Top 10 BEST Mac Apps For Productivity: M1 & M2

[@Subaaker]

Alfred is my favorite one. game changer!

[@Christomshack]

Hey Suli, You won the giveaway! Send me an email to [e-mail] and let's get you the gift card!

[@Christomshack]

@@Subaaker sending it via email to the address you emailed me from. Really appreciate the compliment and hope to see you stick around for future content!

[@Subaaker]

@@Christomshack I look forward to receiving it soon. I really appreciate your prompt response and attention to detail. It's great to see someone who takes pride in their work and is dedicated to providing excellent service. Looking forward to staying in touch and seeing what else you have in store. Have a great day!

[@Christomshack]

@@Subaaker Sent 🤝

[@iliajie]

@@Christomshack I use Alfred custom workflow to split the screen. No need for extra apps. Thanks for the cool video!

[@nobodysaysmynameright]

Just a tip on app cleaner: there's an option called smart delete under settings that kicks in the clean up process automatically when you delete an app without you having to open the app + drag and drop

[@Djwhynotlove]

I just got my Mac today. Everything you showed me, Alfred, rectangle, and Bartender. All all are great.

[@MuhammadIshmaell]

Man, this is by far the most useful Mac recommendation apps video I've ever come across on KZbin. I'm a minimalist and I can't tell you the number of times I have to always clear up my desktop. Hidden Me will come in very handy. Thanks a lot!

[@zoltanzana]

How about opening a new desktop space. It does the same, if the zoom meeting is over, you can go back to work.

[@markrome9702]

You didn't mention it but one of my favorites is Scroll Reverser. If you use both a trackpad and mouse this allows you to control the scrolling direction for each independently.

[@Christomshack]

Definitely going to check it out. Thanks for the recc 🤝

[@rakshityadav840]

is it free?

[@markrome9702]

@@rakshityadav840 yes, it's free. by Pilot Moon.

[@thatsreallyamoon]

I got my first MacBook a month ago and couldn't believe this crap! Wtf? Lol. How did apple never get feedback that people don't want to use the mouse and the track pad with the same scroll direction?

[@dhanukaperera594]

Rectangle. Very much underrated

[@alinaim496]

I've been a pc guy all my life. Picked up my first mac 3 days ago, so this was super helpful! thanks for making this!!

[@pushkarbaral4064]

Same here. Picked up a mac 3 days ago. PC guy.

[@RoderickMonroe]

I am downloading Rectangle as you speak, this will save me so much time!! Thank you!

[@Christomshack]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DanielNeubauer]

Raycast is another good one - it is an Alfred alternative that also has built-in window management.

[@ElGordoEseMike]

my favorite is Alfred OMG I can't go back to normal now

[@weirdways7966]

Why what makes it unique?

[@djuzla89]

Great list, i'd like to add these apps as well: 1. Clipy - free 2. Shottr - free 3. ALDente -paid 4. NightFall - free 5. DarkNight -free 6. App Tamer -paid 7. NearDrop - still in early phase, but has potential

[@hughmac13]

If I may, this list could be tasty indeed, were you to include a brief description of what each app does. I could be wrong, but I suspect I'm not alone in feeling reluctant to go hunting each one not knowing if it's applicable to my needs and habits. Thanks for your consideration!

[@tushar_sachde]

NearDrop is good, thanks for sharing.

[@Idkbye15]

​@@hughmac13 right...

[@kenvik-q5t]

I like #1, #6 and #10 in your presentation since I’m retired and found them useful for day computing. Thank you for sharing with the public, Ken

[@pasquale78]

You are 100% correct on how many times you install an app based on a review and then deleting it after a few days of never ever using it. The apps that I find I can't live without are Wipr, Darkreader for Safari, AltTab and Rectangle.

[@kambans624]

Great set of tools. Rectangle is super nice. On a note, Elephas AI is one of the cool AI tools for Mac that you may want to include. There are other AI tools like MacGPT, but Elephas supports customizing AI with users' data.

[@tushar_sachde]

Really good video! Tempbox seems to be cool! Thanks. Here are some alternatives: Raycast (free) - Alfred Raycast (Window Management Extension) - Rectangle Raycast (Clipboard History Extension) - CopyClip Hidden Bar (free) - Bartender BetterDisplay - MonitorControl

[@Christomshack]

Appreciate the recommendations!

