Top Best Apps for macOS [Update 2021]

MacBook is the expensive device that many people dream of owning; it is also sleek, but it is also equipped with many great features. However, the default macOS apps and features are not enough, you should still equip other software to enhance your work experience and productivity.

While the App Store has thousands of apps, choosing the best for Mac is difficult. So you can refer to the list of the best applications for Mac that I have gathered in this article. These are applications that work well and are used by many people regularly.

The Best Utility Apps for macOS

Caffeine – Turn on/off Sleep Mode

Normally, the computer will fall asleep (Sleep state) when it is in standby mode for a while, and the Mac is no exception. Caffeine is a neat little app on the menu bar that prevents your Mac from going to sleep. It can be turned on or off with just one click.

Download Caffeine

Lightshot – Take a screenshot

While your Mac has built-in options for taking screenshots, those don’t offer as much customization as Lightshot. This tool allows you to take a snapshot of the screenshots of certain areas, edit them after being captured, and share them on the Internet with just one click.

It is also available as a browser extension.

Download Lightshot

HiddenMe – Hide the icon on the desktop

Usually, when taking a screenshot, everything that appears on it is saved. However, if you want to hide all desktop icons while taking the desktop, it’s very simple. HiddenMe Free does it for you with just the click of a button. You can then restore the icons with another click on the menu bar.

Download HiddenMe

AppCleaner – Uninstall apps

The Mac’s app uninstall feature is quick and easy, but unfortunately, it doesn’t wipe all of its files. AppCleaner will help you to uninstall apps and data related to that application. You only need to make a few clicks and it will remove any remaining files associated with the application.

Download AppCleaner

Android File Transfer – Exchange files with Android

Transferring files between iOS devices and Mac doesn’t require an app, but things aren’t the same for Android phones. Android File Transfer helps you to transfer data between Android devices and your Mac. You need to connect your computer to Android via a USB cable to transfer and receive files.

Download Android File Transfer

Best Torrent Downloader for Mac

Torrents work on a P2P peer-to-peer network, which means that data can co-exist on many different servers. When you start the download, the file ends up being pieced together by different files from different servers.

Bittorrent

Bittorrent seems to be familiar to you if you’ve already downloaded torrents on any of your devices. It allows you to download multiple torrents and offers download and shutdown options when torrent downloads are complete. It also gives you access to add new torrents remotely.

Download Bittorrent

Transmission

Transmission is another torrent manager that lets you download, manage torrents and other common options. You can also control it from anywhere on the Internet via the web interface of the application.

Download Transmission

Deluge

Deluge has all the standard torrent download features and it’s extensible. You can add more features to it as plugins available on the app’s website. It supports full encryption, web UI and proxy.

Download Deluge

WebTorrent

Maybe you, like many others, don’t want to wait for the torrent to finish downloading before you can watch them. WebTorrent Desktop allows you to watch movies even if they have not been fully downloaded to your Mac. It starts playing the video as soon as the torrent is added to the list.

Download WebTorrent

Best Download Manager for Mac

Free Download Manager

If you often download files from the Internet, having an app like Free Download Manager is a good idea. It allows you to speed up downloads and also provides options to manage your files as they are downloaded. This is software with a very nice interface.

Download Free Download Manager

JDownloader

JDownloader is a customizable and thematic downloader that allows you to download files with multiple connections, automatically decompresses files as they are downloaded, and helps set bandwidth limits for files your download.

You can further extend its features by adding new modules from its website.

Download JDownloader

Xtreme Download Manager

In addition to downloading files in the usual way, Xtreme Download Manager lets you save streaming videos to your hard drive. It helps to increase download speed and works with all popular browsers today. Besides, it also supports scheduled downloads.

Download Xtreme Download Manager

The best PDF reader for Mac

Preview

Preview doesn’t need to be downloaded as it comes pre-loaded on your Mac. Most people think of it as a photo viewer, but it also helps you view PDFs on your Mac. It even allows you to edit them to some extent.

Foxit Reader

Foxit Reader is another application that allows you to access, search and print PDF files on your Mac. It makes opening and converting multiple PDF files easier by keeping a stack of files open in the sidebar.

Download Foxit Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader

You may have come across forms that ask you to fill them out with PDF software. Adobe Reader allows you to view your PDFs and also helps you fill out those PDF forms. It can also help you search for text inside your PDF files.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader

Skim

Skim allows you to view PDF files and make notes, highlight elements in your files for easy. It has standard features like search, preview internal links, etc.

