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From useful utilities to handy archivers and transcoders, here are 30 free yet powerful macOS apps you can download today.

Welcome to our ultimate list of must-have Mac apps. From email clients to system utilities, from time savers to productivity apps, on this page you'll find the best Mac software you should be using.

We'll continue to update the list on a regular basis, so be sure to tell us about your favorites in the comments!

Jump Ahead:Audio | Backup | Browsers | Calendars and Lists | Code and Text Editing | Email | Image Editing | Instant Messaging and Social Media | Miscellaneous | Notetaking | Office | Reading | Security and Privacy | System Tools | Timesavers | Video | Virtualization | Window Management | Writing

Audio Tools

GarageBand

This old Mac favorite is a serious recording tool for beginners and enthusiasts, and it's free for all Mac users to download. You can record audio, play virtual instruments, and access the Apple loops library of royalty-free sounds with the app.

Download:GarageBand (Free)

Audacity

Audacity is an open-source, cross-platform audio editor that can handle most common audio tasks for free. Should you choose it over GarageBand for music production? Our GarageBand versus Audacity comparison will help you decide.

Download:Audacity (Free)

Clementine

Clementine is one of the best free alternatives to iTunes for listening to local media. It supports a huge number of audio formats and external services including Spotify, Google Drive, and Dropbox. You can also transcode music, manage podcasts, and enjoy visualizations while listening.

Download:Clementine (Free)

Harmony

Harmony is another powerful alternative to iTunes. It can play music stored on your Mac and also bring music that's scattered all over the web to a single location. The app supports Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, Google Play, and more.

Download:Harmony (Free, licensed version available)

Vox

Vox is a stylish free media player with a focus on high quality codecs like FLAC and DSD. Thanks to its compact menu bar option, it's easily one of the best Mac menu bar apps out there.

Download:Vox (Free, premium subscription available)

Backup

Time Machine

Time Machine is your Mac's native backup solution. It's sturdy, reliable, and accessible from the menu bar. If you haven't got around to backing up your Mac, it's time to set up Time Machine.

Carbon Copy Cloner

As good as Time Machine is, you'll find third-party solutions that are even better. They can give you all the advanced options you need, and Carbon Copy Cloner leads the pack in this area.

Download:Carbon Copy Cloner ($40, trial version available)

SuperDuper

If you want a bootable clone of your hard drive, you can get one for free with SuperDuper. The app is fast and easy to use. If you want to schedule backups, run user scripts, and perform other advanced tasks, you'll need to upgrade to the premium version.

Download:SuperDuper (Free, premium version available)

Browsers

Safari

Safari is the default browser installed on every Apple computer. It's the best browser for most Mac users, plus there are plenty of useful extensions to make Safari better.

Chrome

Google’s own browser, Chrome, is a powerhouse for those who need developer tools, extensions, and separate profiles for work and play.

Download:Chrome (Free)

Firefox

This free and open-source browser is an excellent alternative to Chrome. It's fast, streamlined, and lighter on system resources than Chrome. If you haven’t tried Firefox in a while, it might be time to give it another go.

Download:Firefox (Free)

Calendars and Lists

Calendar

The calendar that ships with your Mac pales in comparison with more feature-filled third-party apps, but it's still a good app to work with.

Calendar supports the use of natural language. You can pair Calendar with Itsycal to view and create events from the menu bar.

Fantastical

Despite its steep price, Fantastical continues to be the number-one replacement for Apple’s basic calendar app. It integrates with Apple Reminders, has a today widget, and also a dedicated iOS app.

Download:Fantastical ($50, trial version available)

Reminders

Like Calendar, Reminders comes with macOS by default. Use it with Siri to make a shared shopping list you can control using your voice.

TickTick

If Apple’s own Reminders app doesn’t cut it, you can’t do much better than TickTick. It has fast become a user favorite across both desktop and mobile for features like smart lists, task notes, attachments, and voice input.

(Another much-loved lists app, Wunderlist [Broken URL Removed], while still functional, is all set to go away. That's why we haven't included it on our list, as much as it was tempting to.) But for other choices, check out our comparison of OmniFocus vs. Things for task management.

Download: TickTick (Free, premium subscription available) [No Longer Available]

NotePlan

NotePlan is a one-of-a-kind app that comes across as a readymade digital Bullet Journal. It lets you create, view, and manage tasks, notes, reminders, and events in a single, easy-to-use interface.

Download:NotePlan ($20, trial version available)

Code and Text Editing

Xcode

Xcode has everything you need to start writing apps for Apple devices, including macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. The development tools are free to download. For a yearly fee, you can enroll in Apple's developer program to list your apps on their various storefronts.

