7 June 2025

Best Mac apps I can’t live without (OS + app tweaks)

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As a Mac lover, I spend way too much time perfecting my setup. Over the years, I’ve tested dozens of apps and tweaks to make my workflow faster, smoother, and just more fun. Some apps have come and gone, but a few — oh yes — I simply can’t live without. These are my must-haves, my ride-or-die Mac companions.

Let’s jump into my favorite macOS apps and tweaks that make my digital life delightful!

💻 The Everyday Essentials

1. Raycast – This is like Spotlight’s cooler, smarter cousin. It lets me launch apps, run scripts, do calculations, and more — instantly. Plus, it looks slick.
2. Rectangle – The best window snapping tool. Want a window left, right, top, or even quarter-screen? Boom. Shortcut keys, grid snapping — simple but life-changing.
3. Alfred – If Raycast disappeared tomorrow (please no), Alfred would take its place. Custom workflows and clipboard history are my favorite features.

🧰 Productivity Power-Ups

4. BetterTouchTool – This is like giving your Mac superpowers. Custom gestures, key remapping, automation — you name it. I use it to make my trackpad do wild things (in a good way).
5. Paste – The clipboard manager of my dreams. It remembers everything I copy, and I can search my clipboard history like a pro. No more “I forgot to paste!” moments.
6. Magnet – Similar to Rectangle, but with a paid polish. Worth it if you want rock-solid window management every single time.
7. Notion – Okay, everyone knows Notion. But I genuinely organize my whole life here — from to-do lists to random brain dumps.

🎨 Design & Creativity Boosters

8. PixelSnap – Designing stuff? This lets me measure anything on-screen with pixel-perfect accuracy. Minimal, fast, addictive.
9. CleanShot X – Screenshots and screen recordings, reimagined. Annotate, blur, record with camera overlay — it’s everything Screenshot.app wishes it was.
10. Sip – A beautiful color picker for your screen. Pick any color, copy the code, boom — designer joy.

🔧 OS Tweaks You Didn’t Know You Needed

11. Hidden Bar – My menu bar was getting chaotic. This little app hides all the extra icons until I need them. Clean bar, clean mind.
12. Vanilla – Another great menu bar cleaner. Offers a Pro version with some added goodies too. Highly recommend it if you’re a neat freak.
13. NightOwl – I love Dark Mode… but during the day, I need the light side. NightOwl lets me toggle or schedule between modes easily.
14. AppCleaner – When I uninstall apps, I want them gone. Like gone-gone. AppCleaner deletes all the junk leftover that macOS normally misses.

🎵 For Focus and Flow

15. Noizio – A beautiful ambient soundscapes app. Rain, coffee shop, wind… wonderful for drowning out distractions.
16. Lofi.co (web app, but lives in my dock) – I use it like a native app. Lo-fi music and cute visuals help me to focus hard or just chill.

🔥 My Secret Weapon: OS Customization

I like to push macOS beyond its limits. A few of my favorite system tweaks:

Trackpad Tweaks: With BetterTouchTool, I’ve added custom 3-finger swipes to open apps, move windows, or close tabs. It’s magical.
Hot Corners: I use bottom-left to put display to sleep, top-right for showing desktop. Takes minutes to set up, but saves hours.
Modified Dock: I use DockMate to give Dock previews (like Windows), plus hide it with a key command when I want less clutter.

🤓 Final Thoughts

So many apps, so little time. But with this setup, my Mac feels truly mine. Every tweak and tool adds a spark of joy or a dash of efficiency. Try a few out — and before you know it, you’ll be customizing your dock at 2 AM, just like me.

Got a favorite Mac app not listed here? Share it with me — there’s always room for one more.