About Puff
Last updated: 7 October 2026
Puff is a macOS menu bar app with one slider that starts a MacBook's fan earlier and keeps it gentle, so the machine stays cooler on a lap. It is made by one person, Umut, and has been on sale since September 2026 for $9, once.
Why it exists
My MacBook Pro kept getting hot on my lap while its fan sat perfectly still. macOS keeps the fan off for as long as it can, which is right on a desk and wrong on a lap. I wanted one control for that, with no sensor tables to read.
How it is made
- Built with Claude Code. The app, the privileged helper that talks to the fan, the licence server and this site were written with Claude Code, and the code is covered by an automated test suite that runs on every change.
- Measured, not assumed. The claims on the home page come from load tests on a real MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3), with the numbers published as they were measured, including where Puff was cooler but not quieter.
- Safe by design. Puff never runs a fan slower than macOS would, and hands it back when you quit, sleep, close the lid or if anything crashes. Only the helper, which accepts only the signed app, ever writes to the fan.
- Private. No analytics and no account. A trial sends only a salted hash of the hardware ID.
- Signed and notarized. Developer ID signed, notarized by Apple, and updated through Sparkle.
Which Macs
Verified on the base M2 and M3. Other Macs with a fan are still being verified, and Apple restricts manual fan control on some of them. The free trial shows whether it works on yours. The home page keeps the current list.
Contact
Write to support@puffmac.app. A person answers. I'm also on Product Hunt.