20 Mac Apps You’ll Use Every Day: Editor’s Choice
Mac app round-ups are a dime a dozen across the web. However, there’s one problem when you’re offered 100+ to choose from: you won’t use half of them. That’s why I’ve decided to streamline the process and provide twenty of my most highly recommended Mac apps, tailored for web designers and developers. While not every app relates specifically to development, they’re all essential in your every day workflow.
1. VMWare Fusion
While online services, like Browsershots and Adobe Browserlab are definitely helpful, there really is no substitute for testing your new website in Internet Explorer itself. When you must do so, assuming you only own a Mac, your best option is to use a virtual machine. Again, there are a variety to choose from; however, my preference is VMWare Fusion.
“With VMware Fusion, run the most demanding Mac and Windows applications side-by-side at maximum speeds without rebooting. With over 50 new features and a new ultra-fast Migration Assistant for Windows, it’s never been easier to run Windows on your Mac.”
2. The Hit List
As I run Nettuts, ThemeForest, and CodeCanyon, it’s essential that I find the best possible tools for plotting out each day. I’ve used the huge majority of the offerings, ranging from Things, to GQueues, to TeuxDeux. Truthfully, they’re all fantastic, each offering something unique. While, lately, I’ve found myself using GQueues for my day-to-day tasks, I always find myself coming back to The Hit List when preparing a new project.
“The Hit List is a simple, yet sophisticated application to manage the daily chaos of your modern life. Based on the simple concept of making lists, The Hit List lets you plan, forget, then act when the time is right.”
Alternative
3. TextMate
Perhaps the most obvious choice of the bunch, but, nonetheless, it’s an essential tool for every developer. When considering sheer speed, nothing compares to TextMate.
“TextMate brings Apple’s approach to operating systems into the world of text editors. By bridging UNIX underpinnings and GUI, TextMate cherry-picks the best of both worlds to the benefit of expert scripters and novice users alike.”
4. TextExpander
If you find yourself rewriting the same lines of code, the same paragraphs, even the same signature over and over each day, you’re doing it wrong. How many hours each year would you save, simply by turning an eight second repetitive typing task into a keystroke? Especially in my particular circumstance, TextExpander is 100% a necessity.
“Save time and effort with TextExpander! Whether it’s a simple email signature or several paragraphs of a standard response, you’ll love how easy it is to use TextExpander to avoid typing the same thing over and over.”
5. Snippely
As we switch from language to language, it’s nearly impossible to remember every function for every language. This is when a code collection app becomes a huge help. Need to remember the code that you use for PHP CRUD operations? Simply save it into Snippely, and return when you need it.
While Snippely isn’t the most glamorous app, and is depressingly simple, it still gets the job done.
“Snippely is a basic text and code organizational tool. Instead of storing bits of code, quick notes, and memos in text files all over your hard drive, this application will let you save and organize “snippets” in one convenient location. A snippet is a collection of one or more pieces of code and notes. Snippets are stored in groups for organization and quick retrieval.”
6. Skitch
Skitch is easily one of my favorite, and most helpful apps for Mac. Further, it’s one of those apps that you truthfully can’t find on the PC, for some reason. If I need to point out a strange issue on ThemeForest to my boss, I can use Skitch to select a portion of the page as a snapshot, then add some arrows and text describing the problem on the image, and upload it Skitch’s server for hosting – all within a time span of about twenty seconds.
“Skitch.com is a webservice that works hand in hand with our application Skitch to give you 1-click uploading of images for fast and fun image sharing.”
7. Sequel Pro
When working with MySQL, PHPMyAdmin definitely gets the job done, but it sure is ugly! Sequel Pro is the beautiful, and free alternative!
“Sequel Pro is a fast, easy-to-use Mac database management application for working with MySQL databases.”
8. Google Quick Launch
While QuickSilver has generally has been the quick-launch app tool of choice, Google has a fantastic alternative that’s even better, called Quick Search Box. In addition to loading applications with only a keystroke, you also have the ability to perform Google searches, and search your Gmail account.
“With Google Quick Search Box you can search for information from just about anywhere. As you type, suggestions will appear that match your query, ranging from applications and local files on your computer, to web search and navigational suggestions, to items from your browser history and contacts.”
