I’ve been using my Mac more for work and personal projects, but I feel like I’m missing out on great tools that could boost productivity and organization. The App Store and blogs are overwhelming and often filled with sponsored lists, so it’s hard to know what’s truly helpful. Could you share the must-have Mac apps you rely on regularly, and what problems they solve for you?
Apps I Actually Keep Installed On My Mac (After Deleting A Ton)
I’ve tried way too many Mac apps. Like, the kind where your Applications folder starts to look like a tech museum. Over time, I ended up uninstalling most of them, but a few stuck. Some are obvious, some I kinda stumbled into by accident.
Maybe this list helps someone who’s setting up a new Mac or just wants to trim the fat.
Stuff I Open Pretty Much Every Day
1. Raycast (or Alfred, but I switched)
I used Alfred for years, then someone convinced me to try Raycast. I figured I’d uninstall it after a day. I haven’t.
- I use it to launch apps, obviously.
- I run quick scripts (like toggling Wi‑Fi, killing frozen apps, doing unit conversions).
- Clipboard history saves me constantly when I copy something, get distracted, and forget where it went.
It basically replaced Spotlight for me. Spotlight still exists in the corner like that one co-worker who shows up but doesn’t really do anything.
2. Rectangle for Window Management
I tried going full keyboard-tiling-nerd. Gave up. Too much overhead.
Rectangle hit the sweet spot:
Ctrl + Option + ← / →to snap left or rightCtrl + Option + Fto fill the screen- A couple custom shortcuts for “top half” or “bottom right”
Nothing fancy, but on a single monitor it feels like my Mac suddenly respects my time.
3. Hidden Bar / Bartender (Hiding Menu Bar Chaos)
At some point, my menu bar turned into Times Square. Icons everywhere. I hated it.
- Hidden Bar: free, simple, drag stuff behind the divider and forget about it.
- Bartender: I used it when I wanted more control, like auto-hiding certain icons until they changed state.
Not glamorous, but it made my laptop screen feel less cramped.
File & Cloud Stuff That Kept Me Sane
4. ForkLift as a Finder Replacement (Almost)
Finder works until it… doesn’t. I wanted dual panes and proper queue-based file transfers.
ForkLift gave me:
- Side-by-side panes so I could finally stop playing drag-and-drop ping pong.
- Decent FTP/SFTP without needing 3 different tools.
- Sync tools that didn’t terrify me.
It didn’t completely replace Finder, but for serious file moving, that’s where I go.
5. Dropbox / iCloud / Google Drive Combo (Yes, All Three)
I tried to be a “one cloud to rule them all” person. Didn’t last.
- iCloud: good for desktop & documents, and the whole “stuff just appears on the phone” thing.
- Dropbox: still better for shared folders with other people, in my experience.
- Google Drive: clients and collaborators live there, so I kind of have no choice.
I just accepted the chaos and organized each one with its own purpose. Less maddening than constantly migrating.
Coding & Writing Stuff
6. Visual Studio Code
I fought this one. Thought it was bloated. Installed it “just to test” and never removed it.
Extensions I actually kept:
- GitLens for blaming my past self commit by commit.
- Prettier / ESLint so I don’t argue with formatting every 5 minutes.
- Markdown extensions for previewing docs and notes.
It’s not perfect, but it became my default editor before I even noticed it happening.
7. Obsidian for Notes
Apple Notes was fine until I wanted backlinks and actual structure.
Obsidian felt weird at first, like a wiki pretending to be a note app. Then it clicked:
- I started linking random meeting notes to projects.
- Old notes surfaced when I forgot I even wrote them.
- Everything’s just Markdown files on disk, so I don’t feel trapped.
I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but if your brain likes networks instead of folders, it’s worth a try.
Utilities That Quietly Do Work
8. Amphetamine (Keeping the Mac Awake)
I used to disable sleep system-wide. Bad idea. Fans, battery, everything complained.
Amphetamine gave me:
- Per-app rules (keep the Mac awake while X app is running).
- Quick timers when I’m doing a big download or long render.
It sounds minor, but I used it more than I expected.
9. AppCleaner (Because Deleting Apps Is a Lie)
Dragging an app to the Trash and pretending it’s gone? Yeah, no.
Whenever I uninstall something now:
- I drag it onto AppCleaner.
