Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Five Mac Apps Worth Checking Out - August 2019

MacRumors said:



Apps designed for the Mac don't typically receive as much attention as apps made for iPhones and iPads, so we have a series here at MacRumors designed to highlight useful and interesting Mac apps worth checking out and potentially investing in.

This month's picks include apps for overhauling your Touch Bar, updating forgotten Mac apps, controlling music, managing windows, and more, with many of these apps recommended by MacRumors readers.


[*]MacUpdater ($9.99) - MacUpdater is a simple little app that keeps track of the updates for all of the apps installed on your Mac so you can see at a glance which apps are out of date and need updating. It's super useful for apps that have been installed outside of the Mac App Store. You can scan your apps for free using MacUpdater, but updating more than 10 costs $9.99.
[*]Moom ($9.99) - Moom is an app that's designed to let you quickly and easily move and resize windows on your Mac. It has preset sizes and locations, and also lets you draw grids to create custom window display sizes. There are also custom controls for moving, zooming, moving windows to a secondary display, centering, resizing and more, and window layouts can be saved.
[*]Background Music (Free) - Background Music is an audio utility that's designed to automatically pause your music player when other audio starts playing on your Mac, unpausing it afterwards. It also offers per-application volume controls so you can make certain apps quieter than others, and it has an option for recording system audio.
[*]GoldenChaos BTT (Free) - GoldenChaos BTT is a Touch Bar replacement interface that lets you overhaul the way that your Touch Bar works. It lets you change up the Home Strip, access modifier menus with the app switcher, control strip, window snapping controls, and more, and customize the size of dynamic menu options. It supports dock badges, widgets, and more. GoldenChaos is free, but requires BetterTouchTool, a Touch Bar customization app that costs $7.50.
[*]EasyFinder (Free) - EasyFinder is a menu bar app that offers up quick access to important and frequently used files and folders, so you can get to what you need with just a click or two. You can add files and folders in different categories like Personal, Work, and Others, and you can get to that content right from the menu bar.

If you have a favorite must-have Mac app that we haven't highlighted yet, let us know in the comments, and we might feature it in a future video. For more of our Mac app picks, make sure to check out our Mac app archives.

Article Link: Five Mac Apps Worth Checking Out - August 2019
Click to expand...

Little snitch is by far the best App, shame it never gets mentioned, alongside Gasmask, which is free.

I don't get the love for Window snapping, I hate it when I am on a Windows computer, hope Apple will stay away from it, or, let me switch it off in Settings if they ever implement it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: dantroline and Mr Todhunter
justperry said:
I don't get the love for Window snapping, I hate it when I am on a Windows computer, hope Apple will stay away from it, or, let me switch it off in Settings if they ever implement it.
Click to expand...
If you are referring to Moom, I don't use it for window snapping, but rather resizing and repositioning app windows. I run a 13" MBP as my only computer and run it on a 27" external when I am home.

So when I switch back and forth between laptop mode and "dekstop" size clamshell mode, Moom makes it really easy to get all the apps shaped up for the new screen size.

SeattleMoose said:
MacUpdater and Moom look like the ones I may be interested in. Especially after all the love shown for them here. :cool:
Click to expand...

I bought MacUpdater after is was suggested in a thread like this a couple weeks ago. Really nice app. It will scan all your apps for updates, then download the updated DMG file, mount it and install the update, then eject and delete the DMG if you want.
 
  • Like
Reactions: justperry and Apple_Robert
JokerPower said:
MacUpdater ($9.99) - Why would you need a ten bucks app for checking updates for other apps? Pointless..

Moom ($9.99) - Too expensive.. there are cheaper alternatives, like BetterSnapTool or Magnet. Why promoting expensive stuff?

To be honest, it's a shame that Apple can't do proper window management in macOS. This is such an obvious and useful thing.. Windows can do snapping from version 7 (back in 2009)
Click to expand...

So... MacOS doesn't do window management the way you like, but you won't spend ten dollars to fix it. OK man. :rolleyes:
 
  • Like
Reactions: ZebraDude and Tagbert
dwfaust said:
I've been using Moom for years... and recently started playing with MacUpdater... Moom is a 'rock star' of an app... does what it does very well and doesn't try to be more than it is.

No experience with EasyFinder, Background Music or GoldenChaosBTT ... but willing to give GoldenChaosBTT a whirl.
Click to expand...
Can Moom have windows manage workspaces? I have a standard setup of workspaces and which application opens in each workspace, but I haven't found a way to automate it. I have to it manually each time.

Note that I have multiple displays. Once you have more than one, you can't assign a workspace to an app, you can only assign a desktop.
 
Weaselboy said:
If you are referring to Moom, I don't use it for window snapping, but rather resizing and repositioning app windows. I run a 13" MBP as my only computer and run it on a 27" external when I am home.

So when I switch back and forth between laptop mode and "dekstop" size clamshell mode, Moom makes it really easy to get all the apps shaped up for the new screen size.

I bought MacUpdater after is was suggested in a thread like this a couple weeks ago. Really nice app. It will scan all your apps for updates, then download the updated DMG file, mount it and install the update, then eject and delete the DMG if you want.
Click to expand...

