My favourite 8 Mac apps that put Apple's default choices to disgrace

Key Takeaways

Apple’s macOS working system comes with various default apps and packages out of the field.
Apple continues to enhance its native apps yearly, however third-party options merely supply extra performance.
Listed below are a few of the greatest third-party apps that blow Apple’s choices out of the water.

Apple’s Mac working system, referred to as macOS, comes with some fairly nice built-in apps by default. The corporate frequently updates these apps and utilities to coincide with main OS updates, which happen as soon as each fall. This yr, for instance, we acquired updates to Messages, Calculator, Calendar, and extra, within the type of macOS Sequoia.

Apple’s first-party Mac apps cowl the fundamentals, however third-party builders have spent years crafting their own solutions. Oftentimes, these non-Apple apps embody tons of options and utilities not accessible out the field on the Mac. Listed below are 6 Mac apps I all the time obtain and run as a substitute of the default macOS ones.

Associated

What are the new macOS features you can’t access on an Intel Mac?

Surprisingly, there are solely a few macOS Sequoia options which can be unique to Apple-silicon {hardware}.

1 PDFgear

A full-featured PDF viewer and editor

PDFgear

A full-featured PDF reader and editor app for Mac with an intuitive interface.

By default, PDFs launch on Mac utilizing Apple’s built-in Preview app. Preview is completely high-quality for viewing paperwork, and even gives some fundamental instruments for modifying. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re searching for one thing with a little bit additional oomph, then a third-party PDF app is what you may wish to obtain.

There are numerous PDF apps accessible on the market, together with Adobe’s own Acrobat Reader. Nonetheless, my suggestion is the superb and fully free PDFgear. It gives tons of choices for formatting and web page modifying, a easy and intuitive consumer interface, an indication and form-filling device, and even fundamental AI integration for summarizing and translating textual content.

iPhone mirroring on Mac on colored background

Associated

You can now use iPhone Mirroring to rearrange your Home Screen in macOS Sequoia and iOS 18

It is attainable to activate jiggle mode within the newest Mac and iPhone betas.

2 The Unarchiver

One of the best device for opening compressed information on Mac

The Unarchiver

A easy archive utility for Mac that helps even essentially the most obscure compression codecs.

Apple’s default utility for opening and decompressing RAR information is constructed into its Finder utility, however integration is pretty bare-bones. There are quite a few archive instruments accessible for macOS, however my favourite is The Unarchiver. The app is totally free, light-weight, and gives assist for a genuinely huge variety of archival codecs.

In the event you ever run into an obscure format like XAR, Ar, SWF, or AlZip, then The Unarchiver is solely the best device for the job.

The Unarchiver helps non-Latin characters out of the field, and the file extracting interface is easy to make use of in comparison with another options on the market in the marketplace. In the event you ever run into an obscure format like XAR, Ar, SWF, or AlZip, then The Unarchiver is solely the best device for the job.

Android in hand with a park in the background.

Associated

5 essential free apps I download on every new Android phone

From lowering movement illness to backing up cloud information, these fully free apps are a house display staple.

BetterSnapTool

A light-weight utility that brings Home windows-style app snapping to the Mac desktop.

Apple introduced a built-in window snapping tool with the current launch of macOS Sequoia, after years of buyer hankering for the function. Apple’s implementation is strong, however removed from full-featured. Fortunately, the third-party BetterSnapTool continues to be round with some superior functionalities on supply.

BetterSnapTool sits in your Mac’s menu bar, with a drop-down choice of decisions to type via. You may create customized snap areas, toggle ‘float window on prime,’ disable options for a particular window, and rapidly transfer home windows from one monitor to the subsequent. BetterSnapTool prices $3 on the Mac App Retailer, and is properly definitely worth the buy.

Another window snapping app,
Magnet
, can also be standard amongst Mac customers, however prices barely extra at $5.

An Android phone with Aptoide pulled up in dark mode.

Associated

How I download Android apps without the Google Play Store

You don’t want Google Play Retailer to put in apps in your Android machine. Listed below are some other ways to obtain apps in your telephone or pill.

4 Bitwarden

An especially safe third-party password supervisor

Bitwarden

A extremely safe password supervisor app that works throughout platforms and working programs.

With the discharge of Apple’s macOS Sequoia, the corporate debuted a new Passwords application. This app is a password supervisor like another, saving your numerous passcodes, passkeys, and extra, for simple and safe entry. The app is easy sufficient, however hardly groundbreaking — it is merely a brand new dwelling for an current Apple function beforehand discovered inside Settings.

The app is cross-platform, which implies that, not like Apple’s answer, it’s going to work on Android units.

That is the place Bitwarden, a preferred third-party password supervisor, is available in. The app is cross-platform, which implies that, not like Apple’s answer, it’s going to work on Android devices. Auto-generation and autofill of passwords, safe end-to-end encryption, and an open source code that’s frequently assessed, make BitWarden a wonderful selection. Bitwarden is free to make use of, however gives a Premium subscription plan with entry to safety reviews, an built-in authenticator, and extra. For most individuals, the free plan is greater than serviceable.

