With 2022 officially and fully in the rear-view, we’re all looking at how 2023 will be different. But some things don’t need to change. With that, it seemed only fair that we look back at some of the apps that made the biggest difference this past year. With so many apps to choose from, knowing the ones we (the Cult of Mac team) actually used and loved this last year may even help you nail that New Year’s resolution.

November 3, 2010: Apple prepares to launch the Mac App Store, publicly accepting app submissions from registered developers — and kicking off a gold rush among coders.

After witnessing the enormous sums of money raked in by early entrants in the iOS App Store, developers flood Apple with new Mac apps.

Pixelmator Photo is one of the best photo editors for iPad, and it got even more mobile with an iPhone version debuting Thursday. It offers desktop-level editing tools on a mobile device.

And to celebrate the iPhone launch, the application is half off.

Pixelmator Pro 2.0 for macOS is out with an all-new design and support for Apple Silicon. The newest release also features a simplified Effects Browser, a new Workspaces feature, and more.

Pixelmator Photo, the desktop-class image editing app for iPad, now takes full advantage of Apple’s most recent iPadOS 13.4 update. Users can enjoy improved mouse and trackpad support, as well as Split View.

The version 1.2 release also brings color matching powered by machine learning, color intensity controls, and more.

A fresh update to Pixelmator Pro, an affordable macOS alternative to Photoshop for everyday users, includes an all-new color picker intended to let users choose and manage colors more easily. Plus, version 1.6 also makes it easier to select multiple objects.

The popular Pixelmator for iPad app is also getting its own update soon.

The iPad and iPhone version of Pixelmator will soon get its first major update in years, according to its developer. And the macOS version of this graphics application is also getting new features.

Pixelmator decided to get a jump start on Black Friday. It’s offering Mac users who need a capable image editor a 25% discount on Pixelmator Pro, but that’s just the start: iPad fans can get Pixelmator Photo completely free.

Every single one of your favorite Pixelmator Pro tools can now be found inside the built-in Photos app on Mac.

The latest version of the app makes it so that you never need to leave Photos to edit your best snaps. You can even use the Pixelmator Pro keyboard shortcuts you’re already used to.

Pixelmator Photo, a new image-editing app for iPad, gives you tons of tools for tweaking your images. The app lets you apply filters, crop, trim and generally making your photos look great.

In this regard, Pixelmator Photo is like a zillion other photo apps for iOS. What sets it apart are a) the now-expected Pixelmator polish, and b) machine learning that powers pretty much everything.

I’ve taken the app, which launches today, for a quick spin, and it’s pretty great. The photo-editing space is so crowded with great apps, though, that we’re spoiled for choice. How does Pixelmator Photo match up?