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25 Best Productivity Apps for Mac in 2023

15 June 2023

If you’re a Mac user, especially in your professional life, you expect the best tools available to make your days more efficient and productive.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, productivity is key to staying ahead and accomplishing our goals. For Mac users, the Apple ecosystem offers a wide array of apps designed to streamline workflows, boost efficiency, and enhance organization.

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Today, we will explore the 25 best productivity apps for Mac.

We know that having the right tools at your fingertips can make a difference. From task management and note-taking to time tracking and collaboration, these apps have been carefully selected to help you boost your productivity and maximize your Mac experience.

The best apps for productivity for a Mac user

1. Timeular

Timeular is a powerful time tracking app paired with a time management cube that helps you manage and analyze how you spend your time. Whenever you need to track your time, you just need to flip the tracker, and the app will start the timer.

Timeular is one of the best time tracking tools to boost productivity for several reasons:

It’s easy to use in both scenarios: with the team and individually
Allows companies to track all types of leaves
Allow companies to track overtime hours
It’s effortless to use as you can also track with keyboard shortcuts
It provides transparent reports which can be exported and shared easily
It allows you to analyze data and compare trends to make better time estimations

Start tracking your time on Mac with zero effort

“Timeular is all about time efficiency! I’d highly recommend this as a solution for people focused on productivity and overall time efficiency” – Michael N., General Manager

This productivity tracker app provides detailed reports and insights, allowing you to analyze your time allocation, identify time wasters, and optimize your productivity.

Timeular also integrates with popular project management tools via Zapier.

Summing up, Timeular helps you to boost your and your team’s productivity and provides you with real and accurate data that lead to better and more informed decisions.

2. Zapier

Zapier is a popular automation tool that allows the integration of several different applications and automates workflows between these.

For example, a company’s sale department can integrate an automated task called “Zap,” which means that every time a new lead is gathered on Facebook (a trigger), it’ll be added to a database on another app.

Sync your time tracking data with 3,000+ tools to streamline payroll,  billing, reporting, and more

One of the key advantages of using Zapier on a Mac is its extensive app integration library. Zapier supports over 3,000 apps and services, including popular tools like Gmail, Trello, Slack, Google Drive, and many more.

By leveraging Zapier’s automation capabilities, Mac users can simplify their workflows and increase productivity. And the best part is that you don’t need to know how to code.

The most basic plan (that includes 100 “zaps”) is free. From there, prices start at 18.95 euros per month. There are the Starter, Professional, Team, and Company plans, to suit anyone’s needs.

3. Slack

Slack is one of the best communication apps and collaboration platforms.

It offers real-time messaging, file sharing, and integrations with various tools and services, such as Google Calendar, Outlook, or Zoom. It’s a preferred choice for Mac users.

Work teams that use Slack can create dedicated channels for different projects or departments, and it supports voice and video calls.

Slack can be used for free, with limited integrations and message history. Prices for more complete plans start at 6.75 euros per user per month.

Read: Our Slack time tracking boosts productivity and performance.

4. Notion

Notion is one of the best project management tools you can use. It’s a versatile workspace app that combines note-taking, project management, and collaboration features.

It allows you to create databases, wikis, and customized layouts to fit your workflow. It offers an attractive free plan, perfect for an individual worker or freelancer.

The Plus and Business programs, directed at groups of workers and companies, start at 8 and 15 dollars per month.

5. Trello

Trello is a versatile project management and collaboration tool, mostly known for its visually appealing and intuitive interface based on boards, lists, and cards.

With Trello, one of the best free digital planners, you can create boards for different projects or areas of work and, within each board, create lists to represent different stages or categories.

Integrate Trello with Timeular to automatically track time of individual tasks

Each list contains cards that represent specific tasks, for example. It’s possible to quickly move cards to indicate their status and assign them to team members or supervisors for approval and comments.

It’s a highly customizable tool that offers drag-and-drop functionality and real-time syncing. It integrates with numerous other productivity apps, allowing for seamless workflow integration.

Trello’s plans go from completely free to 5 dollars per user per month for a standard plan, to 10 dollars per user per month for a premium plan, and 17.50 dollars per user per month for the enterprise option.

