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- 20 Best Productivity Apps for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Blackberry You must be knowing that your boss loves you when you are productive as none loves a cow who doesn’t give milk. So keep yourself organized and productive as being productive has got much easier with the introduction of various productivity apps in Google Play Store, App.
- Jan 14, 2020.
Jul 23, 2020.
With the right apps, you can get more work done out of your MacBook and turn it into a productivity machine. In this post we cover the best Mac productivity apps that you can use to efficiently manage your workflow and save time.
These apps can help with your routine tasks such as file management, making lists and note taking, and password management, so that you spend less time in these tasks and have more time for important work.
Best Mac Productivity Apps
Below are our picks for the must-have productivity apps for Mac. How many of these do you use in day-to-day activities?
LastPass
Managing passwords these days can be difficult due to the huge number of accounts that people need to have. As such, LastPass can be invaluable.
It can store all the accounts you have along with their passwords across your Mac and your mobile device in a secure manner.
You will never forget your password or account again when you have this app which is certainly good for your productivity.
AppCrypt
It is not just passwords that have to be kept securely. Sometimes, you need to do the same with your apps and content in your Mac so as to protect it from prying eyes.
With AppCrypt, you can protect your photos, mail and other apps on your Mac with a password. You can even set a lock so that the apps remain locked at specified times.
Bear
Bear is hands down the best writing app available in the App Store now. It is the perfect blend of a simple, easy-to-use interface and the features that one would want in their notes app.
With its markdown support, it makes it quite easy to add links and format text. While the powerful feature of hashtags and sub-tags allows you to group multiple notes for a project or by topic together. It also has an advanced markup editor that supports and highlights over 20 programming languages. Its flexibility makes Bear app ideal for taking quick notes, writing in-depth essays and even code.
Bear is also available on iPhone and iPad and via its cloud syncing feature you can have your ideas and notes always with you even when you are not carrying your Mac.
BetterUnarchiver
This app is certainly something that can help with your Mac productivity.
BetterUnarchiver allows you to extract a range of archive files from the common zip format to the lesser used ones like CHM, Hfs and Nsis.
You can even create archive files with a password so as to protect sensitive content.
Alfred
Alfred is easily one of the most necessary productivity apps for Mac. It makes your keyboard a more efficient one so that you rely on the trackpad or the mouse less.
You can assign a keyboard shortcut to launch specific apps. You can even conduct a web search with sites that you commonly use or with predefined terms.
iTools for Mac
If you find yourself working with media more often, this app can be rather beneficial. It manages all of your files across your devices efficiently.
It even has backup and restore functions. The networking capabilities of Mac are nicely leveraged by iTools for Mac.
As a result, you can even access your contact list and messages on the Mac.
Google Drive
Apple may have its own cloud storage system but sometimes it is just not good enough. Google Drive can be a better option.
With it, you can access all of your files on all of your devices online. With 15GB of free space, you will certainly find it more convenient to store and access files that you use often in Google Drive.
That is enough to make it one of the best productivity apps for Mac.
Evernote
When it comes to taking notes, few apps can be considered to be better than Evernote.
Available for nearly all platforms, it has a plethora of features that make it an excellent choice for improving your Mac productivity.
Apart from typed notes, you can add audio clips, entire web pages and images. You also get a powerful organizer to make accessing notes much easier.
OmniFocus
This is one of the best task managers available for Mac. It has a great user interface and can be used on nearly all Apple devices. There are several features which makes it a rather powerful app. You may require time to understand it but once you do, you will make your work easier.
Bartender
The Menu bar can quickly become crowded when you tend to use a lot of apps. With Bartender, you can get rid of the clutter.
It will allow you to select the apps that will appear on the main menu bar and which will only be present in the Bartender menu bar.
This is basically a sub-menu for the menu bar. You can even hide apps completely.
Keyboard Maestro
This app allows you to launch macros that can automate almost any task that you tend to perform repeatedly.
You simply need to define a trigger and the app will perform that corresponding action whenever you activate that trigger.
DocumentReader
You can come across a variety of uncommon document file types when working.
DocumentReader makes it easier to access and view these files thanks to the wide range of file types supported.
Hazel
Having a strong organization is crucial to improving productivity. With Hazel, organization becomes a simple task.