- It finds the plist files, caches, weird leftovers.
- I check the list, hit delete, done.
Nothing magical, just less cruft living rent free.
Android & Media Stuff People Weirdly Don’t Talk About Enough
So, I still use an Android phone with my Mac. Not ideal, but I’m not leaving Android. That combo is awkward out of the box.
This is where two apps surprised me.
10. MacDroid for Connecting Android to Mac
Here’s how it went before:
USB cable plugged in, I’d wait, nothing would show up in Finder. Then I’d reboot things, flip USB mode, swear at it, repeat.
MacDroid fixed most of that in a way I did not expect:
- My Android phone shows up as a drive in Finder after setting it up.
- I can drag files over like it was a normal external device.
- Photos, videos, random files all go through without me fiddling with weird command line tricks.
You can find it here:
MacDroid
Where it really helped:
- Pulling 4K video off my phone without cloud uploads.
- Copying folders of offline music or podcasts onto the device before a trip.
- Grabbing screenshots quickly for bug reports.
I wouldn’t say it’s flawless, but compared to the built-in experience, it felt like the difference between wrestling and just… plugging things in.
11. Elmedia Player for Video Files That Refuse to Behave
At some point, I got tired of “this format is not supported” messages. I tried a bunch of players. Stuck with this one longer than I expected.
Link:
Elmedia Player
How I actually use it:
- Playing odd formats people send me (old camera dumps, random ripped files, etc).
- Streaming videos from my Mac to a TV without fighting with formats.
- Adjusting subtitles when they’re slightly out of sync, which seems to be… often.
The reason I kept it installed is simple: it played the things other players choked on, and I stopped thinking about it.
Browser & Security Bits
12. Browser + Extensions (Safari & Another One)
I bounced between Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. I eventually landed on:
- Safari for battery life and when I’m on the go.
- Another Chromium-based browser for dev tasks and weird compatibility issues.
Extensions I actually kept:
- Ad blocker (obvious).
- A password manager.
- A “reader mode” style extension for cluttered sites.
Once I trimmed it down, pages loaded faster and my fans calmed down.
13. 1Password (Or Any Good Password Manager, Honestly)
I resisted password managers for no good reason. Then one day I had to reset the same account for the third time.
Now:
- Every account gets a unique password.
- Shared vaults handle “family / team” logins without sending passwords over chat.
- I don’t panic when a site gets breached; I just rotate that one password.
It’s one of those tools you forget about until it saves you from disaster.
Random Extras I Still Haven’t Uninstalled
These ones are more “nice to have” than essential, but they stuck:
- A good screenshot tool with annotation (Skitch used to be that, now there are a few decent clones).
- A simple to-do app that actually syncs and doesn’t try to be my entire life.
- A menu bar network monitor because I got tired of guessing when my VPN was acting up.
If you’re setting up a Mac from scratch, I’d probably start with:
- A launcher (Raycast / Alfred)
- Window manager (Rectangle)
- Note app that matches how your brain works
- A good video player
- Whatever you need for your phone ecosystem (and if that’s Android, MacDroid is worth a look)
Then add the rest only when you feel the pain for it. Whenever I installed 10 “productivity” apps at once, I ended up less productive, not more.
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I’m with @mikeappsreviewer on a bunch of those, but I’ll throw in the apps I actually touch every single day that weren’t really covered, and a couple spots where I disagree a bit.
I’d break it into “stuff that quietly saves my brain” vs “stuff that saves actual time.”
1. BetterTouchTool (turns your trackpad/keyboard into a superpower)
This is the one app I install before anything else.
What I use it for:
- Custom trackpad gestures
- 3‑finger swipe up: open a specific app (email)
- 3‑finger tap: middle‑click (for closing tabs)
- 4‑finger tap: mute/unmute Zoom
- Keyboard shortcuts that make no sense to anyone but me
- Hyper key combo to open my “work layout” (Slack + browser + editor arranged)
- Window snapping, but more customizable than Rectangle
If Rectangle is a good “starter,” BetterTouchTool is the “ok I live on this machine” upgrade. It can be insane and overcomplicated, but you don’t have to use the crazy stuff.
2. Dropzone (for constant file juggling)
If you drag files around a lot, this is criminally underrated.