Associated

Apple is launching its own password manager app, and it’s about time

At WWDC 2024, Apple revealed a Passwords app is coming. It is standalone, absolutely featured, and I am unable to wait to attempt it.

5 ProNotes

An extension that supercharges Apple’s built-in Notes app

ProNotes

An extension for Apple’s Notes app on Mac, that introduces various modifying options.

ProNotes is not an Apple Notes substitute, however fairly it is a supplementary add-on that sprinkles in various useful utilities throughout the board. The default notes app has grow to be a fairly highly effective device over time, and ProNotes makes it all of the extra highly effective for on a regular basis use.

The app provides a Microsoft Phrase-like formatting bar for fast entry to instruments like daring, underline, and strikethrough, keyboard shortcuts for textual content formatting, slash command shortcuts, and way more. A ProNotes Gold subscription will internet you some AI-based options like summarization and grammar correction, however with Apple Intelligence set to arrive soon, I would maintain off on the premium buy in the interim.

Someone holding an iPhone with the Notes app open

Associated

7 note-taking apps I use to stay organized

In case your thoughts runs at a mile a minute like mine, you in all probability have one million lists mendacity round. These are the apps I take advantage of as a substitute to remain organized.

Your one-stop-shop for opening and enjoying media information

VLC Media Participant for Mac

A free and open-source media participant app with broad assist for nearly each file format on the market.

Apple’s macOS ships with Preview, which is an utility used for launching and enjoying again multimedia information instantly in your laptop. VLC Media Participant is a free and open-source different that is been round for a few years. It is all the time been a preferred third-party answer, and for good purpose — it is appropriate with nearly any multimedia file you may throw at it, together with a few of the most obscure ones.

VLC is appropriate with nearly any multimedia file you may throw at it.

VLC may play again CDs and DVDs, in addition to faucet into various streaming protocols. Its interface design is not essentially the most trendy on the market, however the app is a dependable and time-tested answer that’ll have your again everytime you run right into a file that refuses to open with Preview.

7 Darkish Noise: Ambient Sounds

Apple’s built-in Background Sounds device is good, however Darkish Noise is the superior choice in each regard

Darkish Noise

Darkish Noise takes Apple’s built-in Background Sounds function and takes it to the subsequent degree, with tons of ambient sounds to select from.

One of many lesser-known options inside macOS is its built-in Background Sounds choice. When enabled, the device performs again one in all a small choice of ambient sounds — many individuals discover these sounds useful as background noise whereas finding out, working, or attempting to go to sleep. Apple added in two extra sound results — evening and hearth — alongside the discharge of macOS Sequoia. The issue is that the function is buried deep within the system by default, nestled inside System Settings > Accessibility > Audio.

Many individuals discover these sounds useful as background noise whereas finding out, working, or attempting to go to sleep.

Darkish Noise is a third-party app that brings the same expertise to the desk, however does so in a manner that is arguably simpler to entry. The sound results could be picked out from a devoted interface, and there are a lot of extra sound choices accessible than Apple supplies. These embody white noise, rain, desk fan, seaside, campfire, airplane inside, espresso store, and lullaby.

The app is free to obtain from the Mac App Retailer, however with a purpose to entry the broader array of soundscapes accessible, you may need to spring for Darkish Noise Professional, which is subscription primarily based and in addition unlocks customized sound mixes, additional themes, alterative app icons, and extra. There’s additionally a lifetime choice if you happen to’d favor to not pay month-to-month or on a yearly foundation.

Associated

The best e-readers of 2024 for every lifestyle

Available in the market for a brand new e-reader? These are the very best we have tried and examined in 2024.

8 Yomu EBook Reader

One of the best purpose-built e-reader app accessible for Mac

Yomu EBook Reader

A superb and natively-built reader app for the Mac, with broad assist for numerous e-book file codecs.

Through the years, e-readers and ebooks have grown immensely in recognition. It isn’t laborious to see why — e-book information take up comparatively little space for storing, and successfully take up zero real-world area. The Mac comes with a devoted e-book app by default: Books. The app is completely sufficient, however I discover myself preferring the third-party Yomu app as a substitute.

Yomu maintains a native-feeling app interface that feels proper at dwelling on the Mac, whereas offering broad assist throughout the fairly fragmented e-book file format ecosystem. EPub, Mobi, Kindle, .pdf, and extra will all operate right here with out a hitch.

Yomu could be downloaded totally free from the Mac App Retailer, nevertheless it comes with a 10-book restrict. There’s an elective Yomu Professional improve accessible through a one-time buy, which removes this doc restrict, in addition to removes all adverts, and introduces a cloud library function into the combination.