Amphetamine: No brand of computer is without its annoyances. For so long now, it’s been. Think of Alfred as Spotlight with a dash of Siri. It’s an application launcher, but it can do a lot more than just that. With Alfred, you can quickly perform calculations, execute web searches, and find word definitions, among many other functions. Dec 06, 2019.

New iMac incoming at WWDC. IPad Pro design language, with Pro Display like bezels. We think that with the arrival of Apple silicon processors and the ability to run iOS apps on the Mac it is.

If you’re anything like us, the first thing you want to do when you boot up a new Mac for the first time is install lots of great applications on it.

The problem is knowing which ones to install. Sure, you could look at the App Store and try to decide which are best for you, but there are so many apps on there and, even though Apple does its best to highlight its favorites, choosing the right ones for you can be hit and miss.

The first programs you should install on your new Mac

As said, you can just dig around. This is a long journey, but in the end you figure out what works for you. Or, you can go for an out-of-the-box solution that does it all. Setapp is a good example of how you get all starter apps at once by installing a single app. Whether you need apps to inspire creativity, boost productivity, carry out maintenance, or protect your data, you’ll find apps on Setapp for the task at hand.

Here’s are some of the essential new apps for Mac, categorized by function.

Personalization

1. Set up multi-touch gestures with BetterTouchTool

Exactly the way that suits your flow. This is how you can work on a Mac with BetterTouchTool. The app fully customizes your input devices – from touchpad to keyboard. Unveil general adjustments in the Basic Settings and start using those that you find handy. Add custom gestures and app-specific shortcuts to accelerate your performance even more.

2. Keep menu bar tidy with Bartender

Once you’ve installed a few apps, you’ll notice your Mac’s menu bar becomes quite cluttered. Bartender allows you to take control of your menu bar and keep it tidy. Install it and it replaces all your menu bar items with just one, if you choose. Or you can have it show menu bar items when they update. You can reorder menu bar items however you choose, search for items from within Bartender, and even hide the Bartender menu bar item itself.

3. Dropzone for enhanced file management

Old or new, your Mac will always be filled with files and actions. And not all of them you need to apply immediately. Stash files for later and save actions in one handy digital pocket called Dropzone.

With robust drag and drop capabilities at its core, the app helps you streamline all tasks you regularly complete on a Mac. Bundle together the favorite processes. Combine groups of similar files. Add ready-to-use commands or create your own based on Ruby and Python API. Dropzone eliminates all the hustle, leaving you with an organized grid of actions.

4. Capture your Mac’s screen with CleanShot

Learn to take the cleanest screenshots on your new Mac. CleanShot is an easy-to-use screen recorder that eliminates all the clutter from your desktop before capturing. Hide icons or set up a custom wallpaper, easily preview your screenshots from Quick Access Overlay, share instantly.

5. Customize workspaces

Your Mac is your big workspace. With tons of small workspaces. The chicken-and-egg problem aside, personalizing each of these workspaces helps you work faster and easier. Workspaces groups your apps by tasks, building a smart, coherent workflow.

To make your favorite apps even more accessible, try Mosaic. A handy window manager for Mac, the app helps you pick ideal layouts and define apps’ behavior for convenience.

6. Personalize dock with uBar

A dock on your Mac is the entry point for everything. Apple’s native Dock, however, doesn’t always predict your needs, displaying the apps you simply forgot to quit or hardly ever used. uBar is a great alternative that you can install on a new Mac to fully personalize your dock. From marking as favorites to defining the order of apps.

7. Get rid of desktop clutter

Ensure your Mac’s desktop has a clean start and a clean life. With apps like Declutter, you can clear away the mess in seconds. Create smart folders and set them to collect specific types of files. That’s it. Each time you click Declutter Now, the app will automatically organize all desktop items by folders.

Productivity

1. Simple task management with 2Do

Out of all task managers, pick the one that adapts to your way of solving problems. 2Do is one of the most flexible solutions for newbies, because you can fully customize it from the start. Create smart lists and list groups, align groups of tasks with specific projects, and sync across devices. Instead of creating a new flow for you, 2Do supports the flow you love and want to have in your Mac’s life.

2. Robust clipboard with Paste and Unclutter

There’s much to save and share when you get a new Mac – not so easy to keep track of everything you copy, though. We know you pain and you can solve it with Paste. Get access to the complete clipboard history, including links, images, screenshots, and whatever you copy.

Alternatively, get a sticky notes app, Unclutter, that keeps all items you copy in one place – an area on a desktop. Quick access, minimum fuss.

