What is this?

To start with… I’m not a productivity freak (said every productivity freak ever). However, I do have a set of tools that I’ve grown accustomed to and really rely on. Without these tools, I feel significantly less productive – whether that’s real or just a perception.

This post is more of a guide for myself. It will be subjective, potentially outdated, or not as useful to you as it is to me. It’s curated list of all the Mac tools I use, with some additional good new discoveries worth trying out.

🏃   Productivity tools

• Better Spotlight? This one is a must-have, get Raycast!
• A good Calendar app? Fantastical 2
• A good Email client, finally? Spark, MimeStream or Air Mail
• An open-source, cross-platform password manager? BitWarden or NordPass
• Your MenuBar is too busy? You have a screen notch? Hide the clutter with Hidden Bar (free) or Bartender (better, paid)
• An all-in-one social messenger? Franz or Rambox (better)
• You miss your split-window feature from Windows and Linux? No problem, Magnet’s got you covered
• An advanced app switcher? Command-Tab Plus (paid) or Alt-Tab (better, free)
• Wondering what’s next in your day? Next Meeting will let you know
• Interested in using multiple AI tools at the same time? AnythingLLM is great at that!
• Clipboard manager? Copy Clip   Raycast has it built-in!
• Tracking your project time? Clockify   SAY 'NO' TO TIME TRACKING.

🎨   Graphics tools

• A great screenshot tool? Lightshot or Shottr (better)
• Vector graphics editor? Inkscape (free), BoxySVG (better, paid), Affinity Designer (best, paid)
• Raster graphics editor? GIMP (free), Seashore (better, free), Affinity Photo (best, paid)
• Desktop publishing software? Affinity Publisher (paid)
• A professional PDF viewer & editor? PDF Expert

👨🏼‍💻   Development tools

• Screen Mirroring (scrcpy) will mirror your Android devices on the desktop
• Android Tool for Mac allows you to save your Android screenshots (and screen recordings, and GIFs)
• A professional, advanced IDE for iOS and macOS development?   Sorry, you’re stuck with XCode 😬
• Using JetBrains code editors? Toolbox is great for configuring IDE versions, syncing user settings, and managing command line tools

👀   Utilities

• Control the monitor using the keyboard? MonitorControl works great (even with LG)
• Saving your audio books for later? Open Audible
• Monitoring your Mac’s hardware? iStatMenus integrates pretty well
• Service Station allows you to extend Finder’s capabilities (Open with, custom scripts, etc.)
• New File Menu, if you’re missing your Windows’ “new file” menu
• Your company policy puts your Mac to sleep after 2 minutes? Use Caffeine to keep it awake

🔒   Privacy tools

• A fast, reliable, privacy-oriented VPN? Nord VPN works well, and Private Internet Access is my choice nowadays
• Monitoring your camera and microphone? Micro Snitch. They have amazing support!

💬   Other

If you know other interesting products and projects, send them over. I’ll add them to this list if I like them.