Mac Software You Need ASAP

It’s no secret that Apple is one of the biggest laptop brands around the world. They’ve long been making premium laptops favored by video and audio professionals. 

Macs have amazing features, apps, and programs provided by Apple. But it takes a lot of software and apps to get the most out of your Mac. They can change your interface, productivity, entertainment, security, and storage. 

Not sure which ones to get first? We’ve got your back.

Here are some of the best Mac apps and Mac software you need to download today:

Alfred

Alfred is the best mac software alternative for Spotlight. It looks and acts the same, from searching to performing quick calculations. But you can do more with hotkeys, keywords, and actions. 

You can build custom workflows and download prebuilt ones online. It can also work complicated commands strung together to automate your tasks. Alfred 4 has a new theme editor, powerful workflow debugger, and dark mode. 

Alfred is free, but you can have all the features with a one-time fee of $25. It is available for the latest version of macOS, Catalina. 

You can also use it in the beta version of the next update, Big Sur. Since it is in beta, there may be bugs and errors. If you change your mind about Big Sur, you can learn how to downgrade from Big Sur here. 

VLC Media Player 

Quicktime enables basic media playback features on a Mac. But there are plenty of formats that it can’t read. For a more universal media player supporting most file formats and codecs, try out VLC. 

VLC can open both video and audio files making it your all-in-one player. It is an open-source software which means there are no ads. VLC is easy and doesn’t take much of your space. 

Bartender 

Installing a lot of apps can leave your menu bar cluttered and crowded. Bartender helps you tidy it up and tucks away unwanted apps into a sub-menubar. You can also configure keyboard shortcuts to access apps. 

Customization is easy so you can rearrange your icons into any order. The Bartender software is free for four weeks up to a lifetime payment for $15. 

CleanMyMac X

Your Mac has plenty of junk and cache hidden in your data that may be slowing it down. CleanMyMac X has dozens of optimization tools to remove your trash. It has a cleaner, performance monitor, malware remover, and lifesaver. 

CleanMyMac X is the Mac software you need to clean unneeded files to useless localizations. The advantage of this software is it is Apple-notarized which means it’s safe for your Mac. It’s available for free but to access all the features, you need to pay $39.95 for one Mac. 

Chrome or Firefox

It’s best to have another alternative to Safari, especially ones that have excellent support across the web. Both Chrome and Firefox are free with a sync feature across all devices. They have plenty of plugins and extensions enhancing your browser experience. 

They also have great customization and instant search capabilities. Some other alternatives are Vivaldi, Opera, Brave, and Pale Moon. 

Amphetamine

If you have important background processes happening, you’d want your Mac to stay awake. Amphetamine is a free app letting you override the system’s energy settings with only two clicks. It keeps your Mac awake while your display is off so you can hear your alarms. 

Right-click on the menu bar icon of the app and your Mac can stay on forever or for a set amount of time. You can also make sure your Mac won’t turn off if it’s connected to a specific wireless network. It also watches your connected storage drives making sure they won’t go to sleep. 

Magnet

Mac doesn’t have a shortcut or way to organize your workspace like Window’s Aero Snap feature. Magnet comes in to give you tons of ways to organize your desktop for multitasking. It also has keyboard shortcuts like cmd + option + < or > to cut your windows into halves. 

All you have to do is click and drag a window to the edges or corners of your screen. Release the windows to make your workspace from two to six displays. Magnet costs $2.99 and you can download it in the Mac App Store. 

Dropbox or Google Drive

Storage won’t be a problem with a cloud storage service such as Dropbox or Google Drive. These apps let you back-up important documents, photos, and videos. You have copies of your data lessening your worries about corrupt or missing files. 

Unlike the built-in Apple iCloud Drive, you can setup selective sync. It prevents all your data syncing from your computers and accounts. Both cloud storages offer free storage with 2GB for Dropbox and 15GB for Google Drive. 

1Password

One of the best ways to protect yourself is by having a secure and strong password. With 1Password, you can track your passwords for personal and work accounts. It also helps you generate randomized passwords for your sensitive data. 

You can sync your passwords across other devices. The app is available for personal costing at $2.99 and with a family version at $4.99. Before you start paying per month, there’s a free trial for 30 days. 

The Unarchiver 

Finder can handle common archive types like ZIP and TAR.GZ, but it can’t open RAR files. The Unarchiver can handle most file formats from RAR to BIN. It can also open some Windows executables such as EXE and MSI formats. 

The Unarchiver can also get of old Amiga Formats like ADF and DMS. To uncompress a file, hover over the file and right-click on it. Hover on the Open With and click on The Unarchiver.app.

Note that if the file format is more obscure, enable all the necessary file types in the app settings. The Unarchiver is available for free for versions macOS 10.7 and later. 

Mac Software You Need Today

These are some of the best mac software that should make the time you have on your Mac more productive and pleasant. Whether you’ve got your hands on a new Mac or you want a new experience, these are the Mac software you need to spice things up. 

Thanks for reading! If you’ve got recommendations of your own, let us know in the comments section! Also, don’t forget to check out our other blog posts for more helpful tech guides and tips.