Nekoze is the posture app with a cat in it. Slouch in front of your Mac and a little cartoon cat pops up and meows at you. It costs nothing and weighs 4.5 MB. Its first version landed in 2013.
If you searched “nekoze mac”, you probably want to know whether it still works, whether it’s any good, and what else is out there. It still runs on current macOS and it’s still charming. It also hasn’t had an update in four years, which matters more than you’d think.
Full disclosure: I built SitApp, so weigh my opinion accordingly. Nekoze is a lovely little app, and for some people it’s the right pick. I’ll say who.
Quick Comparison
| SitApp | Nekoze | |
|---|---|---|
| Detection | Webcam, on-device AI body tracking | Webcam, face recognition |
| What it watches | Head and shoulders | Your face |
| Alerts | The Droid, a small on-screen character | Cartoon cat plus a meow |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, Linux | Mac only (macOS 12+) |
| Price | Free for 1 hour a day. Pro is $3.99/mo, $34.99/yr or $89.99 lifetime | Free, no in-app purchases |
| Last updated | September 2026 | September 2022 |
| Data collected | No images leave your computer | ”Data Not Collected” per App Store |
| Download size | Larger (it ships an AI model) | 4.5 MB |
What Nekoze for Mac Is
The name is a Japanese word for a hunched, rounded back, the way a cat curls. Developer Katsuma Tanaka released version 1.0 on the Mac App Store in April 2013, and it was later featured on Product Hunt in 2015. Version 2.0 arrived in August 2022 as a redesign for macOS Monterey, and 2.0.1 followed that September. According to the App Store version history, that’s the latest release.
How Nekoze on Mac detects slouching
The App Store description says Nekoze “uses facial recognition to detect hunched posture.” You sit up straight, start it, and it remembers where your face is. Drift away from that position and it flags you.
Early reviews fill in the rest. AddictiveTips’ 2013 write-up describes a cat head icon in the menu bar, settings for how strictly it judges you and how often it checks, and on-screen alerts that change the longer you stay slumped. Refinery29 noted in 2014 that you could pick from eight cartoon cats and that laptop users should recalibrate after changing their screen angle. Those reviews predate the 2022 redesign, so some details may have shifted.
Where Nekoze falls short
The AddictiveTips reviewer found the meow too gentle to get them to sit up, and wished they could swap in a louder system sound. You can mute it, which helps in a shared office but removes half the alert.
A face moves when your head drops or pushes forward, so Nekoze catches the classic laptop hunch. It has much less to go on when your head stays put and your shoulders round forward, or when you slump sideways onto one elbow.
Nothing has shipped since September 2022. The app still installs and runs on macOS 12 and later, but four years without an update means any bugs that have appeared since are staying put. It also has too few ratings for the App Store to show a score, so there isn’t much recent user feedback to go on.
What SitApp Does Differently
SitApp also uses your webcam, but it tracks body landmarks (your head and shoulders) instead of just your face. You calibrate once while sitting well, and it learns what your good posture looks like. After that it stays quiet until you drift out of it.
Forward head posture is linked to real pain. A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis found that adults with neck pain showed more forward head posture than adults without it, and that the degree of forward head posture was correlated with how intense their neck pain was.
When SitApp does spot a slouch, the Droid appears on screen with a nudge. You can adjust how big it is, where it shows up and how long it stays. On a MacBook with a notch it can live up in the notch.
Every frame is processed on your machine. The Mac App Store listing states that no visual or image data leaves your computer. SitApp also runs on Windows and Linux, which Nekoze never has.
A webcam app running all day uses battery, and that’s as true of SitApp as it is of Nekoze. MakeUseOf flagged exactly this as Nekoze’s one real problem back in 2018. SitApp is also a bigger download because it carries an AI model.
Pricing: Free Forever vs Freemium
Nekoze is free, full stop. No trial, no tiers, no account.
SitApp gives you one hour of monitoring a day for free, permanently. Pro unlocks unlimited monitoring and costs $3.99 a month, $34.99 a year, or $89.99 once, per the in-app purchases on the Mac App Store. If you only want a posture check during one focused block each day, the free tier may be all you need.
When Nekoze on Mac Is the Better Choice
- You want something completely free with no limits. Nekoze has no paywall at all.
- You like the cat. Honestly, this is a fine reason. An alert you enjoy is one you’re less likely to switch off.
- Your main problem is the laptop hunch. Head-forward slouching is the thing face tracking handles best.
- You want the smallest possible footprint. 4.5 MB is tiny.
When SitApp Is the Better Choice
- You’re on Windows or Linux, or you switch between machines.
- Your shoulders round forward while your head stays level. Body tracking picks that up, and face tracking mostly won’t.
- You want an app that’s still being updated. SitApp shipped version 10.19.0 this month. Nekoze’s last release was in 2022.
- The meow isn’t enough. SitApp’s nudges are adjustable, so you can make them harder to ignore.
Can You Use Both?
You could, but I wouldn’t. Both apps want the webcam, and two monitors watching the same camera just doubles the battery drain and the alerts. Pick one. If you’re unsure, start with Nekoze because it’s free, and if the cat stops working on you, try SitApp’s free hour.
Bottom Line
Nekoze is a sweet, free Mac utility that does one thing with a lot of personality. If you want a light nudge and don’t mind that it’s no longer being updated, it’s worth a download.
If you need more than a meow (wider tracking, adjustable alerts, Windows or Linux support, or an app that’s still maintained), SitApp is built for that. Download SitApp free and find out if the Droid gets you sitting up where the cat didn’t.
Looking at more options? See our roundup of free posture reminder apps, the best posture apps for Mac, or how accurate webcam posture detection really is.
FAQ
Is Nekoze still available for Mac? Yes. Nekoze is still on the Mac App Store, free, and requires macOS 12 or later. Its most recent update was version 2.0.1 in September 2022.
Is Nekoze free? Yes. There are no in-app purchases.
Does Nekoze work on Windows? No. Nekoze is Mac only. SitApp runs on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Does Nekoze send my webcam footage anywhere? Its App Store privacy label says the developer doesn’t collect any data. SitApp also processes everything on-device.
Is there a Nekoze alternative for Mac that’s still updated? SitApp is one. It also uses your webcam, tracks your head and shoulders, and has a free tier with an hour of monitoring a day. Our best posture apps roundup covers others.
What does “nekoze” mean? It’s Japanese for a hunched or rounded back, like a curled-up cat. That’s where the app’s mascot comes from.
