Best Free Mac Apps

  • January 02, 2021
  • 18 min to read

Jan 21, 2019 The Mac App Store is the place to look if you want to download free Mac apps. With so many free apps already installed on your Mac you might think that there’s not much more you need, but there. Read More: Best Lyrics Apps For Android & iOS Loaded with several advanced and optimized features, orDrumbox is a good pick for creating unique music pieces. It comes with a user-friendly and straightforward interface that promises effortless usage. In addition to Windows and Mac OS, it also works seamlessly well on Linux OS. The majority of apps listed here are free and they’ll appeal to general Mac users, not just the techie crowd. The Best Mac Apps & Utilities. This collection of essential Mac Apps includes mostly lesser-known apps so the popular ones — like Evernote, Dropbox, Skype, OneNote, or Google Drive — aren’t listed here. The Mac App Store went live in early 2011 and offers apps in every department, from games to productivity tools. Some are simply macOS versions of popular Windows programs, while others are Apple. When it comes to Mac cleaners, you would be hard-pressed to find a more popular solution than CleanMyMac X by MacPaw. This feature-packed app boasts a polished user interface and a whole host of useful cleaning features, making it possible to get rid of junk in all corners of your macOS with a single click.

Most free photo editors available on the App Store are quite basic, offering just a limited number of filters and allowing you to easily and quickly liven up your photos before posting them on social media.

But if you’re an aspiring or professional photographer, you probably need a more powerful app with a broader set of tools to use your creativity to the fullest. Besides, you probably use your Mac for photo editing because working on a large screen makes it possible to adjust the slightest details.

1. Apple’s Photos (Built-in app)

Apple’s Photos app is included for free on all recently released Macs. It does a good job at organizing your photos, but its collection of photo enhancement tools leaves much to be desired. Hopefully, our selection of the best free programs for photo editing on Mac will help you choose the right app to suit all your creative needs.

2. Luminar (7 days trial)

Luminar is another full-featured photo editor that’s popular with both Mac and Windows users. It can work as a standalone app as well as a plugin for such popular programs as Apple Photos.

Luminar uses Artificial Intelligence to enable sophisticated yet quick photo enhancements. Among these AI features are Sky Enhancer, which adds more depth and detail to the sky in your photos while leaving other areas untouched; Accent AI, which analyzes a photo and automatically applies the best combination of different effects to enhance your image; and Sun Rays, which allows you to place an artificial sun and adjust the lighting to your liking or make the sun rays already in your photo look even more incredible.

Luminar has over 60 filters you can apply to your photos to enhance them in a moment. Luminar also provides a set of powerful tools for cropping, transforming, cloning, erasing, and stamping, along with layers, brushes, and many more incredible features. Luminar supports the Touch Bar on the latest MacBook Pro, making photo editing even more effortless and pleasing.

Apps

3. Photolemur 3 (Free Version with watermark)

Photolemur is a relative newcomer on the photo editing market but it has all the chances to win the favor of beginner photographers and hobbyists. Running on Artificial Intelligence, Photolemur is a completely automatic photo enhancer, meaning that it does all the editing for you in no time. It has the simplest interface, with only a few buttons and sliders to adjust the enhancement to your liking and view the before and after results.

All you need to do is choose a photo (or a few) that you want to improve, drag and drop or import them using the Import button, and let the program make enhancements. After it’s done, you can compare the edited version with the original image by using the before–after slider and, if you want, adjust the skin tone or even enlarge the eyes using additional sliders. Pretty easy, huh?

Photolemur also offers a number of impressive styles to touch up your photos and give them a sophisticated and professional look. With this app, you don’t need to stuff your head with photo editing nuances and terms. Just run Photolemur and watch the magic happen!

4. Aurora HDR (14 days trial)

As you probably can tell from the name, Aurora HDR is designed to help photographers enhance their HDR photos, making them even more detailed and beautiful. It’s an ideal tool for editing your photos, with an extensive collection of more than 20 tools including details, tone, mapping, color, glow, and vignette. Each tool has its unique selection of controls to adjust its effects.

Aurora HDR enables you to work with brushes, layers, and masks, and provides a number of automatic AI tools for recognizing and removing noise, enhancing colors, lighting, and details, improving clarity, and adding contrast to dull areas while leaving other areas untouched.

