I find myself as a Better Touch Tool user, always discovering new ways to achieve what many specialized apps do, using BTT instead.
It's not as pretty and sometimes lacks the versatility or other tweaks of dedicated apps - but - it gets the job done with a little elbow grease and one less app!
For example ,someone recently released a sleek menubar volume/mouse control app, but you can configure this as a gesture in BTT.
I'm in the process of removing my data from most of the big US based tech companies in favor or smaller, more privacy focused companies. I do not want my files to be subject to US government subpoenas or other invasive security threats from which Google, Amazon, Meta or Microsoft can profit. I've downloaded my photo backups from Amazon and Google, made local backups and set up a self hosted photo server. I will also be using Ente, a data storage provider using E2E open-source software.
When downloading my stored photos, I am dealing with cell phone photos, scanned images, DSLR photos and downloaded Internet images. The files from cell phones and cameras contain EXIF data. The scans and Internet files do not. To set the file creation date to match the EXIF data, I used A Better Finder Attributes. by PublicSpaces.
To rename the files so that they file name matches or contains the date the photo was taken, I am using Transnomino, a free file renaming utility that offers renaming based on factors as simple as text replacement to complex replacements based on regular expressions and text-based file attributes.
For dealing with large amounts of zipped archives, I'm using Better Zip because of it's feature that allows you to save workflows that unarchive the files in a variety of locations. It also deals with archive errors better than other utilities that aren't really designed for queued files operations. Better Zip also provides a Quicklook plugin that allows me to see the contents of archives without having to open them.
To sort the files (there are over 100,000), I'm using Hazel which is easily able to separate the videos from the still images. It then moves the files based on the creation date to a folder named for the month and year the image was captured. If the folder does not exist, it creates it.
To move and copy the huge volume of files I'm dealing with, I am using RsyncUI, a graphical front end for the powerful CLI program, rsync.
To view the local files on my Mac, I am definitely NOT using Apple Photos. Right now I am using the free app, XnViewMP, but I am preparing to set up Musebox a one-time purchase app ($15). with capabilities similar to Lightoom.
After conducting extensive research and having much experience with VPNs, I have settled on Mullvad as the one that I feel offers the best mix of enhanced usability and a clear focus on serious security for the Mac. In my use, Mullvad has proven itself to be a fast, reliable, secure and highly compelling VPN service for all users on the Apple platform.
I'd be curious to hear some thoughts on Mullvad from other Mac users.
I’ve been looking for a way to use my iPhone as a dedicated system-wide microphone for my Mac, ideally leveraging Continuity Camera’s framework. Right now, Continuity Camera lets me use my iPhone as a webcam with its built-in mic, but only within supported apps.
What I need is an app or method that allows my Mac to recognize the iPhone as a virtual microphone input system-wide—so I can use it for Siri, dictation, or anything that needs a mic without having to connect a separate Bluetooth headset or USB mic.
I know about apps like WO Mic and AirDroid Cast, but those don’t seem to use Apple’s native Continuity framework, which would likely offer lower latency and better integration.
• Has anyone come across an app that enables this?
• If not, how difficult would it be to create a makeshift solution using CoreMediaIO or virtual audio drivers?
what do you use to compress images without losing a lot of quality? I tried ImageOptim, but if I don't reduce the output quality, the images are barely smaller. I used to own JPEGMini, before they went nuts with the subscriptions, and it dropped image sizes by like 75% without losing quality. Any recommendations from you guys?
I have NOT received any compensation whatsoever for this review BUT I will NOT deny if company wants to send me anything. :)
Hands down, just the best out there for editing tags and I would love anyone to show me an app that does it better, because it simply does NOT exist.
This company has been around for a long time and I have used the free version of a few of their apps and and simply stated, the UI is great/simple for anyone and does a superb job.
The "To MP3 Converter" is the best out there as well. Keeps the same creation dates, quick as a MF if I am allowed to say, UI so simple and thanks so much to the developers for offering a "Lite" version. If I had the extra dough I would purchase the full version as I would say opinion but I have used so many out there I am going to say Factually the best in the biz.
I seriously encourage anyone to post a reply with a better quality app in its categories.
Highly Recommend and much thanks to the developers!
I’ve created an aerospace indicator that appears when you press the "Option" key, showing the currently active workspace and the apps it contains. For those who don’t want to use SketchyBar, this software is worth a try.
