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The Mac App Store has a wealth of content to help you find the right apps for your daily computing life. New apps arrive in the Mac App Store every single day, which makes it nearly impossible for one to keep track of the latest and greatest. We've dedicated our time (a lot of it) to track down and test out the best of the best. We even made a list of the best free apps for Mac. Here are the best paid apps for the Mac.
1Password
Every computer should be equipped with 1Password. It's our personal favorite password manager, as it stores all of our web logins (I have hundreds), credit card info, bank accounts, drivers licenses, social security info, and more, and everything is encrypted and locked behind a Master Password that only you should know. It's also fantastic for randomly generating strong and secure passwords, auditing your existing passwords (don't reuse them and change them often), and you can log in with just a few clicks.
1Password is free to download and use (30-day free trial), but afterward, you'll need an individual ($4/mo) or family ($7/mo for up to five people) plan to continue using. However, it's simply the best password manager there is and well worth it.
Logic Pro X
Logic Pro X is Apple's pro-level audio program. If you are a songwriter, producer, or engineer, you probably already have Logic in some form or another. If you don't already have it, Logic Pro X is the one for you. It has hundreds of tools for recording and editing both digital and analog music. You can create an entire album's worth of music using nothing more than a computer, or you can connect to a mixing board and edit tracks recorded by a live band. If the drummer forgets to show up for a recording session, no problem! You can add a virtual drummer with a distinct sound.
If you're new to recording music, Logic Pro X can be a little intimidating, but there are a lot of video tutorials and online how-to guides that can help get you started. It's a hefty investment at first, but worth the initial startup cost if you're planning on becoming a self-recording artist or want to have a home-grown studio.
Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo is one of the most comprehensive photo editing apps you can get on the Mac. It has professional-quality tools, like advanced color manipulation and 32-bit channel editing. It also has dozens of useful features, like multiple editable layers, vector graphics tools, advanced image processing, and retouching and correction masking tools. View the Histogram, manually make color and lighting adjustments, or select from the suggested default options. There are so many tools it would take you months to actually try them all out.
Affinity Photo also comes with paint, clone stamp, annotation, cropping, and selection tools. It's not entirely unlike Photoshop, but it is specially designed for Mac and has a better user interface.
It is somewhat intimidating for new users, but there is a fantastic in-house tutorial section to help photo editors of all levels of experience. You'll be able to call yourself an expert in no time at all.
MacX DVD Ripper
If you're ready to turn your DVD collection into a digital library in iTunes, MacX DVD Ripper is currently the best option for the Mac. I gave MacX DVD Ripper a try a few months ago and realized that it is definitely my new favorite digitizer. It has dozens of great features, like 1:1 copying with original video quality, excellent protection bypass tools (including for region codes and Disney DRM), and batch conversion. The ISO copy takes a long time but produces perfect quality digital files every single time. If you don't want to take the time, you can get faster ripping speed with hyperthreading. You can select which type of device to output the digital file to, including iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. You can also use MacX to clip video segments to upload to YouTube, Vimeo, and more.
And if your Mac does not have an optical drive, we recommend picking up an Apple Superdrive. It's affordable and connects to your USB port, so you can still use that physical media laying around the house.
Scrivener 3
For the aspiring writer in all of us, Scrivener is nothing short of the most comprehensive writing program around. It features all of the tools you need to get started, like brainstorming tools, note cards, and a virtual draft board for pinning your ideas. Once you're ready to actually start writing, Scrivener makes the process smooth with pre-made templates for building scripts, novels, academic papers, and more.
There is a section where you can keep research documents close at hand for quick access. It comes with half-a-dozen templates for different types of documents, including screenplays, novels, short stories, scripts, and more. It has everything a writer needs to prepare for writing that novel they've always wanted to tackle.
Markdown Pro
If you're in the coding biz, especially if you spend a lot of time using Markdown, Markdown Pro is the best writing app for Mac that you can get your hands on. It shows you a real-time preview of your content, so you'll always know if you've made a mistake or if the end result doesn't look the way you intended. You can add a custom CSS template so you can always have your blog pages ready to go. All files can be saved as HTML or PDF. There is even a handy help guide with the most popular codes for Markdown listed for your convenience.
