A selection of the most popular programs for Mac. Useful programs for mac OS Connect to a Wi-Fi network

You have just become the owner Mac Pro, iMac, MacBook or Mac mini, launched it, entered Apple data ID and started exploring the macOS universe. The first days of operation of Apple technology turned into an aesthetic pleasure from bright interfaces. There has been a gradual introduction to features like Handoff and Continuity, which amplify the delight of iPhone and iPad owners. You've loaded your media library through Photos, mastered desktops, and quickly synced Notes between your devices. Safari has become my favorite browser. iTunes is no longer annoying after Windows experience. And, it would seem, the idyll has come! But not for long.

In about a week, the banal lack of applications, even for primitive tasks, will make itself felt. No matter how hard the Cupertino people try, there will still be third-party developers releasing cool products that outshine Apple crafts. It was them that we decided to put together so that the freshly baked Mac owners would know what program it is better to acquire in order to organize working space in an ideal way.

We are in a hurry to present you 20 applications that are required to be installed on any Mac!

Clipboard manager

Paste 2 is a polished clipboard manager that Apple was supposed to create, but domestic developer Dmitry Obukhov was ahead of her. The application is like an intelligent referee on the football field, who does not interfere, but is always in business. Paste 2 very quickly adjusts the size of the clipboard (from 100 objects to infinity), the keyboard shortcut for calling storage, iCloud sync and the Direct Paste function to paste data from history on double-click.

It is at the stage quick setup and in the history section called by the Shift + Cmd + V bunch, one can feel the thoughtful design of the application. Firstly, it is pleasant to work in it, and, secondly, you want to work in it. Paste 2 saves a lot of time thanks to the scrolling of saved information in the form of a thumbnail tape, as well as a convenient system of markings and fasteners that allows you to categorize the desired objects. . Price - 749 rubles.

Office

Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac remains a life-saving office suite even in Apple territory. Verified word time, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote outshine the standard (though free) iWork. You don't have to worry about the quality, because the Redmonds have long ceased to produce semi-finished products for Macs. Besides, now Microsoft office 2016 for Mac is available as a one-time purchase, without a classic Office 365 subscription. True, you will have to pay a hefty amount. Price - 5,199 rubles.

The calendar

Fantastical 2 is a beautiful, powerful and convenient in all respects calendar for Mac. The second part brought the long-awaited large window with a visual display of all events, while the pop-up block was still preserved in the menu bar. The calendar has learned to understand the user's natural language both through text input and through voice typing (the closest in mastering is English, but it's very easy to get used to). In the application, you can quickly add meeting coordinates, specify motley parameters and track everything either through the sidebar or through the widget, where the chic design will once again make itself felt.

The Fantastical 2 calendar can switch themes from dark to light, allows you to use multiple accounts, and also flexibly configure all calendars associated with them. In a word, you will never miss a scheduled event, and you will always be pleased to add something new to the program. . Price - 3,790 rubles.

Control of incoming/outgoing connections

Little Snitch 4 will keep a close eye on any network activity happening on your Mac. For a beginner, the purpose of the application may seem rather formidable, however, "Little Snitch" communicates in an accessible language, notifies itself of processes that exchange data with the Internet, and, in addition, is incredibly easy to configure. From the top menu-bar, they are allowed to select “Quiet modes”, each of which either passes traffic all the time, or, conversely, blocks it. If you need total control, switch to Alert - in this case, Little Snitch will always ask for user approval.

Through the configuration of Little Snitch 4, new behavior rules are added for applications, processes and iOS simulators, taking into account all types of connections. Depending on the specific Mac, they are allowed to juggle various settings profiles. The developers have screwed so many filters that even the most paranoid Mac can be flexibly adjusted. The most important thing is that everything is done effortlessly and without any special knowledge. Isn't this what a macOS newbie needs? Price - 3,000 rubles.

Graphics editor

Pixelmator good for its ease and entry threshold for beginners. It doesn't require a ton of tabs like in Photoshop. It is easy to perform any operation in it, such as cutting out the background, leaving the details of the alpha channel overboard. Pixelmator is suitable for both drawing and photo editing. The arsenal is not so much inferior to the Adobe product and is ready to satisfy tasks of any nature. Price - 2,290 rubles.

