What are your favorite apps to maximize your productivity on macOS?

[VitoBotta]

At the moment my favorite are Things 3 and Alftred, but I'd like to learn of more apps that could help me increase my productivity. What are your top picks?

 

[neutrino17]

Good question. I’m not a high intensity user. I find I’m using Notes a lot more. I can quickly make notes on the iPhone or iPad while I’m away somewhere and I think of something then when I get home I can use that input on some project I’m working on. It’s great that Notes updates quickly across all platforms.

 

[VitoBotta]

Good question. I’m not a high intensity user. I find I’m using Notes a lot more. I can quickly make notes on the iPhone or iPad while I’m away somewhere and I think of something then when I get home I can use that input on some project I’m working on. It’s great that Notes updates quickly across all platforms.

For notes I use Obsidian, since I prefer writing my notes in Markdown for speed. Also Obsidian has a ton of features built in and it's even extensible with a lot of plugins.

 

[Segev]

I love shortcuts but can never remember them - and I usually have one hand on the mouse. So I built Dory (shameless plug), and it’s been a huge productivity boost. For note-taking, I’ve really been enjoying Antinote.

 

[960design]

For notes I use Obsidian, since I prefer writing my notes in Markdown for speed. Also Obsidian has a ton of features built in and it's even extensible with a lot of plugins.

If I remember a rumor correctly, Tahoe Notes should have markdown support.

 

[chown33]

If I remember a rumor correctly, Tahoe Notes should have markdown support.

Only for export, apparently:

Four New Features Coming to Apple Reminders and Notes

Four productivity improvements are coming to Apple Notes and Reminders in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26. In Reminders, Apple Intelligence can now...

www.macrumors.com

 

[VitoBotta]

If I remember a rumor correctly, Tahoe Notes should have markdown support.

I will definitely give it a try but it's unlikely it will match Obsidian in features IMO.

 

[dumastudetto]

Only for export, apparently:

Four New Features Coming to Apple Reminders and Notes

Four productivity improvements are coming to Apple Notes and Reminders in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26. In Reminders, Apple Intelligence can now...

www.macrumors.com

Makes sense they convert to something universal on export (as much as possible), while maintaining the richness of Apple Notes while using the default application as your solution.

It's good peace-of-mind for those who want a usable backup of all their notes.

 

[Segev]

I will definitely give it a try but it's unlikely it will match Obsidian in features IMO.

Which features are you referring to? Or are you just talking about the overall number of features it offers?

 

[VitoBotta]

Which features are you referring to? Or are you just talking about the overall number of features it offers?

There is a huge number of plugins to manage your notes in all possible ways. There are even plugins that allow you to use LLMs in various ways

 

[SevenTheGamingKitty]

I usually don't use apps as much as I just change my wallpaper to a more boring monotone (like the OS X linen) one, to stop myself being pulled into my computer (or if my work is digital, just remind me that i'm supposed to be working)