Alternative
9. Photoshop
Obvious choice? Most definitely. However, that’s only a testament to its importance. In addition to Gmail, Photoshop is open on my computer at all times. And while free alternative like Gimp might be helpful, I honestly question your dedication to web design if you’re not using the industry standard.
“Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 software provides improved access to its unrivaled power through a more intuitive user experience, greater editing freedom, and significant productivity enhancements.”
Alternative
10. Notify
For those brief moments when your email client isn’t open, Notify makes for a fantastic alternative. A tiny icon is placed at the top of your desktop, displaying the number of items in your inbox. It also notifies you (obviously) when new emails arrive, and allows you to read, respond to, and delete them with ease.
“Do you access your email in a browser? Then you’ll love Notify. Notify is an awesome email notifier for Mac OS X. It fits seamlessly into your menubar, only vying for your attention when you have new mail. Notify supports mutliple accounts, including Gmail/Google Apps, MobileMe, and Rackspace Email.”
11. Mamp
For PHP/MySQL development, Mamp makes setting up a local web server on your computer laughably simple.
“The one-click solution for setting up your web server.”
12. Forklift
Forklift is one of my more recent discoveries this year. I often find myself trying to drag files from one folder to another. Using Mac’s finder, this can be a bit of a pain. Also, every day, I’m transferring files to Envato’s S3 accounts. Forklift makes this process as easy as it can possibly be. While not free, I highly recommend that you pick this one up.
Alternative
“Forklift is a powerful file manager and ferociously fast FTP client clothed in a clean and versatile UI that offers the combination of absolute simplicity and raw power expected from a well-executed Mac software”
13. Dropzone
Dropzone is a helpful little tool that automates the process of common tasks. For example, when you download an app, you must then double click on the app, install it, and finally drag the app to your Applications folder. It’s not a huge time waster, though every thirty seconds matters! With Dropzone, you drag your file into the app, and it automatically performs these tasks for you.
This is only one of many operations that Dropzone performs. Be sure to check it out!
“The Swiss army knife of drag-and-drop for the Mac. Dropzone makes it faster and easier to get things done on your Mac.”
14. Coda
Perhaps side-by-side with TextMate, Coda is one of the best code editors (if not the best) that the Mac has to offer. Especially when you find yourself editing files stored on your server, there’s no easier tool.
“So, we code web sites by hand. And one day, it hit us: our web workflow was wonky. We’d have our text editor open, with Transmit open to save files to the server. We’d be previewing in Safari, adjusting SQL in a Terminal, using a CSS editor and reading references on the web. “This could be easier,” we declared. “And much cooler.”
15. Echofon
I’m on Twitter every day, for better or worse. Surprisingly, the app that I most prefer flies right under the radar. Maybe I’m missing something, but it, along with its iPhone companion app, does everything that I could possibly require (excluding scheduled tweets): multiple accounts, search, etc. P.S. If you’re not following us on Twitter, do so before I cut you!
“Echofon for mac suits those who do intense Twittering, and those who want to something that stays out of their way until they need it. The interface contracts and expands to your ideal size, and the drawer will show you details only when you need it.”
16. Cinch
There’s no denying that Windows 7 is a vast improvement over its predecessor. One of my favorite (though simple) new features is the ability to lock windows to different sides of the screen. I’m sure you’ve seen the commercial of the mechanic advertising this feature on TV. Drag one window to the left-side of the screen, and it automatically expands/contracts to take up 50% width of the monitor. You can then do the same to another window, to quickly allow for a side-by-side view. While the Mac doesn’t natively support this, you can use an app called Cinch to mimic this functionality. I use it every day!
“Cinch gives you simple, mouse-driven window management by defining the left, right, and top edges of your screen as ‘hot zones’. Drag a window until the mouse cursor enters one of these zones then drop the window to have it cinch into place.”
17. 1Password
According to 1Password, I have over fifty different accounts and passwords on the web. Assuming we’re smart and use unique passwords for each account, it’s nearly impossible to remember every username and password without tearing out your hair. With 1Password, you simply store your login credentials, and use Command + Backslash to automatically login. This single app has saved me dozens and dozens of hours over the last year.
