Install permute with Homebrew Cask

Project links

• Homepage
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

No executable aliases were found in the local package database.

Project history

Permute originated with another developer and was later acquired by Charlie Monroe. The Permute 3 announcement said Permute 2 had existed for more than six years and that Charlie Monroe had acquired it nearly three years before the Permute 3 rewrite.

Permute 3 was rewritten from the ground up with a redesigned interface, modular architecture, dark mode, scheduling, grouping, image stitching, and hardware-accelerated HEVC support. Permute 4 followed in May 2026 with another redesigned interface and expanded editing and automation workflows.

Adoption history

Permute has been sold both directly and through the Mac App Store and Setapp. The developer maintains older builds for users on earlier macOS versions, while Permute 4 targets newer Apple-silicon systems.

Permute 3 remained maintained through May 2026, when its final release was published and Permute 4 replaced it.

How it is used

Users drag files into Permute, choose a preset for each automatically sorted media group, optionally adjust per-group settings, and start conversion. Groups can use different output formats and options in the same session.

Beyond format conversion, Permute supports tasks such as trimming, cropping, stitching, subtitle handling, metadata work, image-to-PDF conversion, and automated drop-zone workflows.

Why package nerds care

Permute packages a wide range of media-transcoding and lightweight editing workflows into a native Mac application. It appeals to Mac package users who want preset-driven conversion without assembling command-line codec pipelines.

Its long-lived version lines, accommodations for sandboxed and non-sandboxed distribution, Setapp availability, and compatibility builds for older macOS releases illustrate the deployment complexity of commercial Mac utilities.

Timeline

• Before 2016: Permute 2 began its multi-year release line.
• 2019: Permute 3 introduced a ground-up rewrite and later added Workshop modules.
• 2026-05-26: Permute 3 reached its final release and Permute 4.0 launched.
• 2026: Permute 4 expanded presets, drop zones, trimming, cropping, OCR, and professional media workflows.

Related projects

• The developer sells Permute alongside Downie, and official documentation describes workflows that pass downloaded media and metadata from Downie to Permute.
• Setapp is an official alternative distribution channel for the application.

Sources

• https://software.charliemonroe.net/help/permute/overview.html
• https://software.charliemonroe.net/permute/
• https://software.charliemonroe.net/trial/permute/v3/rnotes.html
• https://software.charliemonroe.net/trial/permute/v4/rnotes.html
• https://software.charliemonroe.net/upgrade/permute/release_notes.html