Download Skim

Best compression app for Mac

The Unarchiver

Unarchiver is the leading application for managing almost any type of file storage format on your Mac. It allows you to extract files from dozens of formats, supports foreign characters, and easily integrates with macOS.

Download The Unarchiver

Extractor

With the Extractor app, drag and drop files onto the app’s icon in the Dock and they’ll decompress. It supports data files’ password security, can decompress multiple files simultaneously, and send notifications when the extraction is complete.

Download Extractor

The best media player for Mac

QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is one of the built-in applications that allows you to play media on your Mac computer. You can use it to play MP4 videos, MP3 files and it also supports some other audio file formats. You can even use it to record computer screen videos.

Download QuickTime Player

VLC Player

There won’t be any video and music formats that VLC Player can’t play. It’s an open-source app that has useful features like subtitles, audio and video filtering, youtube video downloads, screen recording… The best part is that it has no ads.

Download VLC Player

5KPlayer

5KPlayer is a media player but packed with advanced features. It lets you play 4K and 360-degree videos, in addition to supporting a wide range of video and music formats. It also supports AirPlay and DLNA for streaming content from your devices. You can also use it as a Youtube video downloader.

Download 5KPlayer

MPlayerX

What sets MPlayerX apart from other applications is its easy-to-use and straightforward interface. If you love watching videos, then this is a perfect application. It plays videos from online sites, automatically detects episodes in a movie, and can be controlled with Apple Remote.

Download MPlayerX

The best remote desktop app for Mac

Chrome Remote Desktop

Whether you use the Google Chrome browser or not, you cannot ignore the Chrome Remote Desktop application if you want to connect to the remote computer. It allows you to share your screen, assist and get assistance easily, and help manage your PC when away from home. This utility operates on the Google Web platform; you do not need to install it to use.

Download Chrome Remote Desktop

TeamViewer

TeamViewer has long allowed people to share their screens and tech support remotely. You can use it on your Mac to access someone’s computer, and vice versa. You need to install the app and enter your ID on the target device’s app interface to access it.

Download TeamViewer

The best Office suite for Mac

iWork

iWork is Apple’s very own office suite that goes with all Macs. It includes Pages for creating documents, Numbers for creating spreadsheets, and Keynote for creating presentations, each with its file formats. It allows you to keep your iWork documents on iCloud for easy access.

Download iWork

Google Docs

Google Docs is the perfect office suite for you, allowing you to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations. You can share these files, have different permissions with colleagues, and there everyone can work together.

Download Google Docs

LibreOffice

LibreOffice has a growing list of features as a community of open source developers supports it. It comes with a writer for creating documents like Word, Calc for creating spreadsheets and Impress for designing presentations. It also has tools for creating diagrams and databases on your Mac.

Download LibreOffice

Best video editor for Mac

iMovie

iMovie is Apple’s video editor that lets you edit your pre-recorded videos on both Mac and iOS devices. If you don’t like editing a lot, its “trailer” feature will let you quickly create some basic videos on your device. It also supports 4K video in your editing projects.

Download iMovie

OpenShot

OpenShot is a perfect choice for those looking for a simple yet powerful video editor that includes all standard video editing options. This one has no complicated menus and is easy to use and suitable for new to video editing.

Download OpenShot

Shotcut

Shotcut is a video editing software that doesn’t require much study and you can get started with it right away. It has several shortcuts for quick actions like crop, apply filters and add special effects to your videos. Shotcut is a video editing software that doesn’t require much study and you can get started with it right away. It has several shortcuts for quick actions like crop, apply filters and add special effects to your videos.

Download Shotcut

Best audio editor for Mac

GarageBand

GarageBand is more than just a sound creation tool, you can also use it to edit your audio files. You can even use your physical tools in connection with the app to record music and then edit it in the same app. GarageBand is a full-fledged audio studio application.

Download GarageBand

Audacity

Audacity is a simple yet powerful audio editor that allows you to record your music and edit it. You can start using it without any prior editing experience. Audacity is mainly used to remove noise from audio files.

Download Audacity

Ocenaudio

If you’re looking to edit large audio files on your Mac, Oceanaudio could be a good choice. It has an instant preview of your effects, provides a spectrum graph, and supports add-ons for more features.

Download Ocenaudio

Conclusion

Above is a list of the best apps for Mac and if you have a need, you should choose them. If in this article I still lack any good application that you know, please share it immediately by commenting below!

Related Reads:

Free Music Making Apps on Mac