SaneHosts

Modern hosts file manager for macOS

⭐ Star this repo if it's useful! · 💰 Buy for $6.99 · Keeps development alive

SaneHosts is a native macOS app that makes managing your /etc/hosts file simple and intuitive. Choose a protection level, activate it, done. No Terminal. No commands. If something breaks, just deactivate.

Features

Protection Levels

Choose from 5 curated protection levels - each bundles the right blocklists for your needs:

Level	What It Blocks
Essentials	Ads, trackers, and malware. Safe for everyone.
Family Safe	Essentials + adult content and gambling sites
Focus Mode	Family Safe + social media distractions
Privacy Shield	Focus Mode + telemetry and advanced trackers
Kitchen Sink	Maximum protection. Blocks everything we can.

Core Features

• Profile Management - Create and manage multiple hosts configurations with color tagging
• 200+ Curated Blocklists - Import from Steven Black, Hagezi, AdGuard, OISD, and 10+ categories. SaneHosts is an officially listed tool in the upstream StevenBlack/hosts repository.
• Guided Setup - Coach mark tutorial walks you through activation on first launch
• Remote Import - Import hosts from any URL or paste custom blocklist URLs
• Merge Profiles - Combine multiple profiles with automatic deduplication
• Automatic DNS Flush - DNS cache cleared when activating profiles
• Menu Bar Access - Quick profile switching from the menu bar
• Crash Resilient - Automatic backups (3 per profile), corrupted profiles recovered automatically
• Native macOS - Built with SwiftUI, follows system conventions
• Privacy-First - All data stored locally, no analytics, no cloud
• Export Profiles - Save profiles as standard .hosts format files
• Drag to Reorder - Organize profiles by dragging in the sidebar
• Search & Filter - Find entries across large profiles (handles 100K+ entries)
• URL Health Checks - Visual indicators show blocklist source availability

Installation

Download from sanehosts.com — Signed, notarized, ready to use.

I wanted to make it $5, but processing fees and taxes were... insane. — Mr. Sane

Building from source? Consider buying the app to support continued development.

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
• Administrator password (for hosts file modifications)

How It Works

1. Choose a Protection Level - Pick from Essentials to Kitchen Sink, or create a custom profile
2. Import Blocklists - Use curated presets or import from 200+ sources
3. Activate - Apply the profile to your /etc/hosts file (password required once)
4. Switch - Change profiles as needed, DNS cache is flushed automatically

Screenshots

See sanehosts.com for screenshots and demo.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
⌘N	New Profile
⌘I	Import Blocklist
⌘A	Select All Profiles
⌘D	Duplicate Profile
⌘M	Merge Selected Profiles
⌘E	Export Profile
⌘⇧A	Activate Profile
⌘⇧D	Deactivate All
⌘⌫	Delete Profile
Delete	Delete Selected (in list)

Privacy

SaneHosts is designed with privacy in mind:

• All data stored locally in ~/Library/Application Support/SaneHosts/
• No analytics, telemetry, or crash reporting
• Network access only when YOU import from a remote URL

See PRIVACY.md for details.

Security

• Hosts file modifications require admin authentication
• Code signed and notarized by Apple
• Hardened runtime enabled

See SECURITY.md for details.

Contributing

Before opening a PR:

1. ⭐ Star the repo (if you haven't already)
2. Read CONTRIBUTING.md
3. Open an issue first to discuss major changes

Support

⭐ Star the repo if SaneHosts helps you. Stars help others discover quality software.

Cloning without starring? For real bro? Gimme that star!

• 🐛 Report a Bug
• 💡 Request a Feature

License

PolyForm Shield 1.0.0 — free for any use except building a competing product. See LICENSE for details.

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Made with care by Mr. Sane

Become a Contributor (Even if You Don't Code)

Are you tired of waiting on the dev to get around to fixing your problem?
Do you have a great idea that could help everyone in the community, but think you can't do anything about it because you're not a coder?

Good news: you actually can.

Copy and paste this into Claude or Codex, then describe your bug or idea:

I want to contribute to this repo, but I'm not a coder.

Repository:
https://github.com/sane-apps/SaneHosts

Bug or idea:
[Describe your bug or idea here in plain English]

Please do this for me:
1) Understand and reproduce the issue (or understand the feature request).
2) Make the smallest safe fix.
3) Open a pull request to https://github.com/sane-apps/SaneHosts
4) Give me the pull request link.
5) Open a GitHub issue in https://github.com/sane-apps/SaneHosts/issues that includes:
   - the pull request link
   - a short summary of what changed and why
6) Also give me the exact issue link.

Important:
- Keep it focused on this one issue/idea.
- Do not make unrelated changes.

If needed, you can also just email the pull request link to hi@saneapps.com.

I review and test every pull request before merge.

If your PR is merged, I will publicly give you credit, and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you helped ship a fix for everyone.