Notability
When it comes to taking notes, Notability is tops. It has powerful note-taking and annotation features that make it a must-have for college students. You can drag images, PDFs, and other documents into a note. When you record while taking notes, you can tap a word to skip ahead to that specific spot in the recording to playback what was said at that moment. Its note-taking tools are its most ... notable feature. You won't be caught without pen and paper if you have Notability on your Mac.
OmniFocus 3
OmniFocus is bursting at the seams with features. It has dozens of organizational options and lets you create project lists with sub-categories. You can add due dates, flag important items on a list, and view tasks like an email inbox. It definitely scratches my itch for list-making and organizing.
OmniFocus 3 is definitely worth downloading if you need a task manager that can cover every aspect of your working life. If you need a powerful GTD (getting things done) style organizer, OmniFocus 3 is the best one available on the Mac. It's free to download and includes a 14-day free trial. Afterward, you can get the Standard features for $50 or the Pro features for $100.
Gemini 2
Gemini 2 is a flexible, user-friendly duplicate file finder that lets you scan your entire computer or individual files for duplicates. Whether you are trying to track down songs, movies, photos, or documents that are doubles, Gemini has you covered. This is a great app for people that are a little nervous about going around deleting files from their computer.
It has a great looking interface with clear and understandable instructions. You can select a folder to scan. Then, review the duplicates, select the ones you want to get rid of, and hit the Trash button. It is simplified, but still gives you the freedom to scan your entire computer or just specific folders you want to check.
The app is free to download and includes a trial. Afterward, you can purchase a license for $20.
Airmail
Airmail treats your email like a to-do list. You can triage your inbox by scheduling when you are going to take care of an email. If you can't get to it right now, snooze it for later. If it's an email that requires an action, send it to your to-do folder. If it's something important that you'll want quick access to, mark it as a memo. And, when you've finished dealing with your email, send it to the 'Done' folder to get that sweet satisfaction of having completed something on your task list.
Final Cut Pro
If you deal with video editing on a daily basis, then iMovie may not be enough for you. That's when you need Final Cut Pro.
Final Cut Pro is packed with a ton of powerful features to make your job of video editing easier. You'll have access to plenty of cool tools to streamline your editing, and organizing your media is a breeze with tools like smart collections. There are fun things like 2D and 3D titles, plenty of different transitions, and more. You can customize it with a large variety of third-party plug-ins and custom interfaces. The program utilizes all of the GPUs in your Mac for superior playback performance and speedy background rendering, so if you have a powerful machine, it's fully put to use with Final Cut Pro.
Magnet
If you work in multiple workspaces on your Mac, then Magnet is a must.
Magnet makes it super easy to automatically adjust the window size of any app you're working in, so you don't have to manually drag and resize every window each time. With Magnet, just select what size you want the active window to be, and voila, it will change it with one click. Then pick the other app you want to work with side-by-side, select the size you want (and the side), and boom! Now you have two apps side-by-side (or however you want to work it) with just a few clicks. No dragging and rearranging. Magnet lives in the menu bar, but you can also activate it with keyboard shortcuts if you're a keyboard wizard.
Day One
Journaling is a great way to reflect and capture important memories or thoughts, and Day One is the best journaling app you can get on Mac.
Day One has a beautiful interface that is pleasant and relaxing to work with. You can have multiple journals, and the ability to add multiple photos and audio clips to entries makes them more personable than ever. You can organize by tags, see where you were, format your entries with rich text, and more.
Day One is free to download and use, but you'll only have basic features. If you opt for a Premium subscription for $25 a year, you'll get unlimited photo storage, unlimited journals, cloud sync, unlimited encrypted cloud storage, and more.
Fantastical
While Apple has a built-in Calendar app, it's just not fantastic enough. That's when Fantastical comes in.
With Fantastical, you get a gorgeous interface that makes it easy to see your schedule at-a-glance, whether you're looking at the full app or just the mini menu-bar version. Inputting events is super easy, thanks to the natural language parser. Just type in something like 'Get coffee with Lory tomorrow at 3 pm at Stumptown Coffee Roasters' and Fantastical will take care of the rest. There is also full integration with Apple Reminders, so you can have your schedule and tasks in one place.
Your favorites?
What are the go-to paid apps for Mac you have on your laptop or desktop right now? Put them in the comments and let us know why they are so important to you.
July 2019: Updated to reflect the latest versions of apps, and added some new options. These are the best paid apps for your Mac!