3. Sync data across devices with AnyTrans

You probably have tons of files you’d like to transfer from iPhone to a new Mac. Well, photos for sure. Get AnyTrans, an all-embracing data transferring app to do the job. Not only does it quickly move content across all devices, you can also create instant backups to never lose any of your data.

4. Mount cloud drives to your Mac

How much are you willing to overpay for a new Mac only to get enough storage? You could pay quite a lot. Or, get CloudMounter that will expand your hard drive, providing nearly unlimited amount of free space.

The app connects cloud storages to your computer as local drives. As long as there’s internet connection, you can freely use storage and not to worry about running out of space. A great way not to let your new Mac grow old.

5. Get things done with Be Focused

Just to make it clear, it’s not a timer. Be Focused is a full-fledged productivity coach that keeps your daily tasks under control. A vital tool if you’re just starting to work on a Mac. Create tasks and personalize work sessions, based on your workflow. The app has in-built analytics to help you track progress and plan how you achieve goals.

6. Eliminate distractions with HazeOver and Focus

But come on, this is a new Mac. With so many stunning apps and online attractions, it’s nearly impossible to stay focused on work. That’s where site blocking solutions come to help. Focus is a nice addition to your Mac if you want to deny access to specific apps or websites that are particularly distracting. To avert your attention away from desktop clutter and pop-ups, you could additionally install HazeOver, a screen dimmer for Mac.

7. Write better with Ulysses

Ulysses is among the best writing apps on any platform. The Library allows you to keep everything you write from blog posts to the outline of that novel you’ve been meaning to start all in one place and organized into projects.

The Markdown editor makes formatting text a breeze, using characters that are at your fingertips on the keyboard and the distraction-free writing mode makes sure you stay focussed. If you’re writing a blog post, Ulysses can publish directly to Wordpress or Medium. Or you can export to PDF or eBook format.

Buy the separate iOS app and you can use Ulysses on your iPhone or iPad, and keep everything in sync via iCloud.

8. Organize inspiration with Inboard

Inboard is a brilliant tool for taking and organizing screen grabs as well storing just about any image you have on your Mac. And if you use Dribbble, you can import your likes from there directly.

Inboard supports just about every format you’ll need, including PSD, AI, EPS, and, of course, JPG, PNG and PDF, as well as TIFF and GIF. Once you’ve imported images, you can organize them in folders and tag them. Best of all, Inboard displays images in a masonry view, where images are stacked on top of each other and row heights are not fixed, just like Pinterest. It looks stunning!

9. MoneyWiz: Your personal finance manager

New Mac Apps 2019

Your Mac can also take a good care of your daily expenses, keeping track of bills and budget planning. Set reminders for every payment you have to make in the nearest time with MoneyWiz. What’s more, you can use the app to plan budget, monitor transactions from one place, and receive spending forecasts.

10. Make PDF files editable and fluid

Docs can hamper your productivity. Especially if you have to make edits to PDFs, where text seems to be carved in stone. Accelerate your work with PDFpen, a powerful editor that enables you to make changes, add notes and images, as well as erase sensitive data in PDFs.

Entertainment and social

1. Play any media files with Elmedia Player

Think about the future of your media content on Mac. While macOS default apps are good for such basic operations as playing music and video, there’s definitely room for improvement as well. In contrast to Apple’s native alternative, QuickTime, Elmedia Player supports virtually all media file types. Plus, it’s a handy YouTube downloader that instantly delivers ad-free videos to your Mac.

2. IM+, an all-in-one messenger for Mac

While we’re talking about entertainment, it’s impossible to ignore messengers. Before you start filling your Dock with Slack and Telegram logos, here’s a hack: install IM+ and use it as a messenger box – one app that includes all your favorite communication channels.

3. Instagramming on Mac

If you’re thinking Instagram is exclusively an iPhone thing, you’re very mistaken. And you can break the stereotype with your new Mac. IM+ is an app that preserves all mobile functionality of Instagram on Mac, including direct messages and sharing. The only difference, it’s looks a bit more beautiful.

4. Be on top of everything with News Explorer

You’re a news hound and own a Mac? A good news reader is absolutely worth adding to your Dock!

Whether you want to keep with the latest news, breaking stories on your favorite RSS feeds, Wordpress blogs, or Twitter accounts, News Explorer has you covered.

Auto-discovery makes adding feeds easy — just start typing the URL and News Explorer will do the rest. You can mark feeds to save for later, share them on social media or sync them via iCloud with the iOS version of News Explorer. Feeds can be filtered and viewed in different layouts, and a choice of themes means you can set it up exactly the way you want it.

