The MacApps List

The free alternative to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign

Shows battery levels of bluetooth devices

Advanced AI+Dictation app that lives in the notch. · 10% off code: "AILab"

Deal: 10% off code: "AILab"

The best app launcher

Keep your mac awake for a specified duration

Manage CPU usage of running apps to save battery.

View app details on code signatures, Gatekeeper and notarization status, entitlements, internal components, version information, and executable architecture. For developers and security-conscious users.

Email Client - Good enough for most needs

App backup and batch reinstall tool

Battery time remaining menubar indicator

A powerful macOS gesture, shortcut, macro creator, and window manager.

The next best password manager after Apple Passwords · 2nd to Apple Passwords

Note: 2nd to Apple Passwords

Calendar App

ChatGPT MacApp

Anthropic's Claude desktop app

Mac app to capture and edit screenshots and videos. I use OCR selection to clipboard and scrolling screenshots a lot.

Instant Fuzzy File Search

The best Clipboard Manager

Clipboard Image Resizer

All-in-one cloud sync tool to replace separate apps for dropbox, google drive, etc.

Check battery health

View Markdown and Code in Apple Preview

A better color picker

Set custom shortcuts to menu items

The best OCR solution. Based on Abbyy, and comes with/requires a Hardware Czur Scanner

Disk space analyzer

The best free video editing solution

Timer and countdown app

Instantly boolean search the content of all your files with external indexing.

File duplicate manager that unifies the files on your physical hard drive, rather than deleting duplicates

The best video/audio downloader

Image/Font/Design asset manager. Unfortunately imports everything into a proprietary database, rather than external indexing. · No external indexing like Devonthink.

Note: No external indexing like Devonthink.

File finder with boolean search support like Devonthink

Advanced Citation Manager for Academics. Offers shortcode support which is required for inserting citations in scrivener. Use Zotero if you don't require this.

Hub for message apps, social media, discord, etc. Electron app.

File Search app that can find anything on your system

Quickly view all images in a mixed folder. Useful for processing/cleanup.

Enables previews for archives, Markdown, and more in Apple Preview

File synchronizer for creating backups or merging folders

Duplicate file finder. Best GUI, but can be buggy, finding more in successive searches

Terminal replacement

Grammar checker and writing enhancement

Disk space analyzer. Free alternative to Daisydisk. · 2nd to DaisyDisk

Note: 2nd to DaisyDisk

Video converter and compressor

Automate file organization and tagging. Complicated to use.

The best menubar manager

Video player

Image Optimizer App

Mini menubar calendar

Text comparison tool that handles line breaks · On testflight beta, high potential.

Note: On testflight beta, high potential.

Text comparison tool · 2nd to JuxtaCode

Note: 2nd to JuxtaCode

Keyboard Customizer: Change what keys do on your keyboard. Advanced Users.

Archive Manager

Create custom shortcuts for anything

Read Amazon Kindle Books

See what is persistently installed on MacOS

A fun keyboard shortcut app · 2nd to BetterTouchTool

Note: 2nd to BetterTouchTool

Microsoft Office Alternative

Based on Firefox, but with zero telemetry

MacOS Firewall with bandwidth monitoring. Advanced.

Run AI models locally

Bible study tool and library

Cut/Trim videos without having to render them

Exceed and control screen brightness

Dictation/transcription app

Archive manager with preview

Clean, uninstall, analyze, optimize, and monitor your Mac from the terminal.

Prevent Apple iTunes/Music from launching (no memory use)

Good VPN service app · Great when it works.

Note: Great when it works.

Useful for taking notes with audio that syncs to each line when you wrote it. Export options limited. · I was grandfathered with a lifetime purchase. OneNote also has recording+text sync.

Note: I was grandfathered with a lifetime purchase. OneNote also has recording+text sync.

Run AI models locally · 2nd to LM Studio

Note: 2nd to LM Studio

Zero Telemetry Safari with Firefox/Chrome Extensions! · 2nd to Librewolf

Note: 2nd to Librewolf

A professional PDF editor with advanced features. · 50% off on Dealify

Deal: 50% off on Dealify

A better uninstaller that catches what drag and delete does not

Convert almost any media file to other formats

Edit app preference files

Preview markdown files

Launch apps with quick shortcuts. BetterTouchTool can also do this, with a steeper learning curve. · 2nd to BetterTouchTool

Note: 2nd to BetterTouchTool

Quickly record audio and check and change audio input

Offline AI grammar checker that works in the Mac apps you already use

One of the best scan processing solutions

Professional screen recording and editing software.

Screenshots every minute to search and see what you did.

Advanced writing app for authors

Add options to the MacOS Share button

Sidload apps on iOS, Rosetta app

MacOS Stats in your menubar

Constantly evolving toolbox of tweaks, including keyboard disabler for cleaning, shortcut conflict checker, and so much more.

File and Disk Backup/Clone App

An AI-Assisted Dictation/Transcription App · 2nd to Alter, Faster Dictation

Note: 2nd to Alter, Faster Dictation

A powerful window manager for macOS

Check which apps are slowing your system down.

Preview and view Markdown and LaTeX files

Advanced text transformation tool

Time Machine backup status checker

Photo refiner and upscaler · I have version lifetime from before their subscription. Not worth subscribing to.

Note: I have version lifetime from before their subscription. Not worth subscribing to.

Advanced Batch File Renamer

The best Website Ad & Youtube Ad Blocker · Technically a browser add-on

Note: Technically a browser add-on

Mute your mic when you type. Great for zoom meetings. Supercharge does this too.

Up and coming replacement to MacUpdater which is tragically depreciating in 2026.

The best simple note app..

Addon for Firefox, Chrome, Safari to modify playback speed

Decent code editor

A free, open-source reference manager.