Mac apps

If you ever endured a long lecture or an hours-long all-hands meeting, you know this to be true: There’s no way you can jot down every single word your professor or colleague utters. Rather than scramble and stress about missing certain parts of a presentation, you could add an AI note taker like My Notes AI to your productivity tool kit.

This AI-powered note transcription and summarization app works with your iPhone, iPad and Mac to help you catch every single word. Think of it as your very own personal assistant! You can snag a lifetime subscription to My Notes AI for just $27.97 (regularly $299) with code NOTE. That’s the best price you’ll find online.

macOS is powerful out of the box, but with the right apps, the experience gets even better. In 2025, several Mac apps became essential to my daily workflow, reducing friction and boosting my productivity.

Here are my five favorite Mac apps of 2025. All of them are free (or at least free to try), although some require payment to access advanced features.

PDFs are arguably one of the most-used document formats by professionals, students and casual users alike. However, while they might be the best way to transmit documents, they’re not entirely easy to work with unless you own a capable PDF editor for Mac like PDF Expert.

Fortunately, this app makes handling, organizing, annotating, merging and editing PDFs effortless. And you can get a lifetime license to this award-winning Mac app for just $79.99 (regularly $139.99).

Whether you’re creating engaging social media content, restoring precious home movies or producing professional presentations, video quality matters. For Mac users seeking an all-in-one solution that combines cutting-edge AI technology with practical everyday tools, Digiarty’s VideoProc Converter AI is a standout choice for making videos look as good as possible.

And during the VideoProc 2025 Christmas Super Sale, you can save big on a lifetime license to this powerful video editor — plus snag free gifts and unlimited upgrades.

Ever been annoyed when someone sends you a PDF instead of a file you can edit? An all-in-one PDF editor like PDF Converter Pro can help, and it doesn’t need to cost a fortune.

Lifetime licenses for the Mac PDF app are on sale for $23.99 with code CONVERT (regularly $99.99) for a limited time.

Stuck using an older version of Microsoft Office? This offer gets you a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home and Business 2021 for Mac for just $49.97. With a low one-time payment, you can bid farewell to Microsoft 365’s pesky recurring subscription fees. You’ll never need to pay again for Microsoft’s widely used software for work and school.

And if you need Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows, you can secure a lifetime license for even less: just $34.97.

This deal on Setapp AI gives you access to 260-plus Mac apps, as well as powerful AI tools. It’s a welcome addition to MacPaw’s pioneering and popular Mac app subscription service, Setapp, that’s fine-tuned for the AI age.

Grab this deal to get a full year of Setapp AI for just $68.99, then take advantage of killer Mac apps and AI tools that will streamline every part of your workflow.

Organize your week the fast and easy way with Smart Calendars AI, an app that works like your personal scheduling assistant. It works on iPhone, iPad and Mac and makes it simple to plan out your personal agenda.

This isn’t just another planner app. It’s an AI-powered assistant that thinks the way you do — capturing ideas, interpreting context and turning them into organized plans without the mental gymnastics.

And right now, you can bag a three-year subscription to Smart Calendars AI for just $29.99.

December 2, 1991: Apple ships its first public version of the QuickTime player, bringing video to Mac users running System 7.

Containing codecs for graphics, animation and video, QuickTime confirms Apple’s status as a leading multimedia tech company. The software also starts us on the path to playing video on our computers. This fundamental transformation of Macs into media machines eventually leads to iTunes Movies, YouTube and more.

If you’re using macOS 26 and mourning the loss of Launchpad, you need an alternative like BuhoLaunchpad. The newly released Mac app delivers practically the same experience that Launchpad did, effortlessly re-creating the classic app launching and organizational tool for Mac.

It’s a simple and effective solution to the Mac’s missing Launchpad in macOS Tahoe. And Cult of Mac readers can get BuhoLaunchpad at up to 70% off with the exclusive code CLMA25BL58 during Dr.Buho’s Black Friday sale.

We’ll explain how Dr.Buho’s BuhoLaunchpad stands out from other Launchpad alternatives below. And don’t miss your chance to get that Black Friday deal.

Cyber Monday is a great time not only to pick up new Apple gear and accessories, but also to score some excellent Mac apps at deep discounts. Many popular titles get major price cuts during the sale, and you can pick them for a fraction of their usual cost.

From powerful utilities to creative apps and professional tools, check out the best Cyber Monday deals on Mac apps.

If you’ve ever tried recording your Mac’s screen and ended up juggling multiple apps — one for video, another for audio and a third just to trim the thing — you’ll instantly get why AWZ Screen Recorder for Mac is such a big deal. It lets you record anything on your screen in crisp 4K, edit it instantly, and share it anywhere.