[@mitchelllovesart]

I hope to get my very first MacBook today and will be using your videos to help me setup my computer and get the most use at of it. Thanks.

[@raynieregantier8260]

Just bought my first macbook today, coming from windows, I think Alfred and bartender are very helpful. I still have a hard time figuring out some stuff.

[@SimonBacchus-g8g]

Finally, a Mac tutorial that is actually useful and doesn't make me feel stupid. Thank you, and greetings from the UK.

[@Christomshack]

Glad to hear! Thanks for the comment. Cheers

[@buluiz]

Rectangle is one of my favorite app for Mac. Simple yet effective, makes my workflow much easier. And thanks for the recommendations, loved your video!

[@Christomshack]

Glad you like it and thanks!

[@jajasaria]

are you using another monitor ? would you recommend it using an ultrawide monitor?

[@Christomshack]

@@jajasaria Yep - Both monitors are linked here: 💻 Desk setup & accessories - geni.us/kITyMuj

[@jajasaria]

@@Christomshack thanks for the quick reply.

[@MaltePersike]

Agree with so many others here: Rectangle everytime.

[@gmikay]

I've been using Rectangle for more than 5 years, but recently I found a better alternative: Raycast with Window Management extension (one of built-in extensions). Also Raycast itself is a much better alternative to Alfred

[@godofwar85_]

I have been using Magnet for a few years already. Something like that is a must

[@phanishwarjonnalagadda3432]

Trueeee

[@junostr]

Since apple released Stagemanager I just don’t use it that often anymore.

[@tuandungle1797]

Rectangle lacks of ability to change focus between windows and trust me if u have lot of them its bullshit

[@afterfurtherreview]

Best Mac app recommendation video I’ve ever watched on KZbin. And believe me, I’ve watched them all. As soon as you started talking about the “countless hours” you’ve spent on recommendation videos, I was like “oh this guy gets me”

[@alexthiel829]

I was in shock when you said that you only had 155 subs when you made this. This video is so professional and informational.

[@TheThaiLife]

The "Hiden Me" app was exactly what I was looking for. I love your channel and am excited for more of your videos!

[@Christomshack]

Glad to hear, thanks! More videos to come

[@juancarlosizaguirre1908]

It's incredible how a little more than a month you jumped from 155 to 8,36 K subscribers. Impressive - Keep doing great videos!

[@Christomshack]

Much appreciated, Juan! Cheers

[@evan_kuo]

I love rectangle and bartender! I often find myself needing to split screen or resize windows and it just makes it so much easier to do that. Also, bartender is pretty much essential for the m2 macbooks because of the notch hiding all the other icons.

[@Christomshack]

Totally agree. I feel the same way about MacBooks that have the notch

[@stillmattwest]

Every time a new version of MacOS drops I ask “did Apple finally figure out window management?” Nope. Too hard for them, I guess. Oh well, at least there are third-party apps.

[@otwer22]

@@stillmattwestif I am not mistaken there are patent reasons why Mac OS isn’t as good at windows management compared to windows.

[@stillmattwest]

@@otwer22 why do you say that? Doesn’t seem to affect any of the Linux orgs like Canonical or System 76.

[@otwer22]

@@stillmattwest Apple has a ton of money so Microsoft is much more willing to litigate with them. With Linux distros there is no money to be had so why bother. I don’t have definitive evidence of this, compared to I have read that there are patent issues.

[@francispardeilhan5719]

Excellent presentation, Chris. The obvious favorite for me is Alfred. Thank-you for your work...

[@uttervids148]

daaaam bro went from 115 subs to 58.1k in one year congratulations

[@Kobayashi360]

Man, what a great video and list. So input for you / others: - I love HiddenMe, use it for the exact reason you mentioned. Although it has been a bit buggy for me; I find I have to relaunch it pretty often. - Hidden Bar: which seems pretty similar to Bar Tender; pretty sure it's free. - Moom: another window organizer, super powerful. - Ejectify: I use a MacBook on a docking stating with an external drive attached - this helps automatically eject the drive when I put the machine to sleep, thus cutting down on those irritating "didn't eject drive before disconnecting" notifications. - Amphetamine: another good task bar utility that keeps the machine awake, just in case you're running a task that you want to be sure doesn't get interrupted. I don't use it often, but it's great when you need it. One last thought: I don't understand Alfred!! Seems kind of unnecessary to me. Maybe I need to give it another try?

