MacOS comes pre-loaded with a load of great software, from music-creation tools like Garageband to the smart 'search everywhere' Spotlight. But your Mac only gets better as you begin adding excellent third-party software titles.
Apple's Mac computers have built up a large and ingenious community of app developers, and many of the best Mac apps are made by third-party devs filling the gaps between what Apple's own software teams can create.
From note taking apps to password managers, there are a lot of choices out there, but only a few are considered the best. Whether you just purchased a brand-spanking new M2 MacBook Air or have an older Mac, the following apps are the ones we recommend the most. So check them out and watch this list grow over time.
MacFamilyTree 10
An Apple Award Winner for 2022, MacFamilyTree 10 is the latest version in a line of genealogy apps from Synium Software that goes back 25 years. That app offers a clear and easy-to-use interface that makes filling out your family tree relatively simple.
Designed for Mac, MacFamilyTree 10 includes real-time sync and collaboration with MobileFamilyTree (opens in new tab) for iPhone and iPad. Features include the ability to search billions of genealogical entries, create websites and family books, and GEDCOM import/export.
(opens in new tab)Shottr
MacOS already comes with a pretty robust screenshot tool, letting you grab whole screens, windows or selection with a few quick keyboard shortcuts. But what if you need more? What if you need to be able to analyse elements of those screenshots, or annotate them with just a few quick clicks.
Shottr is your answer. Not only can it do everything macOS natively does, but it adds really useful features like zoom options, pixel rulers, scrolling screenshots, loads of markup options and AI-powered image detection tools that let you grab specific elements of a screenshot, or intelligently blur out text automatically. It's great, powerful, and actually very simple to use, too.
Best of all? It's totally free, so you'd be an idiot not to at least give it a go.
(opens in new tab)Bear – Markdown Notes
The Bear–Markdown Notes app ideally suits a range of different users, including students, teachers, engineers, parents, and more. It allows you to write in portable Markdown, encrypt your notes, sync notes, organize notes with nested tags, add sketches, pick a beautiful theme, export to various formats, and more.
Also available for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, Bear is the only tool you'll need to keep your notes or next masterpiece.
(opens in new tab)1Password
Your Mac already comes with a built-in password manager. With iCloud Keychain, you can store passwords, credit cards, and digital sticky notes. And yet, the third-party 1Password does so much more. For example, it offers dedicated options for storing your passport information, Social Security number, reward schemes, and more. Better still, you can use 1Password across multiple platforms. In addition to macOS, 1Password is available for iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android, Linux, Chrome OS, and Command-Line.
1Password is available at various price points for individuals, families, work teams, and more, starting at $2.99 per month.
(opens in new tab)24 Hour Wallpaper
Dynamic wallpapers have been available through macOS for many years now directly from Apple. But, unfortunately, there aren't that many of them to enjoy. This is where 24-Hour Wallpaper comes in, especially on the best Macs. The impressive app includes 105 (and counting) beautiful scenes that change to match the time of time. Offering scenes of places like Paris, London, and many more, the app makes days at the computer even brighter (or darker) no matter what time the clock says.
You can purchase 24-Hour Wallpaper from the App Store or get it as part of your Setapp bundle. A freebie version also available includes three wallpapers available to download from the Jetson Creative website.
(opens in new tab)Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the must-have app for anyone serious about making your photos look extra special. Available separately or as part of an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, an Adobe Photoshop license also unlocks Adobe Fresco, Photoshop Express, and Adobe Express, when available, across multiple platforms, including iPad and Windows.
Better still, there's an entire list of new Adobe Photoshop features set to debut, including one-click Delete and Fill, and more.
(opens in new tab)Under My Roof Home Inventory+
With Under My Roof, you easily keep track of those details and vital records you will need to maintain your home and belongings. Thanks to the app, you'll never miss routine maintenance again or waste time looking for information in boxes, files, or junk drawers. In addition, the app is ideally suited for moving, estate planning, insurance coverage, collectibles, and more.
Also available for iPhone and iPad, Under My Roof is free to download, with extra features added through an in-app purchase.
(opens in new tab)Affinity Suite
If you don't like paying a monthly subscription for creative software, it's time to consider the Affinity suite. Now in Version 2, the suite offers Affinity Photo 2, Affinity Designer 2, and Affinity Publisher 2. In addition, for the first time, you can buy a universal license to use the titles across multiple platforms, including macOS, iPadOS, and Windows.
Affinity Photo 2, a best Mac app, is known for its speed, power, and precision. It offers intuitive ways to edit and retouch images and create multi-layered compositions and raster paintings. In addition, affinity Designer 2 provides a unique way to create concept art, mock-ups, print projects, logos, icons, UI designs, and more.
Affinity Publisher 2, available on iPad for the first time, offers layout software for books, magazines, marketing materials, social media templates, website mock-ups, and others.
(opens in new tab)Bartender 4
The macOS menu bar is so much better with Bartender. It gives you more control over the menu bar items, what's displayed, when, and much more. These goodies are sure to improve your daily workflow.
Among the many Bartender tools is the new triggers feature. You can create triggers so specific alerts show on the menu bar when things happen. For example, you'll get a signal when your MacBook Pro's battery reaches a certain level. Triggers can include any change, icon matching, a script, and more.
Bartender 4 is available through the official website, or you can find it through a monthly Setapp subscription.
(opens in new tab)CARROT Weather
If you enjoy snark, you'll love CARROT Weather. Also available for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, this fantastic app makes it fun to check your external conditions regardless of the time of day. Featuring unique dialogue, characters, and scenery changes, CARROT includes weather maps, special weather reports, secret locations, and much more.
