From collaborating with your team to tracking life’s memorable moments, there’s a macOS app for that. Here’s what found to be best in any given category.
Best for Weather With a Dose of Snark: CARROT Weather
The CARROT Weather app is crazy-powerful and just plain crazy! What other weather app comes with characters, spoken dialogue, and hidden locations? CARROT Weather is the weather app for anyone who prefers their forecasts with a heavy dose of snark.
Weather courtesy of a programmable character.
Clues to hunt down over 60 secret locations.
Privacy-conscious app.
Switching to sources other than the default is only available with a Tier upgrade.
In-app purchases on top of a robust purchase price.
Privacy-conscious CARROT Weather is available for download at the Mac App Store for $14.99.
Best for Visualizing Your Disk Space: DaisyDisk
If you download lots of files but rarely delete any, DaisyDisk can help you get your Mac space back. Its interactive map shows you where your files and folders are.
Scans are quick.
Cool disk visualization tool.
Scans hidden APFS snapshots.
Doesn’t help with fragmentation.
Only does one thing.
Doesn’t display last-used dates on files.
With its fun and interesting user interface, locating and removing unnecessary files is a breeze.
DaisyDisk is available at the Mac App Store for $9.99.
Best App for Keeping Up With Your RSS Feeds: Reeder 5
How do you stay up to date on your favorite news outlets and feeds? By using one simple app to house them all. Reeder 5 is the easy way to keep all your RSS feeds in one place, including Feedly, Feed Wrangler, NewsBlur, and more.
Get updates from all your RSS feeds in one app.
Integrate services such as Feedly simply.
Steep learning curve for those who are inexperienced in the RSS feed.
Reeder 4 has a learning curve for those who are inexperienced in RSS feeds. However, for those who use RSS feeds daily, Reeder 5 is simple to integrate. Reeder 5 includes multiple themes, including a dark mode for night reading and white for more contrast. You can also share your favorite stories through Reeder’s integrations with Buffer, Pocket, Evernote, and more.
Best Writing App for Mac for Distraction-Free Writing: Ulysses
With social media only a click away, a buzzing email, and a lengthy task list, it’s easy to get distracted when trying to work. If you have a critical report due or want to focus on writing a blog post, try Ulysses for distraction-free writing.
Distraction-free writing to get work done faster.
Create e-books, DOCX, PDFs, and HTML.
Publish to Medium and WordPress from the app.
Takes some practice to get just right.
Ulysses is an app that hides necessary toolbars and other distractions until you’re ready for them. It’s a window with a blinking cursor. Using Ulysses, you can create e-books, documents, PDFs, and more. Plus, you can publish to Medium and WordPress from the app.
Ulysses offers a 14-day trial for new users. After that, pay either $5.99 a month or $39.99 annually for continued use.
Best Mac Calendar Substitute: Fantastical 3
Tired of the stock Mac Calendar? Anyone who wants a clean look for their detailed schedule will like Fantastical’s sleek and organized interface. Famous for its natural voice input capabilities, this calendar and its mini window are powerful additions to the Mac desktop.
Polished, attractive interface.
3-day AccuWeather forecast.
Easy to create reminders from events.
Mini window for checking your schedule.
Pricey subscription for the Premium version.
The Premium version of Fantastical is available for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch for a single subscription fee.
Fantastical is a free download at the Mac App Store. The free download includes a 14-day free trial for Fantastical Premium, which requires a monthly fee (starting at $6.99 for individuals and going up from there).
Best for Minimalist Note-Taking: Bear
Whether you use the Bear note-taking app for journaling, to-do lists, or flexible notes, this app delivers for Mac and iOS users. This beautifully designed note-taking app is perfect for quick notes, and its focus mode helps you concentrate. Users who want more needn’t look elsewhere. Bear also offers advanced features, including markdown, themes, typography, and options for inserting images, hashtags, and links.
Clean, easy-to-use design.
Supports markdown, typography, and links.
Focus mode.
Available only for macOS and iOS devices.
Syncing between devices requires a paid plan.
Basic Bear is free from the Mac App Store. Bear Pro is available for $1.49 per month or $14.99 per year.
Best Recipe Manager: Paprika
Managing meals with the Paprika app is a fun activity that saves trips to the grocery and your hard-earned dollars. After you download recipes from your favorite websites or input your recipes, meal planning is a breeze. The app streamlines the process of meal planning, list-making, and grocery shopping.
Formats recipes downloaded from other websites automatically.
Create smart grocery lists that sort by aisle.
Super-easy meal planning.
Expensive app.
Must buy a separate app for iOS devices.
The pantry feature keeps track of ingredients you have on hand and when they expire. The app can scale ingredients for smaller (or larger) quantities. Add your photos to recipes or download them from the internet.
Paprika is available for download at the Mac App Store for $29.99. The iOS companion app is $4.99.
