The Mac App Store is the place to look if you want to download free Mac apps. With so many free apps already installed on your Mac you might think that there's not much more you need, but there. You don't have to shell out the big bucks for a capable photo-editing tool on Mac; the free, built-in Apple Photos apps does the job just fine. Access photos photos stored in iCloud and use Apple.
There's support for keyboard shortcuts as well, making Magnet, at just $2, a must-have tool for the more organizationally-minded Mac users out there. Magnet Available for $1.99 from the App Store.
Must Have Mac Apps 2020
When you buy your first Mac or MacBook you will be a bit overwhelmed by how different macOS is in comparison with other operating systems. So to get started right away you will need some free apps that can help you do basic stuff like write text or edit photos.
There are many apps for Mac which are very useful. Here are some FREE amazing apps that will make your life better:
1. Image Frame
If you need an application that helps you improve your photos, Image Frame is one of the best in the business. This app comes with 50 frame designs, 7 artistic image effects and the possibility to convert and resize the images in batch mode. You can download Image Frame for free on the Mac App Store.
2. Audacity
One of the apps on the Mac App Store that can help you modify audio content is Audacity. This app can cut or arrange sections in your audio content and it can even remove the noise from recordings. It might not be a masterpiece, but Audacity gets the job done.
3. GIPHY Capture
This app is pure gold for GIF enthusiasts. All you need to do is position the GIPHY screen over what you want to record and you can create a GIF. It's very easy to use and a great tool for anyone.
4. Google Photos
Google Photos is a free app that helps you upload as many photos or videos as you like for free. The user just needs to have a Google account or create one otherwise. Also, Google Photos has the ability to identify photos automatically using a neural network.
5. LibreOffice Writer
This app opens .doc and .docx files and it can provide you a multitude of ways to style and format a document. Also, you can download different extension that will make you use this app very often.
6. myTuner Radio
If you are a music lover, this app is perfect for you. You can save your favourite radio stations from anywhere in the world, and listen to them anytime.
7. Photo Effects (Lite)
There are a lot of effects that you can apply to your photos using the tools that macOS offers you, but if you would like some more you should download Photo Effects. You can play with the intensity of the effects turning them up or down, and then enjoy your creation.
8. Shazam
Shazam is an amazing app for iOS that helps you find out what track is playing instantly. If you are a fan of this app you can also find it now on the Mac App Store. What makes the Mac version of Shazam more special is the possibility of putting the app in AUTO mode so it can identify music at all times so you can listen to it later on.
9. SketchBook
If you are talented or you just want to create a painting, you can do it using SketchBook for free. You will find a lot of painting tools and some great animations that will help you create some amazing drawings.
10. Who's On My WiFi
That is a question many of us are asking. This app helps you find out who is using your WiFi connection with or without your permission. So, if you have a person who is using your connection abusively without you knowing, you will find out immediately who he is.
11. VLC
If you can't view certain videos, VLC is the perfect app for you. It can also play the same audio contents that iTunes and QuickTime can play. Also, it's very versatile and it supports a lot of formats.
12. WhatsApp Desktop Rar mac os x 10 6.
If you are a WhatsApp user on your phone you can also use the app on your Mac. After you download the app you need to open WhatsApp on your phone, go to Settings and scan the code on your desktop monitor. After this, you will see your WhatsApp messages on your desktop.
13. Total VPN
For accessing some web content that's locked in certain countries you can use a VPN app. With the free version of Total VPN you will be able to access three locations with a limited usage.
14. Thunderbird
Thunderbird is a great open source email client created by Mozilla that helps you communicate with a lot of people. It offers some amazing features and it can also be used together with Facebook, Twitter and more.
15. Slack
If you have a Mac and don't know how to communicate with your friends, you should download Slack. You can talk to them via channels about anything you want.
16. Sophos Anti-Virus
Even if Macs don't have many problems with viruses, Sophos Anti-Virus is a good opportunity to be sure you don't have any threats on your Mac. This app detects approximately 99% of all threats for free.
17. Speedtest by Ookla
If you don't have the best broadband connection, this app is very useful for any Mac user. You can very easily verify your upload and download speed.
18. Text Wrangler
If you need to write a code or a script on your Mac, you have to download Text Wrangler. This app is the free version of BBEdit and gives you some of its best features.
Mac OS X has all essential software built-in (like word editor, screen recorder, video editor, etc.) But still, it's always nice to have some extra apps, to increase your productivity.
So, here are some free MAC Apps (video demo on YouTube), that will increase your productivity and eliminate the mild annoyance of OS X.