Photo retouching

The standard Photo app contains basic set for processing any images, however, lovers of squeezing the maximum out of photographs will need a more serious tool - Adobe Lightroom. It will come in handy at least for comparing “before/after” results, not to mention curves, masks, presets, display options, creating galleries and quick processing methods on hastily. Price - 644 rubles / month.

Password manager

Favorite password manager mSecure 5 should be used if you lack Keychain functionality and don't like the 1Password subscription, which has recently been releasing exclusive upgrades, bypassing the standalone version. The latest major edition of mSecure introduced a redesigned, more modern look, cloud sync support out of the box, as well as more templates, a welcome download of icons for popular services, and its Security Center alerting you to duplicates and weak passwords. In short, mSecure 5 is designed for those who want to pay once for a quality password manager and never have to worry about monthly fees until they die. And note that the unlimited license allows you to connect as many devices as you want to your own account. . Price - 2,290 rubles.

RSS reader

Reeder 3 is a one-stop solution when it comes to keeping track of a lot of news on Macs. Reeder 3 is able to competently share a huge amount of resources, scatter them into tags and organize a pleasant space for direct reading of materials. The application is very intuitive, all important buttons are at hand, and if you master the gestures, you will not want to part with the “magic box” of news at all. Reeder 3 has huge potential in terms of sharing and syncing accounts - Feedly alone is worth it. There are customizable themes, reading options, hotkeys and other settings that everyone can determine under own needs. Price - 749 rubles .

mail

A good alternative to the standard Mail is a colorful and multifunctional application Airmail 3, which has long received the status of cross-platform. The key feature of this mailer is customization, that is, the user is allowed to hang labels, set up automation, smart folders, turn on repeated reminders and choose from seven cool styles. You could even say that Airmail 3 imitates Inbox, but it turns out to be much more accessible. The only thing we recommend is that you carefully study all the options before using it in order to get the most out of Air Mail. Price - 749 rubles.

Markdown editor / Markup text editor

Ulysses is a martyr version of the writer's chic text editor. Let's try to explain in a few words. When the developers screwed up iCloud sync and a couple useful features like exporting to PDF, we put the good old "Ulysses" on a pedestal and safely dropped it from there when the developers decided, and even for those who have already paid impressive amounts for full versions applications. However, the application itself motivates you to be creative, makes you write and compose texts. The Ulysses environment is great for highlighting text, attaching links and media files. Cataloging is a separate article, it is meticulously executed, although only one sidebar is enough for happiness. Change panel display modes, comfortably write a book chapter by chapter and do not be distracted by anything ... except for monthly payments;) . Price - 1 690 rubles / year

iA Writer is a worthy alternative to Ulysses, which will appeal to everyone who wants to save money on a good text editor, having themes, Markdown markup, a minimalistic environment that creates a creative atmosphere when, turning on the typewriter mode and inserting headphones, fingers spontaneously begin to transfer thoughts to paper screen. iA Writer has been improving since the days of skeuomorphism, so today the developers have provided the application with the most productive set: export, basic formatting, iCloud synchronization, simple tables and guidelines for developing printing standards. In addition, iA Writer is available on a wide range of platforms, including macOS, iOS, Windows, and Android. Price - 2,290 rubles. (one-time payment)

Audio player

VOX- this is FLAC support, this is an equalizer and advanced music playback settings, these are collections with selected groups of files, this is integration with iTunes, SoundCloud, Last.FM, a personal music library and a proprietary cloud VOX Cloud that provides an unlimited music library (but you have to pay for it) . Everything else is distributed completely free of charge and in a fairly presentable appearance. Price - Free.

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Whether choosing apps for a new Apple computer or upgrading a set of programs on an existing Mac or MacBook, the user is always faced with a choice. Buy expensive and sophisticated software or give preference to a free alternative? Choose something from the new products or install programs that have been proven over the years? Use regular applications or take a closer look at third-party products?

We've put together 30 tools useful for solving the most common tasks that any Mac user can use. For each of the paid applications, we tried to find the most successful free alternative.

