It’s been a long time coming. Permute 3 was released in 2018 – if that doesn’t seem like long ago, check your calendars, 2026 is knocking at the door.
I’ve been working on Permute 4 for a long time, but mainly just in my head. It takes a lot of planning to get it right and I’ve been working with a designer to streamline the workflow and make visual improvements. But then Apple threw in macOS 26 and a whole new design language. While a lot of what was discussed with the designer will still land, sadly, a lot of the actual designs were suddenly almost useless.
When to expect Permute 4?
As this is likely something most people are interested in, let’s start with this – Permute 4 is still in early development, likely to go into beta testing in the first half of 2026 (more likely towards the end of the half), with actual release most likely in late 2026. As the upgrade question is related: there is currently (as of Dec 2025) no pricing determined yet, but please rest assured that customers who made the purchase within 6 months before the actual release (and likely more) will get a free upgrade, all other users will be offered to upgrade at a discounted price.
What will be the requirements for Permute 4?
It was not an easy decision, but Permute 4 will require macOS 26 and Apple Silicon.
macOS 26 will be required due to the design change. If Apple did not introduce it, I’d probably support macOS 14/15 as well, but unfortunately, making two separate designs is just out of question, sorry. This will also apply to any other new major app releases.
There are no plans for Intel support. Adding Intel support is a lot of extra work and testing – for which I am also lacking hardware capable of running macOS 26 – macOS 26 is supported only by a handful of Intel-based devices and unfortunately, my only Intel-based computer – an iMac Pro – is not one of them. Given the dwindling Intel user base, mainly on macOS 26, I’ve decided that Intel computers will no longer be supported.
What about Downie 5?
Many have asked this question and while this post is about Permute 4, it is a valid concern for many. Downie 5 will not be released in 2026. 2027? Maybe. The issue is that as noted, macOS 26 will be required for new releases and in case of Downie, I need to wait until a vast majority of users are running macOS 26. So Downie 5 is not coming any time soon, Downie 4 will keep getting updated.
What will be new in Permute 4?
With a bit of exaggeration, everything. I’ve refactored, rewritten and moved around almost everything. Don’t worry, you’ll still feel at home, but a much comfortable home. The UI is completely rewritten using Apple’s new UI frameworks.
The focus is on erasing the technological debt due to long-time support of pre-macOS 11 systems, reworking the UI to have a more streamlined look and mainly to make working with Permute much easier. One example of this is the UI for cropping – which you can compare below.
It will also include revamped presets that will work better with today’s hardware, more custom options, better metadata handling, etc.
The Workshop feature which currently splits Permute into two will be gone in a sense that it will be moved into the main window in a form of file actions, rather than having to open a different window all the time.
Note, however, that the mentioned erasure of technological debt will also do away with some features, mainly removing DVD authoring. While I understand that some users use this, Permute 3 is not going anywhere and you can still keep using it for that. But as DVDs are becoming a thing of the past, I’ve decided that it’s not something I’d want to bring over.
UI displayed below is subject to change and does not represent final product. It is an early preview of a development version which is currently feature-incomplete and a lot of UI elements are still missing.
It’s a smart decision to limit Permute 4 to macOS 26 and Apple Silicon. Supporting Intel would undoubtedly require a lot of extra resources and testing. Looking forward to seeing the new design once it’s ready!
Nice work, Charlie, looking forward to the new Permute. Have been wondering when you were going to release something new!
Hello,
I hope you’re doing well.
I recently read your blog post about Permute 4 and I truly appreciate the transparency and the amount of work you’re putting into the next major version. It’s clear that Permute is a passion project and that means a lot to users.
I wanted to share a small piece of feedback regarding the upgrade policy.
I purchased Permute 3 through BundleHunt on December 22, 2024. Even though it was part of a bundle and at a discounted price, it was still a legitimate purchase. I must admit that I don’t use Permute very often, but I bought it mainly to support the project and have it available when needed.
Reading that users who purchased within 6 months before the release of Permute 4 will receive a free upgrade made me feel a bit discouraged, as I narrowly fall outside that window. In my case, it means potentially paying again for a new version that I may not use very frequently.
I completely understand that upgrade policies need clear rules, and I’m not asking for any special treatment or guarantees. I just wanted to share how this feels from a user perspective and kindly ask if there might be any flexibility or consideration for users who purchased relatively recently, even via bundles.
Regardless of the decision, thank you for your work and for continuing to support Permute 3. I wish you the best with Permute 4 and future releases.
Kind regards,
Hi, thank you for the feedback. Please note that it’s far from true that you “narrowly fall outside of that window”. Permute 4 is not yet released, most likely release date is June/September (more likely September/October) 2026 – so you fall over a year outside of this window. “Narrowly” in my perception would be a week or a month, perhaps two or three months, not over a year…