The best Mac apps, by what you need
Hand-picked Mac apps for the job you have in mind: free apps, apps without a subscription, and the best picks for developers, designers, writers and students.
The best free Mac apps
Mac apps that cost nothing to use, with no trial running out and no feature behind a paywall. Every one is checked by a person before it is listed.
9 apps
Mac apps without a subscription
Pay once or pay nothing. These apps are free, freemium or a one-time purchase, so there is no monthly bill to keep track of.
42 apps
The best Mac apps for developers
Editors, terminals and the small utilities that make building software on a Mac faster: picked for people who write code every day.
12 apps
The best Mac apps for designers
Apps for drawing, layout, prototyping, photos and video, plus the screenshot and colour tools designers keep open all day.
8 apps
The best Mac apps for writers
Distraction-free editors, note apps and dictation for anyone who writes for a living, or just writes a lot.
6 apps
The best Mac apps for students
Apps for learning, note-taking and staying on top of deadlines, all free or with a free plan so they fit a student budget.
4 apps
Mac apps for power users
Menu bar tools, window managers, automation and keyboard-first apps that make macOS faster than it is out of the box.
23 apps
Private Mac apps that keep your data on your Mac
Apps that work offline, keep your data on your own Mac or are open source, so you can see exactly what they do.
26 apps