Surfing on the Internet

Discussions around which browser for Mac is better will most likely never be resolved. Apple computers come with proprietary browser safari- in it, users get features such as Siri, payment with Apple Pay, video in picture-in-picture mode, the ability to turn off the sound immediately from the tab bar and others. Using this browser is convenient if you also use mobile Apple devices- bookmarks, browsing history, tabs are synchronized by iCloud.

At the same time, we recommend installing Chrome for Mac. The browser from Google is easier to customize due to the large number of extensions, in addition, it will come in handy if you often use Google apps. At the same time, Chrome is less energy efficient than Safari, so it will be more comfortable to use on desktops.

Connecting to a Wi-Fi network

For comfortable and safe Internet browsing, you should take a closer look at programs that help manage connections. VPN service HotSpot Shield Free help secure your computer when connected to public wifi points. The application allows you to select the IP of the country you want to use, set up an automatic connection and access services that can be blocked. The only negative is that up to 750 MB are provided for free per day, you will have to pay for more traffic through VPN.

We are looking for the right

regular application Spotlight can perfectly search for files on Mac and execute quick commands, but if for some reason you don’t like it, you can try demon paid application Alfred. The program can quickly perform calculations, search the Internet, find any text, image or file that you have previously copied. The application is self-learning and gradually begins to prioritize results based on the user's preferences.

Doing the cleaning

Disk Cleanup unnecessary programs and files allows you to significantly speed up its work and clear space for the desired content. Free Dr. cleaner optimizes storage and cleans the disk from hidden files, which overload it, including the cache, logs and temporary files.

If you install a lot of applications on your Mac for fun, and then do not use many of them, it can come to the rescue. paid program Bartender. With it, you can choose which applications to place in the menu, when they should be there, and when not, hide programs that should work, but which you do not want to see all the time. You can test the program for free for 4 weeks.

We work with documents

Being productive on a Mac depends a lot on the software that you or your company uses as a standard. office suite iWork from Apple, which includes text editor Pages, the Numbers spreadsheet app and Keynote presentation software, has been offered free for new Macs since 2013, but will cost $1,500 to install on older models.

Familiar to PC owners Microsoft applications Office is paid and, to be honest, is still inferior in functionality to the Windows version of the "office". As a free alternative to typing, we suggest trying apps libreoffice, which allows you to work with any type of document, or 1Doc: Word Processor for Writer, in which the basic functions of the Word editor are available.

Watching movies

If you like to watch videos on Mac, but the file encoding is different from MPEG, the stock Quick Time you may have difficulty playing it. Free VLC Media Player solves almost all tasks related to watching videos. The player plays multimedia files in most popular formats and has a user-friendly interface.

We listen to music

And again about media content. Many Mac users will agree that iTunes- not an ideal option for playing a collection of audio recordings. Would be a good alternative free player Vox. The application features a simple interface and support for additional codecs (FLAC, ALAC and others), as well as the ability to synchronize with the iPhone.

Video editing

Given the popularity of shooting videos on the iPhone, GoPro action cameras and other video content, it is worth getting a convenient editor program for converting and processing them. We recommend installing free program handbrake- This multifunctional converter will be easy to use even for a beginner.

For advanced users one of the best options will become Final Cut Pro developed by Apple itself. The program is distinguished by an impressive price tag (23 thousand rubles), but if you have to constantly work with video, then the functionality and convenience of the interface are worth it. The app can be tried for free for 30 days. If the video editor is used on occasion, then you can limit yourself to regular iMovie, which comes free with new Macs.

We process photos

A photo editing program for Mac is useful for both professional photographers and Instagram bloggers and just lovers of keeping memorable pictures. Basic processing can be entrusted to a regular application Photos (Photo), and for more advanced features, download one of the third-party programs.

Postponing for later

Update of the regular application notes on Mac has greatly expanded its functionality for saving and copying content for delayed viewing. However, the free app Pocket has a more convenient interface and allows you to save photos, videos and articles from the Internet in a single feed. Content is available for offline viewing, and when downloading the application on a smartphone or tablet, it allows you to synchronize saved items.

Know others useful applications for MacOS? Share in the comments.

Mac computers are famous for having a good starter set of software that allows you to solve many tasks right out of the box.

