This is the working set of Mac applications I actually use, grouped by the job they do rather than by category of app. Most of these I have paid for at some point - the investment has usually been justified within a week. A handful are free and just happen to be best-in-class. For command-line tooling installed through Homebrew, see the companion Mac Homebrew Packages page.
Legend: 🆓 Free - 💰 Paid or Freemium
Productivity and Writing
- Microsoft 365 💰 - Suite of office applications
- Excel - Spreadsheet application
- OneNote - Digital note-taking
- Outlook - Email & calendar management
- Powerpoint - Presentation software
- Word - Document writing
- Notion 💰 - All-in-one workspace for notes, databases, and project management
- Obsidian 💰 - Private markdown-based writing and knowledge management app
- MindNode 💰 - Mind mapping and brainstorming tool
Development & Version Control
- PyCharm 💰 - Comprehensive Python IDE with debugging and testing tools
- GitKraken 💰 - Powerful visual Git client with integrated workflows
- iTerm2 🆓 - Advanced terminal emulator with split panes and extensive customization
- FileZilla 🆓 - FTP, FTPS & SFTP client for file transfer
- Kaleidoscope 💰 - Visual diff tool for comparing text, images, and folders
- VisualDiffer 💰 - Advanced folder & file comparison utility
File & System Management
- Path Finder 💰 - Advanced file manager with extended functionality
- The Unarchiver 🆓 - Open any archive format (ZIP, RAR, 7z, etc.)
- CleanMyMac 💰 - System cleanup and optimization utility
- Disk Space Analyzer Pro 💰 - Visualize and reclaim disk space
- DiskCatalogMaker 💰 - Create and manage disc catalogs
- DirEqual 💰 - Compare and sync folder contents
- CloudMounter 💰 - Mount cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, S3) as local drives
- Google Drive 🆓 - Cloud storage and file sync
- OneDrive 🆓 - Microsoft cloud storage integration
Text & Data Tools
- TextSoap 💰 - Batch text transformations and cleanup
- Text Workflow 💰 - Automation engine for text manipulation
- Easy Data Transform 💰 - Data merging, splitting, cleaning without coding
- Pure Paste 💰 - Clipboard manager that pastes as plain text by default
Screenshot & Media
- CleanShot 💰 - Professional screenshot and screen recording tool
- Loom 🆓 - Screen recording and video messaging
- VLC 🆓 - Universal media player supporting all formats
- OmniPlayer Pro 💰 - Advanced audio and video player
Communication & Collaboration
- Slack 💰 - Team messaging and collaboration platform
- Teams 💰 - Microsoft unified communications platform
- Otter 💰 - AI-powered voice transcription
- WisprFlow 💰 - Voice recording and transcription tool
System Utilities
- Alfred 💰 - Productivity launcher with hotkeys, snippets, and workflows
- Amphetamine 💰 - Keep-awake utility to prevent sleep
- LastPass 💰 - Password manager with secure autofill
- NordVPN 💰 - VPN for privacy and security
Virtualization & System Extension
- Parallels 💰 - Run Windows, Linux, or other OS alongside macOS
iPhone Apps
- Just Press Record 💰 - Recording and transcription with iCloud sync
- Otter 💰 - Voice-to-text transcription
- WisprFlow 💰 - Voice recording and transcription tool
Related Pages
- Mac Homebrew Packages - command-line equivalents for the terminal-first workflow
- DevOps Best Practices