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3 hours ago
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By Randy B. Singer
Copyright © Randy B.
Singer, 2018-2025. All worldwide rights reserved.
Permission is hereby given to link to this site, but no
other use is permitted without express written
permission.
Note: Any discrepancies
between the prices listed on this Web site and the
price on the developer's site are irrelevant.
The price you should
expect to pay is the price asked by the developer.
306
completely free products now listed!
One of the things that makes the Macintosh a great value is the wide array of excellent software applications that come with it. Apple’s included applications are surprisingly competent. But they don’t always provide everything, or exactly what one could want. And there are certain types of applications that simply don’t come with a new Mac. There are, of course, a huge number of commercial applications to do whatever you want with your Macintosh, but sometimes folks want something that is either free, or which is extremely reasonably priced. Fortunately, there are a large assortment of free applications for the Macintosh that are very much worth having, or which are at least worth checking out. I’ve tried to list as many such programs here as I know about, emphasizing software that I feel is either invaluable or highly desirable. Hopefully even long-time Mac users will find something new and useful in this list.
Note: This is not meant to be a comprehensive listing of all of the free software for the Macintosh. The applications listed here are limited to those that are easy to install, which work really well, and which are either easy to use or which are easy to learn to use.
Note: This site does not include crippled free demos. In some cases there is both a free version of a particular program, and a commercial version with more features. The free version is not listed on this page unless it stands alone as being valuable without the user being forced to buy the commercial version.
Important: If you are running a recent version of the Macintosh operating system, and you download software from somewhere other than Apple’s Mac App Store, when you go to launch that software you will get a dialog that says that you can’t open the application because it’s “from an unidentified developer.” This is simply Apple’s security measure telling you to be careful where you get your software from. This alert does not mean that the application is dangerous or that it won’t run on your Macintosh. Software that you get directly from a legitimate developer is just about always perfectly safe. You can open the application by:
-
Choose Apple menu --> System Settings, then click Privacy & Security in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
-
Go to Security, then click Open.
-
Click Open Anyway.
-
Enter your login password, then click OK.
See:
https://www.lifewire.com/fix-developer-cannot-be-verified-error-5183898Why is this software free?
ActivePresenter free edition (free)
https://atomisystems.com/activepresenter/free-edition
(Screen recorder and video editor. Designed primarily to create training courses.)
Adguard for Safari (free)
https://adguard.com/en/adguard-safari/overview.html
(Ad blocking extension for Safari.)
Adobe Express (free; commercial version adds more features)
https://www.adobe.com/express/?msockid=3a77bcdb92846eb222f7a83993fd6f35
(AI content creation app for making stunning social posts, images, videos, flyers, and more.)
AetherSX2 (free)
https://github.com/AetherSX2-backup/AetherSX2-builds?tab=readme-ov-file
(PS2 emulator specifically optimized for Apple Silicon Macs.)
See here for review and installation instructions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilYcHk8_QDc
AltTab (free)
https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/
(Really cool window switcher using the keyboard.)
Amazing AI (free)
https://sindresorhus.com/amazing-ai
(Describe an image using text, and your computer will create the image you describe!!)
(NOTE: Requires a recent Macintosh with an "Apple Silicon" processor.)
Amethyst (free)
https://ianyh.com/amethyst/
(Simple window manager.)
AmorphousDiskMark (free)
https://www.katsurashareware.com/amorphousdiskmark/
(Measures hard disk/SSD read/write performance.)
Anatomy Model Puzzle (free)
https://digital-gene.com/app_anatomymodelpuzzle.php?lang=en
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/enjoy-learning-anatomy-puzzle/id563130137
(An educational puzzle game to learn human anatomy.)
Anki (free)
https://apps.ankiweb.net
(Flashcard/study app.)
AppCleaner (free)
https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/
(Macs don't really need uninstallers, but for those who really want one, AppCleaner allows you to quickly, easily and thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps.)
Arc browser (free)
https://arc.net
Review:
https://tidbits.com/2023/05/01/arc-will-change-the-way-you-work-on-the-web/
(New paradigm Web browser using AI.)
Audacity (free)
https://www.audacityteam.org
(Multi-track audio editor and recorder.)
Aural (free)
https://www.mactools.pro/Aural
(Audio player. Supports a wide range of audio formats, including FLAC, MP3, and AAC, ensuring compatibility with most music libraries.)
AutoQuill (free)
https://www.getautoquill.com
(Voice-to-text using AI.)
Battery Toolkit (free)
https://github.com/mhaeuser/Battery-Toolkit?tab=readme-ov-file
(Grants you manual control over laptop battery charging, to increase life of battery.)
BBEdit (free/$50)
https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/
List of differences between free and commercial version:
https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/comparison.html
(The premier text editor for the Macintosh. )
BeeBeep (free)
https://www.beebeep.net
(Peer to peer instant encrypted office messaging. )
Betterbird (free)
https://www.betterbird.eu/
(Email client. Fork of Thunderbird with more features and bug fixes.)
BetterDisplay/Pro (free/$15) (was: BetterDummy)
https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDummy
(Allows custom resolutions with external monitors. Some monitors don't look quite right using Apple's default resolutions. This utility gives you more resolution choices so that hopefully you can find the perfect one.)
BGBlitz (free version)
https://www.bgblitz.com/
(A supremely wonderful backgammon game. Addictive.)
Big Red Clock (free)
http://www.bigredclock.com
(Big red numbers desktop clock with countdown timer and stopwatch features.
Blender (free)
https://www.blender.org/download/
(Very powerful 3D graphics program.)
BLEUnlock (free)
https://github.com/ts1/BLEUnlock
(A small menu bar utility that locks and unlocks your Mac by proximity of your iPhone, Apple Watch, or any other Bluetooth Low Energy device.)
Blip (free for personal use)
https://blip.net/
(Fast file transfer directly between any two of your devices using the Internet.
Requires a minimum of macOS 12.1 Monterey, iOS/iPadOS 15, or Android 9.
The Windows version is still in development.)
Review:
https://tidbits.com/2024/09/06/appbits-use-blip-to-send-large-files-directly/
BlueStacks (free)
https://www.bluestacks.com/features.html
(Lets you run Android apps on your Mac!)
Brave web browser (free)
https://www.brave.com/
(Apple provides it's own Web browser with every Macintosh; Safari. Why would you want a different Web browser? Because Brave offers the highest level of security of any Web browser for the Macintosh using standard settings. It's FAST, it blocks ads without the need for add-ons, it blocks trackers, and it has excellent compatibility with just about every Web site. Brave simply provides a safer, much more enjoyable browsing experience than other browsers.)
More info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_(web_browser)
https://cyberinsider.com/browser/secure/
Calibre (free)
https://calibre-ebook.com/
(E-book collection manager and converter. Read e-books from other Platforms on your Macintosh. Substitute for Apple's iBooks.)
CaseViewer (Donation Requested.)
https://www.caseviewer.app/
(Legal case law finder. You can retrieve cases from a variety of publicly available sources, and have them formatted for easy study.)
CleanMyJunk (free)
https://cutt.ly/frEJqIhK
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cleanmyjunk-ai-disk-cleaner/id6738380105
(Easily delete all junk and System data to free up space on your Mac.)
Clipboard Manager (free)
https://github.com/nardellil/clipboard-manager
(Allows multiple items to be copy and pasted.)
Cling (free)
https://lowtechguys.com/cling
(File finder that uses its own index and fuzzy searches to search for things that Spotlight can't. It can even do searches using partial names or misspelled names. Also works on external volumes.)
ClipGrab (free)
https://clipgrab.org
(ClipGrab is a free downloader and converter for YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and many other Web-based audio and video sites. It converts downloaded files to MPEG4, MP3 or other common formats in one easy step.)
