What is your top 10 of best apps for macOS?

[Macbookey]

Logic Pro
Neural DSP Guitar Plugins
Minimalist password manager
Pastebot
Dropover
Keyboard clean tool
MoneyWell

I don’t really have 10 to share anymore. I have gone native apps wherever possible, as feature enhancements to macOS have hit the sweet spots for many of my needs.

 

[Basic75]

Not sure about "top 10", but my list includes Terminal, HomeBrew, UTM, Xcode, Emacs and Keynote.

iNNA

Do you mean IINA or is this something else?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Not sure about "top 10", but my list includes Terminal, HomeBrew, UTM, Xcode, Emacs and Keynote.

Do you mean IINA or is this something else?

Yes,I did. Thanks for the correction.

 

[jlc1978]

Curious, does this app allow the delete button to delete a file from Finder?

No.

Finder alternative:
ForkLift (I would have said Path Finder, but cocoatech have become a really unresponsive couldn't-care-less company)

I prefer ForkLift but cannot get it to be the default Finder in Alfred; and I use Alfred for searching.

Is Pathfinder worth the monthly fee? What features makes it worth it?

Not really, IMHO. I get it via Setapp; so I pay no additional fee and Setapp has a number of subscription apps I use anyway (BusyCal/BusyContacts) so I use it.

Loys of good recommendations, I would add

uBar - Dock replacement; I've tried several and like it the best.

 

[MacBH928]

uBar - Dock replacement; I've tried several and like it the best.

what does this do other than turn the dock looking like windows taskbar ? I looked it up on youtube and the only video I found was from 12 years ago

 

[MacBH928]

Keyboard clean tool

what use you have for this?

 

[nk201]

Here is my productivity toolkit:

1. Notion – for note-taking. I know some people find its features overwhelming, but I’ve been using it since my student years for studying notes, so I’m just used to it now.
   
   
2. Freedom – blocks access to distracting websites and apps, really helps to focus.
   
   
3. Traqq – for tracking my work hours. I like the app and website usage feature, helps me understand where my time goes.
   
   
4. 1Password – for password management. It’s already been mentioned several times in this thread, but it’s truly great.
   
   
5. BusyCal – a calendar app.

 

[jlc1978]

I used to have Alfred but its just doing the same as spotlight. As for workflows I never understood the benefits.

I find its clipboard useful.

what does this do other than turn the dock looking like windows taskbar ? I looked it up on youtube and the only video I found was from 12 years ago

That's basically it. I like the popup directory, similar to what Windows does.

 

[Mr.Ben]

Not in any order but these would be my most frequently used apps:

• Flux – Apple’s NightShift doesn’t work with my external monitor (Samsung TV) but this does
• AppCleaner – App remover
• Brave – Web browser – I use it for the ad blocker
• MacDroid – Android to Mac file transfer
• Switch – Audio file converter
• A VPN (I’m currently using NordVPN though my subscription finishes early 2025 so I’ll probably try another one when it runs out)
• Video downloader – I’ve been using the free version of 4K Video Downloader but planning to swap over to Downie instead

 

[laptopllama]

what use you have for this?

Other than the keyboard-cleaning, I've heard people also use it for letting their young kids feel like they're "using" the computer, happily typing away.

 

[jlc1978]

A VPN (I’m currently using NordVPN though my subscription finishes early 2025 so I’ll probably try another one when it runs out

I used NordVPN until my subscription ran out. I now use GooseVPN as I bought a lifetime plan years ago with Stack Social and Clear which I get with SetApp.

 

[MacBH928]

Other than the keyboard-cleaning, I've heard people also use it for letting their young kids feel like they're "using" the computer, happily typing away.

thats an interesting use case i never thought of

 

[MacGizmo]

thats an interesting use case i never thought of

Probably could add "it's great for cat people" as well.