Aurora HDR does a great job dealing with difficult lighting situations and creating full-of-life images while being easy to use.

5. Pixelmator (Trial 30 Days)

Pixelmator is a photo enhancer beloved by many Mac users, as it offers a good combination of a modern and simple interface, the ability to work on multiple layers, and powerful features that take photo editing to a whole new level. With so many editing tools, brushes, and effects, you can enhance your photos to your liking. You can choose between two versions of Pixelmator – standard and pro – depending on your needs. The standard version is great for basic photo editing with its selection of essential tools and filters, while the pro version is packed with extra brushes, tools, and effects that let you push your creativity to new boundaries. You can decide which version is suitable for you according to what features you’re looking for in a photo editing app.

Best Free Mac Apps

6. Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 (Trial link)

Photoshop Elements isn’t as affordable as other photo enhancers for beginner photographers. But luckily there’s a trial version available, so you can check it out before deciding whether this app is worthy of your money. Photoshop Elements acquired many powerful features from Photoshop, only Elements is simplified for amateur photographers and enthusiasts. It includes a good number of effects and filters, plus automated editing options for improving lighting, color balance, and exposure, and even opening closed eyes and reducing the effects of camera shake.

In addition to all of these awesome features, Photoshop also offers editing modes for beginners, intermediate users, and experts. Beginners will probably prefer Quick mode, as it focuses on essential tools to quickly enhance your photos by improving color, lighting, and other basic settings. Guided mode provides intermediate users with step-by-step guidance with more professional features like artistic effects, skin tone correction, and background replacement. Expert mode gives you full access to the app’s really powerful editing features and is ideal for creating stunning images.

7. Affinity Photo (Free Trial)

Affinity Photo’s interface may seem overwhelming at first, especially for novices, but when you come to grips with it you’ll find that the app is just what you’ve been looking for. Its numerous professional tools, effects, and filters encourage you to get creative with your photos. Among the coolest features Affinity Photo has to offer is a before and after view to compare the original photo with its edited version.

Affinity Photo works with 15 file types, including common ones like PDF, PSD, JPG, and GIF as well as some less popular ones. The app amazes with its abundance of basic and top-notch editing tools, allowing you to tweak your photos using all possible kinds of instruments. Affinity Photo allows you to edit HDR photos, apply artistic filters and effects, play with masks and layers, and create breathtaking compositions by combining several images in one. If you find its interface a bit much and are afraid of getting lost in all those advanced tools, you should probably look for something more suitable for your level. But Affinity Photo is worth mastering.

8. Google Photos

Google Photos is a popular cloud storage service for photos and videos. It can’t boast countless masterly tools like other photo enhancers that we review in this article, but it includes some fundamental features like filters, color adjustment sliders, and transformation tools.

Although Google Photos may not be that helpful when it comes to editing photos, it does a pretty good job at storing high-resolution images and videos with 15GB of free online storage, compared to iCloud’s mere 5GB (which you can upgrade to 50GB for a monthly fee). If you’re planning to go on a trip and take plenty of photos, then it might be smart to sign up for Google Photos to use that extra storage space when you come back.

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9. PhotoScape X (Free)

A relatively new photo editing app, PhotoScape X has been gaining popularity with many Mac and PC users since its release in 2008. Its interface is simple but unconventional, with a number of tabs running along the top of the window. Each is responsible for a specific stage of editing. The Viewer tab allows you to browse and organize your photos. After you pick a photo, you can switch to the Editor tab, which includes a broad set of instruments, filters, and effects and a useful feature that enables you to compare the adjusted photo with the original.

The next tabs, including the Batch tab, mainly concentrate on editing and renaming multiple photos at once. The GIF tab allows you to easily create an animated GIF from a group of selected photos.

The downside of PhotoScape X is a lack of selection tools, so all changes are applied to the whole image rather than to a selected part.

10. Gimp (Free)

Gimp is a free open-source photo editing app that has been on the market for over 22 years and is available for Windows, Mac, and even Linux. Unlike many free apps, Gimp doesn’t have any ads or in-app purchases. Its grey interface might seem a little old-fashioned and it may be a bit sluggish when it comes to complex effects, though.