ClipTools (free)
https://macmost.com/cliptools
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cliptools/id1619348240?mt=12
(Clipboard manager. Access things that you have previously cut and pasted. You can save clips, use powerful Smart Clips, paste the date or time in any format you wish, and/or paste boilerplate that you create.)
Clipy (free)
https://clipy-app.com
(An advanced clipboard manager that will allow you to copy and store as many things as you like, and then export them in any order that you like. Invaluable for doing research and writing.)
(NOTE: Don't let the Japanese on this product's Web page scare you. This app is entirely in English.)
Clocker (free)
https://abhishekbanthia.com/clocker/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clocker-menubar-world-clock/id1056643111?ls=1&mt=12
(World clock integrated right into your menu bar, allowing you to quickly check up on your colleagues/friends/family in different time zones. Includes reminders feature.)
CloudClip Manager (free)
https://thinkbitz.com/cloudclip/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cloudclip-manager/id563362017?mt=12
(Sync your clipboard between your Macintosh and your iPad or iPhone. It's the easiest way to transfer phone numbers, websites, addresses, and more.)
Clyde (free, commercial version has more features)
https://theclyde.app
Direct download of free version: https://theclyde.app/s/Clyde10.dmg
(MacBook security app. Sets off an alarm on your MacBook if somebody attempts to steal it.)
CMap Tools (free)
http://cmap.ihmc.us
http://cmap.ihmc.us/download/
(Mind map app. Empowers users to construct, navigate, share and criticize knowledge models represented as concept maps.)
Coconut Battery (free)
https://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/
(Tells you about the health of your Macbook's battery. When your laptop's battery gets down to about 80% of its original capacity, it's time to think about getting a new battery.)
Copyber (free. Donation requested)
https://copyber.com
(Clipboard manager that allows you to visually keep track of your clips.)
CopyClip (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/copyclip-clipboard-history/id595191960?mt=12
(Simple and efficient clipboard manager.)
CopyLess (free, additional features available for a fee)
https://copyless.net/
(Clipboard manager. Can store up to 1000 recent clippings.)
CoreBreach (free)
https://www.corecode.io/corebreach/CoreBreach/CoreBreach.html
(Futuristic anti-gravity racing game.)
Cot Editor (free)
https://coteditor.com/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/coteditor/id1024640650?mt=12&ls=1
(Powerful text editor. Will colorize syntax; great for hand coding, including HTML.)
Countdown Timer Pro (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/countdown-timer-pro/id6744842468
(Create highly customizable countdown timers.)
CustomShortcuts (free)
https://www.houdah.com/customShortcuts/
(Customize Mac menu keyboard shortcuts.)
Cyberduck (free)
https://cyberduck.io/download/
(FTP browser. "File Transfer Protocol" is how you move files to a server. More importantly, it's how you upload HTML files to your ISP's server to put them on the Web. Easy to use, and fairly full featured.)
Czkawka (free)
https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka?tab=readme-ov-file
(Find duplicates, empty folders, similar images, etc. and delete them.)
DarkModeBuddy (name your price)
https://insidegui.gumroad.com/l/darkmodebuddy
(Automatically switch your Mac between light and dark modes based on your Mac's ambient light sensor.)
Darktable (free)
https://www.darktable.org/
(A clone of Adobe Lightroom. A virtual light-table and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, and enables you to develop raw images and enhance them.)
Davinci Resolve (free; commercial "Studio" version has more features)
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/davinci-resolve/id571213070?mt=12
(Professional video editing, color correction, audio post and visual effects!)
Desktop Icon Manager - "DIM" (free)
http://www.parker9.com/desktopIconManager2.0.html
(Remembers and restores on command the placement of your desktop's icons. It's way too easy to accidentally set the "View" for your desktop to something that re-arranges everything with no way to get back the organization you painstakingly set up manually. With one click, DIM puts your desktop icons right back where they were when you last saved their arrangement. Program can also instantly hide all of your desktop icons.)
DetectX (free)
https://sqwarq.com/detectx/
(Looks for and eliminates all known adware. Will also remove some malware, but this isn't a comprehensive solution for dealing with malware....fortunately you don't need a product to look for the latter because the Mac has built-in anti-malware software.)
DiffusionBee (free)
https://diffusionbee.com
(A set of amazing AI tools for graphic artists!)
DiskInventory X (free)
http://www.derlien.com/
(Lets you see what's using all the space on your drive.)
DropClock (free)
https://github.com/WrkX/Dropclock
(Drag and drop from your menu bar icon to set timers exactly when you need them.)
DockDoor (free)
https://dockdoor.net
(Preview all your windows directly from the dock.)
DockProfile (free)
https://rjnk.gumroad.com/l/dockprofiles
(Lets you save and switch between different macOS Dock layouts instantly.)
draw.io Desktop (free)
https://www.diagrams.net
https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases/tag/v21.2.1
(Diagramming tool. For creating floor-plans, organization charts, process flows, mind-maps, circuit diagrams, story maps and timelines.)
DupeGuru (free)
https://dupeguru.voltaicideas.net/
(Finds duplicate files by either name or content. Also works with music and photos.)
EasyFind (free)
https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/freeware
(File search app. Spotlight doesn't look everywhere on your hard drive for things. Spotlight is designed for speed and to keep you away from things that Apple thinks that you don't need to see. EasyFind looks everywhere on your Mac. It can even look for invisible files.)
Easy Record and Trim (free)
https://ithinkapps.com/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mp3trueedit/id731468939
(Allows you to record MP3 files and AAC audio files directly and then trim the recordings without any quality loss.)
Easy Streaming (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easy-streaming/id6449092750?mt=12
(Easy Streaming helps you to conveniently browse multiple streaming and video sites in one application, separate from your web browser.)
EconomixX (free)
http://y.callaud.free.fr/economix.html
(Finance manager. Personal accounting. )
EdenMath (free)
http://www.edenwaith.com/products/edenmath/
(Scientific calculator which does standard arithmetic, probability, and trigonometric functions.)
eM Client (free/$50)
https://www.emclient.com/
(Extremely full featured e-mail client. Includes calendars, tasks, contacts, notes, and chat features. Commercial Pro version adds features that the free version lacks.)
Encrypto (free)
https://macpaw.com/encrypto
(Instantly encrypt and password protect your files or folders. Decrypt them with a double-click and enter the password. Not even the FBI can break this encryption. There is also a free version of this product for Windows, so encrypted files can be shared across platforms!)
EnvelopeMagic (free)
https://www.envelopemagic.com
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/envelopemagic/id1516167860?mt=12
(App for printing envelopes. Requires macOS 11.5 or later.)
eqMac (free. Commercial Pro version has more features.)
https://eqmac.app/
(System Audio Equalizer. Make your music sound better by adjusting it for your speakers and environment.)
Espanso (free)
https://espanso.org/
(Text expander. Create snippets that when typed expand into often-used terms and boilerplate.)
EtreCheckPro (free; additional features available for a fee)
https://etrecheck.com/en/index.html
(Helps you track down the cause of serious problems on your Mac. Can also remove annoying adware.)
eul (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eul/id1537133867
(System status monitoring app.)
Exporter (free)
http://falcon.star-lord.me/exporter/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/exporter/id1099120373?mt=12
(Apple's free program Notes doesn't provide a way to export all of your data as editable text files. It holds your data hostage. This app remedies that.)
FaceTime (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/facetime/id1110145091
(Make audio and video calls for free.)
FancyFolders (free)
https://github.com/kfreitag1/FancyFolders
(Create custom folder icons from symbols, text, or images.)
