Many of us need specific tools to get our jobs done. You might use QuickBooks for accounting and invoicing, Microsoft Visual Studio for developing computer programs, Scrivener for writing a book, or AutoCAD for creating 2D or 3D designs.
- Top Productivity Apps For Macbook Pro
- Best Mac Apps 2019
- Best Productivity Apps For Mac Free
- Productivity Apps For Mac Free
- Apple Productivity Apps
- Best Productivity Apps For Macbook Pro
Top Productivity Apps For Macbook Pro
25 Productivity Apps to Explore in 2018. Watch Productivity App Reviews here. An advanced Mac application hidden on the Mac App Store. This tool helps you to focus on your goals using. Mac productivity apps are a useful addition to lifestyle. They improve your focus, time management and project management skills and make your work easier. Alfred App is a keyboard driven productivity application, this app is award winner app for macOS, Alfred App can boost your efficiency and productivity with hotkeys and keywords, you can search inside your computer or use the web, you can also launch apps very fast, Alfred is an application launcher because it allows you to launch any application with a quick shortcut, you can control your macOS very fast using Alfred app like you can Empty trash, start the Screen Saver, restart, shut down. PhotoScape X is, by far, one of the best free photo editing apps for the Mac. There is also a premium version too that comes with a few extra tools, filters, design elements, and editing options. I use the PhotoScape X app on a daily basis in my business, mainly to create graphics for social media as well as featured blog post images.
But beyond specialized software, there's a vast ocean of Windows apps that can help almost anyone be more productive at work. Calendar apps and to-do apps, for example, will keep you on task. Utilities like a clipboard tool take some of the hassle out of working on your computer all day. And automation tools make your PC do more work for you in the background.
Here are the 20 Windows productivity apps and software we think everyone should have—or at least try. Whatever your role, they'll save you time and effort. Let's get to boosting your PC productivity!
Jan 28, 2019 Best productivity apps guarantee best working environment! Have you ever thought how much time do you waste on typing and clicking, organizing files, and trying to find the date?It’s time to put your laptop to work with this list of 15 best productivity apps for Mac.
The Best Windows Productivity Apps and Software: How We Chose
For this roundup, we focused on categories of apps that would help most people work faster and more efficiently, rather than tools someone might use primarily to do their work. We looked at the most popular options in various productivity categories and tested them for both ease of use and how well they worked on Windows 10 (whether traditional desktop software or apps from the Windows App Store). The majority of programs on this list are free or at least ones we'd invest in ourselves.
Note: we didn't include built-in Windows programs, like OneDrive or Snipping Tool, since you already have them. And while this list focuses specifically on Windows software and Windows 10 apps, many of the apps on this list are cross-platform and appear on our list of best productivity apps for Mac, Android, iPhone, and/or iPad as well (along with other recommended productivity apps for those OSes).
Windows and PC Management
Customize your desktop the way you prefer to work, enhance Windows with simple tweaks, and teach your computer to play nicely with other devices. This section of our roundup contains the most recommendations, because, often, the easiest way to work more productively is to fix the annoyances you face daily.
Seer
Quickly preview files of different types, like Quick Look on macOS
MacOS has one awesome feature that's sorely missing in Windows: Quick Look, which lets you peek at the contents of photos, PDFs, other file types, and folders without opening them. All you have to do is press the Spacebar. That means you can instantly grab copy from a text file, watch a video, and more without waiting for it to load in another program. Windows doesn't come with this feature by default, but, thankfully, Seer fills that void. It works like the Mac version but has more options. You can customize settings like which key triggers the preview or add plugins to support additional file types. (Note that in our tests, some of the plugins didn't work, including the Microsoft Office plugin. The core program still supports hundreds of common file types, though.)
Seer Price: Free; $12.18 for a lifetime license per PC, which supports the developer and keeps the program up-to-date
Seer works for Windows Vista and newer, but if you want a more modern alternative, check out QuickLook (also free). It's not as customizable as Seer, but it is fast and fits in seamlessly with Windows 10's sleek window design.