5. Instant time-lapse videos with GlueMotion

A new Mac could be a perfect machine for your artistic creations. Bring tons of images together in one beautiful timelapse. And you need absolutely no previous experience to get into it with GlueMotion. While the application is designed for professional use, there’s no limit on how many images you can process at a time. Batch edit, eliminate flicker, and create professional-looking timelapses.

6. TouchRetouch to remove unwanted items from images

Continuing the theme of macOS photography, here’s one more must-have app for your new computer – TouchRetouch. Whether you want to cover up a logo, adjust color, or remove unwanted objects, the app takes your photos to the new level. Test TouchRetouch alongside CameraBag Pro, and get a perfect photo editing suite for your new Mac.

7. Create gorgeous photos with CameraBag Pro

Everyone needs a photo editor from time to time, but why fork out for Photoshop when there are so many alternatives?

For example, CameraBag Pro allows you to do everything you would expect of an image editor such as resize, crop, and adjust the color and lighting in photos. But it also has lots of built-in filters and effects.

Security and storage

1. Securely store your private data with Secrets

Setting up your new Mac means signing up and logging in to a good deal of your existing accounts. A bold alternative to 1Password, Secrets helps you make this experience not only stress-free, but also absolutely secure. Create passwords that no one ever cracks and store them in a single vault on your Mac. It’s also way faster to access your apps with Secrets if you allow the app to sign you in automatically.

2. Let your Mac stay like new with CleanMyMac

After you’ve been using your new Mac for a while, its storage drive will quickly fill up with all sorts of files. Install CleanMyMac X and set it to Scan; it will quickly tell you what files you can get rid of and how much space it will save. It will also delete the files for you and optimize your computer overall for the best performance possible.

When it comes to uninstalling apps and System Preferences panes, it’s the perfect choice too — it not only deletes the app binary, but all the associated files too.

3. Simplified emailing with Canary Mail

Sure thing, you’ll be spending lots of your time in your email app. This is why it’s a good idea to prepare for a pleasurable emailing experience beforehand. Canary Mail is a supercharged version of a basic mail app that can substitute the Apple’s default. It allows you to align mails with daily tasks, save templates and signatures, and integrate with iCloud to easily transfer files.

4. Instantly share screenshots and files with Dropshare

Sharing screenshots on your Mac could be a cumbersome process if there are too many. Dropshare gives you freedom to save and quickly send screen captures. The app integrates with a cloud hosting provider of your choice and adds passwords to the links you send. A foolproof way to share screenshots without risking your security.

5. Keep tabs on your new Mac stats with iStat Menus

Checking your Mac’s vital stats is easy with iStat Menus. You can monitor CPU and GPU usage, RAM disk activity, temperature, fan, and power sensors, as well as traffic on your network. If your Mac starts to run slowly, there’s no need to sit and wonder what’s going on. A quick glance at iStat Menus will tell you where the trouble is.

6. Keep your information safe with Get Backup Pro

Time Machine is a great backup tool but you should never rely on having just one backup — if that fails, you’ll be in trouble. Get Backup Pro is a perfect addition to your backup strategy.

You can use it to make regular, scheduled backups, copying only the files that have changed since the last backup. Or you can clone your entire Mac, meaning if the worst happens, you can just plug in the clone and boot from it.

Get Backup Pro also allows you to synchronize files with other Macs on your network.

7. Get stable WiFi with WiFi Explorer

WiFi networks are essential for productivity, yet so often they are hit and miss. One minute they work fine, the next they grind to a halt. WiFi Explorer allows you to monitor all the WiFi networks in your vicinity and work out what’s going on. Data is presented in easy to understand graphs that you can customize so they show you activity in colors you choose. And the troubleshooting section makes fixing problems very straightforward.

All these must have applications for Mac will make your work and life much easier, from optimizing performance to helping you scratch things off your to-do list. And, best of all, all of them are available for free on Setapp. Just try these apps to see how they can improve your day-to-day.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

Sign Up

On this website, I have covered a ton of paid apps, and that’s because in general, paid apps tend to offer more when compared to free apps. However, that does not mean that there are no good free apps out there. In fact, there are a ton of them. That’s why it is going to be a long article as I am bringing a list of 35 best free apps you can get for your Mac right now. Some of the apps on this list are evergreen and you most probably already have them installed on your device. But some of them are entirely new. Well, at least they are new to me and that’s the beauty of it. No matter, how old an app is, it is new for somebody out there. That said, no matter how avid a Mac user you are, I can bet that you will find new Mac apps in this article that you have never heard of before. So, open your Macs and get ready to download these awesome free Mac apps.

