We stand with Ukraine to help keep people safe. Join us
Growl
Growl
3.6
0.0

Notification system for OS X apps.

3.6
Based on 109 user ratesRead reviews & comments
$3.99
This app is no longer supported by it's developer. You can find similar apps here.

Growl overview

Growl is the is ultimate notification system for the Mac. It's the easiest way to instantly know what is going on with other applications while you are busy working on something else, in real time or even when you step away.

One day we were working with pictures in iPhoto while having a conversation in Adium. While waiting on something important to come through in the conversation, we had to keep clicking back and forth every time an instant message came through. Even though we knew were getting a message we'd have to click back to the Adium window to see what was being said. The idea for Growl was born out of the frustration of being forced to click back and forth to see what was going on. The real time notifications keep you up to speed with everything you need to know. With smooth notifications and Growl's one of a kind rollup window, you'll always know what's going on even when you have to step away from your Mac.

Never before has there been anything that personalizes notifications in such an effective way. You can receive notifications in several ways, such as on screen, via email, or even have them spoken to you. Plus if you know a bit about web technologies (CSS/XHTML/Javascript) then you can make a Growl style look how you want it to.

What’s new in version 2.1.3

Updated on Mar 10 2020

Version 2.1.3:
  • Fixes an issue on OS X 10.9 where sending notifications to Growl will result in Growl logging "(null) doesn't have enough information..." whenever it receives an incoming packet.
  • The on/off slider is more accessible now.
  • Adds an improvement to how the selection of the default plugin worked in the displays tab.
View older Growl updates

Information

License

Commercial

Size

6.8 MB

Developer’s website

http://growl.info

Downloads

320271

App requirements

  • Intel 64
  • Mac OS X 10.7 or later
Try our new feature and write a detailed review about Growl. All reviews will be posted soon.

Write your thoughts in our old-fashioned comment

MacUpdate Comment Policy. We strongly recommend leaving comments, however comments with abusive words, bullying, personal attacks of any type will be moderated.
0.0

(0 Reviews of )

