TOC
I went through my Downloads folder and decided to share a list of useful Mac applications I’ve installed. Many of them can be installed via Homebrew.
Installing Homebrew
If you don’t have Homebrew yet, install it:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Productivity & Utilities
Rectangle - window management with keyboard shortcuts
brew install --cask rectangle
Karabiner-Elements - powerful keyboard customization utility
brew install --cask karabiner-elements
AlDente - battery charge control to preserve battery health
brew install --cask aldente
Syncthing - file synchronization between devices without cloud
brew install --cask syncthing
HiddenBar - hide menu bar icons
brew install --cask hiddenbar
Maccy - clipboard manager
brew install --cask maccy
Raycast - powerful Spotlight replacement with extensions
brew install --cask raycast
CLDownloader - file downloader with torrent support
boringNotch - useful features for Dynamic Island on MacBook Pro
brew install --cask boringnotch
Usage - system resource usage monitoring
brew install --cask usage
Communication & AI
Slack - corporate messenger
brew install --cask slack
Spark - smart email client
brew install --cask spark
ChatGPT - desktop client for ChatGPT
brew install --cask chatgpt
Claude - desktop client for Claude AI
brew install --cask claude
Notion - notes and project organization
brew install --cask notion
Simplenote - minimalist note-taking app with sync
brew install --cask simplenote
Development
Warp - modern terminal with AI features
brew install --cask warp
Windsurf - IDE from Codeium with built-in AI
brew install --cask windsurf
VSCodium - free version of VS Code without Microsoft telemetry
brew install --cask vscodium
Ollama - run local LLM models
brew install ollama
Network & Security
Tailscale - simple VPN based on WireGuard
brew install --cask tailscale
NordVPN - popular VPN service
brew install --cask nordvpn
Media
IINA - modern video player for macOS
brew install --cask iina
Firefox - alternative web browser
brew install --cask firefox
Quick Install All Apps
You can install all these apps at once:
brew install --cask rectangle karabiner-elements aldente syncthing \
hiddenbar maccy raycast boringnotch usage slack spark chatgpt \
claude notion simplenote warp windsurf vscodium tailscale \
nordvpn iina firefox
brew install ollama
I actively use or test all these applications. Most of them are free or have free versions. I especially recommend Rectangle for window management, Raycast as a Spotlight replacement, and IINA as a replacement for the default player.