The macOS setup for everyone (with freeware only)
# A huge freeware-first macOS setup list, here’s the categorized version:
## Setup / System Foundation
- OpenCore Legacy Patcher — Install newer macOS versions on older unsupported Macs.
- Mole — Open-source Mac cleanup, app uninstall, disk analysis, and system health tool.
## Default Apps
- Brave — Privacy-focused browser with built-in ad and tracker blocking.
- Mullvad Browser — Private Firefox-based browser focused on reducing tracking.
- Browserosaurus — Lets you choose which browser opens each clicked link.
- IINA — Modern macOS media player based on MPV with subtitles, gestures, and clean UI.
- Koodo Reader — eBook and PDF reader, especially useful for ePUB reading.
- Foxit PDF Reader — PDF reader/editor for more advanced PDF needs than Preview.
- Keka — Fast archive and compression tool for macOS.
## Music Apps
- Cider — Alternative Apple Music desktop client.
- Psst — Lightweight Spotify client for Premium users.
- Nuage — SoundCloud desktop client for Mac.
## Gaming
- Steam — Game store/library for casual Mac gaming.
- GeForce NOW — Cloud gaming service to play supported PC games on Mac.
- OpenEmu — User-friendly all-in-one emulator for macOS.
- PlayCover — Runs iOS games/apps on Apple Silicon Macs.
- Ludusavi — Backs up game save files.
- Enjoyable — Maps keyboard/mouse inputs to a game controller.
- Mythic — Early-stage tool for playing Windows games on Mac.
- Discord — Chat, voice, and video app commonly used by gaming communities.
- Nox App Player — Android emulator for playing Android games on Mac.
## Art & Design
- Photopea — Browser-based image editor similar to Photoshop basics.
- darktable — RAW photo editor and photo workflow tool.
- Linearity Curve — Vector design and illustration app.
- BirdFont — Font creation and typography tool.
- Pika — Color picker for macOS.
- Krita — Digital painting and drawing app.
- Pixelorama — Pixel art and animation editor.
- MagicaVoxel — Lightweight voxel art editor and renderer.
- Blender — 3D modeling, rendering, animation, and VFX tool.
- Unreal Engine — Game development and 3D environment creation engine.
- Story Architect — Story writing, plotting, and screenplay/novel planning tool.
- Storyboarder — Fast storyboard creation app.
- iMovie — Simple free video editor for Mac users.
- Natron — Open-source VFX and motion graphics compositing tool.
- GarageBand — Free Apple DAW for music production.
- Synfig Studio — 2D animation software.
- Audacity — Audio recording and editing tool.
- MuseScore Studio — Music notation and composition app.
- Mixxx — DJ mixing software with controller support.
- FreeCAD — Free 3D CAD modeling software.
## Productivity / Work Apps
- Reminders Menu Bar — Puts Apple Reminders in the macOS menu bar.
- ClmnApp — Open-source task list and Kanban-style productivity app.
- ShakePin — Temporary file shelf for drag-and-drop workflows.
- Osaurus — Native macOS local AI/LLM agent app.
- ONLYOFFICE — Open-source office suite alternative to Microsoft Office.
- Thunderbird — Privacy-friendly email and calendar client.
- Trex — OCR tool that extracts text from screenshots.
- Shottr — Advanced screenshot tool for Mac.
- DockDoor — Enhances the macOS Dock experience.
- Amethyst — Tiling window manager for arranging apps automatically.
- espanso — Text expansion tool for keyboard shortcuts and snippets.
- Invoncify — Invoice creation app.
- Signal — Secure messenger, useful for sharing notes/files between devices.
- Exporter — Exports Apple Notes into Markdown.
- Obsidian — Powerful note-taking and “second brain” knowledge base.
- Zotero — Research source manager for collecting, citing, and organizing references.
- Tot — Lightweight sticky-note style text app.
- SelfControl — Blocks distracting websites for focus sessions.
- Fluent Reader — Modern RSS/news reader.
- VSCodium — Telemetry-free open-source build of VS Code.
- Zed Editor — Lightweight code editor.
- CotEditor — Native Mac text/code editor.
## Privacy & Security
- Bitwarden — Password manager and authenticator.
- Strongbox — KeePass-compatible password manager for Apple devices.
- Tor Browser — Browser for private/anonymized browsing via Tor.
