Introduction
Whenever I get a new Mac, the first thing I do is set it up with the apps and tools that make my workflow smooth. These apps help me stay productive, organized, and ready for whatever comes my way. Here's my go-to list of must-have installs:
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Essentials for Work and Dev
- 🌏 Arc → My Safari/Chrome replacement for a cleaner browsing experience.
- 📺 Warp → My favorite replacement for the built-in Terminal.
- 📺 Alacritty → Another solid Terminal option.
- ↔️ Easy+Move+Resize → Easily move and resize windows like on Linux.
- 🐳 Docker Desktop → For all things Docker.
- 📊 iStat Menus → Keeping an eye on system performance.
- 🐶 k9s → A terminal UI for interacting with Kubernetes clusters.
- 🐚 Fish → My shell of choice, replacing bash and zsh.
- 📺 Zellij → My preferred Tmux replacement.
-
📂 exa → An enhanced
lscommand replacement. - 📦 Homebrew + Nix → Package managers to handle everything.
-
🌈 kubecolor → Makes
kubectloutputs more readable.
Code Editors and Tools
- 🤖 Cursor (📙 Checkout My Book) → VS Code replacement powered by AI.
- 📝 Sublime Text → My all-time favorite for quick note-taking or file editing.
- 🐙 GitHub Desktop with GH CLI → For managing Git repositories easily.
macOS Enhancements
- 🔎 Raycast → Replaces Spotlight, streamlines productivity.
- 🔘 ChatGPT → My AI assistant on macOS.
Creative and Visual Tools
- 🎨 Pixelmator Pro → Photoshop for Mac.
- 🎥 GIPHY Capture → Simple GIF creation tool.
Productivity Boosters
- ✍️ Day One → Daily journaling for tracking life and work.
- ⚫️ Obsidian → Powerful note-taking app.
- 🔵 Trello → Organizing projects and tasks.
Miscellaneous
- 🌝 Flux → Reduces eye strain by adjusting screen brightness at night.
- ⬇️ Motrix → The best download manager I’ve found.
- 🟣 OrbStack → Lightweight Linux VM on Mac.
- 🟠 Multipass → Another VM option for running Linux.
- ⏯️ VLC → My go-to video player.
- 🦙 Ollama → Run LLMs (Large Language Models) locally.
Summary
These are my personal picks, and I’ve found them incredibly useful. If you found this list helpful, please give it a thumbs up, and let me know if there are any apps or tools you think I should try out! 🙌
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👍 Did you found it helpful? If so, please give it a star ⭐️ and feel free to create an issue or submit a PR for any apps you'd like to include! 🙌
Top comments (7)
Great content here! Thanks for sharing.
As an 8-hour-a-day developer, I can share one more tool: BatFi. It helps me to take care of the battery and use energy directly from the power line once the battery reaches a predetermined threshold. It's been 4 months since I got my MacBook Pro and I have 50 power cycles.
Is it open-source? How do I download it?
As a new Mac user, I highly appreciate this resource! Might I also suggest Goleko to manage your projects, Id love to hear what you think.
Thanks Martin, really glad you found it useful. Is there an open-source self-hosted option for Goleko?
Currently no, but we're working on it! :)
I would suggest Vivaldi a Chromium based browser with mouse gestures, that gives you the experience of using a wand.
I have used Vivaldi in the past, but I recommend Arc at this moment, and it's Chrome-based as well.