Userscriptsvs
Tampermonkey
Tampermonkey: The other realistic Safari option, sold as a paid App Store extension, with a fuller dashboard and the widest script compatibility of any manager.
Userscripts
Open-source userscript manager for Safari on Mac and iOS
As of 15 September 2026, Userscripts is free to use. Free, GPL-licensed userscript editor and manager for Safari on macOS, iOS and iPadOS, with a built-in editor and iCloud sync. Softwr lists it under Browser Extensions. Userscripts is available on Browser extension, macOS, iOS.
Overview
What Userscripts does
Userscripts is an open-source userscript editor and manager for Safari, and it is the usual answer for anyone who wants to run scripts on Apple's browser without paying for Tampermonkey's App Store build. It is free, distributed through the App Store, and licensed under GPL v3, with a commercial licence required for non-open-source use. It runs on macOS 12 or later with Safari 14.1 or later, and on iOS and iPadOS 15.1 or later, which makes it one of the few ways to run userscripts on an iPhone at all. The extension ships a script editor with syntax highlighting, supports the standard userscript metadata directives including @match, @require and @version, implements a GM API covering storage, tab management and HTTP requests, updates scripts from a remote URL, and shows a popup listing which scripts matched the page you are on. Scripts sync between devices over iCloud, with the project noting that the sync is not instant. The limitation worth knowing before you install it is Safari's handling of Content Security Policy. Extensions cannot bypass a site's CSP on Safari the way they can elsewhere, which surfaces as "Refused to execute a script" errors on strict sites. The documented workaround is adjusting the script's @inject-into setting, and it does not always resolve it.
What people use it for
- Running userscripts on Safari without paying for Tampermonkey
- Running userscripts on an iPhone or iPad
- Writing scripts on a Mac and syncing them to iOS
- Blocking or restyling site elements Safari content blockers cannot reach
- Keeping a script library under an open-source licence
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Userscripts.
- Safari cannot let extensions bypass a site's Content Security Policy, so strict sites produce "Refused to execute a script" errors that the @inject-into workaround does not always fix.
- Apple only. There is no Chrome, Firefox or Edge build, so it cannot be a cross-browser answer.
- iCloud sync is documented as having delays, which is awkward when editing the same script on two devices.
- Requires macOS 12 and Safari 14.1, or iOS 15.1, so older Apple hardware is excluded.
- GPL v3 means a commercial licence is required for non-open-source use, which matters if you are embedding rather than just using it.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Userscripts
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- UserscriptsvsViolentmonkey
Violentmonkey: Open source like this one and the usual recommendation on Chrome and Firefox, but it has no official Safari build.
Pricing
What Userscripts costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- Full functionality
- GPL v3 licensed
- macOS, iOS and iPadOS
- No account required
Capabilities
Features
Built-in script editor
Write and edit scripts inside the app with syntax highlighting, auto-bracket closing and linting.
Standard metadata support
Handles the usual userscript directives including @match, @require and @version, so most shared scripts install as written.
GM API
Implements the script API covering storage, tab management and HTTP requests.
Remote script updating
Pulls updates from the script's own update URL rather than requiring manual reinstallation.
iCloud sync
Scripts sync across your Apple devices through iCloud, with the project noting the sync can lag.
Per-page popup
Shows which scripts matched the current page and lets you toggle injection without opening the editor.
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is Userscripts for Safari free?
Yes, free on the App Store and licensed under GPL v3. A commercial licence is required for use in something that is not itself open source.
SourceDoes it work on iPhone?
Yes, on iOS and iPadOS 15.1 or later, which makes it one of the few ways to run userscripts on an iPhone.
SourceWhy do I get "Refused to execute a script" errors?
Safari does not let extensions bypass a site's Content Security Policy the way other browsers do. The documented workaround is changing the script's @inject-into setting, though it does not resolve every case.
SourceDo my scripts sync between Mac and iPhone?
Yes, over iCloud, though the project notes the sync can be delayed rather than immediate.
SourceWhat are the system requirements?
macOS 12 or later with Safari 14.1 or later, or iOS and iPadOS 15.1 or later.
SourceKeep looking
Where to go from Userscripts
- Userscripts alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Userscripts pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Userscripts badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Browser Extensions softwareThe full category
- Best Browser Extensions softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
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Safari userscript manager that runs Tampermonkey scripts
Free, then $5/one-time12 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Userscripts, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
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