“1Password can create strong, unique passwords for you, remember them, and restore them, all directly in your web browser.”
Alternative
18. Dropbox
Ever needed to quickly transfer a file from your laptop over to your desktop? It’s a bit of a drag, isn’t it? What did you do, email yourself with the file? Even burn a CD to transfer it? How old-fashioned is that!? Instead, use DropBox to make the process as simple as it can possibly be. While not specifically a Mac “app,” it’s definitely essential to your work-flow.
“Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.”
19. WebStorm
I discovered this new code editor last month, and am very excited about it. Be sure to watch my three minute video above for a quick overview of some of my favorite features.
“WebStorm is an Integrated Development Environments for web programming, providing a unique user experience for editing HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XMl, as well as for working with VCS and SQL.”
Conclusion
While there are countless more offerings available around the web, the items listed above are what I use every single day. Did I miss any? Have any recommendations?
And for more in-depth reviews of Mac Apps, plus roundups of Mac Icons, Screensavers and Wallpapers, head to our sister site Mac.AppStorm!
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nice list
I Will try cinch :)
Check out BetterTouchTool – It is FREE, and does the exact same thing (and more!)
For 20+ apps I only see 19. Are the others super secret or is this a silly little April Fools joke? :)
Great stuff, have been using Cinch for a while now, definitely one of the most useful on that list.
Anticipating a “There’s only 19 here…not 20″ comment. (Don’t forget the Alternatives. :)
And the prize goes to Elijah. :)
Yeah, I’ve always wanted a prize ;)
most of my best apps :D Thanks Jeffrey.
MAC SUCKKKKKKKKKKKKK
You suck
I personally prefer parallels desktop over vmware, it seems to be faster and their windows – mac integration is way better. all in one, nice list tho.
I second that!
I used to love my PC (Yes, I know that Mac is a PC as well – but you get the idea ;). Built several of them, did some serious over-clocking as well. Used it at home for car simulators and video production, as well as for work of course. My wife, who works one the biggest financial news magazines here in Sweden of course used (and loved) Mac’s. My standpoint was that Mac is for people who now nothing about computers! The wife hated PC because everything is so complicated and non-intuitive. But “of course” she know nothing about computers…
One day my beloved PC broke down(!). I was forced to use her Mac and the first few days were littered with curses and hear tearing (which I didn’t have much of to begin with). But then one cloudy Tuesday afternoon, everything fell into place! I wanted to transfer files from the Mac to another PC. Obviously the simplest(?) solution would be to connect them together over WiFi… Spent hours trying to get this to work, to map the Mac as a network drive on the PC, without much success I might add. “Typically Mac crap!” – I thought to myself.. Then, just by chance, I stumbled upon the file sharing options on the Mac. One click later and I had a functional FTP up and running! Nothing to install, nothing to configure. Super simple…
This was the turning point for me. After a few more days working with it I was won over to the “dark side”. My biggest problem was my tendency to complicate things, a heritage from the Windows world… A year ago I bought myself a fully spec’d Macbook Pro 17″. Expensive? Only if you can’t afford it… ;) It cost me and arm and a leg, but the darn thing is worth it! I’m just in love and any time I have to use a PC is a pain.
One of the few things that annoys me is that I can’t seem to create a new folder in a sub-folder. It always creates the new folder in the currently open folder, if someone understands what I mean(?).
By now I’m sure everyone has stopped reading so I can finally get to the point.. =)
When I finally saw the light and made my switch to Mac I realized that I couldn’t drop Windows altogether. We use Windows at work and there’s at least one program I can’t live without (MKV2Vob), so I did some serious digging on how I could run Windows on my Mac. Bootcamp it obviously the the best performing solution, since it runs natively (no virtualization). But it’s a clunky solution as you have to reboot to switch OS. I checked out Parallels and Vmware Fusion. Scoured the Internet for tests and settled with VMWare as this was the best performing solution – at the time. This was prior to Parallels 5 witch turned everything around!
http://www.mactech.com/articles/special/1002-VirtualizationHeadToHead/
VMWare Fusion 3 is not bad. But Parallels is better in any aspect (at least that I can think of). Not just performance but functionality and polish, it just feels more complete.
