App Addict
I'm an incurable software collector and enjoy few things more than downloading and exploring new apps. If you've got the same bug, check here for suggestions or read some of my app reviews.
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CleanShot X

There are a lot of options for screenshot utilities on the Mac, from the built in ability to capture images that's built in to the OS, to the full featured freemium app Shottr by indie developer Electric Endeavors for still images to even more powerful still and video capture products like SnagIt by TechSmith. The product I personally use, CleanShot X hits the sweet spot in the middle. It may be over kill if you just need to screenshot memes for social media, but if you are a blogger, need screenshots for work documents or deal with tech support regularly,...
May 15th, 2024 Mac Apps

Maestral, an Open-Source Dropbox Client

If you have a Dropbox account, even a basic free one, you'd be well served to install Maestral, an open-source Dropbox client for macOS. It allows you to locate your Dropbox folder wherever you want, not just in your ~/Library/Cloud Storage folder where Apple wants to force you to keep your files. Since it's not an official Dropbox client, it doesn't even count against your three-device limit. Having even a basic Dropbox account can be useful if you use IFTTT, want to avoid iCloud for any reason or have legacy apps that require Dropbox. Maestral even allows you to have...
May 14th, 2024 Mac Apps

Dropzone 4 - A Little Pricey But Versatile

One of my favorite utilities, one I've used through several version is Dropzone 4 from Aptonic. It is a menubar app that performs a variety of functions. Similar to apps like Yoink, Unclutter and Dropover, it provides a space to park files you need to copy elsewhere later. You can also create a grid of folders where you frequently copy files to have them always available even if Finder isn't open. One of my favorite features is shortcut integration. I use a shortcut by Jarrod Blundy over at HeyDingus! to upload images to my blog host (Micro.blog). I get prompted...
May 13th, 2024 Mac Apps

Bean - A Free, Lightweight Word Processor

For years, Bean, a free word processor for macOS has been my go-to when I needed to create a document with rich text, tables and images. Weighing in at only 8MB, it starts instantly and places little demands on even my wife's 10-year-old machine. It reminds me of Microsoft's WordPad in a way, only better. The developer, James Hoover issues regular updates including one as recently as last month. Hoover has written, "About Bean, some have said, "Why switch from Word? It has everything that I need!" So, keep using Word; I used Word for years and was reasonably happy...
May 12th, 2024 Mac Apps

FreeTube - Maybe the Most Underrated App

YouTube in undeniably a force in the modern world. My 77-year-old father watches it daily as does my four-year old granddaughter. If you watch YouTube on a PC running macOS, Windows or Linux, I suggest you do it with FreeTube. FreeTube is a privacy lover's dream, using no trackers and allowing you to subscribe to your favorite channels without an account. All user data is stored on your machine and is never sent to or stored on the Internet. The data for videos is either scraped or obtained through the Invidious API. The interface is similar to YouTube and easy...
May 11th, 2024 Mac Apps

MusicHarbor - The New Release Finder

If you are an Apple Music subscriber, you know it's not the best at letting you know about upcoming new releases. If you are really into music, you may get your news from social media or the entertainment press but there is a better way, the MusicHarbor app. This app will scan your music library to find the artists you listen to and create a list of upcoming albums you may want to put on your calendar. In some cases, you may even find recently released albums you weren't aware of. It is a versatile app, allowing you to listen...
May 10th, 2024 Universal Apps

RapiDMG - Automating Downloads and Installs

On Macs, the default app for opening disk image files (DMG) is the native DiskImageMounter.app. You are not limited to using this app, however, you can use other tools like FastDMG or Keka to mount these disk images, one of the most common file types for downloaded apps from the Internet. The app that works best for me is RapiDMG. When you make RapiDMG your default app for opening disk images, double-clicking on the file mounts the disk image files, extracts the application contained in it to the Applications folder, deletes the DMG (if that is your preference) and then...
May 9th, 2024 Mac Apps