FFWorks (free)
https://www.ffworks.net/
(Video file translator and editor. Provides a graphical user interface for FFMPEG.)
Filezilla (free)
https://filezilla-project.org
(Cross-platform FTP and SFTP client.)
Flow Vision (free)
https://github.com/netdcy/FlowVision
(Waterfall-style image viewer for macOS, designed to facilitate reviewing a large number of photos.)
Fluster (free)
https://www.flusterapp.com/
(Notetaking app specifically for students and researchers. Handles equations, snippets, bibliography management, task lists, whiteboards, and much more!)
FontDoc (free)
https://allenmonroesmith.bitbucket.io/FontDoc/
(Creates a file showing all of your fonts and how they look. File can be printed to show how all of your fonts look printed.)
FormulatePro (free)
http://code.google.com/p/formulatepro/
(Allows you to fill in PDF forms on-screen and print them. Even locked ones. The latest version of Preview can do most of what Formulate can do, and more, but Formulate is really good at what it does, and makes it easier. )
Note: This application is not 64-bit and can't be run under Mac OS 10.15 Catalina and later.
Fotor (free/subscription. Commercial version adds more features.)
https://www.fotor.com/mac/index.html
(Easy to use, but powerful photo editing app.)
FoxIt PDF Reader (free)
https://www.foxit.com/pdf-reader/
(View, print, annotate, fill-in forms, and sign PDF documents. Alternative to Preview, but not an Adobe Acrobat Pro replacement.)
FreeCAD (free, donation requested.)
https://www.freecad.org/downloads.php
(Computer aided design. Produce, export and edit solid, full-precision models.)
FreeFileSync (free)
https://freefilesync.org
(Graphical file synchronization and folder comparison tool.)
FreeOffice (free)
https://www.freeoffice.com/en/
(Very similar to Microsoft Office; with a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation application included. Excellent compatibility with Microsoft format files! Softmaker makes two commercial versions of this office suite, called Softmaker Office, but the free version is all that many people might need. Not a crippled or demo product. On a par with LibreOffice; each has their strong points and weak points.)
Freescaler (free)
https://www.murusfirewall.com/freescaler/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freescaler/id6443796196?mt=12
(Upscale low-res images using AI!)
Freeter (free)
https://freeter.io/
(Multi-function app concentrating on workflow/project assistance and time and to-do management.)
FreeTube (free)
https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube?tab=readme-ov-file
(Download the "freetube-0.xx-x-mac-x64.dmg" file.)
(YouTube player that blocks advertisements, tracking, and which allows downloading!)
FSNotes (free)
https://fsnot.es/
(Notes manager that syncs with your other devices.)
Fugit (free)
https://www.gorgeousity.com/fugit
(Beautiful digital desktop clock.)
Full Deck Solitaire (free)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/full-deck-solitaire/id412980789?mt=12
(An awesome Solitaire game, offering a bunch of variations and nice game play.)
FunctionFlip (free)
https://kevingessner.com/software/functionflip/
(Controls your MacBook's function keys, turning special keys back to regular F-keys, or vice-versa.)
Garage Band (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/garageband/id682658836?ls=1&mt=12
https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/
("A fully equipped music creation studio right inside your Mac".)
Get Plain Text (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/get-plain-text/id508368068?mt=12
(Will convert any bit of text you copy into plain text, no matter where you copied it from [a website, PDF document or elsewhere]. You can activate the feature manually, or check "Automatically remove formatting" to make the app take care of it every time you copy something.)
Gimp (free)
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/
http://www.gimp.org/
(A very advanced photo retouching, image composition and image authoring program, similar to Photoshop.)
Free tutorials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8C0LJPpr64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EPIUyFJ4ag
Gladys (free, "tips" encouraged)
http://www.bru.build/gladys-for-macos
(A drag-and-drop shelf that holds things you want to set aside, such as links, text snippets, map locations, contacts, images, photos, emails, messages, etc. without having to switch apps.)
Go64 (free)
https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/
(Scans your internal drive for 32-bit applications that won't be compatible after upgrading to macOS Catalina or later.)
Grab2Text (free)
https://www.softwarehow.com/grab2text/
(Extract non-selectable text from photos, PDFs, screenshots, presentations, online videos, app windows, etc., using OCR.)
Gramps (free)
https://gramps-project.org/blog/
https://gramps-project.org/blog/download/
(Genealogy program developed by genealogists.)
Grand Perspective (free)
https://grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net/
$3 on the App Store, but free on SourceForge. Both versions are exactly the same.
(Lets you see what's using all the space on your drive.)
GreenOrbmax (donation requested)
http://www.carsten-mielke.com/greenorbmax.html
(Makes the green button in the upper left of a window maximize the window rather than throw you in to full screen mode.)
Growly Checkbook (free)
https://growlybird.com/checkbook/index.html
(Personal finance software.)
Growly Draw (free)
https://www.growlybird.com/draw/
(Does both vector graphics and bitmapped. A drawing program with a bit of painting ability.)
Growly Notes (free)
http://growlybird.com/notes/index.html
(Notebook program. A really nice program for keeping notes, snippets from Web sites, etc. It has a garish default interface, but in Prefs there is an option to change to a very Mac-like interface. An alternative to Apple's Notes.
GrowlyWrite (free)
http://growlybird.com/write/index.html
(If you want a word processor that is easy to use, and which is definitely easier to use than Microsoft Word, this one might be what you are looking for. The one big downside is that it doesn't do footnotes.)
GNUCash (free)
http://www.gnucash.org/
(Quicken substitute. GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software. Designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible, GnuCash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. As quick and intuitive to use as a checkbook register, it is based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports. )
How to install:
http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/MacOSXInstallation
Handbrake (free)
https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php
(HandBrake takes videos you already have and makes new ones that work on your mobile phone, tablet, TV media player, game console, computer, or web browser.
HandyWords (free)
https://apps.apple.com/it/app/handywords-vocabulary-builder/id6748362446?l=en-GB&mt=12
(English dictionary and vocabulary builder.)
HiddenBar (free)
https://superbits.co/hidden/
https://github.com/dwarvesf/hidden
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hidden-bar/id1452453066?mt=12
(Lets you hide menu bar items to give your Mac a less cluttered look.
HideIcons (free)
https://github.com/com-entonos/Hide-Icons
https://github.com/com-entonos/Hide-Icons/releases/tag/2.2.1
(Lets you hide/show your desktop icons.
Highlight AI (free)
https://highlightai.com
(AI assistant that works across apps.)
Hyper Cursor (Free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1634220679
https://kaihatsubu.com/projects/
(Display a customizable circle around your mouse cursor. Useful if you have poor eyesight or a huge or multiple monitors.)
HitFilm Express (free)
https://fxhome.com/express
Review:
https://www.techradar.com/reviews/hitfilm-express
(Very powerful video editing and video effects software.)
Home & Lock Screen Widgets (free)
https://www.imagetasks.com/lockera/
(Useful desktop widgets. Keep track of essential information, do simple calculations, create sticky notes and to-do lists.)
HopToDesk (free)
https://www.hoptodesk.com
(Remote desktop sharing from your Mac to multiple other platforms.
Includes true end-to-end encrypted traffic, peer-peer file transfer, and live chat.
Allows users to share their screen and allows remote control access to their computers and devices.)
Hyperkey (free)
https://hyperkey.app
(Re-map Caps Lock key and/or create an additional modifier key that you can use in any app with keyboard shortcuts.)
ICE (free) (Requires macOS 14 and later.)
https://github.com/jordanbaird/Ice
(Very comprehensively manages items in your menu bar.)
iFan (free)
etter365.cn/h-col-195.html
(Allows manual control of MacBook fans. Works with Apple Silicon Macs.)
