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Piyush Zala
Piyush Zala

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7 Free Mac Productivity Tools Every Developer Should Try

  1. Raycast – The All-in-One Launcher Website: raycast.com

Raycast is like Spotlight but designed for power users. You can launch apps, search files, run scripts, use extensions, and even interact with tools like GitHub, Notion, and Jira — all from your keyboard.

Key Features:

  • App launcher
  • Clipboard history
  • Custom script commands
  • GitHub integrations

✅ Great alternative to Alfred (especially in the free tier)

  1. Rectangle – Effortless Window Management Website: rectangleapp.com

Want to snap windows like on Windows? Rectangle does just that — and it’s free and open-source.

Key Features:

  • Keyboard shortcuts for window snapping
  • Drag-to-edge support
  • Customizable layout shortcuts

✅ Perfect for multitasking on a single screen

  1. Notion – The Workspace That Grows With You Website: notion.so

Notion can be your note-taking app, task tracker, project dashboard, and more. For devs, it’s a great tool to organize learning material, build docs, or plan side projects.

Key Features:

  • Pages, databases, kanban boards
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Web clipper & markdown support

✅ Bonus: You can publish Notion docs as public pages or mini wikis.

  1. Alfred – Productivity Boost With Workflows Website: alfredapp.com

Alfred is a long-time favorite of power users. While some advanced features require the Powerpack (paid), the free version still packs a punch.

Key Features:

  • Fast app and file launcher
  • Web search and custom filters
  • Clipboard history
  • Snippet expansion

✅ If you love automation, try combining Alfred with custom workflows.

  1. Obsidian – Local Markdown Knowledge Base Website: obsidian.md

Obsidian is ideal for developers who take a lot of notes, write documentation, or want a personal knowledge graph — and prefer to store everything locally.

Key Features:

  • Markdown-based
  • Graph view of notes
  • Plugin support
  • Vaults for organizing multiple projects

✅ Also great for writing dev blogs in plain text.

  1. Amphetamine – Keep Your Mac Awake Website: App Store

Amphetamine prevents your Mac from sleeping, which is helpful during long builds, downloads, or when working on remote servers.

Key Features:

  • Stay-awake sessions by app, time, or condition
  • Clean menu bar control
  • Lightweight and reliable

✅ Saves you from using caffeinate in Terminal every time.

  1. Maccy – Clipboard Manager That Just Works Website: maccy.app

If you copy-paste frequently between code snippets, terminals, and docs, Maccy is a simple but powerful clipboard history manager.

Key Features:

  • Quick access to past clipboard entries
  • Lightweight with no bloat
  • Custom hotkeys

✅ Try it once and you’ll never want to go back to the default macOS clipboard.

🔧 Bonus Tip: Combine Tools for a Seamless Workflow

For example, you can:

  • Use Raycast to open Obsidian and Notion
  • Use Rectangle to tile them side by side
  • Use Maccy to paste from past notes
  • Keep your system awake with Amphetamine while you work

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