The built in Mac apps cover basic productivity but a few free third party apps are essential additions. After years of trying every productivity app, these 10 are the ones that earn permanent spots on every Mac I set up.
None of these cost money. All have stable maintained projects. Install them in this order, you will use each one daily.
1. Rectangle (window snapping)
Rectangle adds window snapping to Mac. Drag a window to the left edge, it snaps to half the screen. Drag to a corner, snaps to a quarter. Keyboard shortcuts work too. Once installed, you wonder how you used Mac without it.
macOS Sequoia added native window tiling but Rectangle is still better. More options, custom keyboard shortcuts, more flexible.
Available at rectangleapp.com. Free, open source.
2. Raycast (Spotlight replacement)
Raycast replaces Spotlight with a much more powerful launcher. Open apps faster. Calculate, convert units, search Google, control Spotify, run Shortcuts, paste from clipboard history, generate passwords. Hundreds of extensions available.
The clipboard history feature alone is worth installing. Cmd + Shift + V shows your last 25 copies. Pick anything to paste. Saves dozens of mistakes per week.
Available at raycast.com. Free.
3. AltTab (Windows style app switcher)
Mac's Cmd + Tab only shows apps, not individual windows. AltTab brings Windows style switching that shows every window with previews. Configure to your preference.
Critical for users who switch between many browser windows or multiple documents in the same app.
Available at alt-tab-macos.netlify.app. Free, open source.
4. KeepingYouAwake (caffeinate)
Simple menu bar app that prevents Mac from sleeping. Click the icon to toggle. Set a duration if you want auto disable. Useful for downloads, renders, presentations.
Available on GitHub or Mac App Store. Free.
5. The Unarchiver
Mac's built in zip handler only supports common formats. The Unarchiver handles every archive format you will encounter, RAR, 7z, tar, bz2, exotic ones from old downloads. Free from Mac App Store.
Install once. Set as default for archive files. Forget about it. Just works when you need it.
6. AppCleaner (clean uninstall)
Dragging apps to Trash leaves behind preferences, caches, and support files. AppCleaner finds and removes them all. Drop an app onto AppCleaner, it scans for related files, you confirm what to delete.
Available at freemacsoft.net. Free.
7. Maccy (focused clipboard)
If you do not use Raycast, Maccy is a focused clipboard manager. Same idea, keeps history of recent copies. Cmd + Shift + C opens the history. Pick anything to paste.
Free if you build from source on GitHub. Cheap on Mac App Store. Lightweight, just clipboard, nothing else.
8. iTerm2 (better Terminal)
If you use Terminal regularly, iTerm2 replaces it with way more features. Tabs, split panes, search across all tabs, color schemes, AI integration for command suggestions.
Available at iterm2.com. Free.
9. Stats (system monitor)
Stats puts CPU, RAM, disk, network, battery usage in your menu bar. Tiny graphs always visible. Click for detailed breakdowns. Better than launching Activity Monitor when you want to know why your Mac feels slow.
Available on GitHub. Free, open source.
10. MonitorControl
External monitors connected to Mac do not have brightness controls in the Mac menu bar by default. MonitorControl adds them. Now your Mac brightness keys control external monitors too.
Available on GitHub. Free, open source.
Install priority order
- Day 1, Rectangle, Raycast, The Unarchiver
- First week, AltTab, AppCleaner, Stats
- As needed, KeepingYouAwake, iTerm2, MonitorControl
The first three transform daily Mac use immediately. The rest add value as specific needs come up.
What free Mac app should be on this list that I missed? Drop it in comments. I am always adding to my install list.