F.lux
Automatically adjust the color of your computer so you sleep better and reduce eyestrain
A growing body of research shows that blue light–the kind thrown off by our screens–interrupts the quality of our sleep. If you tend to work into the evenings or late at night on your computer, this is an issue that can affect your productivity the next day and your overall health. F.lux to the rescue. Enter your location and the kind of lighting in your workspace, and the small utility will automatically adjust the color of your monitor to the time of day. Your screen will be bright during the day and take on a warm, dimmer light when the sun sets. You can also adjust the color settings for different scenarios, such as 'reduce eyestrain' (tints your display both day and night) or 'color fidelity' (smaller adjustments, for more color accuracy). One of my favorite, less talked about features of the app: It will gently nudge you to stop working when you're waking up in, say, six hours. F.lux is also available for Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
F.lux Price: Free for personal use; corporate license for company-wide use
DisplayFusion
Manage multiple monitors precisely
Having more than one monitor saves you the time and hassle of switching back and forth between your open windows. However, Windows' display settings don't let you do much beyond choosing whether to mirror your primary display or extend the desktop to all screens. DisplayFusion is the most feature-rich multi-monitor utility for Windows. Create profiles for window sizes and positions to organize your windows just the way you like every time you start your computer. Use screensavers and set your desktop wallpaper to span all your displays. Add a taskbar to each of your monitors. Build custom scripts to automate your windows management. You'd be hard pressed to find what you can't customize in your multi-monitor setup with DisplayFusion. That power comes with a learning curve, but it's worth the effort if you want to get the most out of your screens. Note: Most of the advanced and most popular uses for DisplayFusion require a license.
DisplayFusion Price: Free; from $29 for pro features including window position profiles and monitor fading
A free, lightweight alternative to DisplayVersion is MultiMonitorTool. The small utility offers essential controls like moving windows to another monitor and saving each monitor's configuration, such as screen resolution and monitor position.
AquaSnap
Organize windows to maximize your screen real estate
If you often work with several windows open at once, AquaSnap can keep them organized for you in, well, a snap. Although Windows 10's Aero Snap function is handy on its own, AquaSnap adds more functionality. You can quickly align one window with another by dragging it in place, stretch a window to the edge of your screen in one direction with a double-click, make one window always stay on top, and even move windows together in groups. It works for multiple monitors, too (pro version required).
AquaSnap Price: Free for personal use; $18 professional license, which includes features like mouse shortcuts and moving windows together
TidyTabs
Combine program windows into browser-like tabs
From Nurgo Software, the folks behind AquaSnap, TidyTabs adds a tabbed interface to programs that lack it, such as Microsoft Office programs, Windows Explorer, and Notepad. Hover over the window's title bar and drag the tab to the window you want to group it with. It even works if you want to combine windows from different programs into a tabbed group. This way, you can save screen real estate and avoid visual clutter, which means more focus on the task at hand.
TidyTabs Price: Free for personal use; $9 professional license for multi-monitor support, auto-grouping windows, and grouping more than 3 windows together
Groupy is an alternative to TidyTabs that fits in more seamlessly with Windows 10's design and adds features like a plus sign in the tabs bar to quickly add a new tab to a window. Groupy costs $9.99 after the free 30-day trial (email signup required).
Quick Access Popup
Launch your favorite programs, files, and more from anywhere on your computer
Shortcuts make the productivity world go round. Quick Access Popup, as the name implies, gives you easy access to items on your computer or on the web in a popup menu. Click your middle mouse button anywhere to bring up the menu. You can customize Quick Access Popup to add your favorite folders, files, programs, links, text snippets, and more. It's like the ever-useful right-click context menu in Explorer, but one you curate and can use everywhere. Get to your destination more quickly than the standard pecking and searching on your computer.
Quick Access Popup Price: Free
Pushbullet
Send texts, files, and links to and from all your devices
You get a text message from a friend, but your phone is in another room or buried in your bag. You find a great new place to eat, but don't want to email yourself the link to access it on the go. You're away from your desk and need a file on your computer that wasn't synced to your phone or tablet. If any of these situations sound familiar to you, go download Pushbullet. Available on every platform and also as a Chrome extension, Pushbullet simply connects all your devices so you can share files and get notifications no matter where you are. The standalone Windows app gives you the new Remote Files access feature and you can pin it to your taskbar for easy access.
