The one-line pitch
You slap your MacBook. It screams back. That's it.
SlapMac is a small, native SwiftUI app that lives in your Mac's menu bar. It does one thing remarkably well: it reads the accelerometer inside your MacBook Pro, detects when you've hit it, and plays a sound proportional to the force. Light tap — a soft whimper. Full slap — a full-volume shriek. Shake the whole laptop — dramatic combination hits.
Who built it and why it went viral
SlapMac was built by an Amsterdam-based developer who completed the entire project — Swift app, landing page, and payment integration — in 48 hours. After posting about it, it spread quickly across tech Twitter, Product Hunt, and news sites including TechSpot and Digital Trends. The app reportedly earned thousands of dollars in its first few days.
Why did it blow up? Because it's legitimately funny, costs less than a coffee, and works exactly as described. The developer didn't oversell it. The tagline is literally "Slap your MacBook. It screams back." People appreciated the honesty.
What SlapMac actually does — feature by feature
Slap detection
The core feature. SlapMac runs five detection algorithms simultaneously on accelerometer data: peak threshold detection, wave analysis, frequency analysis, adaptive detection, and trend analysis. You can tune sensitivity (how hard a slap needs to be) and cooldown (minimum time between triggers) from the menu bar. See our deep-dive on the slap detection algorithms.
Seven voice packs, 160+ sounds
SlapMac ships with seven built-in sound collections:
- Woman — dramatic gasps, screams, and reactions
- Combo Hit — fighting game sound effects
- Whiny — exaggerated whimpers and groans
- Fart — exactly what it sounds like
- Gentleman — dignified British exclamations
- Yamete — anime-style protest sounds
- Goat — goat screams, because of course
Each pack contains roughly 20+ sounds that rotate randomly so repetition is rare. Read the full voice packs breakdown for samples and recommendations.
Custom sound packs
Not satisfied with the built-ins? Point SlapMac at any folder of MP3 or WAV files and it'll use those instead. You can bind different sounds to different events — slap, shake, lid open, charger connect, and charger disconnect. Here's how to set up custom sounds →
USB Moaner (charger sounds)
Enable USB Moaner in settings and SlapMac will also play a sound when your MagSafe or USB-C charger connects or disconnects. Great for confirming a flaky cable is actually drawing power. Learn more on the charger sound page or in our USB Moaner guide.
Lid Creak
When you open your MacBook's lid, SlapMac can play a creaking sound — like a horror movie door. Subtle, delightful, deeply unnecessary.
Slap counter
The menu bar icon shows a counter for how many times you've slapped your Mac this session. It's a completely useless metric that everyone checks obsessively.
What MacBooks does SlapMac support?
SlapMac requires Apple Silicon M1 Pro or newer and macOS 14.6 Sonoma or later. That includes:
- MacBook Pro 14" and 16" (2021 and later) — M1 Pro, M1 Max
- MacBook Pro 14" and 16" (2023 and later) — M2 Pro, M2 Max
- MacBook Pro 14" and 16" (2024 and later) — M3 Pro, M3 Max
- MacBook Pro with M4 Pro or M4 Max
Base MacBook Air (M1/M2/M3) and Intel Macs are not supported. The accelerometer hardware in MacBook Air models lacks the granularity that SlapMac's detection algorithms need. See the full compatibility guide.
How to get started
Setup takes under two minutes. Download the .dmg from slapmymac.net, drag it to Applications, open it, pick a voice pack, set sensitivity, and slap. Full walkthrough: SlapMac setup guide →
Is SlapMac worth $3?
If you own a compatible MacBook Pro and have any sense of humor, yes. It's the cheapest possible unit of joy per dollar: you'll show it to every colleague within the first hour. It's also genuinely well-built — native Swift, no Electron, no tracking, no subscription. For the full breakdown: SlapMac review →
Frequently asked questions
What is SlapMac?
SlapMac is a Mac menu bar app that uses the built-in accelerometer on Apple Silicon MacBooks (M1 Pro and newer) to detect slaps, shakes, and taps — then plays one of 160+ sounds from seven built-in voice packs. It was built in 48 hours by an Amsterdam-based developer and went viral after earning thousands of dollars in its first week.
How much does SlapMac cost?
SlapMac costs $3 as a one-time purchase. There is no subscription. Once you buy it, you own it forever including all future updates to the version you purchased.
What MacBooks work with SlapMac?
SlapMac requires Apple Silicon M1 Pro or newer. That means MacBook Pro models from late 2021 onward, or MacBook Pro 14" / 16" with M1 Pro, M1 Max, M2 Pro, M2 Max, M3 Pro, M3 Max, M4 Pro, or M4 Max chips. Intel Macs and the base M1 / M2 / M3 MacBook Air are not supported because they lack the high-fidelity accelerometer SlapMac needs.
Which macOS version does SlapMac need?
SlapMac requires macOS 14.6 Sonoma or later. It works on Sequoia and any future release as long as the underlying accelerometer API remains available.
Is SlapMac safe for my MacBook?
Yes. SlapMac only reads the accelerometer — it does not control hardware or send commands to the machine. The slap itself is no different from the physical stress of putting your laptop down on a desk. Apple Silicon MacBooks are engineered to withstand normal physical handling. That said, don't drop your laptop.