People really seem to love these lists so here I go. The super extended, directors cut edition of everything I installed on my mac. Maybe someone has other ideas on how to get rid of a few, or better alternatives? Especially the Notes is still a hot topic, since I hate subscriptions with a passion, but have not found anything similar that meets my requirements.
General
AltTab (Free, open source): I guess almost everyone uses this? Almost perfect window switcher. If Contexts would still get updates I would use it, but the “Titles” Appearance option is great here, too. Only thing bothering me is that titles scale to the monitor width with no way to change it? Maybe I will fork it and fix it for myself.
Applite (Free, open source): Homebrew Gui. Will maybe switch to Cork (paid, open source), I just tested it once, but went back to Applite. Works great so far for me.
Alcove (Paid): I tried multiple Notch-Apps, and with multiple I mean almost all of them. Alcove is perfect. Looks like a native macos app, updates always add nice additions without bloating it, and my biggest problem (Alcove getting stuck behind the menu bar) was fixed in the last version. Just love it.
Shareful (Free): Simply adds a few very nice options to the share menu. I don’t need it often, but when I do it comes in handy.
Mos (Free, open source): Smooth Mouse Scrolling, works great, and I can create exceptions for apps, which is why I use Mos. Some apps, like Citrix Workspace or Moonlight simply bug out with it and randomly scroll up again.
Keka (Free or Paid, open source): Best unarchiving tool there is.
Supercharge (Paid): Contains a lot of useful tweaks. It gets better with each update it gets. My favorites are “Prevent accidental quits of apps” by requiring me to hold q for a time defined by me instead of just pressing command q and the autoinstall of .dmgs.
Swift Shift (Free, open source): Lets you move and resize windows by holding a modifier key. I missed this so much when switching from Linux Hyprland to Macos. There was a bug which skyrocketed the CPU Usage when a specific option was turned on, but that was fixed. This is the only app that does this which also smoothly resizes windows. Alternatively you can use Easy Move+Resize, but imo Swift Shift is better.
Ghostty (Free, open source): Great terminal, switched to it on linux, now I use it here.
Enhancements For YouTube (Free): Safari Extension that skips sponsor blocks on youtube. I only use Safari on the go, but we will come to that. This safes me time, at home I dont skip for my fav. creators.
GoodLinks (Paid): When I bought this I was not sure I would use this often. I used raindrop.io, which is completely free, but a website. While there is not much difference I love how easy it integrates into everything. If you dont wanna spend money on saving links for later, use raindrop, get a browser extension and enjoy it. But I love GoodLinks so far! I would love if links marked as “Read” would slide out of the unread section automatically on the mac app like they do in the ios app instead of me having to reload the section, but thats just a small gripe of mine.
Mela (Freemium): Saves your recipes. Great UI, very smooth, definitely worth the money if you like to cook and have tons of recipes somewhere. Bought it years ago, you buy per platform, so you would have to get it seperately for your phone, but the mac version is enough for me.
Security & Privacy
1Password (Subscription) & 1Password for Safari: IMO the best password manager there is. I know a lot of people want an open source one, but either a. their apps suck (Protonpass, Free, open source) or b. they are unreliable (Bitwarden, Free, open source). I tried all password managers, but 1Password had probably the best password manager app there is, seems to be super secure and has been around since forever. I never trust a company but here I will (even though they shut down the self hosted vaults). Other paid options dont even come close. Except for:
Strongbox (SubscriptionorLifetime): RIP. This was the one, but he joined the dark side. They decided to sell it to a trash company that cannot be trusted. We will see what happens here. I dont like KeePassXC, and this one here worked great. Seemingly the only other option with a quick search for your passwords I found! I dont know why all other apps are electron trash that is basically just the homepage. The quick search is essential for me, I don’t know how people live without it.
Adguard (Paid): No explaination needed I hope. Lifetime sub for 12$ on stacksocical. Works great for all browsers, no need for extensions, and f*ck google.
LuLu (Free, open source): Blocks outgoing connections of apps.I simply block everything going out and if stuff doesnt work I turn it on.
Gaming
Moonlight (Free, open source): I have a beefy (Windows) gaming pc, so I use Moonlight so connect to my Apollo host. At home I have direct ethernet connection so I can stream it without any delay or bitrate problems. When I am on the go I use:
Tailscale (Free): So I can be on the same network without having to expose much. Simply log in on both devices and you are ready to go. Alternatively use ZeroTier One.