Pushbullet Price: Free for 100 SMS or chat messages a month; from $4.99/month for unlimited messages
TeamViewer
Access your computer remotely
TeamViewer is one of the best remote access software options for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it's free for personal use. Once you have TeamViewer installed on a computer, you can connect to and control it from anywhere in the world using another computer or your mobile device. Log into your parents' PC, for example, to troubleshoot their technical problems. Or share your desktop with others to walk them through a demo. Or connect to your home computer when you're on the road to retrieve a file. Or even, if you're lazy like me, run a program on another computer in another room in your house without leaving your desk. TeamViewer combines remote access with online meeting and screen-sharing tools. Note that if you use TeamViewer for work, you'll need a license.
TeamViewer Price: Free; from $49/month for business license
While TeamViewer is one of the most comprehensive remote access apps, if you don't need multiple-monitor support or online meeting tools, RemotePC is a simpler option with a wallet-friendlier price tag of $69.50/year for 10 computers. Or for a completely free option, there's Chrome Remote Desktop, which, as the name implies, is for Chrome, rather than a desktop program.
Note-Taking
Getting things out of your head and onto paper (or digital paper) is one of the best ways to preserve your mental bandwidth. The software below will help you do that.
OneNote
Take detailed, intuitively organized notes that capture images, audio, text, and more
OneNote is one of the most versatile and feature-rich note-taking apps around. The interface mimics real-world notebooks or binders, so you can have separate notebooks for your personal and work projects or create notebooks for different clients or class subjects. Within each notebook, you can organize your notes intuitively in colorful tabbed sections and group notes together in a stack. Beyond the organization features, OneNote offers many ways to make your notes come alive: Inking tools let you create handwritten or drawn notes; tags can be added to any part of the page; and text, tables, and images can be placed anywhere on the page for a truly flexible note-taking approach. It's like writing on paper, but with search, tagging, and other smart digital features built in.
OneNote is part of Microsoft Office 365, but the desktop version will no longer be supported by Microsoft starting in 2019. It is, however, also available as a free Windows 10 app, with matching Mac, mobile, and web apps. If you have a Windows PC or tablet that supports stylus input, OneNote should be your go-to note-taking app.
OneNote Price: Free; from $69.99/year as part of the Microsoft Office Suite
If you create a large number of notes or clip a ton of web pages for reference, Evernote is a good alternative, since this note-taking app offers a robust search feature–one that even integrates with your Google searches, so you can search the web and your notes at the same time.
Microsoft Sticky Notes
Jot down anything quickly for easy reference
Throughout the day, you'll often come across information you need to jot down–a phone number, an offer code, your takeout order details–that you don't want to clutter up your more important notebooks with. That's where Sticky Notes come in. Microsoft's Windows 10 app saves trees and a trip to the office supply store while adding intelligent features like Cortana Reminders for notes that have a date and time or maps for addresses you add to a note. It also supports handwriting and typing. It's the digital scratchpad that's both smart and simple to use.
Microsoft Sticky Notes Price: Free
Notepad++
Edit text intelligently Kutools para excel mac.
If you prefer taking notes in plain text format but Notepad is too limited for you, Notepad++ is the solution. It's the free, souped-up alternative to Notepad, with a lot of tricks up its sleeves. Some of the most useful yet basic features include a tabbed interface, auto-saving, and collapsing or uncollapsing levels in an outline or other structured document. There's syntax highlighting if you write in code, word auto-completion suggestions, and an impressive 'multi-column' editing feature.
And you can make Notepadd++ even more powerful by running macros or installing plugins.
Notepad++ Price: Free
Focus and Time Management
Distractions are the enemy of productivity. Staying focused, though, isn't easy, with Slack messages pinging you and social media sites tempting you to take a quick peek to see what's going on beyond your desk. Thankfully, several programs can keep you on track.
Microsoft To-Do
Focus on your daily tasks in a simple, intuitive task manager
You need a place to jot down all the things you need to do, but long lists of tasks can be overwhelming–making you less productive, not more. Microsoft To-Do helps you organize all your to-dos while prioritizing the ones that matter most now. After acquiring Wunderlist, Microsoft has been incorporating some of that to-do app's best features, such as a custom lists, subtasks, and sharing–but in a more simplified lists view. Although Microsoft To-Do doesn't have smart lists (yet) like Wunderlist, Microsoft To-Do offers intelligent suggestions on tasks you should work on each day. And with its unique My Day feature, you'll see only the to-dos you need to work on today, which then wipes clean so you start fresh the next day. Microsoft To-Do is available on Windows, the web, iOS, and Android, so you can focus on your tasks from any device.
