My Favorite Mac Apps
Here are some of my favorite apps for Mac users. Hopefully, you find them useful too!
Table of contents
Brewlist - Breakdown of my favorite Mac apps
See my Brewfile to install these apps using Homebrew.
Productivity & Utilities
1password- 1Password - Secure password manager for storing and autofilling credentials.alfred- Alfred - Productivity app for launching applications, searching files, and automating workflows.macupdater- MacUpdater - Keeps your macOS apps up to date by checking for new versions.rocket- Rocket - System-wide emoji picker for quick emoji insertion anywhere.keycastr- KeyCastr - Visualizes your keystrokes for demos, screencasts, and presentations.karabiner-elements- Karabiner-Elements - Powerful keyboard customizer for remapping keys on macOS.iterm2- iTerm2 - Advanced terminal emulator for macOS with split panes, hotkeys, and more.grammarly-desktop- Grammarly - Desktop writing assistant for grammar, spelling, and style suggestions.setapp- Setapp - Subscription-based app library offering a curated suite of Mac applications.pareto-security- Pareto Security - Automatically audits your Mac for basic security hygiene.
Web Browsers
firefox- Firefox - Open-source web browser focused on privacy and customization.google-chrome- Google Chrome - Fast, secure web browser developed by Google.microsoft-edge- Microsoft Edge - Chromium-based browser by Microsoft with built-in security features.
Communication & Collaboration
discord- Discord - Voice, video, and text chat platform for communities and gaming.slack- Slack - Collaboration hub for messaging, file sharing, and integrations.chatgpt- ChatGPT Desktop - Unofficial desktop client for interacting with OpenAI's ChatGPT.google-drive- Google Drive - Desktop client for syncing and accessing files in Google Drive cloud storage.
Design & Media
figma- Figma - Collaborative interface design tool for UI/UX prototyping.
Entertainment
spotify- Spotify - Music streaming application with a massive library of songs and podcasts.vlc- VLC media player - Versatile multimedia player supporting nearly all audio/video formats.
Development Tools
visual-studio-code- Visual Studio Code - Feature-rich source-code editor with extensions and Git integration.github- GitHub Desktop - GUI client for managing Git repositories and GitHub workflows.gh- GitHub CLI - Command-line tool for interacting with GitHub from your terminal.asciinema- Asciinema - Records terminal sessions and shares them as lightweight screencasts.hugo- Hugo - High-performance static site generator written in Go.pandoc- Pandoc - Universal document converter supporting multiple markup formats.nodenv- Nodenv - Manages and switches between multiple Node.js versions.pyenv- Pyenv - Installs and manages multiple Python versions seamlessly.powerlevel10k- Powerlevel10k - Fast Zsh prompt theme with advanced customization.tree- Tree - Displays directory structure in a tree-like format.numi-cli- Numi CLI - Calculator tool for the terminal with natural language input.yarn- Yarn - Fast, reliable JavaScript package manager for project dependencies.
Markdown Tools
qlmarkdown- QuickLook Markdown - Enables live Quick Look previews of Markdown files.macdown- MacDown - Markdown editor with live preview and syntax highlighting.lychee- Lychee Link Checker - Fast link checker for Markdown and HTML files.markdownlint-cli- markdownlint CLI - Lints Markdown files to ensure consistent style.markdownlint-cli2- markdownlint CLI v2 - Alternative CLI for markdownlint with extended config support.github-markdown-toc- GitHub Markdown TOC - Generates tables of contents for Markdown documents.
Fonts
font-fira-code- Fira Code - Monospaced font with programming ligatures for clearer code.font-hack-nerd-font- Hack Nerd Font - Patched font with additional glyphs for development.font-open-dyslexic-nerd-font- OpenDyslexic Nerd Font - Dyslexia-friendly font with Nerd Font icons.
