If you're reading ext4 on a Mac without kernel extensions, these are the two open-source options worth knowing. anylinuxfs is a free command-line tool that can mount almost any Linux filesystem; Omnimount is a €9.99 menu-bar app focused on ext4 and NTFS with cloning, formatting and checks built in. They overlap, but they're built for different people. Here's the honest version — including where anylinuxfs is the better pick.
Both avoid macFUSE and kernel extensions, so neither needs Recovery Mode or reduced security.
Under the hood they differ: anylinuxfs boots a tiny Linux micro-VM (via libkrun) and serves
the disk back to macOS over NFS, which is how it can mount any filesystem Linux supports.
Omnimount runs the userspace drivers (fuse2fs for ext4, ntfs-3g for
NTFS) over FUSE-T directly — lighter, but limited to the filesystems it bundles.
| Omnimount | anylinuxfs | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Menu-bar app + CLI | Command line only |
| Price | €9.99 one-time | Free |
| Filesystems | ext4/3/2 + NTFS (read/write) | ext4, btrfs, xfs — almost any Linux FS |
| NTFS (Windows disks) | Yes, ntfs-3g read/write | Focused on Linux filesystems |
| Under the hood | FUSE-T (userspace NFS), no VM | Linux micro-VM (libkrun) + NFS |
| Extras | Format, filesystem check, clone to image, read-only repair, NAS quota fix | Mounting (mount options, read-only) |
| Retro/NAS helpers | Detects firmware labels, unhides hidden partitions, 1-click quota fix | Manual |
| Distribution | Signed & notarized installer | Build/install via Homebrew or source |
| License | Open source (GPL-3.0) | Open source |
Be honest about this: if you want something free, you're comfortable on the command line, and you need filesystems Omnimount doesn't bundle — btrfs, xfs, or something more exotic — anylinuxfs is excellent and very flexible. For a one-off read of a btrfs disk by someone who lives in a terminal, it's hard to beat free and capable.
Omnimount is for people who want to plug in and click, not script a mount. You get a menu bar that detects every partition, writes NTFS (Windows drives, which anylinuxfs isn't aimed at), and bundles the things you actually reach for after mounting: a filesystem check for dirty journals, cloning a failing disk to an image, formatting, and one-click fixes for the quota features NAS disks use. It ships as a signed, notarized app, so there's nothing to compile, and there's someone to email when a disk misbehaves. If your world is retro handheld SD cards or a NAS drive on a Mac, those helpers save real time.
Need btrfs/xfs, happy in a terminal, want it free → anylinuxfs. Want a GUI, need NTFS, or want cloning/checking/formatting and retro/NAS helpers in one signed app → Omnimount. Both respect your Mac's security; pick the one that fits how you work.
Plug in and click. Omnimount mounts ext4 and NTFS read/write from the menu bar, and clones, checks and formats too — no kernel extensions, no Recovery Mode, no terminal required. Open source if you'd rather read the code.
Get Omnimount — €9.99 or build it free (GPL)