Microsoft To-Do Price: Free
There are tons of to-do apps you can choose from, so it all boils down to what features are most important to you. See our list of the best to-do apps for suggestions.
Focus Booster
Work in Pomodoro timer sprints and get reports for your time usage
Working in timed sprints helps you get more done: It's like having mini-deadlines throughout the day for that extra nudge to stay focused. In the Pomodoro timer methodology, you work in a 25-minute sprint, followed by a rewarding 5-minute break. But you can adjust this timing for your needs. Focus Booster is a simple yet customizable Pomodoro Timer for Windows, Mac, mobile, and web. There's a small floating timer window that stays out of your way (and, thankfully, the ticking sound can be turned off). Enter your task label and your client (optional), click start, and you're on your way to finishing your first Pomodoro. You can easily adjust the timing for each sprint if the 25/5-minute default doesn't work for you. One of the standout features of Focus Booster compared to other Pomodoro Timers is you can have your sessions logged automatically in a timesheet, for easy reporting.
Focus Booster Price: Free (limited to 20 Pomodoro sessions/month); $3/month (200 Pomodoro sessions + data export); $5/month (unlimited Pomodoro sessions + client and revenue tracking)
Cold Turkey
Block distracting websites and apps so you can reclaim your attention
Instead of fighting your temptation to watch another YouTube video or go down the Wikipedia rabbit hole, remove the temptations altogether–at least when you need to focus on work. Cold Turkey puts you in control by blocking access to sites and apps on your block lists. You can even block all internet access for a time or lock your computer (great for those of us who have a hard time not working). You can set how long the block lasts, schedule blocks, see statistics, and more.
Cold Turkey Price: Free; $25 CAD for pro features like app blocking, scheduling, and daily time limits
RescueTime
Understand where your time is going
If you've ever wondered at the end of the week where all the time went, you're not alone. One key to becoming more productive is knowing your habits and how you spend your time, so you can take steps to become more efficient. RescueTime will help you do that. Once you install the Windows app (or Mac or mobile apps), RescueTime will sit quietly in the background logging your time on websites and apps. In the online dashboard, you'll see at a glance how productive you've been, based on the categories of sites and apps you've used. The categories are customizable, so if YouTube is a productivity tool for you and not a time-suck, you can change that. Upgrade to the Premium plan to get features like distraction blocking, more powerful reports, and integration with Zapier for automated alerts.
RescueTime Price: Free; $9/month for Premium
Automation and Text Expansion
When you have shortcuts at your fingertips and your computer doing most of the legwork for you, you're bound to have a more productive day. Automation tools shave minutes off of tedious tasks, which adds up to much more time for you to concentrate your important tasks.
LightKey
Type less with this fast and accurate predictive text app
You know how convenient it is when you start typing a search phrase in Google and it knows what you're thinking? Or when your phone suggests the word to insert so you can save time pecking at the keys? LightKey is like that but for your computer. Once you have the app installed, LightKey will start suggesting words as you type. It's predictive text, not autocorrect, so you don't have to deal with autocorrect fails. But by simply clicking the Tab key, you can accept the word and start typing at lightning speed. The program takes into consideration specialized words you might use for your industry, such as technology or healthcare, and learns from your most-typed words and phrases. It works in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as Gmail (Chrome extension required) and a few other mail and chat programs. The company estimates you can save boost your productivity as much as 40%. It's like a text expansion app, but without you having to set it up.
LightKey Price: Free
Ditto Clipboard
Add more items to your clipboard for easy access any time
Ditto Clipboard is a customizable, easy to use clipboard manager. Instead of being stuck with only the last thing you copied, now you can quickly copy and paste multiple items, including images and HTML. The Windows 10 app has a minimalist interface, but it also packs helpful options, such as keeping the window always on top, customizable hotkeys, and quick paste features. The search feature works well, too. Go copy and paste to your heart's content.
Ditto Clipboard Price:: Free
If you work on multiple Windows computers and want to sync your clipboard between them, check out Copy Space. This clipboard manager offers syncing through OneDrive in exchange for a $2 in-app purchase.
