses. Users on Unite 4 can upgrade to this version at $19.99.