Blip - Free Cross Platform File Transfers

When you need to share a file with someone, or maybe get a file from you home computer to your work computer, you have a variety of options depending on your needs and security constraints. You can use Airdrop between Apple devices. You can upload to a cloud service. You can use email. There's another way, and it's cross platform (macOS, iOS, Windows, Android), encrypted, fast, free and direct. Using the Blip app, your files are sent directly to the target device without being uploaded to someone else's web server. You can use Blip to send files anywhere there is...
May 8th, 2024 Universal Apps

ProNotes Markdown Plugin for Apple Notes

If you have a lot of date saved in the default Apple Notes app and you aren't interested in migrating to Obsidian, Notion, Joplin or Evernote, you still don't have to settle for the limited formatting and back linking options you are provided. ProNotes, a free app, allows you to use standard Markdown syntax, if you choose to, in order to format your text. You can also choose to use a floating toolbar with formatting tools. You can even use slash commands for titles, headings, code blocks, checklists, numbered lists and even tables. Bi-directional links macOS Sonoma introduced the ability...
May 7th, 2024 Mac Apps

Battle of the Clipboard Managers

It's universally agreed upon, even by the most rabid of Mac Fanboys, that Apple has dropped the ball by never providing anything more than basic clipboard management. You get to have one thing on the clipboard and when you overwrite it, it's gone. Thankfully, there a plenty of alternatives to choose from. I've tried many of them and settled on the one that's included in the free application launcher, Raycast along with the CopyQ extension as my daily driver. The features I want are included: • Can pin frequently used snippets (like my OpenAI API key) • Searchable • Includes...
May 6th, 2024 Mac Apps

BBEdit - It Doesn't Suck

In the world of text editors for the Mac there are lot's of choices. I come to the decision making process as a non-programmer who occasionally does some basic scripting with the help of Ai.  Visual Studio Code is the most popular among programmers with an estimated 70% market share. Personally, I don't care for its non-standard interface and rarely use it. My go to for tasks of any complexity is the free version of the venerable BBEDit, a program whose marketing tagline is "It doesn't suck." My most used feature is the global search and replace across files. I...
May 5th, 2024 Mac Apps

AlDente Pro - Charge Limiter

The battery on my M2 MacBook pro routinely keeps me going more than 14 hours on a single charge. Because replacing batteries is environmentally disruptive and expensive ($200 or more), I want mine to last as long as possible. To help me achieve this, I use AlDente Pro, a multifeatured battery app that starts at login and keeps my battery from exceeding a 70% charge. Li-ion batteries work best and last longest when they are kept between 20% and 80%. To stay calibrated, they occasionally need to run a full cycle (once a month or so). AlDente can handle this...
May 4th, 2024 Mac Apps

My Favorite AI App is an Apple Shortcut

When I have a question I want to run by a LLM, my first stop isn't my paid Raycast subscription with AI. It isn't even the Google Gemini Pro that I pay for. It's not even any of the AI apps I get with my Setapp subscription. I use a free shortcut that anyone can get from Github. When I set it up, I plugged in my pay as you go API key from OpenAI and in six months of almost daily use, I've spent around $5. I have a hotkey assigned to launch the shortcut using Keyboard Maestro but...
May 3rd, 2024 Universal Apps

Chrome Remote Desktop - Free Remote Control

I have a MacBook at home running macOS 14.4. It's on my home network with Verizon as my ISP. I run Nord VPN 24/7. At a side job, I use a variety of computers including a PC running Windows 10 22H2. They have a FortiGate corporate firewall. I have no problem connecting the two computers using a free utility from Google called Chrome Remote Desktop. With practically the same functionality as more expensive and harder to configure applications like Screens or Jump Desktop, I can establish a password protected connection and control the screen of the remote computer in either...
May 2nd, 2024 Mac Apps

Alarm Clock Pro

There are several companies that offer periodic deals on Mac software at huge discounts. I put up with emails from these companies just so that I get notifications when these sales happen. Probably my favorite of these companies is Bundle Hunt. I've been buying from them for over a decade. In their last sale, I got a great app, Alarm Clock Pro, the most full featured clock app I have ever used. It's a vital part of my workflow at my day job. Not only does Alarm Clock Pro alert me at specified times, it also automatically opens a web...
May 1st, 2024 Mac Apps
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