9 Mac Apps I Rely on Every Single Week

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I’ve always said that when a particular Mac app ‘sticks’ for me, it really sticks.

Nudging your way into my processes and workflows is no mean feat. For an app to do this, it needs to be immediately enjoyable to use, simple and unrestrictive to make my own, and – most importantly – capable of delivering a decent return on my investment.

Today, I’m going to share my most relied-upon Mac apps, which have all conquered the task above.

Could I live without them? Obviously. Would I want to? Not a chance.

And, yes, there are nine apps listed below – not ten. Fire me from internet content creation, immediately.

 

 

1. Security

Macs may not be as susceptible to ransomware attacks and virus infestations as Windows machines, but they still need protection.

My recommendation for protecting your Mac has always been Premium Security Suite from Trend Micro. Full disclosure: while they’re not sponsoring this blog post, they are a long-term supporter of my YouTube channel.

Premium Security Suite is an all-in-one solution for device and identity protection and includes a VPN, password manager, mobile security, ID security, and protection against ransomware, email scamming and other forms of cybercrime.

Everything you need to stay safe online, basically. The VPN in particular is very good indeed.

2. The password manager

As you’d guess, as a tech reviewer, I experience the ‘joy’ of setting up more Macs each year than any sensible ‘normal’ user.

A tool which makes this once laborious task far more manageable is my password manager. I haven’t had to wrack my brains or root through insecure storage for login credentials for as long as I can remember. It’s an utter joy.

A password management app is a non-negotiable addition to this list. If you’re not using one, you should be. Beyond the assistance it will offer during the setup of any new Mac, you’ll use a password manager constantly throughout the day – trust me.

My recommendation these days goes to Roboform, and you can grab a big discount with this link.

3. The writing tool

If you write as much as I do, finding the right tool for the job is absolutely essential.

I’ve flitted between writing apps on multiple occasions in the past and that has taught me an invaluable lesson.

Once you find a writing app that makes the process of writing as easy as it should be – stick with it.

Writing shouldn’t be a chore and the app you use to get words onto a digital page shouldn’t get in the way of the process. That’s why I always recommend picking up a distraction-free writing app that helps you organise your work and which doesn’t hit you with over-engineered menus and buttons.

My writing app of choice is – and probably always will be – Ulysses. It’s just a shame there’s no Windows version.

4. The calendar

Calendar apps aren’t particularly exciting, but find the right one, and you’ll never look back.

You’ll also never miss a meeting, or dread the process of adding new events to your calendar.

My advice is to find one which offers quick input for events and tasks, and which seamlessly – and faultlessly – syncs across all your devices. Fantastical remains the pinnacle of this, in my experience.

5. The email tool

Email apps are about as exciting as calendar apps, aren’t they?

However, once again, find the right one, and it’ll never leave your side. It’ll also somehow make managing your inbox an enjoyable experience.

No, really.

I’ve been using Spark for this task for as long as I can remember. It isn’t perfect (the latest version is beautifully designed but frustratingly buggy) but it has woven itself so comprehensively into my processes that I can’t put it down.

Since moving from Apple Mail to Spark, I’ve kept a far cleaner inbox, rarely missed an important message, and never dreaded the thought of reviewing incoming mail.

6. The note taker

It’s telling that the only Apple-branded app in this list resides in this section.

That’s right – I’m an Apple Notes user, through and through. It’s the home for my ‘second brain’ and is used increasingly for script referencing while filming YouTube videos in the wild.

Like every app in this list, Apple Notes isn’t perfect, but it makes up for any shortcomings and occasional quirks with its simplicity and rock-solid syncing between devices.

If you’re an Apple-only person, it’s hard to recommend any other note-taking app, to be honest. Apple has well and truly Sherlocked that entire app category.

7. The messenger

As a content creator who publishes his work across a number of platforms, I receive a lot of incoming messages.

These arrive in the form of mentions, comments, and direct messages. Add those to the WhatsApp chats I receive each day and the texts sent by delivery companies and two-factor authentication services, and it’s a bit overwhelming.

There’s a brilliant solution for this which I’ve adopted recently – Beeper.

Beeper’s premise is simple – it promises to bring all of your chats together in one app. “Yes, really,” says the Beeper website.

It works brilliantly. All social media apps are taken care of, along with messaging stalwarts like WhatsApp and Telegram. You can even integrate your iMessages if you don’t mind entering your iCloud credentials (something I’ve resisted thus far).

Beeper also syncs across your devices, so you really do end up with one app for all messaging, no matter what device you’re using. But having that central hub for communication on my Mac has been game-changing.

8. The task manager

I’m a forgetful so-and-so which is why I live and die by my task manager app.

I switched from Things 3 to TickTick a while ago and haven’t looked back. I love its simplicity and cross-platform compatibility, but truth be told – any of the countless task management apps on the Mac App Store are worth recommending.

They all do the same thing, look spookily similar, and have the same premise; they’ll ensure you don’t forget your most important tasks. It’s just a case of sussing out which one contains the peripheral features you need.

9. The time-saver

Continuing the theme of me being forgetful and having little patience for faff, the addition of TextExpander to my Mac armoury has been – you guessed it – game-changing.

If you’re not familiar with these snippet-based apps, they basically allow you to store a bunch of commonly used phrases, URLs, email addresses, postal addresses, email intros, or, essentially, any piece of text you repetitively type, and call up each one with a keyboard shortcut.

I use TextExpander for all of the aforementioned pieces of text which I simply shouldn’t be retyping constantly throughout the day and the time saved over the course of a week is frighteningly satisfying.

You can grab TextExpander here for a tasty little discount.

Wrap up

What have I missed? If there’s a Mac app that you rely on every single day, let me know in the comments below, please. As much as I don’t want to fiddle too much with my Mac App ‘tech stack’, I’m always open to new ideas!

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