You just need to create rules and the app will automatically put the files in the correct places.
Pocket is widely considered to be one of the best productivity apps for Mac.
There will have been times when you came across an interesting article on the web but wanted to read it later.
Pocket allows you to store that article so that you can read it whenever you want even without an internet connection across and even in your phone.
Wunderlist
To maximize productivity, you need to make to-do lists. In order to make those lists, you need a powerful app. Wunderlist is that app.
Even though it is free, you get extensive features such as cloud sync and availability in a wide range of devices. It is easy to use as well.
Airmail
While Apple offers its own email client, it might not be suitable for all users. On the other hand, Airmail is something that all people will love using.
There are several excellent features take make it easier to send, read and do other useful stuff with your emails. It can connect with a wide range of apps that enhance its usability.
Enhancing productivity is easier when you have the right apps to help you out. These productivity apps for Mac can certainly simplify a great many number of tasks. However, it is up to you to ensure that this is the case by making proper use of the apps. And, if you own an Android smartphone, you may want to check out these productivity apps for Android.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best Mac apps anywhere: if you’re looking for a new utility, web browser, or photo app, you’ll probably find what you need on this list.
Whether you’ve been using a Mac for a very long time, or you’re unboxing your very first MacBook, it’s always nice to see the sort of software and tools that other people use.
While we don’t include them in our official best Mac apps list, since they’re free and from Apple, new users should always check out Apple’s apps that come with every Mac purchase.
Best Mac Apps: Utilities
1Password
Price: $49.99 | Link
1Password is the gold standard of password managers. With people cracking online accounts left and right these days, it’s more important than ever to use secure, complicated passwords – and never the same one twice. 1Password can keep track of all your passwords for you, and automatically enter them into your browser. The latest versions also keep track of sensitive data like insurance numbers, bank accounts, and credit card numbers, making it an important resource if your wallet or purse gets stolen. Apps are available for iPhone, iPad, and Android, making your data available wherever you are.
Caffeine
![Best Best](/uploads/1/1/9/4/119418707/969504143.jpg)
Price: free | Link
Have you ever started uploading a video to YouTube, walked away, and returned only to find your computer had gone to sleep (and thus corrupted the upload)?
While OS X is supposed to be smart enough to not do that, it doesn’t always work – and now, Caffeine will guarantee it.
Duet Display
Price: Free (on OS X, but requires a $16 iOS app) | Link
Built by a cadre of ex-Apple engineers, Duet Display lets you increase your screen space by taking advantage of your iPhone or iPad. With support for touch tracking and the full Retina display of your mobile device, Duet Display can be a godsend if you’re stuck editing on a cramped coffeeshop table.
There are a number of wireless iPad display options, but Duet Display is our top pick.
Dropbox
Price: Free (various premium service levels) | Link
By now, you’re probably familiar with Dropbox, but if you aren’t, this is the company that made cloud storage famous. These guys make sharing and storing files easier than ever, and helps make all your data accessible on each of your devices.
Viscosity
Price: Free 30-day trial, then $9 | Link
Viscosity is a great replacement for the built-in VPN tool in OS X. Designed to let you log on with just a couple of clicks, Viscosity will work with a number of VPN clients, whether you need to log into work, protect yourself at coffeeshops, or simply evade regional lockouts on media.
Chrome Remote Desktop
Price: Free | Link
There have been a number of tools over the years that let you log into your computer when you’re not at home, and one-by-one, they’ve all turned to a non-free model. Not so with the Chrome Remote Desktop. As long as both your home and away PCs are on, you’ll be able to log in and control the remote PC without paying a dime.
Note: both PCs will also need to have the Chrome web browser installed and allowed to run in the background.
Crashplan
Price: Free to external drives, 30-day cloud storage; $60 per year for backing up one computer; $150 per year for backing up between 2 – 10 computers | Link
Crashplan is backup made simple. If you don’t want to pay, the company will offer you free use of their backup software (if Time Machine is not to your liking) as well as 30 days worth of online backups.
Their paid plans are really compelling, however: $60 a year gets you unlimited online backups of your entire computer and network attached storage. You can retrieve individual files or, should emergency strike, pay to have a new hard drive with your backup overnighted to your house.
