diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 373f5e71e..6dfb31bd9 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -188,6 +188,11 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python2 osx10.13"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode9.4  # macOS 10.13
+      cache: ccache
+      addons:
+        homebrew:
+          packages:
+            - ccache
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL=""
         - ARCHFLAGS="-std=c++11"
@@ -197,6 +202,11 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python2 osx10.12"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode8.3  # macOS 10.12
+      cache: ccache
+      addons:
+        homebrew:
+          packages:
+            - ccache
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="brew install python2 || brew link --overwrite python@2"  # deficient python2 in travis's xcode8.3 (no ssl)
         - ARCHFLAGS="-std=c++11"
@@ -206,6 +216,11 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python2 osx10.11"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode8  # macOS 10.11
+      cache: ccache
+      addons:
+        homebrew:
+          packages:
+            - ccache
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL=""
         - ARCHFLAGS="-std=c++11"
@@ -217,10 +232,12 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python3 osx10.13"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode9.4  # macOS 10.13
+      cache: ccache
       addons:
         homebrew:
           packages:
             - python3
+            - ccache
           update: true
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="shopt -s expand_aliases; alias python='python3'; alias pip='pip3';"
@@ -231,6 +248,11 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python3.6.6 osx10.13"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode9.4  # macOS 10.13
+      cache: ccache
+      addons:
+        homebrew:
+          packages:
+            - ccache
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="brew update; brew install sashkab/python/python36; brew link --force --overwrite python36; shopt -s expand_aliases; alias python='/usr/local/opt/python36/bin/python3.6'; alias pip='/usr/local/opt/python36/bin/pip3.6';"
         - ARCHFLAGS="-std=c++11"
@@ -240,6 +262,11 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python3.5.6 osx10.13"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode9.4  # macOS 10.13
+      cache: ccache
+      addons:
+        homebrew:
+          packages:
+            - ccache
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="brew update; brew install sashkab/python/python35; brew link --force --overwrite python35; shopt -s expand_aliases; alias python='/usr/local/opt/python35/bin/python3.5'; alias pip='/usr/local/opt/python35/bin/pip3.5';"
         - ARCHFLAGS="-std=c++11"
@@ -249,6 +276,11 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python3.4.9 osx10.13"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode9.4  # macOS 10.13
+      cache: ccache
+      addons:
+        homebrew:
+          packages:
+            - ccache
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="brew update; brew install sashkab/python/python34; brew link --force --overwrite python34; shopt -s expand_aliases; alias python='/usr/local/opt/python34/bin/python3.4'; alias pip='/usr/local/opt/python34/bin/pip3.4';"
         - ARCHFLAGS="-std=c++11"
@@ -258,10 +290,12 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python3 osx10.12"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode8.3  # macOS 10.12
+      cache: ccache
       addons:
         homebrew:
           packages:
             - python3
+            - ccache
           update: true
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="shopt -s expand_aliases; alias python='python3'; alias pip='pip3';"
@@ -272,6 +306,11 @@ matrix:
     - name: "klayout python3 osx10.11"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode8  # macOS 10.11
+      cache: ccache
+      addons:
+        homebrew:
+          packages:
+            - ccache
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="brew update; brew config; brew upgrade python; brew postinstall python; ls -l /usr/local/opt/python/libexec/bin/; shopt -s expand_aliases; alias python='/usr/local/opt/python/libexec/bin/python'; alias pip='/usr/local/opt/python/libexec/bin/pip';"
         - ARCHFLAGS="-std=c++11"
@@ -374,11 +413,13 @@ matrix:
     - name: "KLayout macOS 10.13 with py3.7"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode9.4 # macOS 10.13
+      cache: ccache
       addons:
         homebrew:
           packages:
             - python3
             - qt
+            - ccache
           update: true
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL=""
@@ -389,11 +430,13 @@ matrix:
     - name: "KLayout macOS 10.12 with py3.7"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode8.3 # macOS 10.12
+      cache: ccache
       addons:
         homebrew:
           packages:
             - python3
             - qt
+            - ccache
           update: true
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL=""
@@ -404,11 +447,13 @@ matrix:
     - name: "KLayout macOS 10.11 with py3.7"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode8 # macOS 10.11
+      cache: ccache
       addons:
         homebrew:
           packages:
             - python3
             - qt
+            - ccache
           update: true
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="brew update; brew install qt"  # homebrew addon fails for xcode8
@@ -420,10 +465,12 @@ matrix:
     - name: "KLayout macOS 10.13 with py2.7"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode9.4 # macOS 10.13
+      cache: ccache
       addons:
         homebrew:
           packages:
             - qt
+            - ccache
           update: true
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL=""
@@ -434,10 +481,12 @@ matrix:
     - name: "KLayout macOS 10.12 with py2.7"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode8.3 # macOS 10.12
+      cache: ccache
       addons:
         homebrew:
           packages:
             - qt
+            - ccache
           update: true
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL=""
@@ -448,10 +497,12 @@ matrix:
     - name: "KLayout macOS 10.11 with py2.7"
       os: osx
       osx_image: xcode8 # macOS 10.11
+      cache: ccache
       addons:
         homebrew:
           packages:
             - qt
+            - ccache
           update: true
       env:
         - MATRIX_EVAL="brew update; brew install qt"  # homebrew addon fails for xcode8
@@ -470,6 +521,9 @@ before_install:
         pip install --upgrade setuptools wheel || sudo pip install --upgrade setuptools wheel;
     fi
   - python -c "import distutils.sysconfig as sysconfig; print(sysconfig.__file__)"
+  - if [ "${TRAVIS_OS_NAME}" == "osx" ]; then
+        export PATH="/usr/local/opt/ccache/libexec:$PATH";
+    fi
 
 install:
   - if [ "$DOCKER_BUILD" = true ]; then