Gas Mask for Mac Not Working? The Native Alternative

For years, Gas Mask was the gold standard for managing hosts files on macOS. But lately, users are reporting crashes on macOS Sequoia and Sonoma, broken auto-updates, and issues with Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) chips.

That's because Gas Mask hasn't seen a major update since 2018. It's built on older technologies that don't play well with modern macOS security.

If you're looking for a replacement that feels familiar but works on modern Macs, meet SaneHosts.


Option 1: Use Gas Mask (Legacy)
Open Source (Legacy)

You can try to keep using Gas Mask, but you'll likely need to run it under Rosetta translation and deal with bugs.

Pros
  • Free
  • Familiar interface
Cons
  • Crashes: Unstable on macOS 14+
  • Security: No Touch ID integration
  • Performance: Not native Apple Silicon
  • Abandoned: No updates in years
Option 2: Upgrade to SaneHosts
$5 One-Time

SaneHosts is the spiritual successor to Gas Mask for the modern era. It's native, fast, and uses the latest Apple security frameworks.

Why it's better
  • Native: Built with Swift/SwiftUI for Apple Silicon
  • Touch ID: Securely switch profiles without typing passwords
  • Modern: Works perfectly on macOS Sequoia & Sonoma
  • Curated: 200+ built-in blocklists (ads, trackers, social)
Get SaneHosts — $5

Compatible with macOS 14 (Sonoma) and later.

Migration is Easy

You don't need to manually export anything. Just copy your host entries from Gas Mask's editor and paste them into a new SaneHosts profile. Or, use SaneHosts' built-in "Remote Import" to fetch your blocklists directly from their URLs.