[@Christomshack]

Greatly appreciate the reccs! I will check out those apps this week. Alfred settings are unnecessarily complex, soI’m with you. If you’re interested, checkout my latest video on Alfred! It goes over Alfred setup, several extremely powerful features, and I’m even giving away 5 PowerPack licenses for the app in the video. I guarantee it will help smoothen the learning curve and you’ll be using Alfred more often 🤝🏼

[@n360media6]

Rectangle is really a game changer for Mac OS! Coming from windows this program is a necessity

[@AsherSkylark]

Thank you for providing this! every mac user should know this since it makes your experience convenient

[@Christomshack]

My pleasure. Glad you liked it!

[@iamjvm]

Alfred was indeed a game changer. Any recommended apps for M3 Mac?

[@JohnOsCreations]

Hi Chris, Helpful vid. Just started using a Mac this week. Quick question if you dont mind. Are you using all the free versions of the apps mentioned in the video? Thanks.

[@Christomshack]

At the time of recording, I had been using the free versions of the apps for several years. I recently upgraded upgraded to the full version of Alfred and CleanshotX (not mentioned in this vid)

[@MrMoto655]

Rectangle is definitely my favorite. I just got my first MacBook Air(M1 base model) and on my (linux) desktop i use a tiling window manager so it felt very natural moving over.

[@tf2368]

Simp

[@DarlantenCaten]

Raycast replaces Alfred, Rectangle and others, trust me. I still use Alfred because I bought the lifetime license but Raycast is becoming way more powerful. My favorite from your list is Bartender 4, love it!

[@yashashgaurav]

Raycast setup videos needed.

[@laredt]

I was coming in the comment to write exactly that 😂 Raycast has been a life changer for my productivity and eliminating so many little apps with it. It’s truly Alfred on steroids and way more powerful and customizable until your heart’s content 😀

[@FBracht]

@@yashashgaurav There's basically no setup to Raycast. You install it and it starts teaching you how to use it. Then, it's just a matter of going into the app's Settings and Store to discover commands and features that are useful to you. Alfred has some deep stuff around automation that I'm not sure Raycast is able to do, but for 99% of people, Raycast has every useful Alfred feature, for free, and with a much nicer user experience.

[@patriark]

Raycast is brilliant. For me Craft and Raycast are the big game changer apps which truly turned me over to MacOS

[@JohnnyBravoGn]

Thanks for making an amazing video on very useful apps. Bartender is my favorite among the list. Now I like my mac even more.

[@charlesonamac]

Thanks for the recommendations. How do you safely remove them from your system if you find you don’t need them?

[@Christomshack]

I use App Cleaner to uninstall unused apps and files

[@gabrielbularico3542]

I downloaded 6 of your 10 best Mac apps. Thanks, they have been useful 💪🏻

[@fastturtlex5]

I love the recommendations. I’ve downloaded Alfred before but I found it a little confusing with all the settings and I didn’t feel it did anything more than spotlight does. I’m probably using it wrong. But I’ll give it another shot.

[@Christomshack]

It’s definitely confusing at first with all the features/settings it has. I’m actually almost finished with a video walkthrough of the best Alfred workflows and shortcuts for productivity to help everyone get the most out of it. As soon as I get over this gnarly case of Covid it will get finished and uploaded. Also giving away 5 PowerPack plans in the video 🤝

[@riccohen6057]

I absolutely love Rectangle. A fantastic app. Not only short cut keys, but you can drag the windows to the corners of the monitor for resizing and placement

[@tomishraelfilart5408]

How do you remove the icon on the desktop though?

[@TheNameOfJesus]

My favourite macOS app is Keyboard Maestro. And lately I've acquired the Stream Deck app which runs on both macOS and iOS which means I can turn my iPhone into a Stream Deck simulator. By the way, these two apps are designed to work together, so I can use KM to control the SD app icons.