Useful MAC Apps
#1 Flux
It's a small utility that runs in the background and gradually changes brightness/color of the screen, such that it matches your external environments. It aims at blocking the blue light coming from your computer thus helping you sleep better
Flux is available for both Windows and Mac, and for Android, try Twilight or c.f lumen if you have ROOT access.
#2 Caffeine
Mac OS goes to sleep, after a few second of inactivity. This is annoying if you are chatting to your colleague, in front of your work desk or recording audio with Audacity. But with caffeine, you can prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep.
You can specify the time (like 30 mins or 2 hours), you want to keep your screen awake. However, if you want to keep your computer running while the lid is closed, use NoSleep.
#3 HiddenMe Free
A simple utility to hide/unhide your desktop icon. Comes in handy, if you want to take a screenshot or record your computer screen. It also supports a keyboard shortcut for quick access.
#4 ImageOptim
Compress images without compromising with the resolution or visual quality. A must-have tool for bloggers or for anyone who uploads a lot of images on the web.
Related: Compress bulk images without losing visual quality
#5 Flycut
When you copy something to your clipboard, the previous entry automatically gets removed. Right? Well, Flycut solves this problem. It stores 100s of text entries in your clipboard. Also, it's free and open source.
#6 Cinch
This small utility brings Windows Aero Snap feature to Mac. Simply hold the top of the window with your cursor, and drag it to the corner of your screen, and cinch will automatically resize that window. Useful for comparing two documents side by side.
Cinch is a paid app (on apps store) or unlimited free trials (if you get it from its official website). Another alternative is the spectacle. It's a free, open source, and does the same thing as ‘cinch', but with keyboard shortcuts.
#7 CCleaner
It's a popular program to quickly removing the temporary file and optimizing your computer. There is also an option to uninstall applications and repair system file.
#8 Handbrake
A powerful open source video compressor. Typically, it can reduce a 1 GB video to 100 MB, without any significant change in quality.
I, use it for all my YouTube videos, However, if you try to compress a video that's already compressed (like 700 MB movie file) that it won't work. Webcam reviews mac.
See: Compress videos for YouTube without losing quality
#9 Monosnap
Cracked Mac Apps Download
MAC has a built-in screen recorder and a keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot. But both of them are very basic.
For a power user, Monosnap is a better option. It has a built-in editor that lets your annotate your screenshots. Or you also add face cam or change fps, while recording your screen.
#10 DiskInventory X
It gives you a block size representation of your hard drives space. Useful to see which files are taking most space on your hard disk. It also shows you the file's location side-by-side, so if you decide to delete it, you can do that directly from the app.
#11 NTFS 3G
By default, you can only read NTFS formatted drives on MAC. There is no write support. But, with NTFS 3G (and few other programs), you can do both reads and write on an NTFS partition.
Related: Ways to Use NTFS drive on MAC
#12 Smartflix
Netflix is now available in almost every country — except China. However, the content they offer in India (I am sure, it might be the case with other countries as well), is much less than what they offer in the US.
So, with Smartflix, you watch the entire Netflix catalog without any country restriction. But how it's different from using a VPN? Well, it's free (apparently), has a dedicated app, shows you the entire catalog of Netflix instead of just one country.
#13 MalwareByte
MAC don't have anti-virus. And you probably don't need one, if you keep everything updated and browse safely.
However, if you are suspicious about spyware in your system, then use Malwarebytes. Though remember, the free version does not have real-time protection. So you will have to run the scan manually.
#14 Adapter
It's a powerful audio/video converter for your MAC. There are many things that it can do, but some of the popular ones are — changing the format of your video files, extracting audio out of the video, or making the batch transformation of images/audio/video, etc.
#15 Download Shuttle
A simple download manager for MAC which I like for two reasons. One, you can pause and resume your download. Two, it also supports downloading, from sites that require authorization like– Dropbox or your web server.
Edit: It does have chrome plugin, but unlike IDM, this didn't work that well.
Video: 15 Useful MAC Apps
Update: Here are some better alternatives to the above apps.
#16 Amphetamine
With caffeine, you can keep your MAC awake for a period of time. Right? But Amphetamine goes one step further. You can set a schedule or keep your system awake when a particular app is running.
#17 Progressive Downloader
It's similar to Download shuttle but with more customization option. For instance, you can set up a speed limit or prioritize individual download.
#18 Quitter
Does what its name suggest. It automatically closes (or hide) any app you are not using for a set time interval. For instance, if you do not use photoshop for more than 15 minutes, it'll auto hide it from your desktop.