Note: Be sure to read our must-have iPhone apps article to get the best apps for your iPhone in 2020.

Best Free Mac Apps You Should Install in 2020

While most of the apps in this list are free, some of them offer a paid option. That being said, when it comes to paid apps, I have only included those options that offer a generous free tier. I am using free versions of all the apps (that offer paid options) and find them suitable for most users. No app with a free trial or heavily restricted free tier has been included.

1. Audiobook Binder

While you can listen to books in MP3 format, I like the M4B format more as it supports chapters. M4B is also the native format that Apple Books support. If you want to keep your music library separate from the book library, this is the format to use. Audiobook Binder is an app that lets you convert MP3 files into M4B files. It also lets you bind multiple MP3 files into a single M4B file and converts those MP3 files into chapters. You can also add custom book cover and edit book’s metadata including name, author, and narrator. I have been using this app for the past year and a half to listen to public domain audiobooks and lectures and it has never failed me.

Install:Free

2. LastPass

Password management is something people ignore. Since passwords are hard to remember and most third-party password managers charge a hefty monthly subscription fee, not everyone is aboard the strong and different password train. To those users, I suggest LastPass. LastPass offers a very generous free tier that allows you to use the software on two different machines. And if you want to use it on more, you can always use its web app that works everywhere. I have been using LastPass for the past two years to manage my passwords and I never had any problem.

Its apps are installed on my primary MacBook Pro (learn MacBook Pro tips and tricks) and my iPhone. Since it supports browser plugins and iPhone’s automatic password fill feature, I never have to type my password or remember them. All my passwords are secure, long, and use an alpha-numeric combination. If you are still using the same password everywhere or setting weak passwords, try out LastPass. It’s free for personal use and you have no excuses not to use it. Its one of the best free Mac apps that you can get.

Install:Free, $3/user/month

3. Brave

While I love Safari and use it for most of my tasks, it’s not perfect and I have to turn to other browsers from time to time. My biggest problem with Safari is its nescient extension library. Safari is also slow to adopt the latest web technologies. I know Apple does this to keep browsing private and secure, but sometimes it causes hindrance in my work. For a long time, I was using Chrome for this work but I hated two things about it. First, Google Chrome is a resource hog and decreases battery life, causes overheating, and several other problems. Second and more importantly, I don’t like sharing my data with Google more than I already do. It was one of the reasons why I switch from Android to iOS several years back.

The solution is the Brave browser. It’s a browser that is built on the same Chromium engine that Google Chrome uses, so you are getting all the features and extension support. But, since the creators focus on privacy, your data is always secure. It brings an automatic tracking blocker and even blocks most of the annoying ads. Since it blocks the most harmful scripts, you get to enjoy a faster internet. Also, in my testing, it’s far better than Google Chrome at handling resources. While it’s not as good as Safari, that’s a trade-off that I am ready to make. If you are also looking for a good Chrome alternative, you should try using the Brave browser.

Install:Free

4. CopyClip

CopyClip is a Mac utility that stores everything you copy in a clipboard. Copy-and-paste is so integral to our work that we cannot even imagine a time when this feature was not available. Still, Mac’s clipboard is probably the most neglected feature in the macOS. Even after so decades, you still cannot hold more than one entry in your clipboard. Enter, CopyClip. It’s a clipboard manager that saves entries into the clipboard. You can use a simple keyboard shortcut to easily copy any item and paste them anywhere you want. CopyClip not only saves text input but also preserves images and documents. While I use “Paste” for my clipboard management as it offers more features, for a free app, CopyClip works exceptionally well.

Install:Free

5. BBEdit

For a long time, it was hard to recommend a good free text editor on Mac. All the good ones were paid, and the free ones were just not up to the mark. Well, after a long hiatus, BBEdit, one of the most exemplary text editors, is back on the Mac App Store. For the past 20 years, BBEdit has been the text editor to beat and now that it’s back on the App Store with a freemium model, you can use it for free. Only the advanced features of BBEdit are hidden behind a paywall and 90% of regular users will not need those features.

Whether you want to write a long blog post, edit snippets of code, design website or web apps, BBEdit is the text editor to use. The best thing about BBEdit is how fast it works. It opens text files with hundreds of thousands of words in seconds and never falters. In my years of using this app, I have not lost even a single line of text. It has a powerful search that lets you locate and find keywords across files. There’s no free text editor out there that can match its prowess.