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exposure notificationNational COVID-19 server to use Apple and Google's API, hosted by Microsoft
The Association of Public Health Laboratories has announced it is working with Apple, Google, and Microsoft to launch a national server that will securely store COVID-19 exposure notification data.
In a previous article where I talked about the 5 best cheap Mac apps under $10, it seems that many of you wanted to know if these apps had any free alternatives. The straight answer is yes, but it is a little bit more complicated than that. As a rule of thumb, you should know that for every paid Mac app, there is a corresponding free app out there. You just have to search for it.
That said, the free apps do have their own limitations. Mostly the limitations have to do with the user interface of the app. The paid apps generally have a more modern and easy to navigate user interface than their free counterparts. The paid apps also bring more features which make the apps more productive. I guess what I am trying to say is that in most cases, you essentially get what you paid for. That’s not to say that there are no good free apps out there. On the contrary, there are a ton of awesome free apps, and if you want to see a lit of them, do let me know in the comments section below.
However, this article is not about the best free Mac apps, it’s about the best-paid macOS apps and their free alternatives. Before we get into the article, one thing I would like to mention is that I have taken a little bit of liberty with the concept of free apps, which you will understand as we get into the article. So, if you don’t think that the paid apps deserve the price that they are asking for, here are the 7 best paid Mac apps and their free alternatives:
7 Best Paid macOS Apps and Their Free Alternatives
Since there are going to be a lot of apps on this list, I am not going to go in-depth for each one of them. Rest assured all the apps that I mention in this list has been thoroughly tested by me. Also, if you like to see an in-depth review of any of the apps mentioned in this list, do let me know by writing in the comments section below. I will make sure to fulfill as many of your requests as I can.
1. Best Password Manager App for Mac: 1Password
It’s 2018 and if you are not using a password manager today, I am sorry to tell you the truth, but you are a fool (unless you have a Sheldon like memory which allows you to create and remember strong and random passwords). If you take your account safety seriously, you should be using a password manager. A password manager not only allows you to create random and secure passwords but it also makes them easily accessible. All you need to do is remember one master password. As long as you remember that you can use your password anywhere, be it on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
1Password according to me is one of the best password managers you can get for yourself. All your data is encrypted using end-to-end AES-256 encryption and PBKDF2 key derivation, which is a technical way to say, that there is no way in hell anyone can get into your account if they don’t know your master password. The service syncs all your password across devices and supports all the major platforms including macOS, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows. So, no matter which device you are using, you are covered.
Install:1Password - Free trial ($3.99/month - paid annually - individual plan / $4.99/month - paid annually - family plan up to 5 members)
1Password Free Alternative - LastPass
One of the biggest restrictions that come with using the free version of any password manager software is that the free version doesn’t allow you to sync your password across devices. This is where LastPass wins as the free version of the software allows you to sync your passwords across devices. Remember that I told you that I am going to take a little liberty when it comes to what free app means, that declaration applies here. Although LastPass does have a premium subscription model, it’s free version is enough to fulfill all your individual needs. In fact, I myself use the free version of LastPass and has never felt a need to upgrade to the paid version.
That’s not to say that the paid version doesn’t come with extra features. The paid version brings features like desktop application logins, desktop fingerprint identification, two-factor authentication, and 1GB of encrypted file storage. That said, none of those features are necessary. All the necessary features like password creation, auto-fill and auto-login in browsers, password sync across devices, form filling, secure notes, and more are present in the free version. That’s why I consider, LastPass to be the best free password manager you can use today.
Install: LastPass - Free ($2/month - paid annually - individual plan / $4/month - paid annually - family plan up to 5 members)
2. Best Menu Bar Manager for Mac: Bartender 3
One of my favorite features of Mac is its Menu Bar and the apps that it can hold. The Menu Bar not only provides us with a quick way to access important information and give us app specific contextual menus, it also allows us to use Menu Bar apps which are quite nifty applications. However, if you are as obsessed with apps as I am, you will soon find that your Menu Bar has become too crowded and unorganized.
That’s where Bartender comes in as it allows you to organize your menu bar apps, by hiding them, rearranging them, or moving them to the Bartender Items. But that’s not all, Bartender also allows you to quickly search for Menu Bar apps and use keyboard shortcuts to access them. Bartender is a must-have application for anyone who is looking to manage their Menu Bar items.