- Little “drop area” at the top of the screen
- You drag a file there, and it offers:
- Move to a favorite folder
- Upload to a cloud / server
- Run a script on it (e.g., compress, rename)
So instead of 10 Finder windows, it becomes muscle memory: drag → flick → done. This plus a decent cloud setup like what @mikeappsreviewer mentioned is a huge sanity saver.
3. Keyboard Maestro (when you’re done clicking the same thing for the 500th time)
This is not for everyone, but if you ever think “I do this exact chore every day,” Keyboard Maestro can probably automate it.
Real things I use it for:
- At 9am, open my “work” apps, set volume to 30%, connect to VPN
- When I plug in a specific external monitor, it rearranges window layout automatically
- One hotkey to:
- Copy selected text
- Open a specific web page
- Paste into a form field
It’s more intense than Raycast or Alfred workflows. If you don’t like tinkering, skip it. If you do, it can save actual hours.
4. Spark or Mimestream instead of stock Mail
I’ll mildly disagree with the “Safari + minimal extensions” mindset here. For email, the built‑in Mail app is… fine, but I found it slows me down.
- Spark
- Fast triage (swipe actions, pinned email, snooze)
- Great if you have multiple accounts and like “inbox zero” style
- Mimestream (if you live in Gmail)
- Basically Gmail but as a real Mac app
- All the Gmail features without living inside a browser tab zoo
You stare at email too much already, might as well use something that actually respects your time.
5. Fantastical (calendar that I actually open)
Yes, Apple Calendar exists. No, I don’t enjoy using it.
Why Fantastical stuck for me:
- Natural language: “Lunch with Tom Friday 12–1 at Shake Shack” → done
- Menu bar view that lets me glance at the day without opening a full window
- Integrates tasks + events in one view
It sounds small, but the friction drop compared to the default app is very noticeable if you live in meetings.
6. Setapp (if you’re tempted to buy too many utilities)
This is more meta, but worth mentioning. Instead of buying 10 random “pro” apps, Setapp is a subscription that includes a ton of the indie Mac apps people constantly recommend.
Stuff I use inside Setapp almost daily:
- BetterTouchTool
- Dropzone
- CleanMyMac for the occasional cleanup
- A couple note and writing tools
If you tend to poke around apps a lot, this is cheaper and less noisy than surfing the App Store.
7. Screenflow (if you explain things a lot)
If you make tutorials, do client walkthroughs, or record bugs for devs:
- Screen recording with good annotation tools
- Easy editing for trimming, captions, callouts
- Export presets that don’t look like blurry garbage
QuickTime is fine for a one‑off clip, but Screenflow makes recording and editing part of the normal workflow instead of a chore.
8. MacDroid (if you’re on Android)
Here I’m fully aligned with @mikeappsreviewer. If you’re in the “Mac + Android” purgatory, then a reliable Android file transfer tool is pretty much required.
MacDroid is the one that behaved like an actual Mac citizen for me:
- Android shows up in Finder like an external drive
- Drag and drop files, photos, 4K videos without fighting some sketchy web tool
- Good if you want local backups instead of paying Google for more cloud
If you’re searching for “how to connect Android to Mac” every few weeks, just install a proper Android file transfer app like MacDroid and stop suffering.
9. Notion (when Obsidian feels too “engineer brain”)
Obsidian is awesome if you like Markdown and graphs. For more visual / collaborative work, I ended up using Notion every day:
- Project dashboards with tasks, notes, links in one page
- Databases that can be Kanban, calendar, or table views
- Shared workspaces when you’re working with other humans
It’s heavier than Obsidian but a lot friendlier for non‑technical teammates. I actually use both: Obsidian for private brain, Notion for shared brain.
10. Little Snitch or LuLu (if you care what your apps are doing)
This is more “peace of mind” than raw productivity, but it matters:
- Network firewall that shows which apps are phoning home
- Lets you block weird connections or limit them
If you install a lot of random tools, it’s nice to at least know what they’re talking to in the background.
If I had to give you a lean starter pack that isn’t just a repeat of what’s already been said:
- BetterTouchTool for gestures & shortcuts
- Keyboard Maestro once you find yourself repeating tasks
- Spark or Mimestream for sane email
- Fantastical for calendar sanity
- MacDroid if you’re on Android
- One of: Notion / Obsidian depending on how your brain works
Everything else is optional noise until you hit a specific pain point. The trick is to add apps only when you’re annoyed by something repeatedly, not because a blog says “50 must‑have Mac utilities” and you install all of them at 2am.
