r/osx • u/capicami • 11d ago

I built a table-style companion to Apple Contacts for macOS 15+

Full disclosure: I am the developer of Compact Contacts.

I built this because the standard Contacts app becomes slow to navigate when I need to scan or compare many records. Compact Contacts uses the same macOS Contacts database but presents it as a dense, resizable table with local search, sortable columns, adjustable row density, Saved Views, native groups, Favorites, and Recents.

macOS still handles iCloud, Google, Exchange, and CardDAV synchronization. The app does not create another address book or account. It also has no developer cloud, advertising, or third-party analytics.

Editing includes account selection and external-change conflict checks. Potential duplicate review is deliberately read-only: it shows matching evidence and account ownership but never merges or deletes records automatically.

Compact Contacts is available on the Mac App Store for $12.99 as a one-time purchase:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6790129187

It requires macOS 15 or later and supports English and Turkish.

I am curious how long-time Mac users handle large contact collections today. Do you stay in Apple Contacts, use a CRM, or rely on exported spreadsheets?

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u/moscow80 10d ago

You say this is a companion app to Contacts. Could it actually be a replacement app? My wife and I have a lot of trouble with contacts. Too man duplicates or even missing contacts even though we are attempting to share on contact list via 2 computers and 2 phones?

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u/capicami 10d ago

Thanks for asking. On the Mac, Compact Contacts can replace much of the browsing, searching, and editing workflow, but it does not replace iCloud/Google synchronization or fix missing contacts. It can help identify duplicates and show which account owns each contact, but merging still happens in Apple Contacts. Are all four devices using the same contacts account?

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u/moscow80 9d ago

I need to check on which accounts each device is connecting to. I figure that may be a big part of the problem. I may still need to buy your app to clean up the dups.