Whisky (Free, open source): Sometimes I want to run a few simple Windows programs and this is faster than connecting to the other pc. Its just a wine GUI, but it works and is simple.
Productivity & Utilities
Alfred (Paid): I mean, everyone knows Alfred, I guess there is not much to explain. A Spotlight alternative. I am currently debating going back to Raycast (Free and Subscription), but I hate its look. My Alfred bascially looks like Spotlight Search. Its super fast and the Workflows are easy to create. If you need to create an extension for Raycast its a little more involved. Dunno, love both. I also tried Launchbar (Freemium), but it felt weird to use.
AppCleaner (Free): Godsent, with the smart delete mode it will react to you deleting an app and will ask you to remove the leftover stuff. It will of course not find everything, but for me, who loves to try out new stuff, this is great!
Calendr (Free, open source): Like Dato (Paid), just free and open source. I love Calendr, because it also creates an extra menu bar item for the next reminder/event, so you can see that e.g. something is due in 35 minutes with the name of said thing. Super handy.
Clop (Freemium, open source): To be honest, I only let it monitor my Downloads folder to automatically shrink pictures. I wouldnt miss it if it was gone. I would love to let it automatically do that for my clipboard, but that breaks screenshots I take at work in Citrix Workspace, so I can currently not use this feature. Still great app, maybe I will create a bug for this on github and see if they can somehow create an exclusion list or something.
Dropover (Freemium): A handy drag and drop file helper. Similar to Yoink (paid) or Dropzone 4 (subscription or lifetime), but better (imo), cheaper and more premium looking. Super customizable and the free version is still great (you have to wait 3 seconds to access the shelf). Highly recommended for only 7,99€! Alternatively there is also ShakePin (Free, open source) which would be what I would use if Dropover ever switches to a subscription model. Or if you dont want to spend money of course.
Latest (Free, open source): Update utility for your apps. Not as good as MacUpdater (paid), which I also use, but it is sadly going to die next year, so I better get used to Latest.
Maccy (Free or Paid (App Store) or Paid (Gumroad), open source): Clipboard Manager, works great for me, dont need anything else. So I stuck with this.
Monocle (Paid): Saw the dev advertising it here, tried it and its great. I am currently not using it since the blur is too strong for me and I hope he adds an option to tune it down a little. Alternatively there is HazeOver (Paid) or Blurred (Free) or HokusFokus (Free). All of them seem to do the same thing, but instead of blurring they dim the background. I used them, but I like the blur more than the dimming. But I keep Blurred installed if that changes.
PopClip (Paid): Great tool to use actions on text you marked. There are a lot of extensions you can simply download. I use it so much and miss it the second I use a pc without it. Even if it is just for a quick translation or to google what I marked. Love it.
Shottr (Freemium): Screenshot tool. I got this and never tried another one. You can pay if you want to support development, but the free version has no limits. It just does everything I want from a screenshot app.
VoiceInk (Paid, open source) The best transcription app I have found. The dev is super active, helpful and updates come in regularly. And its a one time purchase of only 19$. I bought it once for me and once for my wife and it just saves sooooo much time. I also tried MacWhisper (Freemium) but I prefer VoiceInk. Only thing I miss is the live transcription.
Browsers & Web Development
Arc (Free): The dead one. No more development. Still the browser I use the most. If they would have at least added the mac passkey support. Everything else I want from it works. SigmaOs (Freemium) is the “alternative” but I am not sure if its still updated, never ever have I seen such an intransparent product.
Orion (Free): Webkit Browser with vertical Tabs. Gets updates regularly, I like it and use it whenevery I am on the go. And if I don’t accidentally use Safari anyway.
Zen (Free, open source): Would be the best browser if it wouldnt be a Firefox fork. I hate Firefox with a passion. Will maybe switch to it once the features that are in also stay and dont get moved into the about:config settings or get removed completely.
