Mac Apps Directors Cut Editon

My App list from Reddit

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Apps marked with !! are newly added; please check Updates (for the most recent changes) and the Updates-old-X for only the added and removed apps, as well as those I've tried but don't use.

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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.
• 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 mac app! 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. 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.
• FolderPreview (Paid): Randomly found this on the App Store. Allows your to use your preview on folders. Super handy, since I tried that all the time, but ofc it doesnt work out of the box. When I got it, it was still free, so take this with a grain of salt. I don’t know if I would pay for it, tbh.
• Rocket (Freemium): Forgot that in my og list, so not really new, but now I add it here. Basically allows you to easily add emojis. Raycast can do the same, or even the function key on a macbook, but I use Alfred and a normal keyboard, so I dont have that key. Instead, I type :: and a popup appears that lets me quickly access emojis. If you use emojis, try this. The free version should be more than enough for most, but if you wanna support the dev, buy the pro version. Alternatively you could use Emoogle (Free, open source), but it works a little different, so you will have to check if that works for your “workflow”.
• Artykul (Freemium): A beautiful RSS Reader. It is on the pricier side with ~ 60€ (if you want the lifetime upgrade), but most RSS readers with its functionality are subscription based without a lifetime option or cost the same, e.g. Feeder (Paid) for 49€. Currently I am only using the free version, but I will upgrade soon I think!
• !! AlDente (Paid): AlBattery had problems which I will explain further below. So I bought the lifetime AlDente thing for like 24€. Maybe it helps with the battery life, maybe it wont. I will see I guess...

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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:
• 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.

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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.
• VirtualHere (Freemium): Allows you to forward one device to another pc for free, otherwise you will have to pay. So what I do with it is forward my mouse to my gaming rig, since I find more and more problems that have problems with the emulated mouse from Moonlight. E.g. in Oblivion/Skyrim windows I cannot scroll, in Dune I cannot use quick menus, side mouse buttons dont work in general, etc. VirtualHere makes it so I connect my mouse to the other PC without having to physically connect it. While that is the case I can of course only move the mouse in Moonlight, not outside of it. I set up 2 hotkeys to quickly connect/disconnect, so that is no problem for me.

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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.
• 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)