Time does not stand still, new types of data, services, processes and tasks appear, which means that it is necessary to supplement the basic set of applications with third-party programs.

Here's what you should pay attention to first.

1. VLC Player

Everything Mac computers come with a pre-installed application Quick Time. This player is designed to play branded and officially supported by Apple formats. Common AVI or MKV is beyond his power.

Even the most stubborn Apple fans sooner or later face the need to watch videos in an unsupported format. Instead of all sorts of converters and decoders, it's easier to have an omnivorous player.

VLC has long been considered the best in this category on macOS. He copes with multichannel audio, can switch tracks and subtitles, and also supports control from the proprietary Apple Remote.

2.Audio Hijack

Initially, macOS does not provide a convenient means to control and record system sounds. The user is forced to look for third-party utilities for this.

This program allows you to manage system sounds, record an audio signal from instant messengers or dialers, share sounds on different devices.

3. BetterTouchTool

A useful utility for fine-tuning the keyboard, mouse, touchpad and other input sources on Mac. You can create all kinds of rules and settings for specific applications. BetterTouchTool understands any mice, keyboards, remotes and media controllers.

The program can quickly arrange the windows of other applications in the right areas of the screen, this useful feature Apple will not copy from Windows.

In addition, you can overclock the cursor as much as possible by setting the extreme sensitivity, or add a couple of useful keyboard shortcuts.

4. The Unarchiver

The simplest and handy application to work with archives on Mac. Minimum settings with all the necessary features.

The program rightfully takes pride of place in the top free Mac applications App Store and is almost the only Must Have program from the Apple app store.

5. Little Snitch

Advanced Manager network connections help you solve multiple tasks at once on your Mac.

The utility can quickly deny access to the network for everyone installed programs and services. When you connect for the first time, you will be prompted to create a rule for one-time or permanent access.

This way you can quickly pacify programs that work fine in offline. This will reduce the load on the network, the Mac will use the connection less often and save battery power.

6.FilePane

Lightweight utility creates a small menu for working with files different types. Displays the program menu while dragging objects, allowing you to quickly copy or change data, send or save files.

You can get used to FilePane in a few hours of work, and then you start wildly saving time on routine operations.

7. CloudMounter

The program will be appreciated by the owners of several accounts in different cloud storage Oh.

CloudMounter can work with data for various network protocols without full synchronization on the computer. The utility connects repositories in the form external drives and downloads only the data you need to your Mac.

This way you can get rid of several cloud storage clients and save precious space on a small SSD drive.

8 Daisy Disk

The application will quickly tell you where the free space on your computer has gone. All disks and directories will be displayed in the form of a visual diagram.

The utility will colorize the data types and allow you to delete everything except system or protected files.

So you can remember in a couple of minutes that precious space is being eaten up by a long-completed Final Cut project or a 4K movie downloaded last month.

It is a pleasure to clean up a place with DaisyDisk, no automatic actions and dubious algorithms - only manual removal really unnecessary files.

Mac OS is one of the most popular operating systems in the world. It is stable, easy to use and high level virus protection. macOS comes preinstalled with many system programs, but for comfortable work, users download additional ones. Below are the most useful and popular apps for mac OS, which will make it more functional.

The Mac has its own archiver, but it only works with files that were created on this OS. They cannot open data from Windows, Linux, Android. Reads almost all existing archive extensions:

• Zip and 7-zip;
• Tar-GZip and so on.

The benefits of The Unarchiver are as follows:

• It is freely available, use is free, activation is not needed.
• When unzipping, it accurately saves file names in both Latin and Cyrillic.
• It is possible to select the folder where the contents of the archive will be moved when it is unpacked.

MacID

macid- useful utility for those who want to automate password entry. The only limitation is that this program requires an iPhone. You also need to download a similar paid application on it. The version for PC and laptops is free.

MacID works as follows. After installing the program on a computer and a smartphone, both devices are synchronized. When you move away from the PC, it will lock up. To log in to the system, you need to go to the computer and unlock the iPhone. Your Mac will unlock automatically.

With this application, you do not have to constantly remember and enter complex passwords, as well as take care of the security of your gadget. You can log into the system with just one touch of your finger on your smartphone.