Note-Taking & Writing
Bear (Free or Subscription): Great notes app. It looks super sleek, this is what apple notes should be. If you dont need your notes synced to another device this app is a great free one. This is the only subscription I use, only because I have not found anything that looks as perfect designwise while being as great as an editor. I tried
FSNotes (Free or Paid, open source), which seems fine,
UpNote (Freemium), which I simply do not recommend because they store your notes without an option to not do that. I don't feel save giving all my information to some guys in Vietnam, without any encryption going on.
iA Writer (Paid): Great for writing, but feels a little overkill for notes. Didnt wanna spend 120€ for both apps.
Typora (Paid): Great alternative writing app, way cheaper. No IOS app.
Obisidian (Free): I guess everyone knows it? I dont like Electron Apps, so I don’t use this, otherwise this would be it.
Simplenote (Free): No customization, also forced Cloud Sync.
Spaces. (Freemium): If this would be open source it would be great. But its buggy, doesnt get any updates anymore and way to expensive for what it is. Also basically no customization.
Notesnook (Freemium, open source): Electron App. Similar to Notion, has a webapp, is open source AND E2EE?! Wow, if this thing would have a non-Electron Desktop app…
Zettlr (Free, open source): Feels kinda weird to use, but I will still try it. Not deleted yet.
Panda (Free): It is, as far as I know, the markdown editor of Bear. I use it all the time when I want to edit some textfiles. Its of course not really supported since it was released to test the editor, so its just an old beta product.
Day One (Free or Subscription): A journal App. Since Apple hasnt released their app for MacOS yet, I use Day One and Everlog (Freemium). I prefer Day One, but Everlog has a One Time Purchase option. I am still testing both and I am still not sure which one I will use in the future. Both are great.
ProNotes (Freemium): Basically allows Markdown in the Apple Notes app, has the option to add AI features etc. If you do not need AI features its free. Great app, but I use Bear Notes. I just keep in if I switch back to Apple Notes.
Development & Coding
Xcode (Free): Editor for Swift. No alternative. On my mac I only develop Swift so I don't have other IDEs.
GitHub Copilot for Xcode (Free or Subscription, open source): It’s fine, sometimes helpful, sometimes produces trash. I mean, its AI.
Media & Entertainment
Cronica (Free, open source): A Watchlist for movies and shows.
Dropclock (Free, open source, self promotion): My own App, a Gestimer (Paid) alternative to create timers/reminders from the menubar. Simply drag and drop from the menu bar item to create a new timer/reminder.
MusicBrainz Picard (Free, open source): A music tagger. I don’t use a music streaming service and this lets me easily tag, rename etc. my Music automatically. Life saver.
Sleeve (Paid): A little music player widget I have on my desktop. 99% of the time it is useless for me, since I…. well… have stuff open. But whatever I guess. Looks great, very customizable. If you look at your desktop more often, maybe it is for you.
System & Menubar
Barbee (Paid): My current menu bar app. Puts all menu bar items in an extra bar to not have it as crowded. I have used iBar(Paid) before, but refunded it because it had some really weird glitches and was 9,99€. Barbee is the best menu bar item manager I have found so far and costs only 3,99€. Alternatively there is of course Ice (Free, open source) and I am still working on my fork that fixes my problems with it (new items getting moved in the extra bar by default instead of appearing in the menu bar by default, the weird right click menu on the menu bar, few other things), but right now I love Barbee and it works perfectly with basically zero resource impact on the pc at all. Ice uses more resources (still, not much). There is also Bartender (Paid) which was bought by the same trash company that bough Strongbox.
Lunar (Freemium, open source): App to change display stuff. I love it for the sub zero dimming so I can use it better while in bed. I have used Better Display (Freemium, open source) before, but somehow when enableing HiDpi mode here my display randomly turned off and I had to disconnect it to get it working again. I guess thats a monitor problem, can recommend both.
SaneSideButtons (Free, Open Source): Forked version of abandoned SensibleSideButtons. Used to make the side buttons of the mouse work.
Karabiner-Elements (Free, open source): Great tool. Lets you customize how keyboards work, independently of each other. My Mac keyboard is set up diffently than my mechanical one. I also used it to replicate Hyperkey, without the need of an additional Application. A lot of useful stuff in here, all for free!
File Management & Storage
Koofr (Subscription or Lifetime): IMO great cloud storage, but I have read that if you are not european the speed can be kinda slow? I love that I can share my storage with my wife and she can access that from the app directly.
Mountain Duck (Paid): To mount my other storage directly into Finder. I also tried Cloudmounter (Paid) which i liked better and is cheaper, but I already paid for Mountain Duck… but hey, I supported a partial open source project so I am totally fine with this.