It’s the rare screen-capture tool that actually groks what creators, gamers and professionals need: clarity, control and zero friction. And right now, you can grab lifetime access to AWZ Screen Recorder for just $29.99 (MSRP $79.90).

Bloom is a Finder replacement that will completely change how you work with files on your Mac. 

With a refined interface that makes it feel like a native Mac app, it offers advanced features like a customizable multi-pane layout and enhanced file operations. After using Bloom for several weeks, I’m hooked. It speeds up basic tasks and makes file management on my Mac much easier.

Here’s everything this productivity-boosting Finder replacement can do.

Want to customize your Mac? MacPilot shows you how to tap into macOS’s Unix underpinnings to deliver under-the-hood tweaks and customizations that will make your Mac life simpler.

For a limited time, you can get lifetime access to MacPilot for just $27.97 with code UPDATE (regularly $99).

OpenAI released its ChatGPT Atlas browser for Mac on Tuesday, making it easy to use the AI chatbot wherever you go online. When using the free browser to visit a website, you can tap into ChatGPT’s knowledge to provide more information about whatever’s on the page.

For example, after searching for a top Airbnb listing in a certain locale, you could ask ChatGPT for best hikes in the area or tell the chatbot to assemble an itinerary for a three-day trip — right within the browser. An agent mode, available to paid ChatGPT users, can go even further.

However, while OpenAI says it built in safeguards to mitigate the dangers of allowing an AI to act for you on logged-in websites, the company admits that using agent mode carries risks. And there’s still the common AI problem of hallucinations.

Folder Quick Look is a totally free Mac app that scratches an irritating itch the Mac has had for a long time. It lets you preview the contents of a folder when using Quick Look.

It’s a great utility that does one thing, does it perfectly, and doesn’t cost you a dime — it’s free and collects no data! There’s no reason not to try out Folder Quick Look. Find out why it’s an instant must-have Mac utility in our Awesome Apps review below (or watch our video demo of the app).

The best Mac utilities can make a great computer even better. From smarter window management to easier automation and cleaner navigation, a few well-chosen tools can dramatically improve your workflow.

I’m a longtime Mac user, and I can’t do my job without these six essential Mac utilities. In this guide, I’ll show you how they can make everyday tasks faster and simpler.

September 29, 2004: Apple launches Logic Pro 7, its professional music creation and audio production software. The update brings new tools and a streamlined interface in line with other Apple software.

“From beginners to pros, Apple is broadening the market with a complete line of music creation and production tools,” says Rob Schoeben, Apple’s VP of applications marketing, in a press release. “With Logic Pro 7, we’re taking professional music creation to the next level with the industry’s most advanced feature set for pro audio.”

If you want to stay productive in these chaotic times, you need more than a super-clean setup — you require a task-management app for your Mac (or PC). And Pagico 10 is one of the best task manager apps around.

This multifaceted organizer offers lots of functionality, all in the service of helping you keep your eyes on the prize. Now, new users can get the latest version of this productivity software for Mac and PC for only $39.99 (regularly $137).

Tired of blurry, grainy or low-resolution videos? Whether you’re dealing with low-light night footage, fast-action clips, old camera recordings, drone shots or AI-generated content, Aiarty Video Enhancer brings them to life. It delivers sharp, true 4K videos with natural details right on your Mac or Windows PC.

And better yet, the launch deal going on now will save you a bundle on the software.

If your inbox feels like a game of Whac-A-Mole, it might be time to level up with a smarter email solution like Mailbird. This sleek, intuitive unified email client lets you manage all your accounts (yes, even that old Yahoo one) from one beautifully designed app.

Right now, you can get it for a one-time price of $69.99 with a lifetime Premium Plan subscription (regularly $399). Available for Mac and Windows.

Whether you’re growing a small business or running an established company, you can benefit from organized, efficient financial management. If you want to track your income, expenses and more with greater ease, consider investing in Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2024.

This app makes finance tracking easier on both Mac and PC. And that will make tax time a million times easier when it comes around.

Right now, you can save on a lifetime subscription to Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2024. Get the Mac version for only $249.99 (regularly $699). Or take advantage of a limited-time price cut and snag the Windows version for just $199.99.

As a power user, I find Mac window management clunky and broken when using the options built into macOS. Switching between apps, and snapping apps into desired screen locations, should not be so frustrating.

So, I took matters into my own hands — streamlining how I snap, switch and manage windows to finally make macOS work for me, not against me.

ChatGPT for Mac can now record and transcribe your meetings. The feature, which went live in early June, is now rolling out to the Mac app.

Besides meetings, you can use ChatGPT’s record mode for transcribing voice notes and brainstorming sessions.

The 12 free Mac apps in this roundup prove that the best software doesn’t need to cost you anything.

These are the first apps I install on any new Mac, as they either boost my productivity or add essential functionality missing from macOS.