Download:Xcode (Free)

Visual Studio Code

Microsoft's extensible open-source code editor is perfect for scripting, editing HTML, or even Markdown.

Download:Visual Studio Code (Free)

Atom

Atom starts off as a basic text editor that you can customize as you please using the add-on packages available. It's a great choice if you're looking for a cross-platform solution or if you want a nice Markdown editor for Mac.

Download:Atom (Free)

Dash

This document browser and code snippet manager gives you fast access to reference materials for various programming languages.

Download:Dash (Free)

Email

Mail

Mail is among the less adventurous email clients available for macOS, but it's free and works well. We recommend that you polish it up with a few visual tweaks and make it more powerful with the Mailbutler extension.

Spark

Are you getting ready to install macOS Mojave? Or perhaps you’ve already finished the upgrade and have started exploring the new Mojave system. In either case, you may discover that some of your favorite apps have stopped working, or are exhibiting problems that may be anything from a small annoyance to an outright showstopper.

In many cases, the apps you’re having problems with may only need to be updated to the most recent version. Likewise, you should also check that your copy of Mojave is up to date. Even if you just installed Mojave, you could be a minor revision behind.

After making sure you’re up to date, you may still have some apps with issues. To help, here is the Rocket Yard list of apps that are currently (as of Dec. 3, 2018) either not working or having known issues.

Related: Five macOS Mojave Utilities You Should Get to Know

At the end of the list, I’ve included instructions on fixing one of the most common issues for an app not to work in Mojave. And as always, if you have a problem with an app, let us know by leaving a comment, below. If you had a problem with an app and figured out a workaround, please let us know how you did it.

Adobe Apps
Some Adobe suites are still using 32-bit components, which can result in a warning message about an app not being optimized for use with your Mac. For the most part, these warning messages will not prevent the app from running.

• Photoshop CS5 may display errors when launched, or when you quit the app. Some users have been able to get around the launch crashes using the technique outlined below, in the “How to Fix Apps That Crash in Mojave” section. If you rely on Photoshop, it’s a good idea to upgrade to a newer version.
• Photoshop CC has a number of compatibility issues, and Adobe recommends upgrading to Photoshop CC 2019 and Mojave 10.14.1 or later.
• Illustrator CS6 or newer should run under Mojave though there may be minor issues with using Illustrator with Mojave’s Dark Mode.
• InDesign CS5 and CS6 are both 32-bit apps, and users have reported multiple issues with using them under Mojave. The most common problems cited are a minor issue with Dark Mode, as well as an error when quitting the application that doesn’t seem to impact any of the documents created.
• Acrobat Pro DC and Acrobat Reader DC have numerous issues with both Mojave and High Sierra. Updating to the latest versions will correct most issues, though a few issues remain, involving printing, and converting a doc to PDF. Adobe is working to remedy the remaining issues in a future release.
• Dreamweaver has a few issues with Mojave; most are due to Dreamweaver’s reliance on the use of other apps, such as Terminal and Finder, to perform some of its functions. Check the “How to Fix Apps That Crash in Mojave” section, below, for possible workarounds.
• Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC have been known to crash when used with Mojave’s Dark Mode.
• Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC have minor issues with Mojave, including Dark Mode support, and attempts to access other computer components, such as the microphone and camera. Check the “How to Fix Apps That Crash in Mojave” section for possible workarounds.

Apple Apps
I would like to see Apple let us know which of their apps need to be updated before installing a new OS, but for now, Apple apps are just like everyone else’s, and may need to be updated to work correctly.

• Aperture 3 still runs but there have been reports of minor issues, even occasional crashes. Versions earlier than Aperture 3 will not run under Mojave. And since Aperture is no longer supported, you should be looking for a new photo management app to use anyway.
• iWork (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers) versions older than 2013 are 32-bit apps, and will likely not run under Mojave, or if they do, will have various issues. Later versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are 64-bit apps and should run without issue. However, it’s best to update this collection of apps to the most recent version for use with Mojave.
• Final Cut Pro’s older versions and their components, including Final Cut Studio Pro and Soundtrack Pro, will not run in Mojave.
• Final Cut Pro X and its related apps, Motion and Compressor, should all be updated to the latest version to ensure compatibility with Mojave. The most recent version is 10.4.4 (November 15, 2018).
• Logic Pro X should be updated to the latest version, 10.4.2 (September 28, 2018), for use with Mojave.
• MainStage should be updated to the latest version, 3.4.1 (November 8, 2018).
• Grab, the screenshot utility included with macOS High Sierra and earlier, has been replaced by the newer macOS Mojave Screenshot app.

