Open-Source iOS Apps: A Curated Directory by Category
/open-source-ios-apps
Open-Source iOS Apps is a single long README that links out to real, source-available iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS apps, sorted into categories like Browser, Communication, and Clock. Bookmark it if you learn by reading shipped Swift and SwiftUI code rather than tutorials; skip it if you want a maintained store of vetted, actively updated apps, since freshness isn't verified per entry.
What the open-source iOS apps list covers
Open-Source iOS Apps is a collaborative GitHub README (dkhamsing/open-source-ios-apps) that catalogs open-source apps for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS in one page. Each entry links to its GitHub source, tags the year and language or framework — Swift, SwiftUI, Objective-C, React Native, Flutter — and adds an App Store link and screenshots when available. Anyone can submit a new entry through the project's CONTRIBUTING.md process.
What you can find in the collection
- ✓Apps are grouped into category sections — Apple TV, Apple Vision, Apple Watch, Browser, Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Color, Clone, Communication, and more — each with its own 'back to top' link back to the Jump to index.
- ✓Every entry tags the year it was added and the primary language or framework: Swift, SwiftUI, Objective-C, React Native, or Flutter.
- ✓Many entries link straight to the app's App Store listing alongside the GitHub repo, so you can compare the shipped product with its source.
- ✓Screenshot markers are attached to entries where a preview image exists, though not every app includes one.
- ✓The visionOS section alone covers RealityKit particle and physics demos, a Netflix clone, and Apple's own official sample projects like BOT-anist and Destination Video.
- ✓Clone category doubles as a study set for game and UI recreation — Flappy Bird, 2048, Minecraft, and Wolfenstein 3D all have SwiftUI or SpriteKit rebuilds here.
- ✓Licensed CC0-1.0, so the list itself — the curation, not the linked apps — is public domain.
Strengths
- ✓Covers every Apple platform in one page — iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS — instead of a phone-only list.
- ✓Per-entry tags for year and language mean you can scan for a Swift or SwiftUI example without opening each repo.
- ✓Mixes real production apps that have App Store links with pure code samples, so you see both shipped UX and raw implementation.
- ✓CC0-1.0 licensing keeps the list free to reuse.
Gaps and things to keep in mind
- △No search or filter box — it's one long README, so finding a specific category means scrolling or using the Jump to links.
- △The year tag next to each entry isn't explained, so it's not clear whether it means date added or last verified — check each linked repo's own commit history before assuming it's current.
- △Several entries, like the visionOS Particles and Physics demos, link to Apple's own documentation pages rather than a runnable app, so not every item is source you can clone and build directly.
- △Not every app has an App Store link, so some entries are code-only and were never published.
Other places to find open-source iOS apps
Frequently asked questions
Open-Source iOS Apps covers iOS and iPadOS apps first, plus dedicated sections for watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. Each platform gets its own category, from Apple Watch complications to visionOS apps built with RealityKit for Vision Pro.
Open-Source iOS Apps is organized into category sections like Browser, Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Communication, and Clone, each reachable from a 'Jump to' index at the top of the README and a 'back to top' link after every section.
Open-Source iOS Apps tags entries with Swift, SwiftUI, and Objective-C most often, alongside cross-platform framework tags like React Native and Flutter for apps built outside native UIKit.
Open-Source iOS Apps accepts community contributions through a documented CONTRIBUTING.md process on GitHub — you submit your app as a new entry, and it's reviewed before merging into the right category.
Open-Source iOS Apps is a collaborative GitHub project with an open CONTRIBUTING.md process for adding new apps, though entries range from 2019 through more recent years and individual linked repos vary widely in how recently they were updated.
Best use cases
- •Studying how a shipped Matrix client works by reading Element X's Swift and Rust source instead of a tutorial.
- •Picking a starting point for a watchOS side project by browsing entries already tagged watchos, like Waterminder or KHabit.
- •Comparing a React Native or Flutter build against a native Swift one for the same kind of app before choosing a stack.
- •Finding a privacy-respecting browser alternative, such as Onion Browser or SnowHaze, with source you can audit.
- •Adding your own open-source app to the list for visibility, following the project's CONTRIBUTING.md guide.
Who should try it — and who should skip
Try Open-Source iOS Apps if you're a Swift or SwiftUI developer who learns faster from real shipped code than from tutorials, or an indie developer scouting prior art for a specific category before starting a new watchOS or tvOS project. Skip it if you want a vetted, ratings-based store of actively maintained apps — this is a link index, not a curated review, so you still have to check each linked repo's own activity yourself.
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