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CLI Open source 614 installs/mo

ack for Mac

Search tool like grep, but optimized for programmers

Quick answer: ack is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install ack. It is distributed under the Artistic-2.0 licence. It has 614 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What ack is

ack is a command-line tool for macOS: search tool like grep, but optimized for programmers.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the Artistic-2.0 licence.

How to install ack

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install ack.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Similar apps in Command-Line Tools

Closest apps in the same category, ordered by description similarity and install base. These are related tools, not confirmed substitutes; the comparison pages cover hand-picked head-to-head matchups.

the_silver_searcherCode-search similar to ackCLIOpen source602/mopoptLibrary like getopt(3) with a number of enhancementsCLIOpen source680/motgrepTrigram-indexed grep for fast regex search in large codebasesCLIOpen source510/mocargo-cHelper program to build and install c-like librariesCLIOpen source715/mocrystalFast and statically typed, compiled language with Ruby-like syntaxCLIOpen source771/mogpingPing, but with a graphCLIOpen source856/mo

Frequently asked questions

How do I install ack on Mac?

Run brew install ack in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is ack open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the Artistic-2.0 licence.

Does ack run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is ack?

It was installed 614 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #1370 in this catalogue.

What version of ack is current?

The latest packaged version is 3.10.0.