PhraseExpress
Take the tedium out of typing
You probably type the same words, day in and day out. 'Best regards, [your name]' or 'Please let me know if you have any questions or comments' or 'I'm doing fine, Mom, thanks.' A text expander like PhraseExpress reduces the number of keystrokes needed to get those phrases on the page, so typing something like
;em
automatically becomes '[youremailaddress]@gmail.com'. Available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, PhraseExpress is one of the more customizable and feature-rich text expanders around. In addition to text snippets and the ability to expand text in any program, PhraseExpress offers a macro recorder, so you can record and play repetitive tasks. You can share or sync snippets over your local network or through cloud storage, and the program integrates with Outlook too.PhraseExpress Pricing: Free for personal use; from $49.95 lifetime license for professional use
Several other text expanders work as well as PhraseExpress, but differ in 'extra' features and pricing. For other options, see our text expansion apps roundup.
AutoHotKey
Create your own hotkeys and scripts to automate anything in Windows
AutoHotKey is a powerful, open-source scripting language that lets you run Windows tasks with keyboard shortcuts. Coding your own scripts might sound daunting, but don't let that scare you. It's simple to learn even if you have no coding background, and once you get started you'll dramatically cut the time you spend on things like clicking through menus. For example, you can set up a shortcut to empty the recycle bin, hide all the windows except for your active one, restore a minimized window in a second, and more. (Protip: Lifehacker offers script examples to get you started.)
AutoHotKey Price: Free
FastKeys
Access multiple automation tools in one app
FastKeys is like a Swiss-Army knife of automation utilities. In addition to a text expander and clipboard manager, FastKeys lets you set up keyboard shortcuts for running programs and controlling Windows (e.g., adjusting the audio settings or taking a screenshot). There's also a macro recorder to teach your computer to do a sequence of tasks automatically, mouse gestures, and a customizable start menu you can access by moving your mouse to one corner of the screen. Because it comes with hundreds of presets, using FastKeys is easy, even though it's so powerful.
FastKeys Price: $19 license for up to 3 computers
The best productivity apps are those that get out of your way while still helping you get more done. Although there are hundreds of productivity apps for every platform you can choose from, the ones above stand out for us as excellent Windows software we'd recommend to anyone who's moving from Mac to Windows or just trying to make the most out of their setup.
Looking for more productivity app options? Check out our roundups of software that everyone needs: a backup tool, an email app, a calendar app, a cloud storage service, and a to-do list app. There are dozens of options for each, many of which work on the web and across platforms, so check the linked roundups above for recommendations there. Learn more about how we select apps to feature.
Title image via Microsoft
Making the most of the time you spend on your Mac is important – but maintaining focus and high productivity levels is always a challenge (especially when you discover Mac’s hidden built-in games and other wonders this system has to offer).
So, here are the 20 best productivity apps for Mac to help you focus on your work more and procrastinate less:
- Clockify – time tracker and timesheet app
- MindNode – visual brainstorming app
- Keyboard Maestro – automation app
- White Noise Lite – noise generator
- SunsetScreen – screen adjuster
- Microsoft OneNote – note-taking app
- Descript – media word processor
- Dashlane – password manager
- Wunderlist – task manager
- Backblaze – backup and storage service
- Skitch – visual communicating app
- Bartender – declutter app
- Station – chat organizer
- Movavi – screen recorder studio
- Inkscape – vector graphics software
- Cold Turkey – website blocker
- DropZone – organizing app
- Reader – RSS reader app
- Redmine – project manager and issue tracker
- Airtable – collaboration service
1. Clockify – time tracker and timesheet app
Clockify is a free time tracker and timesheet app that lets you track time while working on tasks, or manually log the time you’ve spent on tasks. It’s perfect if you need an easy way to track billable hours for payroll or track how productive you really are at work.
Clockify for Mac lets you track time you spend on your activities directly from your desktop, and you can associate your time entries with the right projects, tasks, tags, and billability status, for easier management.
You can then log in to your Clockify web account in order to:
- run reports based on the time you’ve tracked
- manage your projects
- have your tracked billable hours calculated automatically, based on your selected hourly rate
The highlights of the Mac app include idle time detection and the chance to implement the famed Pomodoro technique. You start the Pomodoro timer when you start working on a task – after the time period you’ve set yourself passes, you get a notification reminding you to take a short break from work to recharge.