Best Free Image Editor: GIMP
It’s been around for years, but GIMP is still the best free full-featured image editor for the Mac. With frequent upgrades, this software continually improves its features and stays up to the Photoshop level of quality its users expect from it.
Powerful tools for image editing.
Intuitive user interface.
Frequent upgrades and friendly user community.
It’s free.
Sometimes slow to load.
No CMYK export option.
Limited 3D design options.
GIMP can be used to retouch photos, or as a simple paint program. It has a customizable interface and an extensive filter library. Most file formats, with the exception of CMYK, are supported.
GIMP is a free download from GIMP.org.
Best Collaboration App: Slack
Working in a team can sometimes be difficult, especially when everyone is in a different place. Collaboration and communication are crucial to getting work done, and Slack is the ultimate collaboration tool for teams of all shapes and sizes.
Easy collaboration between team members.
Search for past messages using the search bar.
Add GIFs, images, and emojis with simple shortcuts.
Each group you’re in runs continuously, regardless of use.
Slack resembles chatrooms of the past, with a sleek design that’s easy to maneuver. You can send messages to channels you create, or send direct messages to individuals. You can add emojis and GIFs with easy shortcuts and integrations. You can also integrate tools such as Asana and Trello to your Slack channel for easy project management.
Slack allows multiple groups you’re a member of to run in the background, but this can drain your laptop’s battery if you’re a member of several.
Slack is free to use for up to ten app integrations and with the ability to search 10,000 messages. For standard pricing, Slack charges $6.67 per active user per month. For Plus, Slack charges $12.50 per active user per month.
Best Reading List App: Pocket
With Pocket, you can save articles, videos, and other content for later reading on your Mac, iPad, or iPhone (and also Android devices). Your saved content goes to one place so that it can be accessed by any of your Apple devices at any time. Plus, you can download content for reading when you are offline.
Deceptively simple to use.
Articles can be saved for offline reading.
Content is categorized only as articles, videos, and images.
No way to make folders.
The highlighting feature in Pocket lets you mark passages in an article of particular interest to you. These highlights appear in an easily accessible section.
Pocket is a free download at the Mac App Store, but charges up to $44.99 per year for more advanced features.
Best To-Do List: Microsoft To Do
Any Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) user will welcome the Microsoft To Do (formerly Wunderlist) app. This cross-platform to-do list app serves as a task manager, whether you are at home or on the go.
Shared to-do lists.
Daily checklist with reminders.
Color-coded lists.
Syncs across devices with other Microsoft apps to keep lists up to date.
May be too simple for some users.
Doesn’t include Gantt chart capability.
This app focuses on simplicity and serves as a daily planner that contains, in a simple to-do list format, the ability to sync with other Microsoft apps across different devices.
Microsoft To Do is a free download at the Apple Mac Store.
Best Mac App for Multitasking: Magnet
If you use your Mac daily for work, you understand the importance of multi-tasking. For each task, you might need to open multiple windows. With the free app Magnet, you can create a workspace that works for you by arranging windows the way you want.
Control the way your workspace looks by snapping windows.
Some apps, such as Spotify, can’t be resized under a certain width.
There are two ways to arrange windows using Magnet. You can click the Magnet icon in the toolbar and choose how the window should appear, or you can use the snapping effect by bringing the window to any of the four corners of your Mac. Instantly, the window is resized and moved accordingly.
You can break windows in halves and thirds and move windows to all four corners. You can also maximize and center at the touch of a button. However, some apps can’t be resized to a certain degree, depending on the developer. Magnet is $7.99.
Best for Managing Personal Finances: Debit & Credit
Finding an app that is convenient and easy to use, while still offering the features you need isn’t easy, but Debit & Credit fills the bill for its users. Keeping your financial records in this app simplifies managing your everyday finances.
Companion iOS and Apple Watch app.
Easy to input transactions.
Your financial info is stored in your iCloud. None goes to developers.
A premium subscription is needed for all features.
Privacy is a priority. You don’t make an account with the developer. Your information is stored in your iCloud.
The Debit & Credit app is available as a free download from the Mac App Store. A premium subscription of $19.99 is needed for access to all the features.
Best Website and App Blocker: 1Focus
You know you could get more done if you didn’t check your favorite social websites constantly during the day. 1Focus helps you with that lack of self-restraint. Turn off individual websites and apps to suit your schedule. You can block individual sites and apps or entire categories. 1Focus creates a chunk of uninterrupted free time for focused work.
Choose the sites or apps you want to block.
Block entire categories of sites.
Choose the time you want the block to start and end.
The Pro version is another subscription model.
1Focus is a free download from the Mac App Store, with in-app purchases available of up to $9.99 per year.
Best Productivity App for Mac: Evernote
You should be able to store all of your important documents, notes, photos, and ideas in one place. Using Evernote on Mac, you can do just that. Use Evernote to keep important receipts and statements for tax purposes. Or, use Evernote to store ideas and collaborate with your teams. The options are endless when it comes to this app.