Slack

Slack- the best program for mac OS X for business correspondence. In the application, you can not only exchange messages, but also create and manage entire business projects. Its main advantage is integration with cloud services and social networks. For example, Slack lets you create, edit, and share Google Docs.

The most interesting features of this utility for Mac include:

• creation of an unlimited number of subgroups in one chat;
• uploading data to your own hosting and file hosting;
• search, archiving and recovery of sent messages;
• the ability to add built-in plugins and extensions.

VLC Player is an alternative to the standard media player, which has limited functionality and does not support many extensions. VLC Player not only plays most files, but also reads DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and allows you to broadcast video.

Features of VLC Player that will simplify the work with audio and video:

• playing videos directly from YouTube;
• converting files from one format to another;
• setting a video as a screensaver on your desktop;
• transcription of audio recordings;
• create high-quality screenshots while watching a video.

f.lux

Often the use of a computer is very harmful to the eyesight. f.lux can help reduce eye strain for Mac users. This utility adapts the display settings according to the time of day.

Artificial light is warmer than natural light, so the monitor becomes colder in contrast at night. In the afternoon, on the contrary, warm colors return. V latest version f.lux developers added interesting feature. The system selects settings based not only on time, but also on the user's individual schedule.

There are two more modes available in the utility:

• Movie Mode - for watching movies and long videos.
• Darkroom - for comfortable use of the computer in the dark.

A very convenient and functional reader is included in the list best apps for macOS. It cooperates with many services, so after installation, you can automatically move your reading tape into one program.

ReadKit has the ability to fine-tune the design: not only choose a general theme, but also a font, size, line spacing, paragraph, and so on. This feature is especially relevant for visually impaired users.

In addition, Ridkit has a convenient filtering system. Files can be sorted by the following options:

• content;
• date of addition;
• Web link;
• the service from which the content is loaded;
• read or unread.

Fantastical - a calendar with advanced features. It allows:

• Create event reminders. Each of them is marked with a special color to make it easier to navigate.
• Automatically reschedule scheduled events. For example, if you write “meeting tomorrow at 8”, then the next day the information “meeting today at 8” will appear in the calendar. Please note that reminders must be written in English.
• Add a widget for quick notifications so you don't miss anything important and instantly create new tasks.

Pocket is a new approach to saving data. It does not store files, but entire pages from the browser. Thanks to this, they can be viewed even when there is no Internet connection. Once installed and registered, Pocket creates a widget that you just need to click on to archive the page.

Web pages remain as they are. This means that in offline access you will see not a messy set of symbols and pictures, but the same as you opened earlier.

As you use the programs, some data is stored in your computer's memory. Often this is completely unnecessary information: application cache, setup files and other garbage. It not only clutters up the device, but also significantly slows down its operation.

CCleaner can clear unnecessary data. This utility performs the following functions:

• deleting the browser cache, bookmarks, downloads and other information;
• uninstalling installed programs;
• setting up auto-start applications when logging in;
• emptying the basket.

Besides antivirus programs a computer that is permanently connected to the Internet needs additional protection for a secure connection. For the Mac, Little Snitch provides it - a simple and functional firewall.

Initially, the system has its own utility installed, but Little Snitch has several advantages over it:

• the ability to block not only incoming but also outgoing connections;
• available fine tuning to select applications whose operation will be monitored;
• checking network traffic to monitor changes in program operation.

Transmission is a version of the torrent tracker for Mac OS. It is distinguished by laconic design, ease of use and many useful functions. With Transmission, you can:

• create torrent files;
• broadcast data download speed;
• control the speed of file distribution;
• automatically delete downloads after they are installed;
• sort torrents into groups.

Bear

Bear is a text editor made in the best traditions of minimalism. You can create both long notes and short notes. The program allows you to format text properly: arrange paragraphs, lists, headings and so on. Entries are sorted using tags that the user prescribes to each document.

An important advantage of Bear is synchronization with mobile version. You can open and edit files at the same time on your computer and on your smartphone or tablet.

VOX

VOX is a music player that allows you to listen to music online without saving it to your device's memory. It also works with the iTunes Data Library, so all files can be imported directly from it.