TextExpander
Price: Free trial, then $45 | Link
TextExpander is kind of like autocorrect, but for your Mac. You can program snippets of text into the TE interface, and when you type them into nearly any program, TextExpander replaces them with your pre-chosen macro.
For example, you could type ‘soon5’ in a meeting email, and TextExpander would replace it with “I’m running late, but I should be there in five minutes.” The new version is easier than ever, and TE includes a fun chart that will show you how many hours you save, based on a specific typing speed.
Airfoil
Price: Free trial, then $29 | Link
Airfoil lets you send any audio from your Mac to any Airplay source – speakers, Airports, AppleTVs, you name it. It offers granular, per-app control that the system option sorely lacks, and lets you send audio out to multiple sets of speakers.
Rogue Amoeba, developers of Airfoil, include a free copy of Airfoil Speakers with each purchase, which lets you receiveAirplay audio on your Mac (or iPhone / Android device).
Mac Productivity Apps
One fun way to use both of these is to set up Airfoil and Airfoil Speakers on your Mac, then Airplay your iPhone audio to your Mac – this way you can send one phone’s audio out over multiple sets of Airplay speakers, something that is otherwise impossible to do.
![Productivity Productivity](/uploads/1/1/9/4/119418707/408716336.png)
F.Lux
Price: Free | Link
F.lux is based on the idea that seeing blue light late at night is bad for your eyes, and impairs your quality of sleep. The app works by changing the color temperature of your display (computer displays are typically pretty “blue”) as the sun sets; by the time you’re ready to call it a night, things can be looking pretty orange.
It definitely reduces stress on your eyes; if you don’t believe us, try quitting F.lux after you’ve used it for an hour – you’ll be scrambling to re-enable it.
GrandPerspective
Price: Free | Link
One of the most frustrating things about the Mac to this day (not that the PC is all that much better, frankly) is the inability to see your disk space. How much free space do you have, what folders and files are using it all, etc.
GrandPerspective is a free utility that gets rid of all that storage uncertainty by displaying information in an easy-to-read, blocky interface.
Little Snitch
Price: $35 | Link
This is the best firewall you didn’t know you needed. Little Snitch not only monitors for inbound connections, but also outbound connections. It’s a great program for finding out what apps on your computer are calling home and transmitting information; you can block any of them at any time, just by tapping a button.
The devs recently released a companion product known as Micro Snitch; Micro Snitch has a similar philosophy to Little Snitch, except it explicitly monitors your webcam and microphone, so you can be sure nobody is using them to record you.
Malwarebytes
Price: Free | Link
Worried about whether your Mac can catch a virus or worm? With the platform’s growing popularity, you probably should be.
Marlwarebytes is a trusted name in PC security, and with a recent acquisition, they’re bringing expertise over to the Mac.
The software itself is free, but you can sign up for premium service and support at a rate of just $25/year.
Best Mac Productivity Apps
Capture Gif
Price: Free, or $6 | Link
It may seem like a strange addition, but the ability to quickly record your screen and make GIFs can come in handy. You can keep it simple with basic text GIFs, or record yourself doing full-screen actions (take a look at our El Capitan Split View overview for an idea).
Capture Gif offers a free version with limited settings, but the $6 full copy is cheap and offers you the ability to change the framerate of the GIF as well as innovative mouse tracking features.
Best Mac Apps: Internet
GoogleChrome
Price: Free | Link
Google’s internet browser has become the world’s most browser, and for good reason. Unfortunately, those reasons don’t really exist on the Mac – not only is Chrome slower than Safari, but it’s also a power hog and can drop your battery life by up to an hour!
Still, it has its uses. Chrome comes bundled with an always-updated version of Adobe Flash, so you’ll never need to worry about updating a version for the Mac. Need to check out a Flash-enabled site? Just spin up Chrome, check it out, and shut it down. Given how many vulnerabilities Flash tends to introduce, it’s worth keeping exposure as limited as possible.
Skype
Price: Free | Link
You’re probably aware of Microsoft’s VoIP product by this point, but it’s worth pointing out. Despite competing alternatives, Skype’s sheer cross-platform connectivity and pervasiveness means that it’s always handy to have around if someone wants to call you.