I’m in the same “too many apps, delete half of them” camp as @mikeappsreviewer and @espritlibre, but my daily list ended up a bit different in practice.
Here’s what actually survives on my Mac and gets used every single day, not just “installed and forgotten.”
1. Raycast… but strictly as a power launcher
I agree with them that Raycast is great, but I actually turn off half the fluff.
For me it’s:
- App launching
- Clipboard history
- Quick calculations and unit conversions
I don’t use it for project management, todos, AI, weather, or whatever else they keep adding. The second it tries to become my everything app, it slows me down.
2. Magnet instead of Rectangle / BetterTouchTool for windows
Hot take: I tried Rectangle and full-on BetterTouchTool setups. Both felt like I was doing sysadmin work on my own desktop.
Magnet is stupid simple:
- Drag to screen edges for halves/quarters
- A couple keyboard shortcuts if I remember them
That’s it. Not as flexible, but I spend zero mental energy “maintaining” it.
3. MailMate for email (if you live in email)
Here’s where I part ways with Spark / Mimestream suggestions.
MailMate looks… rough. Bare-bones UI. But:
- Keyboard-driven to the extreme
- Ridiculous smart mailboxes (e.g. “all messages from clients this week without replies”)
- Handles big mailboxes without choking
If you want pretty, use Spark.
If you want fast and you live in email all day, MailMate is worth pushing through the learning curve.
4. Things 3 for tasks
Everyone loves Notion / Obsidian / generic todo apps. I tried all of that mess. What actually stuck:
- Things 3 for tasks (personal + work)
- Nothing fancy: Today, Upcoming, Someday
- Syncs perfectly between Mac / iPhone
I keep projects and docs elsewhere, tasks in Things. Mixing notes and todos in the same tool always turned into chaos for me.
5. Logseq for local notes
I like Obsidian but Logseq clicked harder for me:
- Daily notes by default
- Backlinks and graph view, similar idea
- Feels more “outliner” than “markdown files in folders,” which works better for my brain
If Obsidian feels too fiddly but Apple Notes feels too dumb, Logseq is a nice “middle, but nerdy” option.
6. iTerm2 for terminals
I know lots of people are fine with the default Terminal. I wasn’t.
iTerm2 gives me:
- Split panes
- Profiles for different projects / servers
- Better search and history
It’s one of those things that once you set it up, you never think about again, you just enjoy the lack of friction.
7. MacDroid for Android file transfers
Since you mentioned personal projects: if any of that involves an Android phone, MacDroid is basically mandatory.
Apple obviously doesn’t care about making Android + macOS pleasant. MacDroid does the boring, essential thing:
- Phone shows up as a drive in Finder
- Drag and drop big video files, photos, or project assets
- No random “Android File Transfer has quit unexpectedly” drama
It’s not flashy, but it’s one of those “quietly critical” tools if you’re not in the Apple phone ecosystem and want reliable Android file transfer for Mac.
8. PixelSnap + CleanShot X for visuals
Everyone talks about “a screenshot tool,” but rarely specifics.
- CleanShot X: all my screenshots, annotations, quick screen recordings
- PixelSnap: hold a shortcut, drag around, it shows exact pixel distances and sizes
If you design, do front-end dev, or just obsess about spacing in slides, PixelSnap is a sneaky power tool.
9. Hazel for background file automation
Keyboard Maestro is amazing, but I found myself using Hazel more day to day:
- Auto-move downloads into folders based on file type or name
- Clean up old screenshots after N days
- Archive invoices into a “2026 / Invoices” folder automatically
You set the rules once and forget it exists. Less fiddly than building macros for every little file task.
10. Bartender for menu bar sanity
Here I’m on the same page generally, but I prefer Bartender over Hidden Bar because I like:
- Auto-hiding certain icons until they change state (VPN, backup)
- Keeping different “sets” of icons depending on laptop vs external monitor
Not “essential to life,” but it keeps my brain from melting when the menu bar looks like a NASCAR car.
