Maybe you're about to cancel a website plan and want a copy of what's on it. Maybe you're redesigning and want the old version to look back at, or you want documentation that works on a plane. Whatever the reason, there are several ways to copy a whole website to a Mac. They differ mostly in one thing: whether the site was built the old way (finished pages from the server) or the new way (pages assembled by JavaScript in your browser).
1. Safari's Web Archive: one page, built in
Best for: a single page you want to keep exactly as it looks.
Open the page and choose File > Save As, then Web Archive. You get one .webarchive file. It's free and keeps the page as rendered, but it saves one page at a time, and links between saved pages don't lead anywhere. Not a way to copy a whole site.
2. wget: free, scriptable, plain sites
Best for: people comfortable in Terminal copying traditional websites.
wget isn't built into macOS; install it with Homebrew (brew install wget). Then:
wget --mirror --convert-links --page-requisites --adjust-extension --no-parent https://example.com/
That downloads the site, its images and stylesheets, and rewrites links so the copy works offline. It doesn't run JavaScript, so sites built with React, Next.js or Vue come out blank.
3. HTTrack: free, open source, with a (browser-based) interface
Best for: free copies of traditional sites, and anyone who needs WARC/WACZ archive files.
HTTrack was updated in September 2026, with a signed Mac app for Apple silicon (macOS 15 or later) and brew install httrack for the command line. It's mature and flexible, and since version 3.50 it can write WARC and WACZ files. Like wget it doesn't run JavaScript. More in our HTTrack on Mac guide.
4. A Mac app: SiteSucker or Oxid SiteMirror
Best for: doing the whole job in a native app, without Terminal.
SiteSucker ($5.99 on the Mac App Store) is the long-standing choice. It copies traditional sites well, can sign in through a built-in browser, and has an optional mode that loads pages in a hidden browser for sites that need JavaScript.
Oxid SiteMirror is built around modern sites. With a licence, it renders each page in a real browser engine and records everything the page loads, so JavaScript sites can keep working offline; not every site comes out complete. It opens the result either as a Live Mirror (served from your Mac to your own browser) or as a folder of files, and with a licence as a ZIP or a deploy-ready copy. It can sign in before copying, skips logout links, and picks up again where it left off after a pause or a crash. The free plan captures plain HTTP only, up to 500 pages per capture; JavaScript rendering, signing in, recapturing and unlimited pages are a $19 one-time licence.
For a closer look at the two apps, see SiteMirror vs SiteSucker.
Which one should you use?
| Your situation | Use |
|---|---|
| One page to keep | Safari Web Archive |
| A traditional site, free, and you like Terminal | wget or HTTrack |
| You need WARC/WACZ archive files | HTTrack |
| A traditional site, in a Mac app, cheapest | SiteSucker |
| A site built with React, Next.js, Vue or a site builder | Oxid SiteMirror |
| Pages you need to sign in to | SiteSucker or Oxid SiteMirror |
Before you start
- Copy only what you own or have permission to copy. Keeping a personal offline copy is very different from republishing someone's site.
- Be gentle with the site. All of these tools can download quickly; keep their default pacing and respect robots.txt.
- Expect a copy, not a website. Forms, search, checkout and anything that needs the original server won't work in any offline copy.