IINA (free)
https://iina.io/
(Video file player that works with many different formats. While VLC is very popular, IINA may be better.)
ImageOptim (free)
https://imageoptim.com/mac
(Saves disk space and bandwidth by compressing images without losing quality. Combines several different compression techniques. Allows choice of lossless or lossy compression.)
iMovie (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id408981434
(Apple's own movie editing and organizing software.)
InfoMenu (free)
https://www.elonovo.com/app_freeware/infomenu
(See the main info of your Mac from the menu bar, including processor use, memory use, space available on the main hard drive.)
Inkscape (free)
https://inkscape.org
(A professional-level vector graphics application with layers and many other useful features.)
IsThereNet (free)
https://lowtechguys.com/istherenet/
(Watches for internet connection status changes and draws a colored line at the top of the screen to indicate the status.)
Itsycal (free)
https://www.mowglii.com/itsycal/
(A superb little menubar calendar.)
Ivinci Express (free)
http://phyar.cn
(Vector drawing program reminiscent of the long-departed MacDraw.
Joplin (free, donations requested)
https://joplinapp.org
(Notebook app. Will save text, images, videos, PDFs, entire Web pages, and audio files. Highly secure.)
JumpCut (free)
https://snark.github.io/jumpcut/
(Clipboard manager. Copy, save, and paste as many things as you like in any order that you like.)
Junkyard (free, nag screen for donations)
https://zebcode.com/
(Mind mapping, outlining, and note keeping application.)
JuxtaText (free)
https://juxtatext.app/
(Compare & Merge Text. See differences at a glance. Merge them into one.)
Karabiner-Elements (free)
https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org
(A powerful keyboard customizer for macOS. Change keys to other keys, or have a key-press perform a rule.)
Keka (free, donations requested)
https://www.keka.io/en/
(A file archiving and unarchiving utility. Compresses files to save disk space, splits and compresses files for e-mailing, and/or encrypts files for security. Though the Mac OS has the built-in ability to create compressed Zip archives, it doesn't include the ability to password protect or encrypt a compressed zip archive. Keka adds this ability. Easy drag and drop. Free from the developer's website, or can be purchased via the Mac App Store if you want to support the developer. No difference in functionality.)
Keyboard Cowboy (free)
https://github.com/zenangst/KeyboardCowboy
https://github.com/zenangst/KeyboardCowboy/releases
(Allows you to create macros to automate tasks.)
KeyKlu (free)
https://github.com/Anze/KeyCluCask
(Shows Macintosh application's keyboard shortcuts. Easy to use: just press "?" twice and hold to see the list.)
Keynote (free)
https://www.apple.com/keynote/
(Apple's own presentation program. Previously available only with a new Mac or commercially; now totally free. A joy to use!)
KoalaCalc (free)
http://www.macropodsoftware.com/koalacalc/
(A really nice calculator. Much more advanced than the one that comes with your Mac. Includes tape and lots of conversions.)
Krita (free)
https://krita.org/
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/
(A professional painting program. Photoshop replacement.)
Later (free)
https://getlater.app
(Clear and restore your desktop organization instantly.)
Launchie (free)
https://www.launchie.app/
(A Launchpad replacement for macOS 26 and beyond.)
LazPaint (free)
https://lazpaint.github.io/
(Cross-platform image editor with raster and vector layers.)
Free tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=LazPaint
Libre Office (free)
http://www.libreoffice.org
(A Microsoft Office clone; though more like the Windows version of Office than the Macintosh version. Compatible with Office files and file formats. Also can open and edit WordPerfect files. Includes very advanced word processor, spreadsheet, database, drawing, charting, and presentation capabilities.)
Lickable Menu Bar (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lickable-menu-bar/id6444217677?mt=12
(Brings back classic menu bar styles to your Mac.)
LocalSend (free)
https://localsend.org
(Transfers files to local devices. Encrypted end to end. The file transfer is completely peer-to-peer.)
Logseq (free)
https://github.com/logseq/logseq?tab=readme-ov-file#-why-logseq
https://github.com/logseq/logseq
https://logseq.com
(Notebook app. Note-taking, collaboration, PDF annotation, Whiteboard and task management.)
Loop (free)
https://github.com/MrKai77/Loop?tab=readme-ov-file#features
(Advanced window manager.)
LULU (free)
https://objective-see.com/products/lulu.html
(Reverse firewall. Keeps software, including malware, from calling home. Little Snitch Alternative. macOS 10.15 and later only.)
MacMouseFix (free/$3) (Version 2.x is completely free. Version 3.x is $3.)
https://mousefix.org/
Older versions: https://github.com/noah-nuebling/mac-mouse-fix/releases
(Enables smooth scrolling, horizontal scrolling, zooming in by scrolling with Command, and other useful settings, for any third party mouse.)
Maccy (free)
https://github.com/p0deje/Maccy
https://github.com/p0deje/Maccy/releases/tag/0.29.3
(Some consider this to be the best of the free clipboard managers!)
MacFanControl (free/$15. Commercial Pro version has more features.)
https://crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control
(Real-time monitoring of fan speeds and temperatures. Allows you to adjust fan speed and when they come on. Solves overheating problems like those found on older MacBook Pros.)
MachineProfile (free)
https://www.micromat.com/products/machineprofile/
(Collects key, technical hardware information about your Mac that's not easily found elsewhere. Displays the technical profile of a Mac within a single window, which can then be saved as text or PDF or emailed to others. Easily find your Mac's serial number, processor speed, if you're running in 64-bit or 32-bit mode, whether you can run the next version of the Mac OS, and more.)
MacJournal (free)
https://danschimpf.com
(Journaling app. Keeps all of your writing [e.g. blogging] organized.)
MacPass (Free)
https://macpassapp.org
(Password manager. Insanely more powerful than Apple's Keychain.)
Macsyzones (free, $7 donation requested.)
https://macsyzones.com
(Window organizer.)
MacWhisper (free; commercial Pro version adds more features)
https://goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l/macwhisper
(Quickly and accurately records and transcribes your dictation into text using AI.)
Mactracker (free)
https://mactracker.com/
(Awesome resource that allows you to quickly reference the specs of your Mac, or any Mac!)
MailTrackerBlocker for Mail (free)
https://apparition47.github.io/MailTrackerBlocker/
(Blocks e-mail trackers, read receipts, and spy pixels. Plugin for macOS Apple Mail program.)
Maintenance (free)
https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/maintenance.html
(Most of the routine maintenance that you need to do on your Macintosh, all in one app. Unlike other similar utilities, this one is easy to use and it doesn't include a bunch of confusing and possibly dangerous options that you don't need.)
Manager (Free desktop version; commercial/subscription cloud edition)
https://www.manager.io/cloud-edition
(Billed as the "most comprehensive free business accounting software." It is very actively developed, and it is cross platform; with versions for iPhone, Windows and Linux.)
Marathon (free)
https://www.macsourceports.com/game/marathon
(Game in the style of Doom.)
MaxMenu (free)
https://www.elonovo.com/app_freeware/maxmenu
(Can do unit conversions, and common file conversions from the menu bar.)
MediaInfo (free from developer's Web site. Available in the App Store for $1.)
https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo
(Displays the most relevant technical and tag data for video and audio files. Invaluable when trying to track down problems with files that won't open or behave.)
Memoria (free)
https://github.com/vsanthanam/Memoria
(Nice graphic user interface leveraging the trusted memtest engine to test the health of your Mac's RAM.)
Meteorologist (free)
https://heat-meteo.sourceforge.io
(Show the weather in the menu bar, with more detail in a pop-up menu.)