2. MindNode – visual brainstorming app
MindNode is a great app to help you segregate your brainstorming thoughts into a comprehensive view – one where all related thoughts are grouped together.
When you open the app, simply create the topic you want to brainstorm ideas for (e.g. “Core Travel App features”), and start adding ideas (e.g. “City Sites Overview”, “Hotel list”, “Restaurant Guide”, etc.).
The more branches you add to the original topic, the more your tree will grow, and the more inspired you’ll get – later on, you’ll be able to rearrange branches, delete them, add sub-branches, and otherwise manage your thoughts and ideas.
The newest release of the app has introduced Top-Down-Layout and orthogonal branches, so you can really streamline your thoughts in the way you see fit.
3. Keyboard Maestro – automation app
Keyboard Maestro is a closed-source automation app meant to help you perform a variety of tasks, such as launching and quitting apps, as well as switching from app to app via keyboard shortcuts.
The main purpose of this app is to help you record, set, design, and activate your custom keyboard shortcuts (“macros”), in order to navigate your Mac easier.
Apart from that, you’ll also be able to use various additional features: https://newcities529.weebly.com/network-attached-storage-for-mac.html.
- The Clipboard Switcher, which allows you to manage an unlimited number of clipboards
- TheClipboard History Switcher, which lets you manage your clipboard history
- The Application Switcher, which allows you to easily navigate across various apps
- The Window Switcher, which helps you easily navigate across various windows
In essence, just like AutoHotkey saves time for Windows users, Keyboard Maestro helps Mac users save time by automating a lot of repetitive processes.
4. White Noise Lite – noise generator
White Noise Lite is a noise generator meant to help you stay focused on whatever you’re doing – with the help of 50 HD ambient sounds. Simply, select an ambient sound, put on your headphones, and block out all unwanted noise.
The ambient sounds you can choose from include (but are not limited to):
- Nature sounds such as babbling brooks, crashing waves, crackling fire, pouring rain (on various surfaces)
- Animals sounds, such as cat purring, frog ribbiting, birds singing
- House appliances noise, for a bathroom fan, clock, vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, dishwasher machine
- Colored noise, such as violet noise, pink noise, gray noise, brown noise
All sounds are followed by a slideshow of beautiful images, and the app’s interface allows you to choose your favorite sounds by swiping towards them.
White Noise Lite offers a number of great features, and the highlights include custom playlists, and wake up alarms that slowly fade (so that you wake up relaxed, and not abruptly).
5. SunsetScreen – screen adjuster
SunsetScreen helps you work longer in a quality way – by automatically adjusting the brightness and tone of your screen according to the time of day (or night). You’ll reduce eye strain, and be able to work longer, without fearing you’ll disrupt your sleeping patterns (which usually happens when you stare at a bright screen during the night).
This app offers several adjusting features that help you streamline your screen – you can define your sunrise time, set your own day and night colors, and determine how long the gradual transition between phases will last.
One interesting feature is that you can choose the current colors and tones for your screen from a list – depending on your preferences, you can instruct your screen colors to mimic any color temperature, from soothing candlelight (1850k, suitable for night) to energizing bright daylight (6500k, suitable for peak work hours).
6. Microsoft OneNote – note-taking app
Microsoft OneNote is an effective note-taking system that lets you capture your thoughts and ideas, as well as improve your planning, by turning these ideas and thoughts into actionable steps in a digital notebook.
To take a note, all you have to do is start typing on the free form canvas and later rearrange and style your notes in any way you want. You can store all the information about your projects, research topics, events you’re planning, or topics you’re interested in, in one secure place.
The special highlight of this app is that it lets you neatly organize all your data – you’ll get a separate notebook with its own tabs for each new topic/project/event you add.
Bonus points for Microsoft OneNote also go to its installation process – if you have Microsoft Office 2016, chances are you already have this app installed on your Mac.
7. Descript – media word processor
Microsoft OneNote is perfect if you like to write down your thoughts and Descript is perfect if you prefer to dictate your thoughts and have them recorded automatically.
With this app, you don’t always have to dictate the text yourself – instead, you can record the audio first, play it, and then have Descript make a transcript. Later, you can edit the text, rearrange it, or simply delete parts you don’t need.
