Yes, there’s an app for that.
These are the best Mac Apps 2023.
Hey friends!
I’m Tasia and welcome back to my YouTube Channel where I share tech tips and app reviews.
For the last few years, I’ve been making a shortlist of free macOS app recommendations.
And wouldn’t you know it, it’s that time of year again!
So, these are the MacOS apps every user needs.
Let’s go!
So as we go through this list, if you’re wondering why one of your favorites hasn’t
made this year's list, it’s quite possible I’ve covered them before!
I’ve been making free macOS app videos since 2018 and I try not to be repetitive every
year, so I have links to all of those videos below.
As usual, be sure to stick around to the end of the list for a bonus mac app recommendation.
First up on my list of free macOS apps is Pocket.
I have been using Pocket for years, it is really an OG for me.
Pocket is an app that allows you to save articles for later.
So, if you’re scrolling the web and you come across something of interest, but you
dont have time to read or watch that right now, you can add it to pocket to save it for
later.
And by the way, you can even read or watch offline as well.
So, this is double handy if you’re going to be traveling and have a spotty connection.
The layout and interface is uncluttered and easy to use as well.
And by the way, Pocket has companion iOS and Android apps, so you can view your saved items
across devices.
Plus, there are browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
Pocket actually made my list for one of the best Chrome browser extensions, so I’ll
link to that video below as well in case you want more info on Pocket.
Up next on my list of best mac apps is Fantastical.
Fantastical?
No, Fantastical.
This is a calendar alternative if you don’t like the Calendar app on Mac or if for some
reason you don’t use Google Calendar.
But seriously, Fantastical is awesome.
You can easily add any of your existing calendars to it - so I’ve added my Google Calendar.
It automatically pulls your existing cal info and one of the things that sets this calendar
app apart from the rest is that you can use natural language prompts to set calendar events.
So, you could type something like breakfast with bella on saturday at 9 am - and Fantastical
automatically schedules the event for you on that date and time.
How neat is that?
Plus, it syncs with iCloud reminders so you can use across devices from iPhone, to iPad
to Apple Watch.
Now, you can upgrade Fantastical to get more features, but the basics are available for
free.
Next up is Microsoft OneNote, in case you need something a little more robust than Apple’s
Notes app or Google Keep.
So, robust is actually an understatement when it comes to OneNote.
With this app, you can not only write notes, but you can add photos and audio to your notes,
and you can keep everything really organized using tabs, labels, and -
What’s one of my favorite things when it comes to organization?
Color-coding.
Oh baby!
So think of OneNote as a really comprehensive notebook, not just like an average note-taking
app.
But even beyond that, you can create digital sketches and notes as well.
And, of course, you can share notes and collaborate with team members and password-protect notes.
Like I said - robust.
I believe we’re on number 4 of my best mac apps list and fitting nicely into this slot
is VLC.
And I know what you’re thinking - wow an app that’s been around since the beginning
of time, how original for a 2023 mac apps list.
To that, I say, no Mac is complete without the VLC player.
VLC is a media player that supports a massive number of file formats.
There are just some files that are not compatible with Quicktime, and never will be compatible
with Quicktime.
This is why VLC is a must.
VLC will play and convert pretty well any and all file formats you can think of.
I tend to use VLC to preview all of my raw footage as I’m transferring it after a video
shoot.
And with that, we’ve come to our last FREE macOS app recommendation of 2023 - before
the bonus of course.
And taking spot number 5 is 1Focus, a website and app blocker.
Oh, it’s time to get your focus on.
With 1Focus, you can do exactly as the name suggests - focus on your task at hand by blocking
websites and apps.
It’s like Apple’s built-in focus mode, but more tailored.
You can pick the exact websites and apps you want to block, and set the schedule for how
long you want to block them for.
Now something to note here, 1Focus does not currently work with Firefox, at least as of
the time of recording this.
But it works just fine in Chrome and Safari.
So, once you’ve set what you want to be blocked, you can’t get distracted even if
you want to.
When you go to the site or app, sorry, no dice, you’re blocked.
Gotta love it.
What can I say, sometimes even the best of us - that’s me and you - need a little help
staying focused.
Alright, it wouldn’t be a traditional Tasia video without a little bonus for ya.
So, here’s a fun little bonus free Mac app that I think you’re going to love.
If you’re yearning for summer vibes and music, look no further than Poolsuite FM.
And by the way, if the name sounds familiar it’s because it used to be called Poolside
FM.
So same, just a different name.
Poolsuite FM has a cool retro vibe, like diving back into peak 90s.
I love it.
You can scroll through the channels, like old-school radio to see what vibe you’re
feeling.
It’s definitely old-school happy, funk, disco, summer, good-time vibes.
Seriously, I dare you not to chair dance while listening to poolsuite FM.
It’s a serious mood booster.
And even though it serves retro fierceness, you can still skip songs, like songs, and
share songs, just like we’ve come to know and love.
Phew, we made it!
Again, remember that I’m linking to my 2018 through 2022 best mac app videos below, and
I’ll have them at the end of the video here as well.
So, those are my 2023 free macOS app recommendations.
Now I want to hear from you!
What are your absolute favorite free Mac apps and why?
Let everyone know in the comments below!
As always, thank you for watching.
If you liked this video, I want to know!
Give it a like, a share, or leave that comment below!
You can click here to subscribe to my Channel and here and here for more free macOS apps.
Do it, what’s one more video?
See ya next time.