Mints (free)
https://eclecticlightdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/mints112.zip
About:
https://eclecticlight.co/mints-a-multifunction-utility/
(A collection of tools for investigating problems with the Macintosh OS. Aimed primarily at the advanced user, system administrator, support folk, and developers. Although its tools are simple to use.)
Mist (free)
https://github.com/ninxsoft/Mist
(Automatically downloads Macintosh OS Installer programs. Can build a bootable USB drive.)
MonitorControl (free)
https://github.com/MonitorControl/MonitorControl
(Controls your external display brightness and volume from your Mac.)
Mos (free)
https://mos.caldis.me/
(If you are using a non-Apple mouse, this app smooths out scrolling with the mouse wheel.)
MuCommander (free)
https://www.mucommander.com
(Dual-pane file manager. Very much like Windows File Explorer. Requires Java.)
Muscles Puzzle (free)
https://digital-gene.com/app_musclespuzzle.php?lang=en
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/enjoy-learning-muscles-puzzle/id1570744091
(An educational puzzle game to help you learn the names of muscles in the human body.)
Musescore (free)
https://musescore.org/en
(Music notation.)
MyDock (free)
https://www.elonovo.com/app_freeware/mydock
(Custom dock that you can move to any location on the screen with many display options.)
NAPS2 - Not Another PDF Scanner (free)
https://www.naps2.com
(Scanner diver that allows you to use older scanners, even on Apple Silicon Macs. Can save to PDF and do OCR.)
Neo Network Utility (free) (Requires macOS 13 and later.)
https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/freeware
(Lets you do all that you could do with the original Network Utility that Apple used to include with the Mac OS, including find your wi-fi connection speed, perform port scans, use ping, traceroute, whois, netstat, nslookup, and more.)
NetNewsWire (free)
https://netnewswire.com/
(RSS reader. Shows you articles from your favorite blogs and news sites and keeps track of what you've read.)
NetSpot (free)
https://www.netspotapp.com/
(Lets you scan an area for Wi-Fi signal strength, and create floor plans for best wireless connections.)
NightOwl (free)
https://nightowlapp.co
(Switch between light mode and dark mode based on a schedule, or via shortcut.)
NoCal (free/commercial version adds just a few features)
https://nocal.app
(Advanced calendaring.)
Noteaway (free. There is a commercial Pro version with more features.)
https://noteaway.com/
(Note taking app that resides in the menubar.)
Notenik (free)
https://notenik.app/
(Notebook app that stores all of your notes in plain text files that can be opened, viewed and edited using any text editor. Sync to the cloud and to other devices and platforms using your favorite service.)
Numbers (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/numbers/id409203825
(Apple's own spreadsheet program. Previously available only with a new Mac or commercially; now totally free.)
Numi (free; commercial version has more features)
https://numi.app
(Amazing smart menubar calculator! Also does unit conversions and time zones.)
OBS Studio (free)
https://obsproject.com/
(Video recording and live streaming)
Obsidian (free, ability to sync and publish your notes additional cost.)
https://obsidian.md
(Advanced notebook app.)
Office-Reset (free)
https://web.archive.org/web/20250516044906/https://office-reset.com/
(Office-Reset is a free downloadable utility that you can use to fix problems and errors encountered with Microsoft Office for Mac apps. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, Teams and AutoUpdate. The tool can help fix app launch errors, freezes, hangs, crashes, bad plug-ins, corrupt templates, performance issues, and confusing error messages. Does not delete your documents and workbooks.)
OmniDiskSweeper (free)
http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnidisksweeper/
(A utility program that allows you to quickly and easily find all of the large files on your hard drive that are taking up a lot of your hard drive's space, so that you can review them and trash them to reclaim space.)
1Piece (free)
https://app1piece.com/
(A multi-function app, mostly for window and mouse management.)
1001 TVs for Mac (free)
https://www.1001tvs.com/mac/
(Screen mirroring between your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and television, and file transfer.)
One Thing (free)
https://sindresorhus.com/one-thing
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/one-thing/id1604176982?mt=12
(Puts one task, that you want to focus on, in your menu bar.)
Onionshare (free)
https://onionshare.org
(An open-source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. When you want to transfer a file to someone you run the program and then just drag the files into the open box. Then it will create a URL which is what you will send to the person receiving. To work, you need to be using the Tor Web browser, which is also a free product:
https://www.torproject.org/download/
OpenMTP (free)
https://openmtp.ganeshrvel.com/
(Utility that allows you to easily transfer files between a Macintosh and an Android device.)
Openshot Video Editor (free)
https://www.openshot.org
(Easy to use and surprisingly powerful video editor.)
Outlook (free version)
https://aka.ms/OutlookMacDirectDownload
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/outlook-blog/outlook-mac-for-all/ba-p/3757787
https://www.cultofmac.com/808214/microsoft-outlook-for-mac-free-for-everyone/
(Outlook is a high-end e-mail, contacts, and calendar program. The free version will ask for your registration number on setup. When you don't give it one it will continue to work perfectly, but it will display ads.)
Overlap (free)
https://moleskinestudio.com/support/overlap/introduction/overlap-overview/
(A smart world clock that makes it simple to see the time in multiple places at once.)
Pages (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pages/id409201541?mt=12
(Apple's own word processing program. Previously available only with a new Mac or commercially; now totally free. Polarizing; some love it, some hate it. Includes page layout capabilities.)
PaintBrush (free)
http://paintbrush.sourceforge.net/
(Basic painting program. Reminiscent of MacPaint or Microsoft Paint. There are free painting programs for the Mac that are far more sophisticated. But this one won't overwhelm anyone.)
PasteBar (free)
https://www.pastebar.app/
(Very advanced clipboard manager with unlimited clipboard history, saved custom clips, and quick-access paste menus.)
Pathways Into Darkness (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pathways-into-darkness/id617234634
(One of the first first-person-shooter games, lovingly recreated. Explore a maze in an ancient Egyptian pyramid, collect treasure and deal with obstacles. Part virtual reality, part combat, part puzzle, this game will give you hours of engrossing playtime.)
PDFGear (free; developers says that some features may become commercial in the future)
https://www.pdfgear.com/pdfgear-for-mac/
(Read, edit, convert, merge, and sign PDF files. AI features. Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and JPG. Fill in forms even if the fields are not hot. OCR and batch file conversions. Adobe Acrobat Pro alternative.)
Pearcleaner (free)
https://itsalin.com/appInfo/?id=pearcleaner
https://github.com/alienator88/Pearcleaner?tab=readme-ov-file
(Application uninstaller and cleaner. Not really necessary for the Macintosh, but some users prefer having. )
PearHID (free)
https://itsalin.com/appInfo/?id=pearhid
(Easily re-map your keyboard.)
Permissions Reset (free)
https://ohanaware.com/permissionsreset/
(If you have files, folders or apps that cannot be opened, or files that refuse to have changes saved to them, if the problem is due to incorrectly set permissions, Permissions Reset can fix things in an instant.)
Pester (free)
https://sabi.net/nriley/software/
review:
https://www.macworld.com/article/1152579/pester.html
(Makes it easy and convenient to create simple alarms.)
Phonix (free)
https://phonix.nl.eu.org/
(Full featured music player.)
PhotoscapeX (free)
http://x.photoscape.org
(Photo retouching application. Very easy to use but very powerful. Lots of great effects.)
Pinta (free)
https://www.pinta-project.com
User Guide:
https://www.pinta-project.com/user-guide/
Tutorials:
https://www.pinta-project.com/howto/pinta-on-web
(Program for drawing and image editing. Includes layering.)