The app can recognize both audio and video, and you’ll also be able to share your finished transcripts with others in just a few clicks.
In the end, this app may prove especially useful for those who need to transcribe videos or podcasts. Simply, turn on Descript and play the video or podcast to have every word easily translated to text form.
8. Dashlane – password manager
Dashlane is a password manager and secure digital vault where you can store and safeguard your passwords and personal information.
You’ll be able to automatically save and enter passwords to any app account, instead of typing them manually every time. You’ll also be able to store other personal and sensitive information such as credit card numbers, which proves useful in speeding up online shopping.
This app also stands out because it lets you generate unique complex passwords at any time – in case you have trouble thinking up of elaborate, hard-to-crack passwords each time you open any new account.
Another highlight is that you can also choose to share your passwords with select people – which is perfect if you have a Netflix account you share with friends or family members.
9. Wunderlist – task manager
Wunderlist is a free cloud-based task manager that lets you plan, share, and manage all your errands in one app. You can set reminders and recurring tasks, capture your to-dos in a straightforward agenda, and otherwise manage your projects and tasks within one great app.
Wunderlist is also useful if you frequently need to collaborate with others – you’ll get a chance to share to-do lists with colleagues, and then assign them with tasks (or have tasks assigned to you).
The highlight of this app is that it lets you easily save any information you come across while browsing the web or your other Mac apps.
Clockify pro tip
Track time on Wunderlist to-dos easily with Clockify-Wunderlist integration. Later, review timesheets and export reports in Clockify app.
10. Backblaze – backup and storage service
Backblaze is the ultimate online backup service – perfect if you want to make sure you don’t lose important documents due to a system crash or a malfunction in your antivirus program.
Whatever you need storing, be it personal data, such as family photos, or business data, such as your project archive, you’ll be able to securely store it online with the right plan (Personal Backup plan or Business Backup plan).
If you’re a developer, you’ll also be able to build a custom storage unit (B2 Cloud Storage plan) and have it fit your specific needs.
Backblaze’s highlight feature comes from its Personal Backup plan – if your Mac gets lost or stolen, you’ll be in a position to locate it, and have the hardware (with all your precious stored data) shipped directly to you.
11. Skitch – visual communicating app
Skitch is an effective free communication tool meant to help you get your points across faster – you’ll be able to explain your thoughts visually, through shapes, sketches, and carefully placed annotations.
You’ll get the chance quickly create diagrams and markups, annotate photos, as well as highlight changes you make on PDF documents, before sharing them directly from the app.
Considering that Skitch is an Evernote product, you’ll also be able to save your annotated documents to Evernote’s note-taking system, and then manage them there.
12. Bartender – declutter app
Bartender is an effective declutter app (currently in its third version) – you’ll no longer have to browse through the seemingly endless list of browser tabs, to find what’s really important.
This app helps you organize, rearrange, or simply hide the large number of browser tabs or apps you open during the day – in the aptly named Bartender Bar. When you wish to view hidden items again, you can do that easily by using the right keyboard shortcut.
Most importantly, hidden items remain active, whether they’re updating or managing a task – they’ll reappear as soon as they’re updated so you can be sure you won’t miss anything important.
13. Station – chat organizer
Station is a chat organizing app that lets you group, sort, and access all other apps that you use from one comprehensible view – as its tagline wittily says, it’s “one app to rule them all” and it really seems so.
You’ll have all your pages automatically grouped by app, and easily find what you need at any time – to extend on that point, the Recent Documents features lets you switch between recently used apps, to help you concentrate on what you’re currently working on.
The highlight of this app is its focus mode – you’ll be able to decide when you want to work on a particular app (and ignore all others), so you’ll only be getting notifications associated with your selected app.
14. Movavi – screen recorder studio
Movavi Screen Recorder Studio is perfect for any Mac user working with videos – with Movavi, you can capture screens and edit videos in a fast and efficient way.
Best Mac Apps 2019
Essentially, this member of the Movavi family of multimedia programs lets you capture live streams, as well as record everything that goes on on your desktop or apps.
All you need to do is select the capture area you need on the screen, connect a microphone (if you also want to record a voiceover), and set additional parameters (volume level, frame rate, etc.), and you’re ready to go.
Later on, you can edit or remove footage, add captions, filters, and special effects, or even add background music.