There are no reviews yet
  • Comments

  • User Ratings

Naoh
Naoh
Mar 10 2020
2.1.3
0.0
Mar 10 2020
0.0
Version: 2.1.3
Just as a quick note about version 2.1.3. It has not been updated since 2014.
Fromage-Head
Fromage-Head
May 21 2016
2.1.3
0.0
May 21 2016
0.0
Version: 2.1.3
Except a slight blinking from my growl notifications everything seems to work OK with Yosemite. While it's good to have Apple make its own system, they unfortunately (as always) strip it down too much, forcing me to often switch it off (because I can't filter the type of notifications I want, it's all or nothing) or use Growl if I can.
stew-1
stew-1
Feb 1 2016
2.1.3
1.5
Feb 1 2016
1.5
Version: 2.1.3
It's still useful, but it's got so many bugs and has been completely unmaintained for 2+ years. Yet they're still charging for the app even though users can build it themselves from the open source.
Big Johnson
Big Johnson
May 3 2014
2.1.3
0.0
May 3 2014
0.0
Version: 2.1.3
The uninstaller SUCKS! Since I upgraded to 10.9+ a few days ago, Growl was placed in an "incompatible Software" folder so I decided to get rid of it and try the Notification Center. I hate notifications in the top right corner and no customization options, but I'll try it for a while and see if I can tolerate it. The uninstaller said "uninstallation successful." Then I noticed Growl was still in the Apps folder so I drug it into AppDelete. Besides the App, there were also 3 folders remaining in my Library and one at root in /private/var/folders.
Jazzyguy
Jazzyguy
Oct 31 2013
2.1.3
5.0
Oct 31 2013
5.0
Version: 2.1.3
I like this version and I am glad I bought it for Mavericks.5 stars for sure.
Old-guy
Old-guy
Oct 11 2013
2.1.2
0.0
Oct 11 2013
0.0
Version: 2.1.2
Question: What is the + for using Growl when Mac OS X 10.7, 10.8 and 10.9 has this by default?
Jazzyguy
Jazzyguy
Sep 27 2013
2.1.2
5.0
Sep 27 2013
5.0
Version: 2.1.2
Growl is a useful application and very utilitarian.
VRH
VRH
Aug 1 2013
2.1
5.0
Aug 1 2013
5.0
Version: 2.1
I *love* Growl. It's so much more flexible than OS X's built-in notification system. I hope more and more developers continue to integrate Growl into their applications.
hmfwic47
hmfwic47
Feb 1 2013
2.0.1
5.0
Feb 1 2013
5.0
Version: 2.0.1
I have 2 Growl icons and 3 Hardware Growler icons in my iMac's dock. I checked and I have only one app of each installed. Anyone having the same problem?
JaredRide
JaredRide
Dec 11 2012
2.0.1
1.0
Dec 11 2012
1.0
Version: 2.0.1
I purchased via the mac app store and feel robbed. No notifications for incoming mail messages???? Please help... please.
sjk
sjk
Dec 5 2012
2.0.1
0.0
Dec 5 2012
0.0
Version: 2.0.1
Works fine except for inability to clear notifications for specific apps in the Growl Notification Rollup; only clearing all of them works (and I wish there was a keyboard shortcut for doing that).
Nontroppo
Nontroppo
Dec 5 2012
2.0.1
4.0
Dec 5 2012
4.0
Version: 2.0.1
Growl is still a valuable utility for managing notifications, even in the age of 10.8 and its Notification Center (NC). However, the official support for NC is actually worse than the previous non-official plugins because you cannot select on an application basis what goes to NC, and every notification is labelled as Growl no matter what app it originally came from. Why can't growl treat NC as a "style", so we can choose on a per-app basis whether to use it and thus also have notifications named correctly. This is why for me Growl is currently a 4-star utility.
Jazzyguy
Jazzyguy
Dec 4 2012
2.0.1
5.0
Dec 4 2012
5.0
Version: 2.0.1
I like this Notification System and am glad to vote it 5Stars. I wish I could give it more!
SawtoothRising
SawtoothRising
Oct 1 2012
2.0
0.0
Oct 1 2012
0.0
Version: 2.0
will not let me choose no display style permanently, only lasts until reboot/shutdown then its back. I want to use bark dammit!
Whateverrrr
Whateverrrr
Sep 26 2012
2.0
4.0
Sep 26 2012
4.0
Version: 2.0
I like Growl but it seems they've removed the option they had (in conjunction with Hardware Growler 1.3.2) to add an individual sound effect to various hardware interactions, and have now decided to just have one sound effect assigned to everything. Why ? Ever thought about partially sighted people who heavily rely on this option to tell them when they've connected/disconnected certain hardware because they used to have certain sound effects assigned to those pieces of hardware, but now won't have a clue which hardware is connected/disconnected because they're forced to use only one sound for everything ? Nope... I bet they didn't ! Bad call Growl Project... may I suggest you have a heart & fix it & leave this option untouched in the future ? :-|
RTouris
RTouris
Sep 20 2012
2.0
4.0
Sep 20 2012
4.0
Version: 2.0
Let me start off by saying that I have been a HUGE growl fan since it's inception and believe me when I say it's been a long time ago... Now; on to the newbies..Ver. 2.0 is definitely an improvement over 1.4 which was the previous version, that is if you're on 10.7, because I get the feeling that the devs still have quite a few things to sort out with 10.8's Notification center. Back to 10.7..I claimed that this is an improvement over 1.4...however I fail to see why oh why this needed to spin off ver. 1.2.2 which was free to say the least and worked like a charm. The subsequent releases introduced a myriad of problems (even the buttons where hard to comprehend as to which way they swayed)...v. 1.4 was the first one I used in Lion 10.7.4 and back then for some strange yet familiar to the devs reason this failed to launch at startup, a problem to which i