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Favorite Software

Posted by Jason Tate
Technology

One of the more frequent questions I’m asked is what software do I use for insert a task here. This post hopes to keep a running list of my favorite apps, programs, and tools that I use on a regular basis. I’ve tried to break up the list into helpful sections and linked out to the app store when appropriate. Everything listed here I personally use and recommend. I’ll try and update this post on a semi-regular basis.

Mac Apps

  • 1BlockerA great content blocker.
  • 1PasswordA password manager to create and keep track of unique passwords.
  • AnyListA fantastic shared shopping list, meal planner, and recipe app.
  • Audio HijackRecord any audio your computer plays, from external or internal sources.
  • BackblazeAutomatic online backup. Highly recommended.
  • BartenderTake control of your Mac’s menu bar.
  • Carrot WeatherPut the weather and current temperature in your menu bar.
  • Choosy
    Open links in the right browser. Keep work documents in one browser, personal in another.
  • CleanShot X
    A very powerful and awesome screenshot taker/editor.
  • Copilot Money
    My current finance management app.
  • DaisyDiskSee what’s using disk space on your computer.
  • DownieDownloads videos, mp3s, or basically any streaming media to your hard-drive.
  • Dropbox / Maestral
  • FantasticalA fantastic calendar app.
  • FissionDo basic, and lossless, audio editing. Plus a simple way to batch convert audio formats.
  • ForecastCreate chapter markers for podcasts.
  • HandBrakeRip, encode, and handle all the video files you throw at it.
  • HazelHazel watches whatever folders you tell it to, automatically organizing your files according to the rules you create.
  • ImageOptimEasily optimize images for uploading online.
  • iStat MenusA system monitor for notification center or the menubar.
  • KaleidoscopeAn app to quickly show the differences between files, text documents, images, and more.
  • Keyboard MaestroIncredible automation, macro, and scripting app.
  • Logic Pro XAudio editor.
  • MAMP ProEasy local website development.
  • MarkedA Markdown previewer.
  • Mimestream
    My email client.
  • MoomA window manager for the Mac that can do all sorts of awesome stuff.
  • NepTunesScrobble Apple Music to Last.fm from your Mac.
  • Nova
    My favorite text editor for coding or any text manipulation.
  • ParcelTrack all your online orders in one place.
  • PDF PenVery powerful PDF editor and for doing optical character recognition (OCR) on scanned documents.
  • PiPiferEasily kick any video you watch in Safari to a picture-in-picture mode. Great for sports.
  • Pixelmator ProA great image editor.
  • PlexA media manager to keep all your movies and TV shows organized and available wherever you want them. I use it on a headless server and usually watch via the Apple TV.
  • Podcast MenuAccess Overcast’s podcasts on your Mac.
  • Private Internet AccessA great VPN service.
  • Raindrop
    Bookmarking/archiving app.
  • RayCast
    An exceptionally powerful Spotlight replacement.
  • ReadKitMy RSS reader of choice.
  • Service Station
    Customize your right click menu.
  • Simple ComicA comic booker reader for the Mac.
  • SketchA great vector and digital design app.
  • SoulverIt’s a combination of a calculator and spreadsheet. I use it as my main calculator app.
  • SqueezerMinimize, compile, and compress web files and scripts.
  • SuperDuperClones/makes a backup of your hard-drive.
  • TaskPaperA simple plain text based task management system. I use this for big projects to keep track of everything in a very easy to read and edit format.
  • TextExpanderCreate snippets for things you type a lot. I use this so much for so many things it’s all second nature now.
  • TextualAn IRC client for the Mac.
  • ThingsStill the best task-manager available.
  • Timery
    Easy time tracking.
  • TowerMy git client of choice.
  • TransmitA fantastic S/FTP client for the Mac.
  • UlyssesAn extremely great writing app. From simple notes to huge projects, this is my favorite writing app to make sure I have everything I write in one place and always accessible.
  • VLCA media player that can play basically any file you toss at it.
  • xScopeA set of tools for measuring, aligning and inspecting on-screen graphics and layouts.