Microsoft Apps
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 and all of its components, including:

• Word 2011
• Excel 2011
• PowerPoint 2011
• Outlook 2011

are all 32-bit apps and are no longer supported by Microsoft. There are mixed results for Office 2011 running under Mojave, although for the most part, the Office 2011 apps should be considered unreliable for serious work. It may be a good idea to plan to upgrade to a current version.

• Office 2016 version 16.16.2 or later fully supports Mojave.
• Office 365 and Office 2019 version 16.17.0 or later fully support Mojave.

Other Apps
1Password 7.2 is compatible with Mojave, including full support for Dark Mode. However, AgileBits, the developer of 1Password, was forced to remove the auto-submit feature that would fill in the login information for a site, and enter a carriage return to submit the login credentials to the site. The change is due to Mojave’s advanced security, which restricts an app’s ability to generate virtual keystrokes. 1Password will still fill in the login credentials, but you have to manually hit the Submit button.

BetterTouchTool is causing problems for some users, and isn’t working. You can use the trick outlined in the “How to Fix Apps That Crash in Mojave” section to get it working.

Caffeine, a popular app for preventing a Mac from falling asleep, fails under macOS Mojave.

DiskWarrior 5.2 has limited support for macOS Mojave, allowing the rebuilding of external drives formatted with HFS +. APFS formatted drives can be recognized by DiskWarrior, but can’t be rebuilt. You may also need to allow the DiskWarrior app or system extension to run using the method shown in the “How to Fix Apps That Crash in Mojave” section.

iStat Menu has issues with Dark Mode, as well as some of the monitoring functions, including memory and GPU performance, under Mojave. Update to the most recent version (iStat Menu 6.3 or later) for full Mojave compatibility.

Little Snitch 4.2 or later is compatible with macOS Mojave, although it’s recommended that you upgrade to version 4.3 nightly build 5222 or later to better support Mojave’s Dark Mode.

Malwarebytes earlier than version 3.4.29 has known compatibility issues with macOS Mojave. Version 3.4.29 may have issues with Dark Mode. It’s recommended to update to version 3.5.27 or later.

Nicecast from Rogue Amoeba saw development end in early 2018. With the release of Mojave, users of Nicecast have reported the app no longer works. Rogue Amoeba recommends migrating to Audio Hijack.

Onyx, a popular system utility, requires a specific version for each Mac operating system. If you’re using Onyx, be sure and update to version 3.5.3.

Type2Phone has an issue with Mojave that causes the Mac to report the app as being damaged. To correct the issue, upgrade Type2Phone to version 3.1.1 or later.

WhatSize6.6.3 is reporting the wrong size for some volumes, files, or folders, according to some user reports.

How to Fix Apps That Crash in Mojave
Some apps under macOS Mojave fail to launch, or crash when started up. In some cases, the problem is caused by new security systems in Mojave. If the app in question is one well known to you, and you don’t suspect malicious intent, you can try these tricks to fix it or any other app that won’t launch or that crashes:

Launch System Preferences by clicking or tapping its icon in the Dock, or by selecting System Preferences from the Apple menu.

In the System Preferences window, select the Security & Privacy preference pane.

Select the General tab. Near the bottom of the tab, you may see text that says, “Some system software was blocked from loading” or you could see a specific app listed as being blocked. Click the Allow button.

In the dropdown sheet, place a checkmark in the box for each item you wish to allow to be loaded by the system, and then click OK.

In the Security & Privacy preference pane, select the Privacy tab.

From the sidebar, select the Accessibility item.

Check whether the app that is having issues is listed; if so, place a checkmark in its box to allow the app to run scripts that could make use of system commands that could control your Mac.

You should also check the Camera, Microphone, and Automation sidebar items to see if the app in question is listed; if so, you may need to grant the app access to specified hardware or services as you did with the Accessibility item.

Close System Preferences when done.

You’ll need to restart your Mac for some of these changes to occur.

Once your Mac restarts, go ahead and try the app again.

Are All Apps Having Issues?
No, most apps run without issues under macOS Mojave. We just tend to only hear about the ones that are causing problems for users. Some of the noted problems are due to new security features in Mojave, some of which can be modified by the user to get an app working again.

In the long run, developers will adapt to Mojave and release new and improved versions of their apps, to take advantage of all that Mojave has to offer. In the meantime, let us know which apps you’re having problems with by leaving a note in the comments section, below.