found a solution digging into their less-than-stellar-user-friendly new website and even then in some instances it would again fail to launch.... On to v.2...all is good for the time being, buttons remade, quite a few things tweaked here and there, a good feeling overall..hang on a sec though..it's now a 64bit process and together with Hardware Growler they both occupy well over 300MB of memory according to Activity monitor...Hm, there must be something nasty going on here, I never recall these two occupying such hefty system resources, granted these are now 64bit processes and this by itself accounts for a bit of increased memory footprint..and sure it won't be a problem on my iMac @ work with 8GB of RAM, but how about my MacBookPro2,2 with only 3GB (maxed out), now that could be a potential problem..for a combo that costs a bit over $5 if I'm correct.. ** confused **
Smitty078
Smitty078
Sep 20 2012
2.0
0.0
Sep 20 2012
0.0
Version: 2.0
When the option to "forward notifications to OS X" is on, any growl notification shows up under "growl" in notification center. I would really prefer if each app showed up on its own. Perhaps this is a limitation of notification center.
Macs-Pain
Macs-Pain
Sep 20 2012
2.0
0.0
Sep 20 2012
0.0
Version: 2.0
So, installing Adobe CS5 installs Growl without any notice and without asking if I want this app at all. And now I should pay for a program that comes with Adobe CS which isn't very cheap anyway. WTF?
Timbuk2
Timbuk2
Sep 20 2012
2.0
0.0
Sep 20 2012
0.0
Version: 2.0
After installing 10.8.2 Growl refuses to let me custom where notifications pop up. For instance I would like HardwareGrowler notifications to pop up in the lower left corner. I can configure Growl to do so, but they still only pop up in the top right corner. Am I doing something wrong or is this a known bug?
Lnr1
Lnr1
Sep 20 2012
2.0
0.0
Sep 20 2012
0.0
Version: 2.0
Can you just fix the issue with it no launching at startup already...
pwapub1
pwapub1
Apr 27 2022
2.1.3
5.0
Apr 27 2022
5.0
Version: 2.1.3
hitjohnup
hitjohnup
Sep 26 2016
4.0
Sep 26 2016
4.0
Version: null
stew-1
stew-1
Feb 1 2016
1.5
Feb 1 2016
1.5
Version: null
Eat-A-Peach
Eat-A-Peach
Apr 19 2014
3.5
Apr 19 2014
3.5
Version: null
philajoe-comp
philajoe-comp
Nov 25 2013
4.0
Nov 25 2013
4.0
Version: null
Jazzyguy
Jazzyguy
Oct 31 2013
5.0
Oct 31 2013
5.0
Version: null
Lookky
Lookky
Oct 30 2013
0.5
Oct 30 2013
0.5
Version: null
Jayroyal
Jayroyal
Oct 30 2013
4.5
Oct 30 2013
4.5
Version: null
Stef-Vandenabele
Stef-Vandenabele
Oct 30 2013
2.0
Oct 30 2013
2.0
Version: null
Andrew8042
Andrew8042
Oct 5 2013
0.5
Oct 5 2013
0.5
Version: null
Melis
Melis
Sep 26 2013
3.0
Sep 26 2013
3.0
Version: null
Ali-Egypt
Ali-Egypt
Aug 1 2013
3.0
Aug 1 2013
3.0
Version: null
VRH
VRH
Aug 1 2013
5.0
Aug 1 2013
5.0
Version: null
Josart
Josart
Apr 5 2013
3.0
Apr 5 2013
3.0
Version: null
hmfwic47
hmfwic47
Feb 1 2013
5.0
Feb 1 2013
5.0
Version: null
JaredRide
JaredRide
Dec 11 2012
1.0
Dec 11 2012
1.0
Version: null
DJSquint
DJSquint
Dec 6 2012
2.0
Dec 6 2012
2.0
Version: null
nerolapis
nerolapis
Dec 6 2012
5.0
Dec 6 2012
5.0
Version: null
Nontroppo
Nontroppo
Dec 5 2012
4.0
Dec 5 2012
4.0
Version: null
Surfspirit
Surfspirit
Dec 4 2012
0.5
Dec 4 2012
0.5
Version: null
Whateverrrr
Whateverrrr
Sep 26 2012
4.0
Sep 26 2012
4.0
Version: null
RTouris
RTouris
Sep 20 2012
4.0
Sep 20 2012
4.0
Version: null
freiheit
freiheit
Aug 28 2012
4.5
Aug 28 2012
4.5
Version: null
walterlwagner
walterlwagner
Aug 17 2012
2.5
Aug 17 2012
2.5
Version: null
mcpope
mcpope
Jul 14 2012
4.0
Jul 14 2012
4.0
Version: null
reves
reves
Jun 17 2012
3.0
Jun 17 2012
3.0
Version: null
Tommy-Gun
Tommy-Gun
Jun 9 2012
4.0
Jun 9 2012
4.0
Version: null
Ahmad-Hesham
Ahmad-Hesham
May 6 2012
5.0
May 6 2012
5.0
Version: null
Tripplet
Tripplet
Apr 25 2012
4.0
Apr 25 2012
4.0
Version: null
kristinks
kristinks
Apr 23 2012
3.5
Apr 23 2012
3.5
Version: null
Johnson-Zh0u
Johnson-Zh0u
Mar 18 2012
4.0
Mar 18 2012
4.0
Version: null
richardmannich
richardmannich
Jan 30 2012
5.0
Jan 30 2012
5.0
Version: null
Megavolt17
Megavolt17
Jan 29 2012
4.0
Jan 29 2012
4.0
Version: null
Morgan-Alex
Morgan-Alex
Jan 27 2012
3.0
Jan 27 2012
3.0
Version: null
Ikir
Ikir
Jan 27 2012
5.0
Jan 27 2012
5.0
Version: null
Dm9999
Dm9999
Jan 27 2012
2.0
Jan 27 2012
2.0
Version: null
Sheraff
Sheraff
Jan 18 2012
4.5
Jan 18 2012
4.5
Version: null
Alrescha
Alrescha
Jan 17 2012
0.5
Jan 17 2012
0.5
Version: null
Kashif-Afridi
Kashif-Afridi
Jan 15 2012
1.0
Jan 15 2012
1.0
Version: null
tillkruss
tillkruss
Jan 6 2012
4.5
Jan 6 2012
4.5
Version: null
$3.99
This app is no longer supported by it's developer. You can find similar apps here.

How would you rate Growl?
Similar apps
GrowlMail
Receive Growl notifications for incoming mail (beta).
Is this app is similar to GrowlMail? Vote to improve the quality of this list.
Vote results
1
Upvotes
1
Total score
0
Downvotes
CanoScan Toolbox
Scanner software.
Is this app is similar to CanoScan Toolbox? Vote to improve the quality of this list.
Vote results
0
Upvotes
0
Total score
0
Downvotes
Herald
Notification plugin for Mail.app.
Is this app is similar to Herald? Vote to improve the quality of this list.
Vote results
0
Upvotes
0
Total score
0
Downvotes
Default Folder X
Enhances Open and Save dialogs.
Is this app is similar to Default Folder X? Vote to improve the quality of this list.
Vote results
0
Upvotes
0
Total score
0
Downvotes
terminal-notifier
Send User Notifications from the command-line.
Is this app is similar to terminal-notifier? Vote to improve the quality of this list.
Vote results
1
Upvotes
0
Total score
-1
Downvotes