Install: Bartender 3 - Free trial for 4 weeks - $15
Bartender3 Free Alternative: Vanilla
I will be the first one to come out and say that Vanilla is nowhere as powerful as the Bartender app. That said, The app is free and allows you to hide your Menu Bar apps elegantly. When you install the app, you will see a small arrow icon which you can click on to either expand or hide the Menu Bar icons.
Although the app is free forever, it does have a Pro option which adds extra features like keyboard shortcuts and automatic icons hiding. However, if you are not ready to pay, the free version will just serve you right as the app never ever nags you for upgrading.
Install:Vanilla - Free/$3.99
3. Best Storage Manager for Your Mac: DaisyDisk
DaisyDisk is one of my most favorite macOS apps and considering how much it helps me, I am more than happy to pay for the service. I have already talked about the app in great detail in the best Mac apps under $10 article, which you can read if you want to. The short version is that the app helps you scan your Mac’s internal storage as well as any other storage devices that are either physically connected to your device or are on your server and helps you find and delete unwanted items to free up storage on your device. DaisyDisk is a prime example of an app which is really useful but that’s not why you are buying it. You are buying it for its extremely beautiful user interface which makes using this app a delight.
Install:DaisyDisk - $9.99
DaisyDisk Free Alternative: GrandPerspective
GrandPerspective is the best app for anyone who is looking for an alternative to DaisyDisk. The basic premise of the app is the same as DaisyDisk, that is, it scans your Mac to give you a graphical representation of the disk usage. You can choose to either scan your entire Mac or individual folders. Once you run the scan, the app will show all your files and folders represented by solid colored squares.
The bigger the file size, the bigger is the square. Thus you can easily find out which files and folders take up the most space. The app is free to download from its official website but cost $1.99 on the Mac App Store. But whichever app you download, you are essentially getting the same thing. The paid version is just your way of supporting the developers.
Install: GrandPerspective - (Free from Sourforge / $1.99 from Mac App Store)
4. Best Writing App For Mac: Ulysses
Ulysses has garnered a lot of hate after the service decided to go the subscription route, but the thing is, whether you love it or hate it, there is no denying the fact that it’s the best writing app for Mac. In fact, all the article that you see on this website have been researched, drafted, and written on Ulysses. The best part about Ulysses is that it is an extremely powerful and productive writing tool which packs enough features that can handle any writing project irrespective of its size or complexity, and yet it still manages to maintain a simple and distraction-free UI so you can get the work done. I have already published an article detailing all the features of the app which you can go through if you want to make yourself familiar with the app.
Install:Ulysses ($4.99/month or $39.99/year - special student pricing available)
Ulysses Free Alternative: Typora / Elephant / Focus Writer
Probably the hardest thing when drafting this article was finding a worthy free alternative for Ulysses, and sadly even after scouring the whole internet, I could not find an app which can replace Ulysses alone. Don’t get me wrong, Typora is a fairly worthy app, however, it’s only free till it’s in beta.
Focus Writer is free but it neither bring the handy markdown editing feature nor the exceptional organizational feature of Ulysses.
Elephant is an open-source alternative to Evernote which also has a built-in markdown editor.
Download Paid Mac Apps Free
In the end, I still think that iA Writer ($9.99) is the best Ulysses alternative but you can surely check these apps to see if they can help you in replacing Ulysses or not. If you are already using a Ulysses alternative which you think is better than anything mentioned on this list, do help us out by dropping its name in the comments section below.
Top 100 Free Mac Apps 2017
Install:Typora / Elephant / FocusWriter
5. Best Photo Editing App For Mac: Affinity Photo
I have used a ton of photo editing apps on Mac, however, I have always come back to Affinity Photo. The biggest reason why I prefer Affinity Photo is not just because it packs more features that you will ever need and is regularly updated, it’s because Affinity provides a plethora of resources to help you master the software. I also love the fact that unlike most of the good photo editors out there which uses subscription-based pricing, Affinity photo charges a onetime fee.
One more reason to go for Affinity Photo is its iPad app. Affinity Photo’s iPad app is the most robust photo editing app that you can use on your iPad, period. If you are ready to pay the price, Affinity Photo will provide you with one of the most versatile and extensive suite of tools you will find in any photo editing software.