 

[Capeto]

Anyways, here are mine:

ForkLift - For transferring files between my computer and remote servers. Paid, but the free trial is unlimited and has all features (it just nags you every now and then)

LocalSend - Like AirDrop, but cross-platform (and more reliable)

NordVPN - Cheap (if you know where to look), reliable

PDF Expert - PDF viewer and editor

Sublime Text - Text editor that can highlight text based on syntax, great for editing code

1Password - Password manager; also holds software licenses and 2-factor codes

Ice - Free Bartender replacement, switched over since the Bartender ownership debacle

TextExpander - Create text snippets

Fantastical - My calendar app of choice, can use different views that show different calendars based on time of day or location

HazeOver - darkens anything that is not your focused window

 

[Varmann]

These I use daily:

1Password (password manager)
Vivaldi (my choice of web browser)
iStat (all system stats you ever want to monitor)
VLC (video viewer)

I prefer:
Audirvana (high quality music player)
DxO PhotoLab (Lightroom alternative)

Utilities I love:
Namemangler (renaming many files)
iNet/Little Snitch (network tools)
Clipgrab/4K Video downloader+ (download youtube)
BBedit (text)
Handbrake/MakeMKV (rip DVD)
DVDpedia (movie library that let you use your prefered viewapp)
Cronosync (backup)

Good enough for me:
ExpressVPN (VPN service)

Apps I tried several times but never got friends with ...
Pathfinder
Forklift
Alfred

Apple-apps I avoid:
Music (i want control over my music, structure etc)
Safari (like Vivaldi better)
Photo (i want control over my pictures, structure etc)

 

[MacBiter]

Anyways, here are mine:

ForkLift - For transferring files between my computer and remote servers. Paid, but the free trial is unlimited and has all features (it just nags you every now and then)


TextExpander - Create text snippets

ForkLift is a good replacement for Path Finder if you're in the market for one.

I've been using TypeIt4Me for snippets for 30 years! Anyone who hasn't tried that kind of abbreviations software will find they can't live without it if they get one! (Ane who hsn tried tt kd of abbrs sfwr will fd ty cant lvv wo it if ty g one!).

 

[MacBiter]

These I use daily:

VLC (video viewer)

Apps I tried several times but never got friends with ...
Pathfinder
Forklift
Alfred

VLC? Absolutely essential in my book.

Path Finder is Finder on powerful steroids.
Alfred is an app launcher, file finder and opener, calculator, dictionary, thesaurus - like Spotlight on steroids.
How come you didn't get on with either?

 

[heretiq]

Would like to discover new apps especially for productivity tools. What's your top 10?

A lot of greats app have been suggested — I’ll suggest the one productivity app that I would choose if I had to choose one: NotePlan

NotePlan provides integrated notes (Markdown), tasks (Reminders integration) and calendar (Apple Calendar and Outlook integration).

I use NotePlan to capture and brainstorm ideas, capture notes, organize, plan and track my business and personal projects, and organize and manage my teams and client engagements.

I find it easy to use and superior to using separate apps.

 

[McScooby]

Anyways, here are mine:

ForkLift - For transferring files between my computer and remote servers. Paid, but the free trial is unlimited and has all features (it just nags you every now and then)

LocalSend - Like AirDrop, but cross-platform (and more reliable)

NordVPN - Cheap (if you know where to look), reliable

PDF Expert - PDF viewer and editor

Sublime Text - Text editor that can highlight text based on syntax, great for editing code

1Password - Password manager; also holds software licenses and 2-factor codes

Ice - Free Bartender replacement, switched over since the Bartender ownership debacle

TextExpander - Create text snippets

Fantastical - My calendar app of choice, can use different views that show different calendars based on time of day or location

HazeOver - darkens anything that is not your focused window

I used to happily use PDF Expert until a few years ago when they changed the T&C's & revoked the lifetime subscripton - you were forced to buy again.

The biggest issue was that they used a 3rd party for the conversion i.e it wasn't on device & every doc you edited was zipped up to the cloud & copied to an unknown company's servers - that was enough for me, security was out the window, did they ever reverse that decision or are you unaware?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/pdf-expert-switching-to-subscription-model-forces-account-creation-even-if-paid-v2-customer.2350184/

 

[Varmann]

VLC? Absolutely essential in my book.

Path Finder is Finder on powerful steroids.
Alfred is an app launcher, file finder and opener, calculator, dictionary, thesaurus - like Spotlight on steroids.
How come you didn't get on with either?

I certainly see how they can be very useful. Therefor I have tested Alfred, Pathfinder and forklift several times. But either they did not suit my workflow, maybe a bit too feature rich or they lacked the features I would have prized highest. Not bad apps, and I might give them another go in the future.