- Mullvad VPN — Privacy-focused VPN service.
- LuLu — Free open-source macOS firewall.
- VeraCrypt — Disk/partition encryption tool.
- GnuPG — File and email encryption software.
- ExifCleaner — Removes metadata from images.
## More Tools
- Coffee Buzz — Keeps your Mac awake and prevents sleep mode.
- Novee — Manga/anime-related app, described as early-stage.
- Rectangle — Window snapping/resizing like Windows.
- AltTab — Windows-style Alt-Tab window switcher for Mac.
- Ice Menu Bar — Gives more control over menu bar items.
- The Boring Notch — Adds Dynamic Island-like behavior to MacBook notch.
- PureRef — Always-on-top image reference board for moodboards.
- Scroll Reverser — Separates scroll direction for mouse and trackpad.
- LinearMouse — Improves third-party mouse behavior and remapping on macOS.
- McBrew — GUI app for Homebrew package management.
- Alfred — Spotlight alternative for launching apps and searching files.
- Maccy — Lightweight clipboard history manager.
- Ollama — Runs local LLM models on your Mac.
- iTerm2 — Advanced terminal emulator for Mac.
- Open Video Downloader — Downloads online videos/audio using youtube-dl style workflows.
- FineTune — Per-app and per-device audio control from the menu bar.
- Transmission — Torrent client for macOS.
- Stellarium — Star map / planetarium app.
- Kap — Simple screen recorder.
- OBS Studio — Advanced screen recording and streaming tool.
- PairPods — Shares Mac audio across two Bluetooth devices.
- Ice Cubes for Mastodon — Mastodon client for Mac/iPhone/iPad.
- guiscrcpy — Mirrors and controls Android screen from Mac.
- Audio Hijack — Records audio from specific apps.
- NearDrop — Receives Google Quick Share files on Mac.
- Soduto — Android-to-Mac sync for files, notifications, and device integration.
- OnionShare — Shares large files anonymously over the Tor network.
- Pearcleaner — Open-source Mac app cleaner/uninstaller.
- AppCleaner — Removes apps and their related leftover files.
- AlDente — Limits Mac battery charging to preserve battery health.
- Stats — Menu bar system monitor for CPU, temperature, fans, and hardware info.
- Middle Click — Adds middle-click behavior using trackpad or Magic Mouse gestures.
- WebPQuickLook — Adds Quick Look preview support for WebP images.
- KeyboardCleanTool — Temporarily disables keyboard for cleaning.
- Folder Peek — Access favorite folders from the menu bar.
- Clop — Compresses media when copying or sharing.
- Space Radar — Finds large files and visualizes disk usage.
- Menu Bar Dock — Shows Dock/running apps in the menu bar.
- Link Unshortener App — Expands shortened links to reveal the final destination URL.
- WinDiskWriter — Creates Windows installation USB drives from macOS.
- SD Card Formatter — Formats or potentially fixes problematic SD cards.
- Swift Quit — Automatically quits apps when their last window closes.
- ExSqueezeMe — Video compression, conversion, upscaling, and reframing tool.
- Cyberduck — FTP/SFTP/cloud file transfer client.
- VMware Fusion — Runs Windows or Linux virtual machines on Mac.
## Comments Suggestions Apps
- BlockBlock — Suggested for the Privacy & Security category; monitors persistence locations and helps detect suspicious background changes.
- Thaw — Suggested as an alternative to Ice and AltTab for app/window switching workflow.
- Middle Drag — Suggested as a better alternative to Middle Click for middle-click/drag behavior.
- RustCast — Suggested as an open-source casting app; note that there was a discussion about whether it is paid or OSS.
- FilePop — Suggested as an alternative to Folder Peek, because a commenter said Folder Peek is paid.
- hightop — Suggested as another alternative to Folder Peek.
- Applite — Suggested as another good Homebrew GUI alternative.
- GrandPerspective — Suggested as a great disk space visualizer.
- Raycast — Suggested as a stronger alternative to Alfred.
- Mos — Suggested alongside LinearMouse as another good mouse/scrolling utility.
- Atoll — Suggested as a better alternative to The Boring Notch.
- Clean Links — Suggested as a free link cleaner.
- Quitty — Suggested as an alternative to Swift Quit, because a commenter said Swift Quit may be abandoned.
- UTM — Suggested as another VM/virtualization app.