In the end, you can export your videos as various formats (MP4 and AVI included), or share it – if you want to be extra fast and efficient while saving your videos, you can work in the SuperSpeed mode.
15. Inkscape – vector graphics software
Inkscape is a free open-source vector graphics software that lets you create or edit illustrations, diagrams, charts, logos, or whatever vector graphic you need to draw – which makes it perfect for Mac users who work on graphic designs.
You’ll be able to easily create shapes, define layers, add text, add embedded bitmaps, distribute, clone, and align objects (either as a group or separately). Later on, you’ll also be able to export your work in various formats.
One of the highlights of this app is that it’s community-oriented and transparent – developers can go through released builds, track changes and updates, but also take a look at the source code.
Mysql workbench for mac. Desktop images for mac. Another highlight of the app are its tooltips and hints – all buttons and commands have their own hints for best use that pop up occasionally, but also update with new content.
16. Cold Turkey – website blocker
Cold Turkey is a focus app that helps you block out time-consuming digital systems that distract you from your work – and given that we waste about 3 years of our lives on Social Media alone (not to mention other distractions), you probably need it.
As its name suggests, Cold Turkey helps you go cold turkey on your Mac – it lets you block websites, apps, the Internet, or even your computer.
So, for example, each time you block a website (and then try to enter it despite your better judgment), you’ll get an inspirational quote to remind you that you should be working instead.
![Productivity Apps For Mac Productivity Apps For Mac](/uploads/1/3/3/2/133279381/549975885.jpg)
Best Productivity Apps For Mac Free
You can also take a less strict and path and simply limit distractions, by creating whitelists for websites you still want to enter freely.
A great feature of this app is that it lets you block only specific pages of a website – for example, if you’re a Social Media Manager who needs to use Facebook, but wants to avoid a few select pages, you can block only these specific pages.
Productivity Apps For Mac Free
17. DropZone – organizing app
DropZone is perfect if you want to save and access file uploads in a few clicks. This open-source library operates on a simple drag & drop system that lets you easily upload and manage your priority documents from one place.
This app is meant for Mac users who prefer a no-fuss approach to storing current priority documents, so the default interface is as simple and straightforward as possible. But, if you want your mini-storage unit to look sleek and attractive like the one in the screenshot, you can make it happen through dropzone.css.
DropZone’s highlight feature is chunked uploads – you’ll be able to drag & drop your files in larger chunks, for even an even faster workflow.
18. Reader – RSS reader app
Reader is perfect for all Mac users who enjoy reading RSS services on their device – this free app lets you read through the most current news reading services in a modern and attractive interface.
You’ll get a chance to read news from Feedbin, Feedly, FeedHQ, NewsBlur, Inoreader, and other popular RSS services – you can even view some of the listed news services side by side at the same time.
The bonus points for this reading app go to its sharing options – you’ll be able to share interesting tidbits you come across in the news via Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, Pocket, Instapaper, and other popular hot spots.
19. Redmine – project manager and issue tracker
Redmine is an open-source project management and issue tracking tool meant to help software developers track the development of their projects.
You can manage multiple projects at the same time, create sub-projects, keep an eye on deadlines in a comprehensive calendar view, as well as track your progress and manage reports within Gantt charts.
Considering it’s open-source, Redmine is another one of those apps that has a special allure to developers looking for a customizable app – once again, they can view and change the code to fit their specific needs.
Clockify pro tip
Easily track time on Redmine issues, view dashboard, and export reports via Clockify integration for Redmine.
20. Airtable – collaboration service
Airtable is a cloud collaboration service that has the form of a spreadsheet – simply select your preferred project template and then customize your team’s workflow from there.
Apple Productivity Apps
The available project templates include:
- Creative Teams and Agencies Template
- Marketing and Communications Template
- Product and User Experience Template
- Traditional Project Management Template
You’ll be able to follow your work in a Grid, and track the progress of your team’s workload in a drag & drop Kanban interface. There’s also a Gallery section of the app which acts as database storage – so you and your team can always add and manage files you’re currently working on.
Best Productivity Apps For Macbook Pro
The Calendar view of the tasks is especially nice in this app – you can visually expand your tasks from the day you’ve started working on them, to the day they’re due (like in a Gantt chart).