TL;DR
Instead of scrolling through "10 Mac Apps Everyone Should Use," I bookmark awesome-mac on every new Mac setup.
99,800+ GitHub stars. 460+ contributors. Constantly updated. Every app labeled with Free/Open Source icons. This is the definitive Mac app curated list, and these are the ones I actually install first.
The Problem: Which Mac Apps Do I Actually Need?
You get a new MacBook. First question: "What do I install?"
You read 5 blogger recommendations. Get 5 different lists.
Then you find awesome-mac — a GitHub repository with 99,800 stars, maintained by 460 developers, updated constantly, and every single app cross-checked by the community via pull requests.
Not subjective "here are my 10 favorite apps." Community consensus.
What is awesome-mac? (The Stats)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GitHub Stars | 99,800+ (almost 100K) |
| Forks | 7,500+ |
| Contributors | 460+ |
| License | CC0-1.0 (Public Domain) |
| Last Update | March 10, 2026 |
| Languages Supported | English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese |
This is the "awesome" project done right. Not a "best of" list. A crowdsourced, continuously updated, community-verified directory of Mac tools.
Launchers: Your Command Center
macOS Spotlight is fine. But switching to a third-party launcher is like going from QWERTY to Dvorak — once you do it, you can't go back.
Raycast (The All-in-One)
Start with Raycast. It's what every other launcher copied.
- App launcher (obvious)
- Clipboard history (saves you 100+ times/month)
- Code snippets (faster than copy-paste)
- Window management (built-in)
- AI chat (Claude/ChatGPT integration)
The free plan alone replaces Spotlight entirely. The extension ecosystem has hundreds of plugins. The more you use it, the more you realize it's your actual command center.
Alfred (The Power User Choice)
Spotlight's more sophisticated cousin. The Workflow system is insanely powerful for automation.
If you're the type to spend an hour scripting something to save 30 seconds a month, Alfred is your tool.
BetterTouchTool (Trackpad Mastery)
Every key combination you can imagine, remapped to trackpad gestures. If you have a Touch Bar MacBook, this transforms it from gimmick to genuinely useful.
Window Management: The macOS Weakness
macOS windows are a mess compared to Windows or Linux.
awesome-mac has you covered.
| Tool | What It Does | License |
|---|---|---|
| AeroSpace | i3-style tiling window manager (keyboard-driven) | Free, Open Source |
| Rectangle | Snap windows left/right/quadrants | Free, Open Source |
| AltTab | Windows-style Alt+Tab preview | Free, Open Source |
| DockDoor | Peek at windows by hovering Dock icons | Free, Open Source |
| Loop | Radial menu for window management | Free, Open Source |
AeroSpace is the hottest window manager right now (2025-2026). If you come from Linux i3, this is it. Keyboard-only, automatic tiling. No mouse needed.
Rectangle if you want to start simple. One keyboard shortcut for left half, another for quadrants. That's it. Works instantly.
Menu Bar Cleanup: Breathing Room
More apps = messier menu bar.
Ice is Bartender but free and open source. Hide/show menu bar icons. Exactly what you need, nothing more.
Bartender had some ownership drama in 2025. Everyone switched to Ice. It just works.
Boring Notch turns your MacBook notch (the thing you hate) into a useful media control hub. Suddenly that notch isn't wasted space.
Terminal: 2025-2026's Modern Terminals
The terminal category is where awesome-mac shines for developers.
| Terminal | Key Feature |
|---|---|
| iTerm2 | The legend. Still the most stable |
| Warp | AI-powered command suggestions + modern UI |
| Kitty | GPU-accelerated rendering (blazingly fast) |
| Alacritty | Minimal + cross-platform |
Warp is the breakout star. Type the human description of what you want to do, it suggests the command. Output displays in blocks instead of a wall of text. It's not just a faster terminal — it's a rethought terminal.
Kitty if you work with massive logs. GPU acceleration means you actually feel the difference when dumping 10MB of output to the screen.
Security & System Maintenance: Free Protection
macOS is no longer immune to malware.
LuLu (Objective-See) — a free firewall that monitors which apps send data where. Transparency by default.
Pearcleaner — the CleanMyMac alternative. Deletes apps and their config files, caches, leftover folders. Open source. Privacy paranoid-friendly.
AlDente — battery health manager. Set charge limit to 80% (Apple's own recommendation) and forget about it. Critical if you dock your MacBook every day.
Browsers: Beyond Chrome
Arc redesigned tab management. Sidebars. Spaces for separating work/personal. Auto-cleanup of dead tabs.
Zen Browser (Firefox-based) — minimalist UI + aggressive tracking prevention.
Orion — WebKit-based (native macOS performance) but supports both Chrome and Firefox extensions. Speed of Safari, extensibility of Chrome.
How to Actually Use awesome-mac
Reading the repo is one thing. Using it effectively is another.
- Check the free/open source icons before clicking. Filter by license cost upfront.
- Use the Korean README if you want — multi-language support is built in.
- Star each tool's GitHub repo to see community validation. More stars = more tested.
- Bookmark only your relevant categories. 30+ categories exist. You don't need all of them.
The Setup: What I Install First
If you're starting from zero on a new Mac:
# Launchers + window management (mandatory trio)
brew install --cask raycast rectangle
brew install maccy # clipboard history
# Terminal upgrade
brew install warp
# Security
brew install --cask lulu aldente
# Menu bar cleanup
brew install --cask ice
Done. Your Mac just went from 6/10 to 9/10 in 10 minutes.
FAQ
Q: Are all apps in awesome-mac free?
No. Free, paid, and freemium apps are mixed. But each one is labeled with Free / Open Source icons. One look tells you the cost.
Q: How often is it updated?
Very actively. Updated as recently as March 10, 2026. 460+ contributors means new stuff gets added weekly.
Q: Homebrew Cask support?
Yes. Almost everything in awesome-mac installs via Homebrew.
brew install --cask raycast rectangle warp lulu
Q: I'm new to Mac. Where do I start?
Install these three first, in order:
- Raycast (launcher)
- Rectangle (window management)
- Maccy (clipboard)
These alone make macOS 10x more usable. Then explore awesome-mac's categories based on what you actually need.
The Bookmark Worth Keeping
You'll read 100 "best Mac apps" articles. They'll contradict each other.
awesome-mac won't. It's 460 developers' combined opinion, continuously refined by pull requests.
Setting up a new Mac? Bookmark awesome-mac.
You'll be back every time.
What's your first install on a fresh Mac? I'd love to hear what I missed. Drop it in the comments.
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