Brewfile - Quick installation
Import Brewfile to your Mac with bundle command
Save the following content into a file named Brewfile, then run the command below to install all listed apps. brew bundle install --file=path/to/Brewfile
My Brewfile:
txt
tap "1password/tap"
tap "nikolaeu/numi"
tap "romkatv/powerlevel10k"
# Bourne-Again SHell, a UNIX command interpreter
brew "bash"
# Suite of command-line tools for converting to and working with CSV
brew "csvkit"
# Get a file from an HTTP, HTTPS or FTP server
brew "curl"
# Play, record, convert, and stream audio and video
brew "ffmpeg"
# GitHub command-line tool
brew "gh"
# Easy TOC creation for GitHub README.md (in go)
brew "github-markdown-toc"
# Open source programming language to build simple/reliable/efficient software
brew "go"
# Configurable static site generator
brew "hugo"
# Lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor
brew "jq"
# Utilities for the PST file format
brew "libpst"
# Fast, async, resource-friendly link checker
brew "lychee"
# Fast, flexible, config-based cli for linting Markdown/CommonMark files
brew "markdownlint-cli2"
# Install NodeJS versions
brew "node-build"
# Node.js version manager
brew "nodenv"
# Libraries for security-enabled client and server applications
brew "nss"
# Open Visual Inference And Optimization toolkit for AI inference
brew "openvino"
# Swiss-army knife of markup format conversion
brew "pandoc"
# General-purpose scripting language
brew "php"
# Tool to interact with the Phrase API
brew "phrase-cli"
# Execute binaries from Python packages in isolated environments
brew "pipx"
# Fast, disk space efficient package manager
brew "pnpm"
# Theme for zsh
brew "powerlevel10k"
# Framework for managing multi-language pre-commit hooks
brew "pre-commit"
# Python version management
brew "pyenv"
# Display directories as trees (with optional color/HTML output)
brew "tree"
# Extremely fast Python package installer and resolver, written in Rust
brew "uv"
# Syntax-aware linter for prose
brew "vale"
# Smart calculator
brew "nikolaeu/numi/numi-cli"
# Password manager that keeps all passwords secure behind one password
cask "1password"
# Command-line interface for 1Password
cask "1password-cli"
# Application launcher and productivity software
cask "alfred"
# OpenAI's official ChatGPT desktop app
cask "chatgpt"
# Write, edit, and chat about your code with AI
cask "cursor"
# Voice and text chat software
cask "discord"
# Developer platform
cask "dotnet-sdk"
# Collaborative team software
cask "figma"
# Web browser
cask "firefox"
# Monospaced font with programming ligatures
cask "font-fira-code"
# Patched font with additional glyphs for development
cask "font-hack-nerd-font"
# Dyslexia-friendly font with Nerd Font icons
cask "font-opendyslexic-nerd-font"
# Desktop client for GitHub repositories
cask "github"
# Web browser
cask "google-chrome"
# Client for the Google Drive storage service
cask "google-drive"
# Grammarly for desktop
cask "grammarly-desktop"
# Terminal emulator as alternative to Apple's Terminal app
cask "iterm2"
# Menu bar manager
cask "jordanbaird-ice"
# Keyboard customiser
cask "karabiner-elements"
# Open-source keystroke visualiser
cask "keycastr"
# Software for Logitech devices
cask "logi-options+"
# Open-source Markdown editor
cask "macdown"
# Track and update to the latest versions of installed software
cask "macupdater"
# Multi-platform web browser
cask "microsoft-edge"
# Security checklist app
cask "pareto-security"
# Quick Look generator for Markdown files
cask "qlmarkdown"
# Emoji picker optimised for blind people
cask "rocket"
# Collection of apps available by subscription
cask "setapp"
# Team communication and collaboration software
cask "slack"
# Music streaming service
cask "spotify"
# Open-source code editor
cask "visual-studio-code"
# Multimedia player
cask "vlc"
vscode "aaron-bond.better-comments"
vscode "alefragnani.rtf"
vscode "andersliu.insert-line-number"
vscode "antfu.slidev"
vscode "be5invis.toml"