Install:Free, $49.99

6. NetNewsWire

The death of Google Reader placed a dark cloud over the future of RSS readers. But, if anything, RSS is showing a sign of resurgence in the past year or so. From the launch of acclaimed RSS reader app Reeder 4 to the rebirth of NetNewsWire, RSS readers are becoming popular again. And if you are looking to create a personal news feed, there’s no better app to do it with than NetNewsWire. Built on-top of free and open source reader named Evergreen, NetNewsWire is an excellent feed reader for Mac.

The app makes it easy to subscribe to RSS feeds and brings excellent search capabilities. It also brings a beautiful design and I adore its dark mode. It also supports online feed syncing services such as Feedbin. I still prefer Reeder 4 as it brings more features, but seeing how NetNewsWire is still young and free to use, I cannot fault it. If you are looking for a free RSS reader, you should try NetNewsWire.

Install:Free

7. DaVinci Resolve

While Macs come with a basic video editor for free (iMovie), anyone who is serious about video editing will have to go for the pro video editing apps. The problem with apps like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro is that they cost a lot. If you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars, and still want to use a full-fledged video editor, DaVinci Resolve is the best option for you. Even when I am writing this, I cannot believe that such a capable video editor is free to use.

The latest version of the software, DaVinci Resolve 16 combines professional 8K editing, color correction, visual effects, and audio post-production all in one software tool. Color correction tools of DaVinci Resolve are better than most paid video editors including FCP and Premiere Pro. From custom timeline settings to facial recognition to keyframe editing, it brings all features that you require from a professional video editor. It is one of the best free Mac software that you can install. Free Mac apps don’t get better than this.

Install:Free

8. Folx

Folx is a powerful native download manager for Mac that not only works great but also looks cool. It features a true Mac-style interface and supports both direct and torrent downloads. The app also offers extensions for Safari, Chrome, Opera, and Firefox. The extensions help Folx in catching downloads and thus ensure that you are not using the crappy download manager of your browser. Folx can split downloads into multiple threads resulting in faster downloads and also support download pause and restart. The free version of the app is enough for most users. I was using it for years without any complaints. I only bought the paid version to support the developers. The extra features are nice to have but they have not drastically affected by usage.

Install:Free, $19.99

9. NightOwl

macOS Mojave introduced dark mode to our favorite desktop operating system. The dark mode on macOS Mojave is not half-cooked as it is on windows. When you turn on the dark mode on your Mac, not only it turns the system UI but also the stock apps. Not only that, apps that support automatic dark mode also adhere to the same guideline. Once you turn it on, they automatically default to dark mode.

While that's great in most situation, I wish Apple included a way to create a whitelist for apps that are not functional in dark mode. The default Mail app and the Evernote app are a few examples of an app that still work best in light mode. That's where NightOwl comes in. It's a menu bar app that allows you to create a whitelist of apps that you don't want to use in dark mode. Not only that, but it also allows you to quickly switch between dark and light mode with a simple click at its icon. You can read more about the app in our article here. The app is completely free to download and use with a voluntary donation.

Install:NightOwl

10. Unsplash Wallpapers

I want to start this article with an app which I have discovered just a couple of months back and have fallen in love. As its name suggests, Unsplash Wallpapers is a wallpaper app for Mac which gives you access to unlimited ultra-high resolution wallpapers for your Macs. One of the things that I love most about MacBooks is its display. Apple packs phenomenal displays on the Macs. Stop me if it’s just me, but I enjoy changing the wallpapers on a regular basis just because they look so damn beautiful on my Mac’s display.

Before I discovered Unsplash Wallpapers, it used to be a chore to change wallpapers. First, I had to find good wallpapers, then I had to download them, and only then I could use them. With Unsplash Wallpapers app, you can change the wallpaper just with one click. If you like a wallpaper, you can even download it. If you love wallpapers, you are going to love this free Mac app.

Install:Unsplash Wallpapers

11. The Unarchiver

This is one of the first free Mac apps that I download whenever I move on to a new Mac. The app is basically the best unarchiving app you can get for your Mac, free or otherwise. The Unarchiver cannot only unarchive common formats such as Zip, RAR (including v5), 7-zip, Tar, Gzip, and Bzip2, but it can also open formats such as StuffIt, DiskDoubler, LZH, ARJ, ARC, ISO and BIN disc images, Windows.EXE installers and more. Basically, it’s a one-stop solution for all your unarchiving needs.