Pixea (free)
https://www.imagetasks.com/pixea/
(Image viewer & video player. Remove defects and unwanted objects or upscale low-resolution images with AI-powered tools. Pixea works great with JPEG, HEIC, PSD, RAW, WEBP, PNG, GIF, and many other formats.)
PlayCover (free)
https://playcover.io
(Run iPhone/iOS apps and games natively on your Apple Silicon Mac.)
Pomy (free)
https://vanejung.com/pomy/
(App to diminish eye strain by reminding you to take eye breaks.)
PosteRazor (free)
https://sourceforge.net/projects/posterazor/
(Print huge posters by cutting up the image and printing it as multiple pages to be assembled as a poster!)
ProNotes (free; commercial version adds AI assistant)
https://www.pronotes.app
(An Apple Notes plugin to add several useful features. e.g. Format bar, Markdown, Slash commands, Bi-directional links, Templates.)
QuickDraw Viewer (free)
https://github.com/wiesmann/QuickDrawViewer
(Allows you to view old QuickDraw (PICT) files and convert them to PDF format.)
Quick Family Tree (free)
https://digital-gene.com/app_familytree.php?lang=en
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/quick-family-tree/id1447075049
(Easy to use genealogy program.)
Quick Scrap Notes (free, apps asks for contribution)
https://www.ringgit.me/p/quick-scrap-note.html
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/quick-scrap-note/id6745748946?mt=12
(Quick capture front end to Apple's Notes.)
Quicksheet (free)
https://gnomeapps.com/quicksheet/
(Quick access spreadsheet for your menubar.)
QuickGPT (free, donation requested)
https://sindresorhus.gumroad.com/l/quickgpt
(Artificial intelligence [AI] access from the Finder. Easily access ChatGPT from the menu bar, Dock, or using a keyboard shortcut.)
Quicksilver (free)
https://qsapp.com/index.php
(Quick app finder and launcher.)
Qview (free)
https://interversehq.com/qview/
(High performance image viewer.)
RansomWhere? (free)
https://objective-see.com/products/ransomwhere.html
(Protects you from ransomware! Continually monitors your Mac's file-system for calls to the process that creates encrypted files. When the program detects such a call, it stops the process from running, alerts you, and asks for permission before allowing the process to continue to run. If your data can't be encrypted against your will, it can't be held for ransom. The one downside to this program is that there are things that the Mac OS legitimately encrypts, so RansomWhere? will occasionally throw up alerts with regard to innocuous legitimate processes that you may not be savvy enough to identify. NOTE: If the latter will scare you and make you paranoid, you may want to pass on this product. For now, the chances of encountering ransomware on your Macintosh are just about nil.)
Raycast (free for personal use)
https://www.raycast.com/
(Launcher and clipboard manager. A selection of valuable utility tools. Uses AI. Extensible.)
Recordia (free)
https://sindresorhus.com/recordia
(Easily record audio via the menu bar or keyboard shortcut.)
Rectangle (free)
https://rectangleapp.com/
(Window manager that will quickly arrange all of your open windows in a way that makes them easiest to work with.)
Red Quits (donation requested)
http://www.carsten-mielke.com/redquits.html
(In the Mac OS, if you click the red button at upper left of a window, it usually only closes the window. The app remains open, even if all of its windows are closed. This utility will quit the app if you click the red button, just like on Windows.)
Rember (free)
https://www.kelleycomputing.net/rember
(RAM testing utility. If your Mac is exhibiting flaky behavior, especially odd quits and crashes, this tool can quickly tell you if it is due to defective RAM. NOTE: Does not work on "Apple Silicon"-based Macs.)
Right Zoom (free)
https://blazingtools.com/right_zoom_mac.html
(Maximizes windows, instead of being thrown into full screen mode, by clicking on the green button at the top left of a window.)
RWTS-PDFwriter (free)
https://github.com/rodyager/RWTS-PDFwriter
(For macOS 11.0+.)
(Printer driver that allows you to save files directly to PDF without the usual multiple steps. I keep on hearing from folks that if you create or modify a PDF (including forms) using Apple's Preview, and save it, it won't be formatted in quite the same way that Adobe Reader/Acrobat would have done. As a result, if you upload the filled-out form to someone or somewhere that expects "pure" Adobe pdfs, your PDF may not render correctly at the receiving end. I've been told that you can get around this problem by using PDFwriter. It installs and works like any print driver, but "prints" to a pdf file that is compatible in the above situations.)
SAT SMART Driver (free)
https://github.com/kasbert/OS-X-SAT-SMART-Driver
(Allows external drives to report S.M.A.R.T. status. S.M.A.R.T. is a standard for monitoring the health of a hard drive based on a number of parameters, to be able to predict pending failure.)
Scribus (free)
https://www.scribus.net/
(Page layout program.)
ScrollSnap (free)
https://github.com/Brkgng/ScrollSnap
https://github.com/Brkgng/ScrollSnap/releases/tag/1.0.0
(Allows you to take a screenshot of material that must be scrolled to see completely.)
SeaMonkey (free)
https://www.seamonkey-project.org
(This product is a bit of an anachronism. Reminiscent of the long-departed Netscape, SeaMonkey includes a bunch of important Internet utilities all in one application. An Internet browser, an email & newsgroup client with an included web feed reader, an HTML editor, IRC chat and web development tools. There are better individual applications for all of these functions...except...SeaMonkey's WYSIWYG HTML editor is the best one that I've seen that can both open existing HTML projects, and save as an HTML project.)
Second Clock (free)
https://sindresorhus.com/second-clock
(Show a second clock for a different time zone in your menu bar.)
Sejda (free but limited jobs, commercial version sold only on a subscription basis has unlimited use)
https://www.sejda.com/desktop
(Advanced PDF editor. Edit & Sign PDF files. Fill out PDF forms. Change PDF text. Add text to PDF. Edit existing PDF text. Add images to PDFs.
Create and edit hyperlinks in PDF. Annotate PDF. OCR PDF's that originated as scans.)
Shazam (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shazam-identify-songs/id897118787?mt=12
(Almost magically identifies songs just by hearing them.)
Shotcut (free)
https://shotcut.org/
(Video editing software. Includes many nice audio and video effects.)
Shutter Encoder (free)
https://www.shutterencoder.com/
(Video file translator and editor. A graphical user interface app for FFMPEG.)
SilentKnight (free)
https://eclecticlight.co/lockrattler-systhist/
(The Mac OS includes several anti-malware features. These features are regularly updated by Apple. SilentKnight checks to see if these features are up to date for your Mac, and if they aren't, you can update them right within the program.)
Silicon (free)
https://imazing.com/downloads
https://downloads.imazing.com/mac/Silicon.app.zip
Info:
https://9to5mac.com/2020/11/24/check-m1-compatibility-for-mac-apps/
(Scan your Mac's apps and displays their supported CPU architecture. Especially made to detect apps which offer native Apple Silicon [M1, M2, etc.] support.)
Simple Comic (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simple-comic/id1497435571?mt=12
(Excellent on-screen comic book reading utility.)
Simplenote (free)
https://simplenote.com
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplenote-notes-and-memos/id692867256?mt=12
(All your notes and memos, synced on all your devices.)
Skim (free)
https://skim-app.sourceforge.io/
(PDF Reader. Apple's Preview includes a lot of nice PDF reading and annotating features. Some may prefer Skim's ability to allow you to comfortably
read and review any PDF.)
SkipTheTrash (free)
https://blazingtools.com/delete_without_trash_mac.html
(Delete files without them being placed in the Trash first. Useful when you want to delete one file without emptying everything in the Trash.)
Slack (free)
https://slack.com/features
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slack-for-desktop/id803453959?mt=12
(Real-time business collaboration and project management.)