6. Alfred

Developed for Mac and iOS, Alfred is a productivity app that boosts your efficiency with keyboard shortcuts and custom workflows.

It offers quick access to files, applications, system commands, and more. The app is intended to help access things quickly, improve the use of hotkeys and optimize tasks and things you type every day.

Alfred costs 34 pounds sterling for a Single License, and the Mega Supporter pack costs 59 pounds sterling.

7. Todoist

As the name itself conveys, Todoist is a to-do list organizer. A powerful task manager that helps you and your team members stay organized and manage your to-do lists across all your devices.

It guarantees features like due dates, reminders, project management, and collaboration. Todoists’ way of organizing tasks, per date, priority, and project, wants to help people feel less overwhelmed with their tasks and share the workload.

Staying calm and on top of things is the main “message” of the app. Thanks to the integrations, the workflow can be centralized in one place. You can, for example, add tasks via e-mail.

A free Todoist plan allows for maintaining 5 active projects. For more and to integrate more collaborators and tools, prices start at 4 euros per month when billed annually.

8. Things 3

A task manager app with a clean and intuitive interface.

It allows you to organize tasks into projects, set deadlines, create recurring tasks, and sync across all your Apple devices.

It’s completely customizable and especially designed for Apple users, a fact that keeps it in Mac’s most popular lists of productivity apps.

Each Things app (for each Apple device) sells separately. Things for Mac costs 49.99 dollars, just once.

Which tasks take up most of your time?

Start tracking your time with Timeular to identify the most time-consuming tasks

9. Google Workspace

A classic choice, mandatory in any productivity apps list. Inside the Google Workspace, several useful tools can be found:

Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides
Google Forms
Gmail
Google Meet
Google Drive
Google Calendar

Google Workspace is a top-notch productivity tool for teams because it allows them to communicate, collaborate, and manage work efficiently in a safe environment.

Highlights of Google Workspace include its cloud-based nature, which enables easy access, collaboration, and synchronization across devices.

Real-time collaboration features foster efficient teamwork and eliminate the need for version control. The suite’s robust security measures, data encryption, and administrative controls ensure data protection and privacy.

Google Workspace’s user-friendly interface and intuitive design make it accessible for all skill levels. For businesses, prices start at 6 dollars per user per month. From here, prices increase according to the features available and how many participants can be included.

TIP: Get valuable insights and boost your productivity by tracking time in Google Calendar.

9. Evernote

Evernote is one of the best tools for managing remote teams and employees.

It’s a versatile note-taking app allows you to capture and organize ideas, documents, and web clippings. It supports multimedia notes, syncing across devices, and powerful search capabilities.

Its free plan allows for the sync of two devices and 60 MB monthly uploads. From there, plans with more features available start at around 8 dollars every month.

10. Grammarly

Grammarly is an artificial intelligence writing assistant that helps to improve grammar, spelling, and writing style.

It integrates with various applications and provides real-time suggestions to enhance your English writing.

Grammarly recognizes spelling, grammar, and punctuation differences in American, British, Canadian, Australian, and Indian English.

There is a free plan that considers the basic features, and the Premium and Business plans start at 12 and 15 dollars every month, respectively.

11. Bear

Bear is a minimalist writing app that allows users to take notes, write blog posts, and organize their thoughts.

It supports Markdown formatting, tags and syncs across many devices so that notes can be accessed easily on an iPhone or iPad.

It’s known for its flexibility and editing tools. Bear’s custom markup shortcuts allow adding style and links with just a keystroke.

Multiple themes and exporting formats for text are available.

It can be used for free, as many of the features are available in this mode, and the Pro subscription has two options: 1.49 dollars monthly or 14.99 dollars annually.

12. MindNode

MindNode is a mind-mapping app that is very helpful in aiding the visualization and organization of ideas and concepts.

It supports various layouts, colors, and styles to create structured mind maps for brainstorming and planning. It’s a visual brainstorming app that helps teams by putting things on (digital) paper.