[@HaVoCX64]

Should i get the powerpack for alfred?

[@Christomshack]

I think it’s worth it! Uploading an Alfred walkthrough video today for maximizing productivity & giving away 5 PowerPack licenses too 🤝

[@leonardorezza]

Appreciate your videos, they have helped me with setting up my laptop as a first time mac user. Love the Alfred app, but the most useful app for me is probably going to be the Cheatsheet app to learn all necessary shortcuts. Your channel is a hidden gem, great videos!

[@Christomshack]

Many thanks Leonardo. Happy to hear my videos have been helpful! Cheers

[@vincenzoschifano]

Hey Chris, I would pick Monitor Control, it's extremely useful with a second display, and in case you didn't know, it works also if you are connected to a tv at work in meeting rooms

[@Christomshack]

Great to know, thanks for sharing!

[@sean.butterworth]

Alfred has been my companion for years. I hardly ever use a cluttered dock for opening apps

[@landonpettit129]

I am new to Mac and have been watching videos for hours and this is the best video I have come across. Thank you!!

[@nobody_kn0wz]

in addition, I'd like to highly recommend 2 of my favorites: 1) CleanShot X - it's an app for making and instant editing screenshots, screen video recordings, and GIFs - PAID, but it is worth it! 2) DeepL - it's an ML-powered app for translations. You select some text and press Cmd+C+C (like a copy but press C 2 times) and it will immediately open a window with the selected text, translated to any pre-selected language. - FREE

[@Christomshack]

Thanks for the reccs! I bought CleanshotX too and use it ALL the time - Big fan! Looking forward to checking out DeepL🤝🏼

[@nobody_kn0wz]

@@Christomshack I'm sure you'll love it🖤

[@nobody_kn0wz]

​@@Christomshack btw, there is one more - CopyClip - it stores some amount (it's configurable) of your recently copied text - pretty useful if you need to copy one by one, e.g., 3 text lines from one app into another. For not to switch between apps 3 times you could just copy that lines one by one, then switch to another app and paste them from the app's tray icon

[@sven0409]

I think the app swish is doing a better job at window managment, than rectangle especially when you don't use a mouse and just the trackpad. You can manage your windows through swipe gestures and I just love this app.

[@Christomshack]

Thanks for sharing, I will check out swish this weekend 🤝

[@Stan_sprinkle]

I agree I’ve tried them all, and I landed on swish. It has cool gesture capabilities, but the keyboard shortcuts are what I like.

[@gokulabinashj.c4526]

"Rectangle" is the best app according to me because I am student and I often have to do multitasking but in apple one two windows can be opened so if I use rectangle for that purpose it will be easier for me to multitask and switch between windows while coding in VS Code and designing new using Xcode and also to check the webpage designed. Thank you for posting this video this is really helpful for me or students like me.

[@Christomshack]

Happy to hear the video was helpful. Good luck on your software engineering journey!

[@paulbraithwaite2160]

Haven't used Alfred for a while so thanks for the reminder

[@luigilozano13]

I never used Alfred before, the app is amazing, thank you for recommending it.

[@Christomshack]

If you’re interested, check out my latest video on Alfred! It goes over some extremely powerful Alfred features and I’m also giving away 5 PowerPack licenses for the app 🤝🏼

[@vDereks]

WAS a long time Alfred user. Tried the latest Raycast, and it's in a whole different and better world. The Pro version with built-in AI (ChatGPT) is great. Many, many more extensions and it's getting rapid release features. Alfred by comparison is old, barely any new features, and the UI IMHO looks terrible. I tried Raycast when it first launched a couple of years ago and went back to Alfred. But last month I tried Raycast again, loved it so much, I immediately bought Pro and dumped Alfred in the trashcan. Haven't missed it since.

[@alexconnelly]

This was really insightful and helpful information. Thank you for taking the time to research and present the material in such a handy way. Can't wait to try these out!

[@MarioDuch]

So great to see someone make massive jumps in their channel! Keeps me super motivated to keep going! That cheatsheet app is an absolute blessing!

[@Christomshack]

Thanks Mario, we both need to keep going!