Transmission
Price: Free | Link
When it comes to BitTorrent, the cat is out of the bag, and it isn’t going back in. We like Transmission for an OS X torrent client, because it’s cross platform and open source, and also because it isn’t constantly trying to get you to download things you don’t want (ahem, μTorrent).
Best Mac Apps: Music and Video
Spotify
Price: Free, or $10/month Premium tier | Link
Spotify is one of the world’s largest music streaming services, with over 75 million users accessing either its free or pay tiers. The software itself is completely free, supporting your listening with advertising inserted into the streams.
If you don’t mind ponying up, however, you can snag unlimited ad-free music streaming for just $10/ month, with the ability to skip around to whatever music you like, and cache songs to your device for offline listening.
iOS and Android apps round out the experience.
VLC
Price: Free | Link
If you keep any quantity of your own media, VLC will be well known. For everyone else, this app is the gold standard for watching videos from the internet. No nonsense codec downloads, nothing else to install, just download it, open, and play.
Best Mac Apps: Productivity
AirMail
Price: $10 | Link
Running just $10 in the Mac App Store, AirMail builds upon the basic functionality in the Mail app and adds some pretty nice integration and power user features (superior keyboard shortcuts, snoozing an email like Gmail’s Inbox does). You can import files directly from services like Dropbox or Google Drive, or send attachments that are too large to email by using Droplr. One of the best features over Mail, however, is how AirMail has worked to integrate itself into the best known third-party productivity apps – so if you use software like Wunderlist, Fantastical, and Evernote, you should take a look at AirMail.
Clear
Price: $10 | Link
Clear, like Mailbox, made waves for introducing powerful features paired with an extremely simple and intuitive user interface. Mailbox was for, well, email, but Clear is for keeping you focused at the tasks on hand. It works best when you pair it with the iPhone and iPad apps (which together cost a $5 one-time fee); there’s also an app for the Apple Watch
Fantastical
Price: $40 | Link
OS X’s Calendar isn’t bad, but it’s also not very useful if you need to track more than the very occasional event. Fantastical (now actually Fantastical 2) is extremely powerful, with a natural language engine that lets you remember events just by typing them out. It comes with a free trial if you don’t feel the need to shell out $40 quite just yet.
Microsoft Office
Price: $70 / year for 1 PC or Mac, $100/yr for 5 PCs or Macs, $150 one-time purchase for 1 computer | Link
There may be the free Google Docs and Apple iWork suites, but nothing can beat the powerhouse that is Microsoft Office. Aside from the fact that its omnipresence nearly requires you to use it (so that your files can all be shared between jobs), new versions for iOS and Android make it very easy to work on your projects on the go. While Microsoft’s attempts to send Office into the cloud with a monthly or yearly subscription, they do still offer standalone installations.
Best Mac Apps: Graphics and Photo Editing
Pixelmator
Price: Free 30-day trial, then $30 | Link
Adobe’s Photoshop CC might reign supreme at the top of the image editing heap, but if you’re not a professional, or very serious amateur designer or photographer, it probably doesn’t make much sense to shell out for it. For the price of less than one month of Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription, you can get a permanent standalone copy of Pixelmator. There are definitely Mac photo editing apps out there that can do more than Pixelmator, but few can match it on a features-per-dollar basis.
Best Mac Apps: Programming
Textmate 2.0 (beta)
Price: Free | Link
If you’re a programmer, you know that your choice of environment not only says a lot about you but can impact your workflow in drastic and unforeseen ways. Should Vim be getting you down, take a look at Textmate’s most recent version, a product of Macromates.
Textmate offers an easy way to work on a project’s many files at once without getting lost, and features powerful plug-in architecture should you need a tool that it lacks.
Best Mac Apps: Emulators
Andy Android Emulator
Price: Free | Link
If you’re on a Mac, chances are you probably prefer to use iOS over Android. Thinking about seeing how things work on the other side? The Andy Android emulator works extremely well to give you a virtual Android tablet. For the most part, this virtual model works exactly like you’d expect.
The only downside is that the most recent release – which came out in November – only goes up to Android 4.2.2, so some apps and features might not work. Hopefully, we’ll see an update to Android M or N before too long. If you just want to try things out, however, it’s more than good enough.
Disagree with the titles we’ve put on the best Mac apps list? Sound out in the comments with some of your favorite apps or tools that you think are the must-haves for any Mac user.
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