iOS Apps

  • 1BlockerMy content blocker of choice.
  • 1PasswordA password manager to create and keep track of unique passwords.
  • Alto’s AdventureAn awesome skiing game.
  • AnnotableA screenshot/photo markup app.
  • AnyListA fantastic shared shopping list, meal planner, and recipe app.
  • Carrot WeatherMy weather app of choice.
  • Chunky ComicsMy preferred comic book reader for the iPad.
  • Clean TextManipulate and easily clean up text on iOS.
  • ConceptsAn incredible vector sketching app for the iPad.
  • Crossy RoadA fun Frogger-style game.
  • Dark Noise
    An app for producing various environment and white noise sounds.
  • DiscogsFor cataloging my vinyl record collection.
  • DraftsAn incredibly powerful note taking app. This is where all text on my phone or iPad starts.
  • Dropbox
  • FantasticalMy calendar app of choice.
  • FE File ExplorderA S/FTP client for iOS.
  • FitbodA great workout app for any fitness goal or equipment availability
  • Ivory
    The best Mastodon client.
  • Kaleidoscope 2An incredible diff/compare tool.
  • KAMI 2Fun puzzle game.
  • Launch Center ProIt’s like speed dial for everyday tasks. You can launch apps, workflows, or compile commonly done tasks into one place.
  • LetterboxdFor tracking all the movies I see and what I think of them.
  • LinkyAn easy way to share links via social media via one easy to use extension.
  • Marvis
    An incredible iOS music app for Apple Music. The gold standard.
  • MusicHarbor
    Keep track of album and single releases from your favorite bands.
  • MyNetDiaryMy calorie counter/food logger of choice. It’s the best designed, has Siri Shortcut support, and a good food database.
  • Noir
    Dark Mode everywhere for Safari.
  • ObscuraA camera app that gets great black and white shots.
  • OvercastThe best podcast player for iOS.
  • PauseA simple meditative app.
  • ParcelTrack all your online orders in one place.
  • PCalcA great calculator.
  • PDF ExpertA great PDF editor.
  • PixelmatorA iOS image editor. Powerful.
  • PlexA media manager to keep all your movies and TV shows organized and available wherever you want them.
  • PocketA simple read it later service for sending websites I’d like to check out at a later time.
  • Private Internet AccessMy VPN of choice.
  • ProcreateA gorgeous and powerful drawing/sketch/painting app.
  • PromptA great SSH client for iOS.
  • PushoverSends me push notifications for things I have set up elsewhere. (Example: It’ll send me a notification when a file finishes downloading on my computer.)
  • Raindrop
    Bookmarking and archiving app and service.
  • ReadKit
    My favorite RSS (and Pocket) reader for iOS.
  • ScreensA client for connecting to, and controlling, my desktop computers from my phone or iPad.
  • ShortcutsPower iOS automation that lets you do all sorts of awesome stuff. I combine a lot of my workflows with Launch Center Pro.
  • Soro
    Extend Siri and Shortcuts to do more with Sonos speakers.
  • SoulverIt’s a combination of a calculator and spreadsheet. I use it as my main calculator app.
  • SparkMy email client of choice.
  • StreaksAn app that helps you form habits. I have a few tasks that I want to do each week (like workout/stay on budget/) and this has been a good motivator.
  • SwarmI keep my profile entirely private, but use it to keep track of places I visit or want to check out and make little notes about locations.
  • TallyA quick and easy way to keep count on your iPhone. I use this a lot when playing board games or wanting to keep track of how often I’ve done something.
  • TextasticMy text editor/code writing app of choice.
  • ThingsSimply the best task-manager available.
  • ThreesA really fun number puzzle game.
  • ThunderspaceA bunch of nature/rain/white noise sounds.
  • Trackt
    For tracking TV shows (and movies).
  • UlyssesAn extremely great writing app. From simple notes to huge projects, this is my favorite writing app to make sure I have everything I write in one place and always accessible.
  • UntappdIt’s a little annoying, but it’s the easiest way to track the beers you drink that I’ve found.
  • VSCOCool photo filters.
  • WaterMinder
    Mostly used for the widget and Apple Watch app to quickly record water intake.
  • WolframAlphaA great resource.
  • Widgetsmith
    For creating custom widgets on iOS. I also use Widget Wizard and Widgeridoo for other custom widgets.
  • Working CopyAn incredible Git client for the iPad.
  • xSearch
    Customize how you search in Safari with keywords from the address bar.
UPDATE • Nov 9, 2023

Archive

Apps that used to appear on this list, but I no longer use on a regular basis, have been moved to this section for posterity.