[@mypropheticsoul]

I am already using handmirror. Thanks for your video. Now I am using Monitor Control after watching your recommendation.

[@Akeoni]

dude. Alfred. Where have I been this whole time? Great vid

[@shellby44115]

Rectangle is hands down a necessity but I’ll definitely be downloading hand mirror. Never heard of it before now but will be super helpful in eliminating distractions during screen sharing

[@antoniopassarelli]

coming from linux, definitely something that will boost my productivity. kudos!

[@TheMatschkind]

I love betterDisplay for my M1 Pro. I can use it (pro version with one Time payment) to make use of the higher nits of the internal display and can also change the brightness and contrast settings of the external display very easily. Which is great since changing it on the monitor itself is quite the hassle!

[@robertf863]

Trying get it to work with my dell ultra sharp so I can adjust volume of desk speakers connected the dell hub. Any suggestions?

[@TheMatschkind]

@@robertf863 sorry, Never had to make it work with audio

[@adamarchibald984]

App 3: You don't have to hold the full screen button in macOS to do splitscreen just hover over it. Also the native multi-desktop is kind of useful when you understand how it works. But Rectangle seems really cool. Thank you for the video.

[@andrewtomic]

Am I missing something? This doesn’t work for me..

[@coolex74]

I recently bought a new Mac and hasn't been using a Mac for a couple of years. Now when I'm back :) I ended up using most of the apps you recommended. So thank you for that. This review was very informative and explained well. Thank you.

[@BDiHaze]

1st time macbook owner and NEEDED this! Know I will be downloading Alfred and Rectangle FIRST! Thanks much!

[@p8tgames]

I am not commenting to win the gift card (if I do manage to win pick someone else xd), I am commenting to tell you I am impressed with your video quality. It's nice, non-distracting, webcam elements add personal touch that feels "welcoming" and you show how to install each app for people that may not be tech savvy. I am impressed and I hope you keep it up in the future and that the algorithm will be nice to you because you made a video better than 99% of videos out there. Huge props!

[@Christomshack]

Your comment means a lot, thanks a ton. Doing my best to put out quality content over quantity and its comments like yours that keep the motivation up! Cheers

[@Christomshack]

Morning! Oddly enough, you mentioned that you didn't comment to win the gift card... And you won the drawing! Send an email to [e-mail] (also shown in the About section of my Channel page for verification) so I can send you the gift card. If you would like to forego winning, let me know and I will draw another winner!

[@p8tgames]

@@Christomshack feel free to give it to someone else - wasn't lying about the "not wanting to win the gift card" part :) I just think you have a lot of talent and wanted to motivate you - no financial incentive! Also cool thing of you that you kept your word! Definitely keep going :)

[@Ali_Raza_Afzal]

I have had a Macbook for years but never enhanced it like that. What a loss! Now it helps a lot. Thanks for making this video Tom. Bravo 👏🏻

[@ashscool]

Great video! Did you find anything for clipboard history?

[@Christomshack]

Yes, Alfred! I uploaded a video dedicated to Alfred recently🙌🏼

[@ashscool]

@@Christomshack thank you very much. I've heard good things about Alfred from my colleagues as well. I'll give it a go soon.

[@ParrotHead1809]

Love Alfred. I haven’t subscribed for the PowerPacks, though. Am I missing much? Great vid!

[@Christomshack]

The power pack features take Alfred to the next level. Highly worth it IMO!

[@cjmsgm]

As I have just bought my first Mac after using Windows since early 1986 , I found your clip very interesting . Thank you. I will start with Alfred and see from there.

[@lordverbik1589]

Just got my firsst mac and installed these!! thank you Chris!!!

[@ModernRemade]

I'm still learning my way around Mac after being a lifetime Windows user, so this video is a true asset. Rectangle is a must-have, especially for ultra-wides!

[@hanord]

Good review that comes from an actual Mac power-user and not some marketing department. I've been using Alfred myself for years.

[@mahfuzurrahman3940]

Alfred will be a game-changer.

[@semderks2967]

Just heard that at the time of recording you only had like 155. followers and now approximately 6 months later you have like 33,7k subs. That's freaking awesome man.

[@vrushilkalsariya1234]

Have been using Macbook for more than a year. Got to know about a lot of new apps. Thank you Chris!