Install:The Unarchiver

12. Amphetamine

We all know that Macs bring a long battery life and while some of it has to do with Apple’s excellent hardware, most of it is because of how macOS efficiently manages battery. One of the things that macOS does to preserve the battery life on your computer is to put it to sleep whenever you don’t interact with your Mac for a set period of time. While this is really good, sometimes you need to keep your Mac running even if you are not interacting with it. One of the examples that come to mind is when you are downloading a large file. If your Mac falls asleep during the download, it will stop it, and depending on the software that you are using to download the file, you might have to restart the download from the beginning.

Amphetamine solves this problem by allowing users to keep their Macs awake even when they are not doing anything. The app is powerful and allows users to keep their Macs awake for how much ever long they want. Not only that, users can also set triggers to keep their Macs awake. For example, you can tell Amphetamine to not put your Mac to sleep whenever a certain app is running. Lastly, it allows you to easily access all these features as it lives right there in your Mac’s menu bar. It’s one of the most useful apps for Macs and I love it.

Install:Amphetamine

13. GIPHY Capture

Gifs are all the rage today. More and more users are creating and sharing their own gifs. And if you want to be one of them then this is the tool you need. GIPHY Capture is an app that lets you capture and create gifs. Once you launch the app it will create a translucent green window with a capture button at the bottom. All you need to do is to drop the window on top of the video you want to capture and click on the capture button. Once you are done with the recording, click on the record button again to stop the recording. It is probably the easiest way to create gifs on your Mac.

Install:GIPHY Capture

14. Spectacle

Spectacle is one of the apps that I install instantly on a new Mac. Macs are good at many things but one thing that still eludes it is a good window management feature. Apple has not solved the window management problem in the latest macOS Catalina so I guess, we have to wait for one more year. In fact, the window management problem has become even worse in macOS Catalina in my opinion. If you are also fed up of Apple's native approach towards window management, you should Install Spectacle.

This is a simple menu bar app that allows you to easily resize and place windows with keyboard commands. I can easily set a window to either half of the display both vertically and horizontally, make it go full screen, snap it to the center, and more. Once you install this app, your window management workflow will become ten times faster.

Install:Spectacle

15. ImageOptim

ImageOptim is one of the most used free Mac apps on my MacBook Pro. In my line of work, I have to attach a ton of screenshots (like in this article). And before I upload any picture on my website, I pass it through ImageOptim. The app deletes all the unnecessary metadata such as GPS position and camera's serial number and compresses the image. This allows me to upload the image on the web without any privacy hazards and ensures that the file sizes are low.

The app is pretty easy to use. You just drag and drop images into its window and then click on the button at the bottom-right corner. If you share a ton of images on the web (whether on your blog or social media websites like Twitter and Facebook), it will be good for you to pass it through ImageOptim first. I have used paid image compression apps but nothing has been as good and as easy to use as ImageOptim.

Install:ImageOptim

16. Alfred 4

Alfred is an all-purpose tool for your Mac which can boost your productivity ten folds if you learn how to use it. Of course, there’s a learning curve to this app, but if you invest in it, it will pay you back. Alfred allows you to quickly launch apps, use text expansion snippets, search on the Mac and web, use hotkeys and keywords, and much more. Alfred used to be a paid app, but the developers were kind enough to release the app for free. There are add-on power packs that you can buy, to use cool features like Alfred workflows. But, for most normal users, the free app itself is enough to boost their productivity.

Install:Alfred 4

17. Pocket

Pocket is a popular read it later service which allows you to save articles offline so that you can read them later. I mostly browse for articles on my Mac and whenever I find something that I would want to read, I just save it in Pocket. Pocket has an excellent Safari extension that allows me to save articles and read them later. Since Pocket syncs across devices, all my saved articles are automatically synced to my iPhone where I can read them at my will. Recently, I have also started using Pocket as a research tool. Since Pocket allows me to organize saved articles using tags, I just tag the items I am using for research so that I can find them easily later.

Install:Pocket

18. Spark

Spark is my most favorite free app on Mac. For those who don’t know, Spark is an email client for Mac. I love spark because it intelligently categorizes all the emails that I receive into different categories, giving me access to the most important emails first. It also has a very robust set of features. I can easily snooze, archive, delete, and tag emails. I also love the fact that it allows me easily search for emails using natural language search. I can also search for emails based on attachments, and more. Lastly, Spark also has apps for both iOS and watchOS so no matter which device I am on, I can user Sparks to get through all my emails.