vscode "bierner.github-markdown-preview"
vscode "bierner.markdown-checkbox"
vscode "bierner.markdown-emoji"
vscode "bierner.markdown-footnotes"
vscode "bierner.markdown-mermaid"
vscode "bierner.markdown-preview-github-styles"
vscode "bierner.markdown-yaml-preamble"
vscode "bierner.speech"
vscode "bodil.prettier-toml"
vscode "bpruitt-goddard.mermaid-markdown-syntax-highlighting"
vscode "burkeholland.simple-react-snippets"
vscode "chrischinchilla.vale-vscode"
vscode "christian-kohler.npm-intellisense"
vscode "christian-kohler.path-intellisense"
vscode "codedungeon.open-in-macdown"
vscode "coderabbit.coderabbit-vscode"
vscode "danielgjackson.auto-dark-mode-windows"
vscode "dart-code.dart-code"
vscode "dart-code.flutter"
vscode "davidanson.vscode-markdownlint"
vscode "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint"
vscode "dnicolson.binary-plist"
vscode "fabiospampinato.vscode-open-in-finder"
vscode "fasani.coding-in-the-sun"
vscode "fmoronzirfas.open-in-marked"
vscode "formulahendry.auto-close-tag"
vscode "formulahendry.auto-rename-tag"
vscode "formulahendry.code-runner"
vscode "foxundermoon.shell-format"
vscode "funkyremi.vscode-google-translate"
vscode "ginfuru.ginfuru-better-solarized-dark-theme"
vscode "github.copilot"
vscode "github.copilot-chat"
vscode "github.github-vscode-theme"
vscode "github.vscode-github-actions"
vscode "github.vscode-pull-request-github"
vscode "golang.go"
vscode "google.arb-editor"
vscode "google.geminicodeassist"
vscode "grapecity.gc-excelviewer"
vscode "humao.rest-client"
vscode "ics.japanese-proofreading"
vscode "idleberg.applescript"
vscode "jackytsu.text-transformer"
vscode "janisdd.vscode-edit-csv"
vscode "jannisx11.batch-rename-extension"
vscode "jebbs.plantuml"
vscode "jerriepelser.copy-markdown-as-html"
vscode "jianbingfang.dupchecker"
vscode "jinhyuk.replace-curly-quotes"
vscode "jock.svg"
vscode "jtr.vscode-position"
vscode "kirozen.wordcounter"
vscode "lukapetrovic.image-resizer"
vscode "manuth.markdown-converter"
vscode "mechatroner.rainbow-csv"
vscode "mermaidchart.vscode-mermaid-chart"
vscode "mhcpnl.xcodestrings"
vscode "mosapride.zenkaku"
vscode "mousetraps.selected-character-count"
vscode "ms-azuretools.vscode-containers"
vscode "ms-azuretools.vscode-docker"
vscode "ms-edgedevtools.vscode-edge-devtools"
vscode "ms-playwright.playwright"
vscode "ms-python.black-formatter"
vscode "ms-python.debugpy"
vscode "ms-python.isort"
vscode "ms-python.pylint"
vscode "ms-python.python"
vscode "ms-python.vscode-pylance"
vscode "ms-python.vscode-python-envs"
vscode "ms-vscode.vscode-speech"
vscode "ms-vscode.vscode-websearchforcopilot"
vscode "ms-vscode.wordcount"
vscode "mushan.vscode-paste-image"
vscode "octref.vetur"
vscode "oleg-shilo.cs-script"
vscode "openai.chatgpt"
vscode "phplasma.csv-to-table"
vscode "pkief.material-icon-theme"
vscode "prettier.prettier-vscode"
vscode "pwabuilder.pwa-studio"
vscode "qwtel.sqlite-viewer"
vscode "redhat.vscode-yaml"
vscode "ritwickdey.liveserver"
vscode "rogalmic.zsh-debug"
vscode "sandcastle.vscode-open"
vscode "satokaz.vscode-bs-ctrlchar-remover"
vscode "shd101wyy.markdown-preview-enhanced"
vscode "sifue.japanese-word-count"
vscode "sleistner.vscode-fileutils"
vscode "streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker"
vscode "tamasfe.even-better-toml"
vscode "telesoho.vscode-markdown-paste-image"
vscode "thinker.sort-json"
vscode "tomoki1207.pdf"
vscode "tomoyukim.vscode-mermaid-editor"
vscode "tyriar.sort-lines"
vscode "unifiedjs.vscode-mdx"
vscode "usernamehw.remove-empty-lines"
vscode "viablelab.capitalize"
vscode "vincaslt.highlight-matching-tag"
vscode "vstirbu.vscode-mermaid-preview"
vscode "vue.volar"
vscode "waderyan.gitblame"
vscode "wayou.vscode-todo-highlight"
vscode "wengerk.highlight-bad-chars"
vscode "wmaurer.change-case"
vscode "wraith13.open-in-github-desktop"
vscode "yogipatel.solarized-light-no-bold"
vscode "yzane.markdown-pdf"
vscode "yzhang.markdown-all-in-one"
vscode "zignd.html-css-class-completion"