The main advantages of the VOX media player include:

• simple and clear interface in laconic black and white;
• support for many music formats, including - ALAC, FLAC, OGG;
• fine-tuning the sound with the built-in equalizer;
• control applications with swipes, not by pressing buttons.

This mail client turns messages into tasks for which notifications are sent. You can connect profiles from two systems to it - Gmail and iCloud.

Immediately after receiving the messages are sorted by size and importance, read and unread messages are highlighted. The application is very convenient to work with drafts - they are automatically saved in the Dropbox cloud.

One of the most convenient features is the possibility of delayed reading. With its help, you indicate that you saw the letter, but you will read it later.

GIMP

There are no high-quality pre-installed image editors on the Mac, so the GIMP program will perform their role. It contains all the main Photoshop features but the app is completely free.

GIMP opens up the following possibilities:

• creation of graphic images of any type (drawings, logos, and so on);
• processing photos and other images using color correction, filtering, cropping and distortion;
• drawing from scratch - brushes of various shapes and thicknesses are available for this, controlling layers, their transparency and position, and so on;
• support for scanners and tablets for creating graphics;
• creating animation files and much more.

Paste 2 - clipboard between Mac computer and mobile device on iOS. He works in background and allows you to instantly copy the selected object simultaneously on two gadgets.

The buffer storage capacity is unlimited, you can move even heavy files. Selecting and copying is done in any convenient way: a combination of keys, drag and drop, and so on.

In connection with the closure of access to some programs by law, programs that provide a secure and private connection have become popular today. For Macs, Betternet is the most popular.

The functionality of the application allows you to:

• download applications that are not available in the local area;
• open web pages that are blocked;
• use public networks safely;
• maintain complete anonymity while browsing the Internet.

Conclusion

There are many useful programs available for mac OS. They improve the speed of your PC, make it safer to use, and make it easier to create and edit files in a wide variety of formats. Most of the utilities are free, but some require you to pay a fixed amount or pay for the program once a month to download.

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This is a traditional article where I talk about all the applications installed on my personal Mac. This year, 58 applications made the list.

This is a traditional article where I talk about all the applications installed on my Mac and MacBook. This year, 58 programs got into the list: 11 were thrown out, 16 were added. I marked my favorite apps with a heart ❤️ and new ones with an apple 🍏.

The main source of good software for me is still the Setapp service. It's kind of like an alternative App Store that gives you access to 100+ items for $9.99 a month, most of which aren't available in the Apple store.

Perhaps for the "oldies" who already have all this software, the subscription does not make much sense. But for beginners, this is a real find: they bought new mac, installed Setapp and now you have a hundred applications from different categories. In addition, Setapp eliminates the hassle of updating and storing personal licenses.

On this occasion, I divided the selection of my software into 3 sections:

1. Applications from Setapp;
2. apps from the App Store;
3. and applications that have to be downloaded from official sites.

This set of software suits me, but not the fact that it will suit you. At the same time, other people's lists are always inspiring. I am sure you will find something useful for yourself here.

1. Subscription apps from Setapp

Archiver - archiver

🍏 BetterTouchTool - keyboard and mouse customization

❤️ CleanMyMac X - Clean and keep your Mac fresh

Elmedia Player - video player

Flume - instagram client

❤️ KeyKey - keyboard trainer

❤️ Yoink - buffer for files

❤️ Daisy Disk

1Blocker - ad blocker

❤️ iA Writer - text editor

❤️ Arq - backups for Mac

🍏 Carbon Copy Cloner - disk cloning

❤️ Sketch - vector editor

Quit for $99 per year
Vector editor for Mac. I draw in it new design for keyboard trainer KeyKey, I do all the illustrations for this blog. Without Sketch it's like without hands.

Sublime Text - text editor for programmers

Free download
Text editor for programmers. I often use it for layout of articles and for editing the theme files of this blog. I've been using the trial version for two years now. It seems to be eternal.

🍏 ScreenFlow - screencast recording

Buy for 129$
Screencast recording software. Moved to it from iShowU as it records better from iPhone and iPad. I bought it recently and in the hope that I will record more screencasts :)