Store everything in one app.
Camera option for easy document sharing.
Passcode lock for privacy.
There’s a limit to what you can do without Evernote Premium.
Evernote can be synced anywhere, meaning you can use any computer, phone, or tablet. Multiple participants can work inside Evernote at one time, making collaboration a breeze. You can create to-do lists, agendas, reminders, and more to keep you on task.
From business to education, Evernote has a use case in every industry. Although Evernote is free to download, there’s a limit to what you can do without Evernote Premium, which costs $8.99 monthly or $79.99 annually. Evernote Premium gives you 10 GB of new uploads each month, an unlimited number of devices, and more.
Best Music App for Mac: Spotify
Whether you’re taking a road trip or studying, music in the background is a given. On your Mac, there’s one music app that has it all: Spotify. From listening to your favorite band to creating playlists to share, it’s an easy-to-use app for the music lover.
Create playlists and share with friends.
A virtually endless amount of music.
Download playlists for offline listening.
To skip songs and play the songs you want to hear, you need Spotify Premium.
Spotify gives you the ability to find songs from a virtually endless library. You can search by artist, song, playlist, and more, or you can listen to the playlists Spotify creates for you based on your music taste. For free users, there are limited skips, and you can’t select songs on your own.
Spotify offers a free 30-day trial of Spotify Premium, which includes a Hulu subscription for free. After that, expect to pay $9.99 per month for all Spotify has to offer and just $4.99 if you are a student.
Best Time-Tracking App: Harvest
When you’re working on multiple projects, tracking your time can help you stay productive. Instead of manually tracking your time, use an app to do it for you. Harvest is a time-tracking app that works from your desktop screen on a Mac or online.
Track time easily from your desktop screen.
Keep track of which projects you worked on and how much time you spent on each.
Reports are limited.
Pricey.
Using Harvest, you can keep track of which projects you worked on and how much time you spent on each by creating your own projects. While limited, Harvest offers reports to show you where you spent most of your time and more.
Harvest offers a free version for one person and two projects. From there, it offers a solo plan for $12 a month for one person and unlimited projects. For teams, Harvest offers a team plan for $12 a person per month. If you have a large team, this app can get pricey.
Best Journal App for Mac: Day One
Using a journaling app is a great way to take time for reflection, but it’s also a great way to stay focused throughout the day. Instead of keeping your to-do list and journal in two separate places, combine them using Day One.
Easily add reminders, photos, and more.
End to end encryption for strong security.
Sync across all devices.
Requires a yearly subscription to unlock all features.
Day One allows you to keep a daily journal to secure your memories forever through photos, text entries, and more. Beyond that, Day One allows you to set reminders, view your calendar, store photos, record the weather, and more.
Day One is available for free with limited features. To unlock all features, including unlimited journals and photo storage, purchase the premium version for $34.99 a year.
Best for Visual Brainstorming: MindNode
With MindNode, you can capture and organize your thoughts, plan adventures or your next novel, troubleshoot a problem, and style and share your thoughts with others. With the free version of MindNode, you can create mind maps, view them as outlines, and import or export documents. The Plus version includes tags, a focus mode, quick entry, iOS and Apple Watch support, themes, styling, and print options.
Intuitive, colorful interface.
Outline view feature.
Plus version supports images, links, themes, stickers, and tasks.
Another app that has switched to a subscription payment mode.
Although there is a free version of MindNode, most features require MindNode Plus, which costs $2.49 per month or $19.99 per year.
Best for Arcade Racing: Asphalt 8
High-octane driving and impressive jumps make Asphalt 8 a not-to-be-missed arcade racer game with spectacular graphics and a soundtrack to match. It feels like an action movie and delivers spectacular aerial jumps.
Beautiful graphics and user interface.
Includes a calendar with special events.
Aggressive soundtrack.
Lots of replay value.
Difficult to progress in the game.
New cars are expensive.
Asphalt 8 is free to download, but you’ll soon want to add one of the game packs that range from a Rookie Pack for $1.99 to the Pro pack at $19.99 and several levels in between.
When you finish Asphalt 8, you may want to check out Asphalt 9, also available at the Mac App Store.
Best Summer-Themed Music Player: Poolside FM
Down in the dumps? You need Poolside FM.
Best summer-curated player out there.
Designed to help listeners chill out.
Has a fun companion website.
It’s possible someone might not like the throwback interface, but that’s part of the app’s charm.
Poolside FM is home to sun-drenched, upbeat music channels designed to lift your spirits and evoke the days of summer all year round. Be instantly transported to the ease of a poolside day with music vibes geared toward the ’80s, electro, and disco tunes. The tiny interface is a shout-out to the early days of the Mac.
Poolside FM is a free download at the Mac App Store.
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