Sloth (free)
https://github.com/sveinbjornt/Sloth
(Shows all open files, directories, sockets, pipes and devices in use by all running processes. This is a nice diagnostic tool if your Mac won't shut down, or if it keeps telling you that a disk hasn't been dismounted properly. Finding the source of those problems might be next to impossible without this utility.)
SmartCapsLock (name your price)
https://kishan.org/smartcapslock/
(Fix accidental all-CAPS with a click.)
SmartReporter (free)
https://www.corecode.io/smartreporter/
(Warns you of some internal hard disk drive failures [especially rotating disk hard drives] before they actually happen by periodically polling the status of your hard disk drives! See "SSDreporter" for SSD's.)
SomaFM Radio Player (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/somafm-radio-player/id449155338?mt=12
https://somafm.com/listen/
(Over 30 channels of commercial-free underground/alternative music.)
Spark (free)
https://sparkmailapp.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1176895641?mt=12
(E-mail client. Apple's Mail is a really good e-mail client that gets way too little respect. But Spark tries to be even better. The free version of Spark is for individuals. There are commercial versions for business users who need collaboration features.)
Spokenly (free)
https://apps.apple.com/app/spokenly-voice-dictation-ai/id6740315592
https://spokenly.app
(Transforms dictation into typed text into any app or text field on your computer. Boasts higher security than other similar apps.)
Spotify (free/pay)
http://www.spotify.com/se/
(Find just about any music and play it on your Mac, legally. Doesn't download songs; it's more like a radio by-request. The free version has ads that are easily ignored.)
Srtly (free, donation requested)
https://github.com/patricksthannon/Srtly
(Automatically organize files in your chosen folder [like Downloads or Desktop] into neat, categorized subfolders.)
SSDreporter (free)
https://www.corecode.io/ssdreporter/index.html
(Checks the health of your internal Solid State Drive ["SSD"] and warns of impending failure before it happens.)
Stats (free)
https://github.com/exelban/stats
(Allows you to very comprehensively monitor your macOS system. CPU utilization, GPU utilization, Memory usage, Disk utilization etc.)
Steecky (free)
https://steecky.app/en/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/steecky/id6498235419?mt=12
(Instant access text editor which resides in your menubar. Eliminates need to switch apps to take notes.)
Stickier (free)
https://camazotz.com/stickier/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stickier/id6447073047?mt=12
(Advanced sticky notes.)
Storyboarder (free)
https://wonderunit.com/storyboarder/
(Storyboard ideas. Useful for anyone working in video / animation / advertising, etc.)
Stretchly (free)
https://hovancik.net/stretchly/
(Reminds you to take breaks when working on your computer.)
SuperDuper! (free/$28)
http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html
(This program creates a backup of your main hard drive onto another hard drive; a perfect, bootable clone. SuperDuper! is dead reliable and super-easy to use. And it's relatively fast! Some folks prefer Carbon Copy Cloner, but SuperDuper! is easier and better able to create bootable clones. The commercial version of SuperDuper! allows you do to smart updates of your backup, and is totally worth the price for the time that it saves. SuperDuper!, combined with an inexpensive external drive, can, and probably will, seriously save your bacon when your hard drive inevitably fails.
Super Productivity (free)
https://super-productivity.com/
(Multi-function app focusing on time tracking, workflow, to-do, etc.)
SuperWhisper (free/subscription. Subscription version has more features.)
https://superwhisper.com/
(AI powered transcription of dictation.)
SubEthaEdit (free)
https://subethaedit.net/
(Collaborative writing app. Share in real time articles, code, notes or meeting minutes with colleagues, wherever they are.)
Suspicious Package (free)
https://www.mothersruin.com/software/SuspiciousPackage/
(Enables you to open macOS Installer packages and see what's inside, without installing their contents first, so you can determine if it is legitimate and safe.)
Sweet Home 3D (free)
http://www.sweethome3d.com
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sweethome3d/
https://sourceforge.net/software/product/Sweet-Home-3D/
(Interior design application that helps you draw and plan your house, arrange furniture in it, and visualize the results in 3D.)
SwiftShift (Pay what you want.)
https://www.swiftshift.app
(Move/resize windows with your mouse without searching for tiny arrows or window titles.)
Syncthing (free)
https://syncthing.net/
(Continuous file synchronization program. It synchronizes files between two or more computers over a LAN or over the Internet. Synchronize as many folders as you like. Works cross-platform.)
Symphytum (free)
http://giowck.github.io/symphytum/
(Personal database software. Design custom input forms via drag and drop. Use text, numbers, images, files and other control fields. Put your data into the cloud for automatic synchronization between all of your computers. Not a replacement for heavy duty database software, but excellent for keeping track of collections, recipes, members of an organization, daily logs, etc.)
TailScale (free for individuals or small teams)
https://tailscale.com/
(Allows access to remote devices. e.g. access your home computer from your MacBook!)
Task Till Dawn (free)
https://www.oliver-matuschin.de/en/projects/task-till-dawn
(Automate your recurring and tedious computer tasks. Create workflows from a variety of ready-made actions. You can then have these executed on a schedule. Many ready-made actions to choose from to create workflows.)
Tayasui Sketches (free. Commercial Pro version has more features.)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tayasui-sketches-school/id1031566200?mt=12
https://www.tayasui.com/sketches/
(Graphics program for drawing and painting that supports layers.)
TempBox (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tempbox/id6575345984
(Create temporary email address instantly, to keep your real inbox clean.)
TextClip (free)
https://apps.apple.com/no/app/textclip/id6746357735?mt=12
https://designr.pro
(Turn graphics and scans with text in them into editable text documents. Does OCR.)
TextGrabber (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/textgrabber/id6451423640?mt=12
https://github.com/plotJ/TextGrabber
(Screen capture utility that extracts text from non-copyable sources using OCR.)
TheBoringNotch (free)
https://theboring.name/
(Similar to the Dynamic Island feature on iPhones. It adds music controls, visualizations, and other useful features to the notch area.)
ThumbsUp (Free)
https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/freeware
(Create thumbnails for your website in seconds.)
Thunderbird (free)
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/
(A full featured, easy to use, open source e-mail client program that offers speed, privacy and the latest technologies.)
Tiles (free)
https://freemacsoft.net/tiles/
(A window manager which allows you to easily reorganize windows by either dragging them to the edges of the screen, using keyboard shortcuts, or using the menu bar.)
Time Machine Mechanic "T2M2" (free)
https://eclecticlight.co/consolation-t2m2-and-log-utilities/
(A quick but thorough check of how well Time Machine is performing backups.)
TimeScroll (free)
https://timescroll.muzhen.org/
(Find anything that at one time appeared on your Mac's screen.)
TinkerTool (free)
https://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html
https://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerToolOverview.html
(Gives you a way to make some very popular tweaks to macOS that normally aren't easily accessible. Be sure to download the correct version for the version of the Mac OS you are running.)
TNEF's Enough (free)
http://www.joshjacob.com/mac-development/tnef.php
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/tnefs-enough/id986621173?mt=12
(When a sender uses Outlook as their mail client on a Windows PC, and Outlook is set to send messages in Rich Text format (RTF) or HTML format, it creates an archive for attachments called "winmail.dat" that can't be decoded by any other e-mail program. This program will let you open and read those archives.)
ToDo X (free)
https://www.nomicro.com/Products/ToDo/
(Simple to-do lists with a clean interface. Color-coded priorities and unlimited attached notes. Drag & drop to copy, link or move items among lists.)
TrashRecover (free)
https://www.corecode.io/trashrecover/index.html
(Automatically makes backups of what is in your Trash, so that you can restore accidentally deleted files. NOTE: To be able to recover trashed files with TrashRecover, you need to have installed it BEFORE you have accidentally trashed a file that you now want back. This isn't a drive recovery program.)