For instance you can:
Resize a partition. You should set the partition to one fixed size for best performance, once you’ve done this in WMVare you can’t change the size (not to my knowledge at least).
Compress a partition to reclaim space. Not possible in VMWare,
Time it takes to suspend an instance is just amazing!
It’s been a while since I made the switch from VMWare (and I have the memory of a polished, teflon-plated, goldfish) so I apologize for the short list. But I DO remember that I was very impressed with the performance and feature list when I did make the switch. Trust me… ;)
/J
Oh! I forgot one thing… (You didn’t expect to get away this easily did you?)
For best performance (under both VMWare and Parallels) run Windows XP 64bit. I know that Windows7 is tempting, but it’s still behind XP in terms of sheer performance.
I do have instances running:
XP 64bit (Work horse)
XP 32bit (Work computer)
Windows 7 64bit (For testing)
Windows 2008R2 (with Sharepoint 2010, Visual Studio 2010 and Office 2010) Actually runs OK:ish.
Best performance is XP 64bit. Standard performance optimizations as shutting everything you don’t need down still applies of course.
/R
Great list, much appreciated.
Agree:
1Password (for Safari – prefer LastPass for Chrome and Firefox)
Cinch
Dropbox
Dropzone
Echofon
Forklift
Google Quick Launch
Skitch
TextExpander
Disagree:
Coda (prefer Espresso)
Photoshop (prefer combo of Aperture and Acorn)
TextMate (prefer BBEdit)
The Hit List (prefer your alternate Things)
Not needed here:
Mamp
Notify
Sequel Pro
Snippely
VMWare Fusion
Webstorm
I’m loving Gruml (beta) for news reading.
Disagree:
Coda (prefer Espresso)
If someone could tell me how to get non-standard files formatted correctly (for e.g. it doesn’t format .phtml files) i would prefer it too but it seems the official support doesn’t even want to tell me.
And yes i’ve googled without succes :/
F*** on Mac. Useless.
What the “F***” is your problem? Get a life…
Yeah, mac sucks. Pretty interfaces, good usability, but a terrible OS.
So it’s a good OS then Dee? A good interface and good usability makes a good OS you idiot.
A good list, but I think it’s missing Pixelmator, Espresso, Flow, and Snippet.
Best set for webdevelopers in my opinion:
- TextMate (with Project+ plugin and bundles: GetBundles, ZenCoding, Align, jQuery)
- Reggy
- MacPorts (I preffer own database installation)
- Sequel Pro
- Git (with support from GitX)
- Firebug
- Web Inspector (in Safari)
- Transmit
- Pixelmator
- ImageOptim
- 1password
For your personal list, you can add IShowU HD too I think Jeff. Or are you using another app for record screencasts?
Great list Jeffrey! Especially loved this comment: “P.S. If you’re not following us on Twitter, do so before I cut you!” :D
There’s a free program similar to Cinch called BetterTouchTool. The option is hidden under Actions > Window Snapping and works perfect.
I’ve been using PhpStorm ever since I saw that WebStorm video you posted. Still a bit buggy sometimes, but hey.. its a preview. It has quickly become my editor of choice.
You might want to include Droplr and/or Cloud.app too.
They are really handy when you need to share a file or a screenshot with other.
Wouldn’t be able to locate my files without HoudahSpot. Make that #20
I just got VMWare for my iMac and I love it. It’s fast and flawless and easy to use. I also have Coda…but my only gripe is that it doesn’t tab when you select a bunch of text at one time like Dreamweaver…so it’s a bit annoying. I also don’t like how it wraps the text all the time by default (I’m sure I can fix that in the settings…I hope).
“but my only gripe is that it doesn’t tab when you select a bunch of text at one time like Dreamweaver…so it’s a bit annoying.”
COMMAND + RIGHT BRACKET does the trick in Coda. COMMAND + LEFT BRACKET will un-tab.
Lowkase – thanks, I’ll give that a try!
A great, and superior in my opinion, alternative to Google Quick Launch and Quicksilver is Alfred. Check it out here: http://www.alfredapp.com/.
Also, Espresso is a great code editor: http://macrabbit.com/espresso/
Espresso is the best!