Gimp offers a vast collection of advanced tools that hardly any free photo editor can boast. It has numerous enhancement options such as clone and heal brushes, layers and channels, accurate selection tools, a number of transformation instruments, and, of course, color adjustment controls. Gimp is one of the most powerful tools for enhancing photos and is beloved by so many users for its price (free) and versatility. But if you can’t come to grips with Gimp’s interface, it may be worth paying some cash for a more user-friendly program.

The best to do list apps for mac free are below. There are tons of apps you can find on the internet, but they are only worth it if they are actually helpful. If you are looking for best features added in to do list apps for mac free, then this article is worth reading.

An online notepad to list all of your things to do so you stay productive and organized. Features include A simple interface with a white background, checkboxes next to each task, write notes with details for each task, an edit button next to each task so you can delete any tasks from the list at will, a share button at the top right-hand corner of the screen that allows you to share your tasks on social media services such as Facebook or Twitter.

Reminders

There’s no better place to begin this list than with an app that comes with your Mac. Reminders was overhauled in 2019 with a fresh appearance and feature set making it more robust. And with iCloud, you can sync with your other devices, so your to-dos are with you no matter where you go.

Reminders notable features:

  • Share lists and to-dos with others in your home or office.
  • Set up recurring tasks and alerts that are fully customizable.
  • Create location-based reminders for your other devices.
  • Attach files, images, and URLs.
  • Add priority and notes to reminders.

If you aren’t sure which to-do list app you should try first, as a Mac owner it simply makes sense to check out Reminders. It may just have everything you need built right in and doesn’t cost a dime.

  • Availability: iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch
  • Cost: Free

OmniFocus (macOS, iPhone, iPad)

If you’re particular about how your tasks are arranged, and I mean really particular, OmniFocusis right for you. This application is a power user’s dream, allowing you to organize your task in seemingly never-ending variations. There are three different kinds of projects you can set up, for example. There are six main views by default, ranging from the Inbox for unsorted tasks, Forecast for seeing scheduled tasks in context with any of your macOS Calendar appointments, and Review for going over completed tasks at the end of the day or week. You can also create your own views if this isn’t enough for you.

This isn’t an application that’s quick to learn, and things can feel cluttered at times. Once you figure everything out, however, you’ll have an elaborate, GTD-style task list that works exactly the way you want. Combine this with a system-wide keyboard shortcut for quick task entry and you’ve got no excuse when it comes to keeping things organized. OmniFocus for Mac syncs with iPhone and iPad, and there’s even a web version, so you can access your tasks while using Windows devices (sadly this is occasionally necessary).

You can connect OmniFocus to your other favorite apps with OmniFocus’s Zapier integrations. Whenever something happens in another app that you want to keep track of in OmniFocus, Zapier will automatically send it there.

OmniFocus price: OmniFocus for Mac starts at $39.99 after a 14-day trial. The Pro version, which allows you to customize the sidebar with your own views among other features, costs $79.00. The iPhone and iPad version starts at $39.99, and also offers a 14-day free trial.

Todoist: To-Do List & Tasks

Todoist has been around for many years and offers a great way to manage projects, tasks, and subtasks. You can access it on all your devices or the web. Plus, you can view how productive you are at getting things done with a click.

Todoist notable features:

  • Share and assign lists and to-dos with others in your home or office.
  • Add priority, flags, and comments to tasks.
  • Use filters to spot important tasks.
  • Search for specific to-dos or lists.
  • Choose and use project templates.

While Todoist does have good features for projects and tasks, it does lack basic reminders which is a paid feature. But if you want to take managing your to-dos a bit further, Todoist might be the right app for you.

Best Free Mac Apps 2021

  • Availability: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and the web
  • Cost: Free with a premium version that gives you reminders, labels, file uploads, and more

GoodTask (macOS, iPhone, iPad, Watch)

Reminders is great but not exactly feature-rich. GoodTask is unique in that it uses Reminders as a backend: add anything to GoodTask, and it will show up in Reminders and vice versa. So what’s the point? GoodTask offers features that Apple doesn’t in Reminders.