Install:Spark

19. GIMP

GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program is an open source photo editor for Mac which packs so many features that you won’t be able to discover all of them in your lifetime. It is basically Photoshop but free. You can use GIMP to perform any kind of image manipulation that you can think of. That said, since it packs so many features, GIMP also has a pretty steep learning curve. Also, being a free an open-source project, its user interface is not very intuitive and feels archaic. That’s why I recommend GIMP only to those users who need a robust photo editing software but cannot afford to buy one.

Install:GIMP

20. DarkTable

As per the description of the app on its website, 'DarkTable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer. A virtual light-table and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, lets you view them through a zoomable light-table, and enables you to develop raw images and enhance them'.

Basically, it is super powerful photo editing app for Mac that allows you to use pro-level photo editing features for free. You are required to learn the app as it has a steep learning curve but once you get used to it, you won't go back to even the best-paid photo editing apps on the market. This one is definitely one of the free Mac apps that you can download in 2019.

Install:DarkTable

21. Simplenote

Simplenote is one of the best designed free Mac apps you can find. As its name suggests, Simplenote is an easy note taking app which allows you to easily jot down notes. What I love about this app is that even though it is completely free, your notes are synced across devices. Apart from its online sync features, I am also a fan of its clean user interface. Simplenote is also a really good app for someone who is looking for a clean app to write long-form content. You can use tags to organize notes easily and search for them using either their title, content, or tags. I have been using this app for quite a few years and I still don’t understand how it’s free. If you love writing, you will love Simplenote.

Install:Simplenote

22. Itsycal

Itsycal is an open source small menu bar calendar application for Mac. If you like Fantastical 2 for Mac, but hate that it’s priced so high, Itsycal is for you. Although Itsycal is nowhere as powerful as Fantastical 2, it brings all the basic features that you would want from a menu bar based calendar app. It shows you month view of your calendar, your upcoming events, and also allows you to create or delete events. I also love the fact that I can configure Itsycal to show not only the date but also the month and the day in the menu bar icon itself. It’s a good menu bar application and a must have for anyone who schedules everything on their calendar.

Install:Itsycal

23. Audacity

Audacity is one of those free Mac apps that is even better than most of the paid apps out there. For those who don’t know, Audacity is an audio editor app for your Mac (available for Windows PC too). If you are someone who deals with a ton of audio, you must have already heard about this software. If you have not, you probably don’t need it. Still, it’s such a good app that I couldn’t keep it away from the list. Just remember that if you ever need to edit an audio file to make it better, Audacity is the tool to do it.

Install:Audacity

24. Lightworks

Lightworks is a full-fledged video editing app which gives you access to all the tools that you will need to get your video editing on. To be fair, Lightworks also sell a Pro version of the app, however, the free version is powerful enough to handle most of the tasks. Whether you are a budding YouTuber or someone who just want to give an edge to their homemade videos, Lightworks is the right tool for you. What I love most about this app is that the website gives you ample tutorial videos to get you started. If by any chance you were looking for a free video editing software, look no further and download Lightworks.

Install:Lightworks

25. HiddenMe

HiddenMe is a small menu bar app which comes in very handy at times when you want to show a clean desktop without having to organize your stuff. The app lives in your menu bar and allows you to do one thing and one thing only, and that’s hiding everything on your desktop. With a click of the button, everything that’s on your desktop is hidden, giving you access to a clean desktop. I constantly use this app whenever I am giving a presentation or taking screenshots of my desktop for an article. This small application has saved me from embarrassing myself a number of times and it can do that for you too.

Install:HiddenMe

26. AppCleaner

Do you know that whenever you delete an app on your Mac, it leaves behind a ton of residual files which does nothing but eating up storage on your Mac? Well, it’s true and if you install and uninstall a ton of apps, you might have lost gigabytes of storage already. While there’s another app on this list which (Onyx) which can help you recover that storage, AppCleaner is an app which makes sure that the apps you delete don’t leave any residual files. Just launch the app and drag and drop the apps that you want to uninstall and it will take care of the rest. It is a must-have utility tool for any Mac user who wants to keep their Mac clean.

Install:AppCleaner

27. LiteIcon

LiteIcon is the app from the same developers who made the AppCleaner. It is a simple app which allows you to change your system icons quickly and easily. Simply drag an icon onto the one you want to change, and click the Apply Changes button. That's all you need to do. If you want your older icon back, just drag out the new icon. If you like to customize how your icons look on Mac, try out LiteIcon.