It’s free for basic use, but a MindNode Plus subscription unlocks all Mac, iPhone, and iPad features, highlighting the app’s synchronization across different Apple devices.

13. MindMeister

Did you know that MindMeister is also one of the best Windows apps to increase productivity? And, it’s also one of the top productivity apps for Mac. This is a collaborative mind-mapping tool that enables teams to brainstorm, plan projects, and share ideas.

It supports real-time collaboration and integrates with other project management apps.

By using it on a Mac, users can enjoy its cloud-based nature. By being a web-based application, MindMeister allows users to access their mind maps from any Mac computer with an internet connection.

Real-time collaboration is a feature that sets MindMeister apart, along with the presentation mode, which enables users to transform their mind maps into ready-to-go presentations. There is a free plan available

14. Magnet

Magnet is an exciting app with an interesting function, especially for those who need to keep many tabs, windows, and applications open.

This app helps users proportionally organize the windows according to the screen’s dimensions. It can split the screen into several sections and allows for customization.

Magnet is an exclusive Mac app with a one-time cost of 9.99$.

15. 1Password

A secure password manager that stores and auto-fills your login credentials across websites and apps. Is it not one of the best productivity apps for Mac? It saves you time!

It also supports securing notes and credit card information and generates strong passwords. This app allows you to store information in different categories and find things faster by creating labels to organize information.

Prices start at 2.99 dollars per month for individual users and go up to 19.95 dollars per month for a team of at least ten people.

16. Spark Mail

Spark Mail for Mac is an email service known for its collaborative capabilities. Users can easily share email threads with colleagues and assign emails as tasks, among other features.

It offers Smart Inbox organization in a user-friendly interface focused on productivity. One of the key features of Spark Mail is that users can handle an inbox with multiple people.

There’s a free plan to use Spark Mail, and paid plans start at 5.83 euros per month, billed annually. Premium plans charge per user as well.

17. Airmail

Airmail is a feature-rich email client that offers a clean and customizable interface specially developed for Apple products: Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

It can support multiple email accounts, folders, and snooze options and integrates with various productivity tools, such as Fantastical, Todoist, Evernote, calendars, and cloud apps.

Many of Airmail’s features can be used for free, and it offers two different options on its paid plan: 9.99 dollars monthly or 29.99 dollars yearly.

18. Luminar Neo

Luminar Neo is one of the best productivity tools for Mac for those who want powerful photo editing software designed specifically for Mac users.

It offers many editing tools and features, combining professional-grade editing capabilities with a user-friendly interface.

The best part of Luminar Neo is that it’s accessible to beginners and experienced image and photography editors. Luminar Neo also incorporates advanced AI technologies that help automate some editing processes and save work time.

This tool costs 59 dollars for a one-year subscription plan or 79 dollars for lifetime access.

19. Figma

Figma is one of the best productivity tools for Mac because it’s popular among designers and developers.

This happens due to its features and the collaborations it allows.

Figma enhances collaboration among designers, developers, and stakeholders, allowing multiple users to work on the same design file simultaneously, making real-time collaboration easier.

With live editing, changes one team member makes are instantly visible to others, promoting efficient teamwork and eliminating the need for manual file sharing. This tool also features interactive prototypes and several design assets to be used.

Figma offers a free Starter pack, followed by a Professional one, starting at 12 euros per user monthly, and an Organization package for 45 euros per editor per month.

20. Fantastical

Fantastical is a feature-rich calendar app designed specifically for Mac users. It offers an intuitive interface with a clear overview of daily, weekly, and monthly schedules.

It offers various customization options, allowing users to personalize their calendar display with different themes, colors, and layouts. One of its most valuable features is that it carries a natural language input.

This means that the user can dictate or type the events they need to schedule in plain language, and the app automatically interprets and creates an entry in the calendar.

Fantastical seamlessly integrates with other Apple devices and calendar services.

In addition to the calendar functionality, Fantastical integrates with various task management apps. The app’s free plan can be used with some limitations, and a premium version starts at around 6 dollars per month.

21. SelfControl

SelfControl is a free and open-source application created for Mac that lets you block your own access to distracting websites.