First there’s Calendar integration, meaning you can see your calendar appointments and your tasks in one place. You can also create smart lists, allowing you to filter your tasks using things like tags, due dates, and locations. You’ll have to spend some time setting this up before it’s any better than Reminders, but if you’ve got a specific overview of tasks in mind, you can probably design it here. GoodTask also offers an assortment of widgets for Big Sur’s new notification center, and so far as we know, is the first app to do so.

Integration with Reminders means all your tasks sync to the iPhone and iPad without the need for any other software, though there are versions of GoodTask available for those devices if you want the same power on them. And there’s a universal keyboard shortcut for adding events—that alone might make this app worth using over Reminders. Overall, this is a nice upgrade over Apple’s default app, so check it out.

GoodTask for Mac price: $19.99 with a 14-day free trial. GoodTask is also available on Setapp, which is a $10 a month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac applications. There’s also an iPhone and iPad version available for free, with an in-app purchase of $9.99 to unlock all features.

Any.do

One more free task list app for Mac you should take a look at is Any.do. This app offers a terrific design, cross-platform syncing, and a built-in calendar to help you stay on track.

Any.do notable features:

  • Share lists and to-dos with others in your home or office.
  • Set up recurring reminders.
  • Attach files, images, and notes.
  • Add a priority tag for important tasks.
  • Create subtasks for projects.

With Any.do, you get a simple interface that lets you concentrate on your to-dos. And you can connect your Google Calendar to stay on track with your events and appointments.

  • Availability: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and the web
  • Cost: Free with a premium version that gives you recurring tasks, location-based reminders, colored tags and labels, and more

2Do (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android)

2Do fits right in on the Mac desktop. It looks a little cluttered at first glance, but it’s also really powerful. You can create lists, then put projects or checklists inside those lists. You can add tags and due dates. You can create smart lists, allowing you to view your tasks however you like. And there are a way more options than that if you’re willing to put the time in. This is a power user’s to-do list, which you can bend to just about any workflow. It’s going to take you a while, but it’s going to be worth it.

There’s no calendar integration, which is unfortunate, but there are plenty of other integrations with the rest of your system. A universal keyboard shortcut makes it quick to add new tasks, notifications let you know about upcoming deadlines, and there’s even a handy Today widget for quickly checking off tasks.

Syncing is unique here because there are multiple options. You can sync to the iPhone or Android version of 2Do using iCloud, Dropbox, Yahoo Calendar, Fruux, Toodledo, or any CalDAV server. You can also access synced tasks on any of those services, albeit without the 2Do-specific features. It’s a wide range of syncing options, beyond what any other app here offers, so give it a spin and see how it all works for you.

2Do for Mac price: $49.99, and there’s a 21-day free trial. 2Do is also available on Setapp, which is a $10 a month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac applications.

Things (macOS, iPhone, iPad)

To-do list apps tend to fall into two categories: the complex and the minimalist. Thingsis somehow both.

Open Things for Mac and it looks simple: you’ve got an Inbox for your tasks and the option to add more lists. Dig a little, though, and there are all kinds of advanced tools here. There are nesting ways to organize your tasks: areas can contain tasks or projects; projects can contain tasks or headers that can also contain tasks; even tasks can contain sub-tasks if you want. It sounds confusing but it isn’t, which really speaks to how well Things is designed. There’s no right way to use this system. Use as many or as few of the organizational options given to you, however you like, to make sense of your chaotic list of tasks, choose which things you want to do today, and then do those things.

Other applications offer features like this, sure, but Things manages to do so without feeling cluttered. And as a native application with no Windows or web equivalent, Things feels very much at home on the macOS desktop. Combine this blend of functionality and beauty with features like a system-wide tool for quickly adding tasks, integration with your calendar so you can see your appointments while planning your day, intuitive keyboard shortcuts, reminders with native notifications, and syncing to an iPhone and iPad app. It’s a powerful way to organize your tasks—and then accomplish them.

Things price: The macOS version costs $49.99 but offers a 15-day free trial. The iPad version costs $19.99, and the iPhone version costs $9.99.

Best Free Mac Apps Reddit

Conclusion

These excellent apps for Mac can help you keep up with all your work tasks and home to-dos. Each one is a little different than the others. So make sure to look for the features you need most in a to-do list app for your Mac, and then give it a go!

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