The Mac apps worth installing.
135 hand-picked apps in 24 categories, free and paid, with an honest word on when the app your Mac already has is enough.
Start here
8 free apps that fix a common annoyance on a new Mac.
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RaycastFree tier
A faster Spotlight: launch apps, search files, run quick actions, all from one shortcut.
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RectangleFree
Snap windows to halves, thirds and corners with keyboard shortcuts.
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IINAFree
Plays MKV and almost any other video file, which QuickTime will not.
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The UnarchiverFree
Opens RAR, 7z and the other archives that macOS cannot.
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AppCleanerFree
Removes an app together with the files it leaves behind.
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ShottrFree tier
Screenshots with scrolling capture, text recognition and quick annotation.
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StatsFree
CPU, memory, network and battery at a glance in the menu bar.
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LinearMouseFree
If you use a mouse: separate scroll direction from the trackpad, no acceleration.
Not sure where to start?
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or any AI assistant that can open links. It reads the list, asks about your Mac and budget, and suggests a short list.
Help me choose apps for my Mac. Read https://dockpicks.com/ and its full plain-text list, https://dockpicks.com/llms-full.txt. Ask me which Mac I have, what I use it for and my budget, then recommend a short list from that site with the free and paid trade-offs, and say when the app built into macOS is enough.
Browse by category
Each lists its apps best first, with the vendor's price and the month it was checked.
Essentials
8 categoriesThe everyday tools to install first
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Browsers
Alternatives to Safari for privacy, extensions or cross-platform sync
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Launchers
Launch apps, run commands and automate tasks from the keyboard
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Window management
Snap, tile and resize windows with shortcuts or drag zones
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Clipboard managers
Keep a searchable history of everything you copy
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Password managers
Cross-platform and open-source alternatives to Apple Passwords
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File managers
Dual-pane browsing, remote servers and power tools beyond Finder
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Menu bar utilities
Tidy a crowded menu bar and add small tools like keep-awake toggles
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Archive tools
Open RAR, 7z and other archives, and create compressed files
Work
5 categoriesMail, notes, tasks and documents
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Notes
Markdown vaults, linked notes and encrypted notebooks beyond Apple Notes
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Tasks and to-do
Task managers for projects, priorities and planning beyond Reminders
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Email
Mail clients with smarter inboxes, Gmail focus or open-source freedom
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PDF tools
Edit, convert and compress PDFs when Preview isn't enough
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Text expanders
Type a short abbreviation, get a full email, address or code block
System
4 categoriesKeep your Mac clean, backed up and in check
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Uninstallers and disk space
Remove apps cleanly and find out what is filling your disk
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System and battery monitors
Live CPU, memory, temperature and battery stats in your menu bar
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Keyboard and mouse
Remap keys, fix mouse scrolling and add buttons and gestures
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Backup
Drive clones and offsite cloud backups to go beyond Time Machine
Create
4 categoriesImages, video, screenshots and playback
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Screenshots and screen recording
Capture, annotate and record your screen beyond Cmd-Shift-5
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Media players
Play MKV and other video formats QuickTime Player won't open
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Image editing
Layer-based photo and image editors, from free to pro
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Video editing
Video editors for everything from family clips to pro color grading
Developers
3 categoriesEditors, terminals and the tools around them