If you get easily distracted and need extra help focusing on your tasks, a distraction-blocking app might be a big help.

SelfControl allows you to choose a set of distracting URLs and set a timer. During that time, it’ll be completely impossible to access those distracting URLs until time runs out.

Even if you restart your computer, it’s impossible to disable it; you’ll have to wait for time to run out. SelfControl is 100% free of charge.

22. iCloud

Sometimes the best is what’s already there, and for sure that iCloud is one of the best productivity apps for Mac.

iCloud is a cloud storage and synchronization service provided by Apple that enables Mac users to store and access their files, photos, documents, and other data across multiple devices.

Having been created by Apple, it’s smoothly integrated with the macOS ecosystem, offering a range of features and advantages for Mac users.

When you sign in to your Mac using your Apple ID, iCloud automatically becomes available, allowing you to access and sync your data across all your Apple devices, including Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even the web.

This integration ensures that your files and data are readily available and up-to-date, regardless of the device you’re using. iCloud offers backup and restores capabilities for Mac, as well as iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, iCloud e-mail, and others.

A “free” iCloud plan automatically offers 5GB of storage. For the iCloud+ plans with more storage and additional features, prices start at 0.99 dollars every month.

23. VSCode

Visual Studio Code, also known as VSCode, is a popular and powerful source code editor developed by Microsoft.

It provides a versatile environment for coding, debugging, and working with various programming languages and frameworks.

One of the key advantages of VSCode for Mac is its extensive language support for a wide range of programming languages, like JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, and many more.

It offers syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and intelligent code suggestions specific to each language, enhancing the coding experience and improving productivity.

VSCode is one of the most used programming tools to increase productivity and because of that, it has a vast user base, which means that you can find abundant resources, tutorials, and community-created extensions and themes to enhance your coding experience.

VSCode is completely free of charge.

24. Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a text editor popular among developers and programmers for its speed, flexibility, and extensive customization options.

It features a clean and minimalistic interface with a focus on providing a distraction-free environment for coding and text editing.

It supports a wide range of programming languages and offers syntax highlighting code snippets and auto-completion. Sublime Text can be customized with many plugins for different purposes.

This tool can be tried out for free, but for continued use, a license costs 99 dollars for one user.

Business licenses are sold on an annual tiered subscription basis, starting at 65 dollars/seat/year for the first 10 seats, 60 dollars/seat/year for seats 11-25, 55 dollars/seat/year for seats 26-50, and 50 dollars/seat/year for any further seats.

How to choose the best productivity apps for Mac

Choosing the best productivity apps for your Mac can greatly enhance your efficiency and organization, and there important factors to have in consideration when choosing them. These topics will help you make an informed decision:

Identify your needs and priorities – start by identifying the specific areas where you need improvement in terms of productivity. Are you looking for a task manager, a note-taking app, a time tracker, a photography editor, or a collaboration tool? Having a clear understanding of your needs will help narrow down your options and make the best choice
Choose compatibility – ensure that the apps you choose are compatible with your Mac’s operating system version and other devices you use. Especially if you also use an iPhone or an iPad. Consider the integration capabilities of the apps with other tools and services you already use. Seamless integration improves your workflow and saves time by eliminating the need for manual data transfer.
Choose the best price – consider your budget and evaluate the pricing models of the apps you are interested in. Some apps offer free versions with limited features, while others require a subscription or one-time purchase. Assess the value the app brings to your productivity needs. If the app offers a free trial, you can give it a go before actually making a purchase.
Gor for security – this is an essential concern for companies across different industries. Make sure the security and privacy measures implemented by the app are compliant with norms and rules. Ensure that your and your client’s data will be protected and that the app follows industry-standard security protocols. Choose apps for Mac that offer encryption, two-factor authentication, and data backup options.

Conclusion

When selecting apps to use on your Mac computer, remember that productivity apps should enhance your efficiency, not create additional problems that can be time-wasters.

The apps on this list cover a wide range of functionalities, including time tracking, communication and collaboration, note-taking, project management, password management, email, photo editing, cloud services, distraction blockers, and more, all gathered and explained to help you make the best choices when working on a Mac.

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