Likewise, I read the glowing praise for MacUpdater on another thread. I had a false start or two, but eventually everything settled in and I bought it. I have it on all of my family's Macs. It's a really solid app...

And been using Moom much the same way you do - have been for about 7 or 8 years.
[doublepost=1564861704][/doublepost]
JokerPower said:
MacUpdater ($9.99) - Why would you need a ten bucks app for checking updates for other apps? Pointless..

Moom ($9.99) - Too expensive.. there are cheaper alternatives, like BetterSnapTool or Magnet. Why promoting expensive stuff?

To be honest, it's a shame that Apple can't do proper window management in macOS. This is such an obvious and useful thing.. Windows can do snapping from version 7 (back in 2009)
Click to expand...

Not sure I'd call a $10 app that is functional, light weight and reliable "expensive".

This is the result of ad-ladened "free" apps... people are reluctant to compensate developers for their work when one deems it appropriate... of course, there is always the option of "paying" with your privacy and data. (I am looking at you, Facebook and Google.)

macOS has had "window snapping" for a while, as well... but only to the edges. Moom allows you to set the granularity of the workspace and then resize windows into the grid that represents the workspace. Lightweight, intuitive and just down-right handy to have. Worth $10 in my book.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: mw360, Tagbert and Weaselboy
VeryVito said:
Great to see Macupdater on this list. The developer (no relation) works hard for your one-time $10 payment! Great app and great service.
Click to expand...
I originally thought this was MacUpdate Desktop, which is just horrible and at twice the price (at least my experience a few years ago). Glad to know this is different. I'll give this a shot.
 
Mr Todhunter said:
Has ANYBODY been able to download the easyfinder app?
Click to expand...

One more time... PUT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE FIELD ABOVE THE DOWNLOAD BUTTON.

Screen Shot 2019-08-03 at 1.51.54 PM.png
 
BasicGreatGuy said:
EasyFinder is what the Finder function should be on Mac. It will easily find files etc. that Finder can’t, even though it should be able to.
Click to expand...

I have to admit, I fail to see the draw of EasyFinder. Not sure I need another menubar app to locate files that I work with on a regular basis. For apps, I am quite comfortable using the Spotlight Search (⌘+Spacebar)... and I use the drawer feature of Default Folder X to hold files that I work with regularly.
 
Glad to see macupdater on the list. It works well, but you won't find out about on the MacUpdate site. Guess they don't want to point out the good competition.
 
hello MacRumors readers,

everyone on our team here is thrilled to be featured by MacRumors. we are delighted to offer a promo code to all readers here that gives you a 10% discount off MacUpdater. just enter the Coupon Code 'MACUPDATER-MACRUMORS' during purchase (after testing the free version extensively).

for any feedback, please contact us over twitter @corecode_io or via the feedback function built into the app itself.

thanks, julian
 
  • Like
Reactions: VeryVito, SantaFeNM, Smigit and 1 other person
CoreCode_Limited said:
hello MacRumors readers,

everyone on our team here is thrilled to be featured by MacRumors. we are delighted to offer a promo code to all readers here that gives you a 10% discount off MacUpdater. just enter the Coupon Code 'MACUPDATER-MACRUMORS' during purchase (after testing the free version extensively).

for any feedback, please contact us over twitter @corecode_io or via the feedback function built into the app itself.

thanks, julian
Click to expand...

Nice. Except for those of us who were “early adopters”, I suppose.
 
It's interesting that 4 out of 5 of these apps are basically UI-augmenting utilities in one way or another. Don't get me wrong, I like them, but I'd like these app recommending articles to focus more on apps with a specific use. How about a top 5 IDEs? Top 5 photo editors? Top 5 video utilities? Top 5 alternative browsers? etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: atmenterprises and dantroline
LizKat said:
I will miss Dashboard too and the fact that it's going away doesn't make me shop any faster for a newer laptop. Ditto some apps that at least so far haven't indicated they're going to be updated to work with Catalina. Gonna stick with Mojave until something besides a couple broken keys ("fixed" via use of BT magic keyboard and Karabiner) go wrong with the mid-2012 MBP I bought from Apple refurb shelves in 2016.

Moom is a great app. Haven't tried the rest of these, EasyFinder sounds useful for sure.
Click to expand...

I said similar words about Rosetta and once I stoped using those programs I forgot I even owned them.
 
I had not heard of Macupdater before this article - but it is awesome! I had been using the MacUpdate Desktop app - which accomplishes the same thing as the Macupdate app - but it's a subscription service ($20/6 months). There used to be a free tier of sorts, where you could get MacUpdate Desktop to scan for apps and tell you what was out-of-date, it just wouldn't update them for you; but that tier doesn't really exist anymore (MacUpdate advertises it, but the minute my subscription runs out, the Desktop app becomes useless).

I'm going to play around with Macupdater some, but there is a very, very strong likely hood I will be ditching MacUpdate Desktop for this!
 
  • Like
Reactions: jagooch and VeryVito
I would recommend New File Menu

Very useful when you want to create a file directly into a folder. By default, in macOS, you can only do this from the app you're working (which is not very handy if the saving path is not easy to access).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back