TRex (free)
https://github.com/amebalabs/TRex
(OCR menubar app that allows you to grab text from images.)
Tuner (free)
https://billthefarmer.github.io/ctuner/
https://github.com/billthefarmer/ctuner/releases/tag/v1.09
(download "uner-1.09.dmg")
(A musical instrument tuner.)
ueli (free)
https://ueli.app/#/
(An application finder and launcher using the keyboard.)
UTM (free from GitHub, $10 from Mac App Store)
https://mac.getutm.app/
https://github.com/utmapp/UTM
https://github.com/utmapp/UTM/releases/latest/download/UTM.dmg
Instructions:
https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/76602-microsoft-windows-11-on-an-m1-mac/
(Allows you to run Windows on your Macintosh! It even works on Apple Silicon-based Macs!)
VideoLAN Client aka VLC (free)
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html
(Video player. A Swiss Army Knife for playing any and every video format file, especially those that QuickTime can't handle.)
VirtualBox (free)
https://www.virtualbox.org/
(Allows you to run Windows on your Macintosh. Unlike Apple's own Bootcamp, which only allows you to run EITHER Windows OR the Mac OS with a re-start, VirtualBox allows you to run Windows and the Mac OS at the same time.) NOTE: Does not run on Macs with Apple Silicon processors (i.e. M1 or M2-based Macs.)
VirusBarrier Free Edition (free)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/VirusBarrier-Scanner/id1200445649
(This is a full version of Intego's commercial ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM VirusBarrier [usually $40/year] minus some [but not all] of the automated scanning features in the commercial version. For those who don't know, Intego's VirusBarrier comes from a company that specializes in software for the Macintosh, and it consistently wins all the believable comparison tests.)
More info:
https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/intego-launches-virusbarrier-scanner-free-mac-antivirus/
Do you need anti-virus software? No, the Mac has it's own built-in. Plus there is very little malware for the Macintosh in the wild to be concerned about. The value in having this free anti-virus program is that if you are the paranoid type, you can now use the best third-party program available to satisfy yourself that you aren't infected with something. Also, this free version is sandboxed and it isn't deeply embedded in your system, like other anti-virus programs, so it shouldn't impact your Mac's overall performance as just about all the other anti-virus programs do.)
Viz (free)
https://itsalin.com/appInfo/?id=viz
(An OCR utility for capturing text from images, videos, qr/barcodes, etc.)
VN Video Editor (free)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vn-video-editor/id1343581380
(An easy-to-use video editing app, that offers professional results!)
Wake Up Time (free)
https://rockysandstudio.com/index.html#index
(A really nice alarm clock for your Mac's desktop.)
Website Blocker (free)
https://blazingtools.com/free_website_blocker_mac.html
(Parental controls. Block viewing of websites in web browser by creating a black list based on keywords and/or addresses. Useful for parents to control their children's access to harmful content.)
Window Collage (free)
https://www.minicreo.com/window-collage/
(Multiple window manager.)
Windows Shortcuts for Mac OS (free)
https://windowsshortcutsmac.com/
(Instantly make your MacOS keyboard behave like Windows. The Mac OS has this ability built-in, but this is easier and more comprehensive.)
WordPress (free)
https://wordpress.org/
(For people who want to create their own professional website. There are a large number of free templates available.)
WordService (free)
https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/freeware
(Allows you to instantly do a number of text clean up chores without having to switch applications. Reformat text paragraphs, clean up tabs, quotes, line endings, change case. etc. Also allows you to highlight a Web address in a text document and instantly go to it in your browser.)
Xapp (free)
https://www.better365.cn
(Application uninstaller.)
XLD (free)
https://tmkk.undo.jp/xld/index_e.html
(A tool for converting and playing audio files, including FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, WAV, WavPack, MP3 and others.)
XMenu (free)
https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/freeware
(Add one or more out of six menus to the right side of your menu bar to give you access to your applications, folders, documents, files, and text snippets. Launch any app with a single menu choice or insert text snippets into your documents.)
XnConvert (free)
https://www.xnview.com/en/xnconvert/
(Image converter. Allows you to automate conversion and editing of your photo collections: you can rotate, convert and compress your images, photos and pictures easily, and apply over 80 actions [like resize, crop, color adjustments, filter, etc.])
XNViewer (free)
https://www.xnview.com/en/xnview/
(A powerful and versatile image viewer, photo management, and image resizer software.)
XProCheck (free)
https://eclecticlight.co/2022/09/05/xprocheck-a-new-utility-to-inspect-anti-malware-scans/
(The Mac OS now [macOS 12.3 or later] has a built-in automatic virus scanner called XProtect Remediator. However, XPR works invisibly in the background. XProCheck allows you to read XProtect Remediator scan logs to see what it has been doing.)
YACReader (free)
https://www.yacreader.com
(Supreme comic book reading utility. Also excellent for reading PDF's.)
Zettlr (free)
https://www.zettlr.com/
(Word processor that supports your writing process at every stage; from initial notes to journal submission or book manuscript.)
Zotero (free)
https://www.zotero.org
(Research tool, to help you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share information. Instantly creates references and bibliographies. Similar to a notebook-type app.)
Why Is The Software Listed On This Page Free?
I've been asked "Why are these applications free? Are they not professional quality? Are they unstable? Do they contain malware?"
Well, first, they are all of professional quality, they are stable and they are safe. The reasons that these programs are free are various.
Some
were simply
written by
Macintosh
enthusiasts
who want to
strengthen the
Macintosh
platform and
give back to
the Macintosh
community.
Others were
previously
commercial and
the developer
decided that
they didn't
want to be in
the business
of selling
software
anymore, so
they made the
program
available for
free, or they
made the code
open source to
let the
community
continue to
update it.
Some
programs were
written by
people who
just like to
code and they
wanted to see
if they could
create a
really good
app.
Others are
free to
attract you to
the Web site
of the
developer to
see his or her
commercial
offerings.
Some are
essentially
unlimited
demos, to get
you hooked on
the program,
in the hope
that you will
want to
purchase a
more
full-featured
version of the
program in the
future.
And some very
few of the
above include
ads, and the
developer
makes their
money via the
ads rather
than via sales
of the
program.
In any case,
all of the
programs on
this page are
really and
truly free and
safe, and
worth quite a
bit more than
they cost you
to buy.
Other Web pages by Randy B. Singer that might be of interest to Macintosh users:
Macintosh Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
Macintosh Accounting Software
http://www.macattorney.com/accounting.html
Macintosh Slowdown Solutions
http://www.macattorney.com/sd.html
Macintosh Email Software
http://www.macattorney.com/mail.html
Macintosh Beachballs!
http://www.macattorney.com/rbb.html
Macintosh Word Processors
http://www.macattorney.com/wp.html
Upgrading To The Latest Macintosh OS
http://www.macattorney.com/upos.html
http://www.macattorney.com
If you have
any additions
to this Web
site to
suggest
I would very
much
appreciate
hearing your
suggestions.
Send them to:
About The Author Of This Web Site:
Randy B. Singer is:
- The head of
the MacAttorney
User Group
http://www.macattorney.com
an
Apple-recognized
Macintosh User
Group with, at
this writing,
close to
10,000
members!
- A co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th and 6th editions);
- Author of
the ABA
publication:
The
Macintosh
Software Guide
for the Law
Office
If you are a
Macintosh-using
attorney or
legal
professional
(including law
students)
for a FREE
e-mail
subscription
to
The
MacAttorney
Newsletter
send an e-mail
to: [email protected]
with the word
"subscribe" in
the Subject
line of the
message.