[@marcellusrobinson568]

Alfred for sure is the game winner. Why has this been the best kept secret?! Thanks for sharing. Bartender is a close runner-up for me also.

[@Christomshack]

Totally agree! Uploading an Alfred walkthrough video today for maximizing productivity & giving away 5 PowerPack licenses too 🤝

[@marcellusrobinson568]

@@Christomshack I want one!

[@bobrocks31]

Never used any of these but I’ll be downloading Alfred and Rectangle right now. Thanks for the video.

[@gabrielsylvain234]

After 12 years on Mac, Alfred is a revalation! 😮

[@rohansajan9711]

Hey bro, great video! A quick note, I noticed that your camera shutter speed is cause slight flickering on your video. I noticed it when I was going through the timeline on yt. It's not that noticeable but as a camera person I couldn't myself leave without giving u a heads :)

[@Christomshack]

Appreciate the tip. Which country are you watching from? I film in 24fps

[@tropicalvideoproductions]

Awesome! Alfred is my favourite so far.

[@Christomshack]

Same here 🤝🏼

[@nici1782]

Interesting, I use most apps but different version: - Alfred = I use Raycast - Rectangle = I use Magnet - Dropzone 4 = I use Dropover

[@mcdormands]

+1. Raycast is more advanced and also looks better

[@zachwarner7164]

I always get confused, do i need to, “go ahead, and open my browser”, or you reckon i could get away with just opening my browser?

[@chrisbrazier]

I reckon I will install them all but Alfred for the best use one. Thanks for a fantastic video ❤

[@jamesozby1420]

Alfred #1 for me. Getting my new MacBook Air tomorrow. 🎉🎉🍎

[@robertborkar9018]

I loved Alfred and Rectangle... Gonna download em now

[@Christomshack]

Great to hear 🙌🏼 If interested, check out my latest video for a complete walkthrough of Alfred’s best features and a chance to win one of 5 Alfred PowerPack licenses 🤝🏼

[@rezaarif4528]

This whole video is all about Alfred. Thank you, Alfred 👌

[@peaceful2233]

You just gained a new subscriber 💥. Need more this type vids 💨

[@AugustoANouelP]

Thanks a lot for the Monitor Control! I got a new MacMini and a good monitor but controlling its brightness was a must. ✅✅✅✅✅

[@extremelucky1]

Gonna make my life on my 16-inch MacBook easier. A very useful video. Thank you for sharing!

[@Tyler-bj2br]

Alfred, can't live without it and love the workflows

[@PierreBibeau-tj6of]

Alfred seems the best of them all because with Alfred you can get most of the apps.

[@LorenzoSpearmanSrhelpsthepoor]

"Hidden me” is my favorite then “Afred” Chris. Thanks for sharing !

[@Greg1958100]

Alfred is a must! Going to start using it today!! 🖥️ Macbook pro 2023

[@stevenrae2797]

Great video. Just put Alfred on my new Mac. Works great!

[@eightnoteight]

37K subscribers in 7 months. congratulations, subscribed

[@decipherist]

in 4 months your subs grew from 155 to 27k. amazing job!

[@RobReddan]

Alfred, I'm new to Mac's and this is just perfect for my needs

[@dbmay1975]

HiddenMe alt: Sys Settings > Hot Corners > pick a corner > show desktop. Free and already built in.

[@VERONICA-og8vl]

Wow! Thank you Ill be adding 9-10 of these, my fav are Alfred, Triangle, TempBox.

[@MrKhunbob]

Thank you for that....Clean App would be one that I would use. Just bought a macbook Air 15 and just started to get it they way I like it. Very informative! Like your site!

[@Dashlan24]

Vielen Dank für die wertvollen Informationen und die beste TempBox-Anwendung

[@steihlvoice]

Dude! These apps are awesome! I just had to switch from windows to mac for work and these make my life so much easier!

[@alfabaykal]

This is the best video on KZbin about must have Mac apps. Thank you.

[@officialblimp]

mirror and rectangle are my go-tos! i love using mirror to check my camera before i get on a zoom class

[@jamesgillispie2430]

Alfred is definitely the best as well as the rectangle. Thanks for the recommendations.