You'll want to consider buying a premium subscription to get everything available for CARROT Weather. Otherwise, smile and pay the cost of entry. Then, you'll be happy you did.
(opens in new tab)CleanMyMac X
One of my favorite Mac apps, CleanMyMac X, is one of those all-in-one apps that keeps improving with each new release. Created by Ukraine-based MacPaw, the app is designed to free up space on your computer and oh-so-much more.
CleanMyMac X features a malware protection and privacy tool, uninstall feature, optimization and maintenance wizards to keep your Mac speedy, and a cleanup tool that's second to none. That last one is enough to take CleanMyMac X out for a spin. You can free up GBs of space with one click by removing system junk, mail attachments, trash bins, and more.
You can download a free trial version of this best Mac app, CleanMyMac, from the MacPaw website or purchase it through the Mac App Store.
(opens in new tab)Evernote
If there was a Mac app hall of fame, Evernote would perhaps top the list. One of the best note-taking apps on the planet, Evernote makes it possible to jot down important information via text, images, audio, scans, PDFs, and documents. Better still, you can access your Evernotes across multiple devices, including Mac, iPhone, iPad, and through the web. You can also find it on Windows, Linux, and Android.
Over the years, Evernote has ruffled some features because of its ever-evolving subscription programs, which tend to be on the pricey side. Despite this, you can still find a free Evernote version with limited features.
(opens in new tab)ExpressVPN
There are a lot of VPN offerings for Mac. Although it lacks some of the features of its competitors, ExpressVPN is a top-tier option worth considering, and it's the one I'm currently using.
With 24-hour live chat support, ExpressVPN offers many features that make it one of the best. These include VPN server locations in 94 countries and counting, AES-256 best-in-class encryption, lighting-fast speeds, and more. One ExpressVPN subscription allows you to install the software on five devices simultaneously. Besides Mac, this includes iPhone, iPad, PC, Android, Router, and Linux. There's also web extensions available for some of the most popular browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, and Edge — but not Safari.
(opens in new tab)Fantastical
Every year, Apple releases a new version of macOS. Unfortunately, at least up until this point, these newbies never contain an update to the native Calendar app. Fantastical could be the reason for this. This app, which is also available for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, makes it simple to add events, tasks, and meetings to your calendar. Fantastical's beautiful and friendly user interface provides multiple views, including detailed full-screen views for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
In its third version, the five-star Fantastical is available through a monthly or yearly subscription. These subscriptions carry over to your other devices.
(opens in new tab)iA Writer
Apps like Microsoft Word (see below) offer a smorgasbord of terrific word processing features. Sometimes, however, all you might be looking for is a blank slate. That's where iA Writer comes in. It offers a clean, white or black, play box where all you need to do is write. There's also markdown compatibility, a note-linking tool, style checks, and more.
Like so many other apps on this list, iA is also available on other platforms. In this case, iPhone/iPad. Android and Windows versions are also available. Each version requires a separate one-time purchase. For Apple users, for example, you'd need to purchase one license for Mac and another for iPhone/iPad to use it across all three platforms. Syncing across devices is included.
(opens in new tab)Mactracker
Mactracker is one of those (free) apps you probably didn't think you needed — but you do, especially if you own a lot of Apple products. Within this app, creator Ian Page offers vital information on every product Cupertino has ever sold. Besides being an excellent tool for going down memory lane, Mactracker also comes in handy if you want to know whether Apple still supports your devices. It also gives a rundown of the software each device supports and the hardware inside.
(opens in new tab)Microsoft 365
In 2022, Microsoft decided to discontinue the "Microsoft Office" name. In its place is Microsoft 365, a suite of apps for multiple platforms, including Mac. Available at various subscription levels, Microsoft 365 for Mac includes Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Outlook. Each subscription gives you access to tools on five devices simultaneously, including Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets.
(opens in new tab)Parallels Desktop
If you need to run other operating systems on Mac, there's nothing better than the Parallels Desktop. This year's version, No. 18, supports macOS 13 Ventura and lets you run virtualized versions of macOS, Windows, and Linux. New this year is Windows 11 ARM and game controller support.
(opens in new tab)Spotify
Without taking a poll, it's likely that most Mac users who subscribe to a music streaming service use Apple Music. And yet, there's no doubt many others use Spotify, the No.1 music streaming service on the planet.
The official Spotify app for Mac (free with a subscription) brings your entire subscription alive by offering playlist creation, downloads, and more. You can use the app to download and enjoy music and podcasts. Purchase links for audiobooks open a browser window. Once purchased, these audiobooks are available to listen to and download via the Mac app.
Spotify is available through various subscriptions, including Personal, Duo, Student, and Families.
(opens in new tab)VLC Media Player
If you want to control your multimedia files better, there's nothing like VLC, a free and open-source cross-platform multimedia player. It works with most multimedia files, including DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.
VLC supports most codecs with no codec packs needed. These include MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, MKV, WebM, WMV, MP3, and many more. Besides Mac, you can find VLC on iOS, Windows, Linux, Unix, iOS, and Android.
(opens in new tab)So much to see
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Your Mac already comes with lots of great apps. When you want something extra, consider the ones mentioned above. The best Mac apps include calendar and note-taking titles, those for photo-editing and other creative tasks, and one offering VPN.
Which are the best Mac apps to try first? That depends on your needs, of course. However, you won't be disappointed to check out Fantastical or ClearMyMac X first. No doubt, Microsoft 365 will be an essential download for many.
Keep watching this space for new apps to get added over time. Until then, happy downloading.