Install:LiteIcon

28. GrandPerspective

I have written about GrandPerspective a couple of times on this website and you might be familiar with it by now. For those who are new to our website, it’s an app which allows you to visualize storage on your Mac. Using GrandPerspective you can easily find out which files are using how much storage and find and delete the files which are not necessary. GrandPerspective is a very nice app for anyone who doesn’t have any idea as to where all his/her Mac’s storage went.

Install:GrandPerspective

29. Manuscript

Manuscript is a free Mac writing app for students which makes writing school assignments including dissertation easier. Manuscript is a powerful writing app which allows students to complete their assignments right from the planning stage to completing it. It lets students easily insert citations, figures, tables, mathematical equations, and more. The app also allows for importation of citations from various tools including Mendeley, Zotero, Papers 3, Bookends, and EndNote. If you are a student who is looking for a good writing app, you don’t have to look any farther than Manuscript.

Install:Manuscript

30. IINA

IINA is an open-source video player for your Mac which offers one of the best amalgamations of features and user interface. The app looks extremely beautiful and supports all the modern features including force touch, picture-in-picture, and even offers Touch-bar controls for the latest MacBook Pros. IINA also supports almost all the video formats that you can think of, including the ability to play even GIFs. The app also comes with theming capabilities allowing you to use either light or dark themes. I have discovered this app just a few weeks back and I am already in love with it. If you consume a ton of media on your MacBook Pro, this is the right app for you.

Install:IINA

31. OnyX

OnyX is your one-stop solution for all your Mac’s maintenance needs. In fact, I cannot describe the app better and more succinctly than what’s written on its website. OnyX is a multifunction utility that you can use to verify the structure of the system files, to run miscellaneous maintenance and cleaning tasks, to configure parameters in the Finder, Dock, Safari, and some of Apple's applications, to delete caches, to remove certain problematic folders and files, to rebuild various databases and indexes, and more. However, do remember that it is an advanced tool and hence before you do anything, make sure that you get familiar with the app as you don’t want to delete files which can corrupt your entire system.

Install:Onyx

32. SpotMenu

The last app on our list the SpotMenu app which is a nifty little menu bar application. The app basically allows you to control your iTunes and Spotify music player from the menu bar giving you access to controls such as play, pause, forward, and rewind. It’s a pretty basic application, however, it does come in handy. One thing that I like about the app is that it shows the name of the song that is currently playing right on your Mac’s menu bar. When you click on the icon, the drop-down window which harbors all the features also showcase the album art of the song that you are playing.

Install:SpotMenu

33. White Noise Lite

White Noise Lite is an app that helps you sleep better. If you are a light sleeper who wakes up multiple times in the night without any apparent reason then this app can help you sleep better. It brings fifty different HD quality ambient environment noises to help you sleep. The app brings a beautiful cover flow design which lets you easily swipe between cards to select different tasks. Although the app markets itself as a sleep enhancer, I mostly use to provide background music when I am working as it helps me concentrate. You should download this app right now and see if it helps you sleep better or work better. Whatever the result, you will be better off with this one in your arsenal.

Install:White Noise Lite

34. Shazam

Shazam is an app that needs no introduction. The app helps you discover songs by identifying whatever song is playing in the background. I personally use Shazam more as a tool to keep the list of songs that I have discovered. Suppose I am listening to a song and YouTube and want to save it. I just click on the menu bar icon of Shazam and it identifies the song and saves it on the list. I don't have to write it down anywhere. Later I can see the list and add to my Apple Music Playlist at my convenience. Shazam is a great app for discovering and keeping track of music that you like.

Install:Shazam

Mac App Store For Windows

35. Muzzy

You know how when you accidentally yank headphones out of your iPhone, the music suddenly stops, well, Muzzy brings that functionality to your Mac. The app also does a lot of other things like allowing users to play, pause, and change the music from its menu bar app, integrates with Last.fm, shows songs lyrics, and more. However, I don’t care for any other features and I just use this app to stop music whenever I accidentally yank my headphones out. Sadly, the app only works if you are playing music through iTunes.

Install:Muzzy

Best Free macOS Apps: Final Thoughts

Best Apps For Macbook Pro

I hope that you found some apps which are useful to you. Do let me know which of these were your favorite and which ones you discovered. Also, if you know free apps that deserve to be on the list but aren’t, drop their names in the comments section. That’s all I have for this article. If you liked this article, share this on your social media profiles because we need your help to get the word out. As always, drop your opinions and suggestions in the comments section down below. We love to hear from our readers and your comments are always welcome.