That is a really great list of mac apps for every day type environments.
Thanks for the list. I just downloaded the Fetch FTP client, and I’m amazed at how fast it is compared to Cyberduck. Now I’ll have to try Forklift before making a decision.
XSCOPE (http://iconfactory.com/software/xscope)
Be sure to check out Xscope as well. Has saved me hours placing XHTML elements and working with hex colors.
You may question my dedication to web design all you like, but I use Gimp very successfully in most of my work.
Photoshop simply isn’t worth the money for the few features which Gimp doesn’t handle.
And please, industry standard? I question your dedication to web design if you run out and buy what everyone else has before even looking at what might be the most appropriate tool for the task and for your budget.
Besides that, you could use the same argument to claim that windows is the only platform for web development or that linux is the only platform for web hosting, and that if you’re not using them, you must not be serious.
What makes a dedicated web designer is the process they follow with their clients, and the work they produce. Everything else is just details. Let’s not get absolutist here.
I suppose the question is: if we’ve established that Photoshop is, in fact a better tool, why wouldn’t you use the best tool available? I can take a great photo with a point and click camera, but that doesn’t mean that I would use it professionally over a higher level SLR.
Great list. Don’t forget Evernote!
A lot of my favorites are mentioned in your list and in the comments (TextMate, xScope, 1Password). I’ll add a few: Yojimbo is pretty awesome for storing snippets of many kinds. QuickKeys is really handy for creating application hotkeys and keyboard shortcuts for actions you find yourself repeating. I can’t do without Pathfinder (finder with tabs and much more). Jumpcut is very useful as a clipboard buffer. Instead of Cinch I prefer SizeUp.
+1 for Size Up!
Wow
That’s very useful
Thanks..
” When working with MySQL, PHPMyAdmin definitely gets the job done, but it sure is ugly! Sequel Pro is the beautiful, and free alternative! ”
PhpMyAdmin isn’t free ? That can’t be…
…one Thing !
Thigs is much better than Hit List and if nicely supports GTD
and Happy Easter :)
A very nice list Jeff! Found a number of new apps I need to check out!
Hey Jeff,
Thanks for the list, however can you please do a similar one for Windows users, if I remember correctly you used to use a Windows machine for your tutorials during the early days :D
I can’t say enough good things about Skitch. It’s one of those tools that you don’t think you need until you find it exists, and then you’re constantly using it. Superb.
A florist is a person designing flower arrangements and selling them. The florists take care of flower arrangements, which is an art of making bouquets, composition of ornamental grass, herbs, foliages and flowers resulting in a beautiful design.
So here we are for you. Posypower offers you flowers & gifts for all occasions such as valentines day roses , orchids flower , fresh flowers bouquet .
Always interesting to discover the favourite tools used by someone who has been guiding us for some time now ;)
I’ll have to pass the #20 marks for essentials though, by suggesting:
- Balsamiq Mockups
- Versions
- LittleSnapper as an alternative to Skitch
- CSSEdit (beloved companion of TextMate)
- LaunchBar as an strong alternative to QuickSilver and Google Quick Launch
More modest utilities which became essentials over time for my workflow:
- Default Folder X (if it was just for the ability to go back to previous folder when saving a file via keyboard shortcut)
- Client Folder Maker which let you create consistent folder system(s), including an auto serial number, ideal for job number.
- Notational Velocity for quick notes of those Hex or pixel values while working on Photoshop or else
Forgot to add that in my opinion Coda and Espresso are now worth considering since the introduction of ZenCoding bundle!
But TextMate with ZenCoding is even more powerful, so… Just waiting for TextMate 2 which should be more “workable” when it comes to edit files on a server.
VMWare #1?! and no link to the free virtualbox? I would recommend virtualbox over VMW any day and it’s free. Most of the list is pretty poor. Photoshop should go without saying. Coda and MAMP are the better choices though you could also recommend the freeware alternative, Textwrangler which does most of the things Coda can.
