3 productivity apps for Mac we can’t live without

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Running out of time? There are many ways to boost your productivity.
Photo: Pixabay

This Mac productivity apps post is presented by Dashlane.

Productivity apps for Mac are ubiquitous. There are so many of them, you can burn up a lot of productivity while you spend hours searching for the best ones. That’s why articles like this one prove so useful. They help you quickly identify a few key apps worth considering.

Of course, “productivity” and what increases it can mean different things to different people. One person may rely heavily on lists of tasks, while another person may see compulsive list-making as a task that distracts from the listed tasks that really need to get done. There are even Mac productivity apps that only pretend to help (e.g., Camouflage hides the clutter on your desktop but doesn’t actually clean it up). In the end, anything that helps you get something done better, faster or at all can be a productivity tool. But downloading tons of apps that you may never use could just lead to another productivity-draining task: getting rid of superfluous apps.

However, some apps are just too good to ignore. They’re even worth what they cost. We list some go-to favorites below. They are the task manager Things, graphics editor Affinity Photo and the  official password manager of Cult of Mac, Dashlane.

3 must-have Mac productivity apps

Things 3

For the list-makers and task-managers out there, there’s the award-winning Things for macOS, iPadOS, iOS and watchOS. It’s beautifully designed by Germans, a people known for organizational mastery (developer Cultured Code is based in Stuttgart). The app’s third iteration features a full redesign. It seamlessly connects your tasks and Calendar, allowing you to add a wide variety of unique features like checklists, descriptions, upcoming tasks, tasks by time of day (e.g., evening only), automated reminders and more.

Price: $34.99 (macOS), $13.99 (iPad), $6.99 (iPhone and watch)

Download from Cultured Code: Get a free 15-day trial

Affinity Photo

This one is all about not continuously paying for Photoshop just because you occasionally need to quickly crop something, add a background to an image or compose a multilayered visual masterpiece. Eschewing a subscription-based payment model, Affinity Photo by Serif is yours forever for a one-time cost of about $50. It bills itself as the only fully loaded photo editor integrated across macOS, iPadOS and Windows. The latest update, 1.7, includes a robust list of improvements and new features. It’s sophisticated enough for pro photographers to use and cheap enough for you to give it a try. If you demand things be free, don’t overlook the macOS tools in Photos. Or, try the open source photo editor GIMP.

Price: $49.99 (macOS), $19.99 (iPad)

Download from Serif or Apple: Get a free 10-day trial

Dashlane

Dashlane enhances productivity by automating and securing some of the most tedious aspects of online life. Namely, it creates, remembers and enters complex, unique passwords as well as sensitive information about your identity. Wouldn’t it be a nice, warm, secure feeling to never have to type your birth date or a credit card number again? With Dashlane, that goes for anything you’d rather see filled in automatically on a web page. Among its premium features, Dashlane offers  Dark Web Monitoring (so you can see if your identity is compromised) and a virtual private network (VPN) that keeps you anonymous in your online travels.

Price: Free, with premium subscription options

Download from Dashlane: Get a free 30-day trial of Dashlane Premium

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