If I were in your spot, trying not to drown in “50 must-have apps” blogspam, my lean starter setup would be:
- Raycast for launching and clipboard
- Magnet for windows
- Things 3 for tasks
- Logseq or Obsidian for notes, pick one and commit
- iTerm2 if you touch the terminal
- MacDroid if you’re on Android and sick of fighting transfers
- One power screenshot tool (CleanShot X or similar)
- Hazel if your Downloads folder keeps turning into a landfill
Anything beyond that, I’d only install when you hit a specific, recurring annoyance. The fastest way to kill productivity is to try to “optimize” everything at once and end up just… managing apps instead of doing work.
A few more “actually useful” Mac apps that fit nicely alongside what @espritlibre and @mikeappsreviewer already listed, without rehashing their whole stack:
1. BetterTouchTool for custom gestures & shortcuts
If Raycast and Rectangle are your brain and skeleton, BetterTouchTool is nervous system glue.
I use it to:
- Map trackpad corners to actions (3‑finger tap for middle click, 4‑finger tap for “paste as plain text”)
- Turn awkward key combos into single keys (F13 for mute Zoom, etc.)
- Create window snapping that feels more natural than stock macOS
It looks intimidating at first but you can start with 2 or 3 simple gestures and stop there.
2. Hazel for background file cleanup
Instead of manually dragging stuff to folders:
- Auto‑sort downloads by file type, date or keywords
- Archive invoices or PDFs into year/month folders
- Auto‑trash old disk images after a week
Set a few rules, then forget about it. This complements ForkLift nicely: ForkLift for “big deliberate moves,” Hazel for the quiet housekeeping.
3. Hookmark for quick “project glue”
Obsidian is great for notes. Hookmark is great for linking everything around a task:
- Link a file, web page, email and note together
- Later, from any one of them, jump to the others
This is especially helpful if you jump between tools all day and don’t want one monolithic “project manager” app.
4. MacDroid for Android users (with some caveats)
Since both other replies already mentioned MacDroid positively, here is a quick pros/cons list so you know what you are getting:
Pros
- Shows your Android device in Finder so transfers feel native
- Great for large media: 4K videos, offline music, recorded calls
- No need to rely on flaky wireless sync or multiple cloud hops
- Good fit if you do work involving screenshots, logs or test builds from Android
Cons
- Paid app if you want full features, so not ideal if you rarely cable‑connect
- Occasional hiccups after OS updates until the devs catch up
- Requires you to still think about cable quality and USB mode on some phones
If you live in an Android ecosystem and your Mac is your main workstation, MacDroid is one of the few tools that actually reduces friction instead of adding “another sync surface” to manage.
Alternatives exist (Android File Transfer, some OEM utilities) but in practice they tend to be more temperamental or less integrated with Finder.
5. Timing or RescueTime for actual usage tracking
You can feel productive while mostly rearranging windows. Usage trackers silently log where your time actually goes:
- Automatic categorization by app and domain
- Weekly reports you can review in 5 minutes
- Helps you decide which “productivity” apps are worth keeping
This is where I slightly disagree with the “install only when you feel the pain” approach. Sometimes you do not notice the pain until a time report slaps you in the face.
6. CleanShot X or Shottr for screenshots
The built‑in screenshot tool is fine, but:
- One‑shot capture + annotation + blur sensitive info
- Instant upload and link copy for sharing
- Scrollable screenshots for docs or chat logs
This pairs very well with Obsidian or VS Code when documenting bugs or writing internal notes.
7. A focused writing environment: iA Writer or Ulysses
VS Code and Obsidian are great, but overkill for some writing:
- Minimal interface, good typography, no plugin rabbit hole
- Native export to PDF / HTML / Word
- Helps separate “coding / docs” from “long‑form writing / thinking”
Useful if you do reports, blog posts, or longer project documents.
8. Little Snitch or Lulu for network sanity
With so many helper daemons and menu bar apps, it is good to know what talks to the internet:
- Per‑app firewall rules
- Quick visibility when some random updater goes chatty
- Helps you keep a leaner, less noisy system
How to avoid app overload
- Decide your “must fix” pain points first:
- Window mess
- Files chaos
- Note / knowledge sprawl
- Phone integration
- Add exactly one app per pain point.
- Give it 1 to 2 weeks. If it does not become automatic, uninstall.
Using that filter, Raycast, Rectangle, Obsidian and MacDroid are a strong base, and the tools above plug the remaining common gaps without turning your Mac into that “tech museum” you are trying to avoid.