And where’s the 20th now? ;)
I would love to get a copy of TextExpander but 33$ just feels too much for an app like that…
Seriously now…why are you trying to make people think that Mac actually worth it. It’s just a ridiculously expensive *PC*…yes these days it’s nothing more than it since they started to work with Intel based characteristics (hehe i even can boot Snow Leopard on my pc so if i can fool the os…you know…something fishy is going on). Buy Alienware laptop (if you so much want a laptop with great design an hardware). First you will save at least 500$ you will be able to update your hardware later (not all of it since this is a laptop but you can’t at all in Mac anyway) and i must tell you…you will find MUCH MORE and MUCH BETTER apps already for linux or windows most of them FREE OF A CHARGE…so yeah..Mac rocks…my ass
Well I think Alienware makes really ugly computers…
You obviously do not own a Mac. If you did then you would not be making this comment. I have 5 PC’s and 3 Macs. All of my Macs still run. All of my PC’s are dead. If you own a PC it will ultimately cost you more. buy first class, its cheaper. Macs rule!
Oh for crying out loud… Some people like using macs, some like using windows – some even use linux. Get over it & enough with the pathetic “Mine’s better than yours” attitude.
Well i don’t get it. Mac is like… 1k dollars more expensive than a PC/laptop with same specs (or maybe better) and why…”under the hood” the mac uses exact same PC hardware. Seriously people i don’t get it. (Yes im talking about Mac Book Pro…other Macs just suck…hardly boot even photoshop CS 2)
I also don’t like Mac users attitude “Im better than you because i use Mac” and see the funny thing is…the Mac user is the moron here…not me :D and he let you speechless
Aren’t Mac users usually much happier people in general? I’m just saying.
Great list but the list won’t be complete without Evernote, period!
Also, TextExpander, even though it’s cool, the price is just insane.
Wow, that is a really nice list! Clinch looks cool, that is one of my favorite things about Windows 7. Thank you very much for sharing!
Thank you.
Does anyone have any good suggestions for zipping up files on a MAC. Mac has the built in compressor, but it puts in the _Mac OS X folder and .DS_Store stuff which I can not seem to get rid of.
The Unarchiver is what I use … has not given me any problems.
http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html
The last one, is the one I was looking for!
On Mac I can’t find a CodeEditor as good as Notepad++ for PC…
But now I think I found one…
Jeffrey Way: “.. I honestly question your dedication to web design if you’re not using the industry standard. (Photoshop)”
Dear Jeffrey, in the web industry jargon; a “standard” DOES EQUAL “open”. Following your INSIGHTFUL reasoning, Internet Explorer is the standard for surfing the web! Do you use it? Then I honestly question your dedication to web design.
PSD files?! What’s that!
Still have a lot to learn Jeff.
IE is the worst browser out there… anyone that uses it is foolish. Also if you don’t know what PSD files are, your right you do have a lot to learn.
@greg: Sorry! You’re missing entirely the point of my response to Jeff. We all know IE (and of course I know what a PSD file is), but tell me; how can anybody be “unprofessional” if he/she does not design mock-ups in Photoshop?!
Please, give the newbies the chance to love web design by pointing them to simple tools and open standards, don’t tell’m : “Don’t have a Mac and don’t use Photoshop?! You don’t have a chance.”
Not being mean or anything but as superb as The Hit List is the updates are non existent and I would STRONGLY recommend people do not waste their time getting used to an app that will die a horrible death.
Things, Omnifocus or Daylite would be a much better alternative.
It’s a shame as I used THL for about a year and it truly is an awesome piece of software. It’s just a shame the developer doesn’t take his users seriously enough to even update them with what he is planning.
This little tool automates the process of all the task & usefull to Everyone. When you use this tool u save all the time also.
Im gona have to try some of these ive seen you use coda in you screen casts and fell in love with it before i even used it. On a side not thank you for you screen casts that apple ipod website screen cast really helped when building my first website template.
Thank you.
Great list. Please consider some awesome apps below:
Espresso: http://macrabbit.com/espresso/ – Personally prefer to text edit and coda.
Wallet: http://www.acrylicapps.com/wallet/ – Beautiful app for storing all kinds of passwords.
Snippet: http://fuelcollective.com/snippet – Although Espresso has an small in built snippet library it still doesnt compare to Snippets ease of use, tagged storage system and user interface.
Im looking forward to the windows list.
hey! can you please do a similar post but for windows!? that would be very awesome.