Install:Affinity Photo - $49.99
Affinity Photo Free Alternative: Fotor / Gimp
Fotor is probably the best free alternative to Affinity Photo which makes this one the best free photo editing app for Mac. The biggest benefit of using Fotor is the way it handles its interface. All the important tools are available right within your reach and you don’t have to dig through various sub-menus to find them. That said, Fotor is not truly free as it offers in-app purchases.
If you are looking for a truly free alternative to Affinity Photo, Gimp is what you should be looking at. Gimp is an open source photo editing tool for Mac. Being an open-source app, it brings all the advantages and disadvantages that come with the domain. What I mean by that Gimp has all the photo editing tools and features that you will find in any pro photo editing tool, however, it also comes with a steep learning curve and you will have to invest a considerable amount of time in learning it.
Install:Fotor / Gimp
6. Best Productivity App for Mac: Alfred
If you have ever searched for productivity apps for Mac, I can bet that Alfred was at the top of most of the results. Alfred is such a powerful tool that I will need to dedicate a series of articles if I want to really explain its power. The app not only helps you to quickly find files, apps, and more on your Mac, it also allows you to search the web, execute system level commands, create and execute workflows, assign hotkeys, control your music, automate your workflow, and much more. The possibilities are endless here. With its latest update, Alfred has taken the route of the freemium model where all its basic functions are free but pro functions are hidden behind a paywall, which you will need to buy if you are serious about using Alfred.
Install:Free / ￡19
Alfred Free Alternative: Quicksilver / Flashlight
QuickSilver is an open-source alternative for Alfred. Almost everything that you can do with Alfred, you can do with Quicksilver for free. However, as it is with any open-source application, Quicksilver also comes with a steep learning curve and doesn't have a great UI. That said, if you are ready to invest your time, you will be thoroughly rewarded.
Quicksilver will turn you into a Mac ninja, making you a far more productive than your average Mac user. However, if for some reason you are yet not ready to give up on Spotlight and still want all of Alfred’s power, you might want to check out Flashlight. Flashlight is not an app in itself but a collection of plugins which enhances the features of Spotlight bringing it closer to the likes of Alfred and Quicksilver.
Install:Quicksilver / Flashlight
7. Best Task Management App for Mac: OmniFocus
I understand that everybody has their own system for managing tasks, and there can be no one task management app which is best for everyone. However upon trying multiple apps, I have found that OmniFocus is one of the best if not the best task management app for Mac. OmniFocus uses the “Getting Things Done” principle to help you, well, get things done. I love how OmniFocus not only allows me to create individual tasks, it also allows me to create projects, folders, attach contextual menus, defer tasks, and more. OmniFocus also comes with apps for iPhone,iPad, and Apple Watch, so no matter which Apple device you are using, OmniFocus is always there for you.
Install:OmniFocus - $39.99
OmniFocus Free Alternative: Wunderlist / Todoist / Reminders
Best Mac Apps
While I searched high and low for a free task management for Mac, every app that I found which was worth getting on the list followed a freemium model. Of all those apps, I found Todoist and Wunderlist to be the best of the bunch. I personally prefer Wunderlist more than Todoist, however, Todoist has certain advantages over Wunderlist and most of those advantages have to do with various automation tools which greatly cuts down the time you spent on the app itself and more on the tasks in hand.
However, if you don’t want a freemium app and need something truly free, I think the built-in Reminders apps that come with macOS and iOS is your best hope. The Reminders is not only for creating one-time reminders rather you can also create lists which can act as your projects. The app also allows you to set due dates and share reminders with someone which is a much-needed feature if you work in a collaborative environment. However, the biggest thing that goes in favor of reminders app is the fact that it is deeply integrated with Siri so you can use Apple’s voice assistant to easily create tasks without having to open the app itself.
Install:Todoist / Wunderlist
Top 100 Free Mac Apps Free
Paid Mac Apps and Free Alternatives: Final Thoughts
Since I took this topic on, I realized that while some of the paid Mac apps have worthy alternatives, most of the best paid apps offer features and user interface which cannot be replicated by any free app. Maybe that’s why it’s better to pay for the apps that you are going to use on a daily basis rather looking for their free alternative.
That said, not all of us are lucky enough to afford all the paid Mac apps. Hence, what I feel the best thing to do is to buy the apps which are essential for your workflow (you can look at cheaper alternatives which are much easier to find than free ones) while use the free ones for those which are not that important and will not hamper your productivity in a big way.