HTTrack has been the default free answer to “how do I download a whole website” for more than twenty years. It is still a good one, and it is maintained again: version 3.50 arrived in September 2026 after a long gap, with a signed Mac app and support for WARC and WACZ archive files. If you have read that HTTrack is abandoned, that’s out of date.
This page covers how to run HTTrack on a Mac, what it is good at, and the kind of site where you’ll want a different tool.
Installing HTTrack on a Mac
There are three ways, depending on your Mac:
- The HTTrack app. httrack.com now offers a signed, notarized app for macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon. Its interface is WebHTTrack, which runs in your web browser.
- Homebrew. On any Mac with Homebrew, run
brew install httrack. That gives you thehttrackcommand andwebhttrack. (Formula) - MacPorts.
sudo port install httrack. (Port)
A basic copy from the command line looks like this:
httrack "https://example.com/" -O ~/Sites/example-copyThen open index.html in the folder it creates.
What HTTrack does well
- It’s free and open source (GPL), with two decades of options for filtering, depth, speed and mirroring.
- Archive formats. Since 3.50 it can write WARC, CDXJ and WACZ files, which is what web archivists use. SiteMirror doesn’t write WARC.
- Scripting. It runs well in scripts and on servers, and it’s on Windows and Linux too.
Where it struggles: sites built with JavaScript
HTTrack reads the HTML and CSS a server sends and follows the links inside. It doesn’t run JavaScript; its own FAQ lists “intensive Java/Javascript sites” as a case where the copy “might be bogus/incomplete” (FAQ). For a site built with React, Next.js, Vue or a site builder that assembles pages in the browser, that usually means pages that are blank or broken offline.
Signing in is possible but manual: HTTrack accepts a username and password for basic authentication, a cookies file exported from your browser, or its --catchurl proxy for login forms (FAQ).
Oxid SiteMirror, for the sites HTTrack can’t copy
Oxid SiteMirror is a native Mac app (macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel) built for those cases:
- It renders JavaScript (with a licence). Each page is loaded in a Chromium engine (your Chrome, Edge, Brave or Chromium, or a copy it downloads), and every response the page loads is recorded, so React and Next.js sites can keep working offline. Not every site comes out complete: in our own test of 55 sites, the Live Mirror passed on 38, was partly complete on 12 and failed on 4, and one site’s robots.txt blocked it.
- Signing in is one step (with a licence). A browser window opens; you log in yourself, two-factor and all; the capture uses that session. Links that look like sign-out, unsubscribe or delete actions are skipped automatically.
- Two ways to open the result. The Live Mirror serves the copy from your Mac to your own browser, so the site’s JavaScript can still run; the Static Snapshot is a folder, or with a licence a ZIP or a deploy-ready copy.
- It’s polite by default: an honest user agent, robots.txt respected, and requests paced per site, as HTTrack does.
It isn’t free in the same way. SiteMirror’s free plan captures plain HTTP (no JavaScript rendering) up to 500 pages per capture; JavaScript rendering, signing in, unlimited pages and the rest are a $19 one-time licence. It doesn’t get past paywalls, CAPTCHAs or bot detection, and it doesn’t write WARC files.
At a glance
| HTTrack 3.50 | Oxid SiteMirror | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, open source | Free up to 500 plain pages; $19 one-time for everything |
| Mac app | WebHTTrack (in your browser); app needs macOS 15+ on Apple silicon; command line via Homebrew | Native app, macOS 14+, Apple silicon and Intel |
| Runs JavaScript | No | Yes (licensed) |
| Signing in | Basic auth, cookies file, or proxy | Log in in a browser window (licensed) |
| Output | Folder of files; WARC, CDXJ, WACZ | Live Mirror, folder; ZIP and deploy-ready copy (licensed) |
| Windows / Linux | Yes | No |
Which should you choose?
- Choose HTTrack for traditional websites, if you want something free, need WARC/WACZ files, or work on Windows or Linux as well.
- Choose SiteMirror if the site is built with JavaScript, if you need to sign in first, or if you want a Mac app that does the whole job without the terminal. Try it on your site first: some JavaScript sites still come out incomplete.
Either way, copy only sites you own or have permission to copy.
Questions
Does HTTrack work on Apple silicon Macs?
Yes. httrack.com offers a signed, notarized app for macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon, whose interface, WebHTTrack, runs in your web browser. You can also install it with Homebrew on any Mac, or with MacPorts.
How do I install HTTrack on a Mac?
Download the HTTrack app from httrack.com, or run brew install httrack with Homebrew, or sudo port install httrack with MacPorts. Homebrew gives you the httrack command and webhttrack.
Is HTTrack still maintained?
Yes. Version 3.50 arrived in September 2026 after a long gap, with a signed Mac app and support for WARC and WACZ archive files.
Is there an HTTrack alternative for JavaScript sites?
HTTrack doesn't run JavaScript. Oxid SiteMirror, with a $19 one-time licence, renders each page in a Chromium engine. In our test of 55 sites its Live Mirror passed on 38, was partly complete on 12 and failed on 4, so try it on your site first.
When is HTTrack the better choice?
For traditional websites, when you want something free and open source, need WARC or WACZ files, or also work on Windows or Linux. SiteMirror doesn't write WARC files and isn't on Windows or Linux.