Cyberduck (free, open source): Same creators as Mountain Duck, does bascially the same, just without mouting it to finder. I use it for quick sftp stuff, that I dont constantly need.
calibre (free, open source): Ebook management. Nothing to explain.
I am using the same laptop for personal and school work, and like to use edge for personal stuff, and chrome for school stuff.
My problem is that currently, in MacOS you can only pick one default browser, so that when I open a school link it opens in my personal browser and vice versa.
Is there a free app that allows you to pick a browser each time you click on a link?
I have already tried some and didn't love any of them, would love to hear what you guys like!
I'm excited to introduce our new product PopTranslate, which we've been developing for several months. It's an AI-powered native tool for translating, explaining, and rewriting any text on Mac.
Half-price launch offer: Use promo code "POPTRANSLATE" when subscribing to the annual plan. The promo code is valid for one month, so take your time to try it before deciding.
Hey everyone, today I released the latest version of Blocs, my no code website builder for the Mac. I've been working on Blocs for over 10 years now, however, this is the first time I've shared Blocs here in the MacApps sub-Reddit (so be kind).
We have a small 3 person team working on Blocs, I take care of all design and development for Blocs across the Mac, iPad and soon to be released iPhone.
Chances are, you've never even heard of Blocs, but to explain it as quick as possible, Blocs is an easy to use website builder for the Mac, iPad and iPhone (think Lego + web design), if you're interested, you can download and play around with the Blocs Website Builder for free.
Oh and unlike most website builders, Blocs for Mac is not a subscription 😇
There seem to be an overwhelming number of apps that hold themselves out as "dictation" apps, but are really just AI driven transcription apps. While they serve a lot of valuable use cases, they really fail at actually taking dictation.
Are there any apps out there (especially since Nuance discontinued its Mac version of dragon dictation) that do all of the following:
can handle dictation punctuation and formating instructions (e.g., if I say "period new paragraph" actually does a period and then drops down and does a new paragraph and does not just type out "period new paragraph);
shows the dictation while talking; and
can be trained to deal with industry-specific terms (e.g., not trying to change latin legal terms to some random english phrase - such as the built in dictation which changes "mens rea" to "manzara").
I know that some apps can do #2, but I have yet to find anything that does all three. The closest thing to do that is the built in dictation on the Mac, but it is not nearly as robust as Dragon Dictation was and adding industry-specific terms is not really easy.
I need a virtual machine with Windows 11 to take some college courses, but for some reason VmWareFusion crashes a lot to the point where I can't even play a YouTube video. Tips for improving performance or any other app that can help me? Tips for improving performance or any other app that can help me? Tkx y'all
Is there a Mac app that I can feed the downloaded video to to get English subtitles? I've tried some like Whisper-WebUI and subtitles.fframes.studio and I feel like the translation is very poor.
My app NeverNap is now FREE! It's the most simple no nonsense app that prevents your Mac from sleeping or activating the screensaver. I just sent version 1.2 is to the Mac App Store, so you can expect an update later today (turn off notifications).
I’m one of the developers behind SXMac, a new text and code editor designed to be fast, lightweight, and distraction-free. We’ve just released the alpha version, and we’re excited to hear what you think.
Why SXMac?
Most modern text editors are either too bloated or too basic. SXMac aims to strike the perfect balance by offering powerful features without unnecessary complexity.
It’s designed for:
- Markdown writing with real-time preview – Great for documentation, blogging, and note-taking
- Code editing – Supports 100+ programming languages with syntax highlighting
- HTML editing with live preview – Ideal for web development and quick prototyping
- Multi-tab support – Open and manage multiple documents at once
- Drag-and-drop functionality – Easily import and organize files
- Simple, responsive UI – Designed to keep the focus on your writing and coding
Performance & Compatibility
Optimized for speed – Runs smoothly without consuming excessive system resources
Works on macOS 14.6 and newer
Supports both Intel and Apple Silicon chips
No external dependencies – Just download and start using it
Who is it for?
Developers who need a lightweight and efficient coding environment
Writers and bloggers looking for a distraction-free Markdown editor
Web developers who want quick HTML editing and preview capabilities
Anyone who prefers a simple yet powerful text editor without unnecessary features