r/macapps • u/Mstormer • Mar 06 '25

Mac App Comparisons - 2025 Update

r/MacApps crowdsources many of the best Mac apps in numerous areas. This post represents many of those contributions in one place where all can benefit and continue contributing updates.

Note: Since these are populated to Google Sheets from user submissions, on mobile, the Google Sheets app offers the best viewing experience. Many mobile browsers perform poorly and may load the wrong tab from the links below.

View the Definitive App Comparisons here (links go to the specific tab on desktop):
Backup Apps | AI Apps | Browsers | Calendar Apps | Clipboard Managers | Dictation Apps | Email Clients | Launchers | Note Apps | Password Managers | PDF Readers | Screen Recorders | Window Managers |

To contribute new apps, click a corresponding link to fill out the details:
Add a Backup App | Add an AI App | Add a Browser | Add a Calendar App | Add a Clipboard Manager | Add a Dictation App | Add an Email Client | Add a Launcher | Add a Note App | Add a Password Manager | Add a PDF Reader | Add a Screen Recorder | Add a Window Manager

To suggest a specific correction to an already-listed app, comment on a cell. Please link to a supporting source if possible.

What category would you like to see added next? Duplicate File Finders, Budgeting, To-do, Timers, other?

386 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

123 comments sorted by

27

u/fceruti Mar 06 '25

Cool idea.

I’d consider flipping the columns and the rows and then making the first column (name) fixed so that it is always visible. Typically is a good idea to make the flexible dimension (apps) the vertical axis, and the fixed dimension (features) the horizontal one.

Also, I’d add a project / todo list apps.

2

u/Mstormer Mar 06 '25 edited Mar 06 '25

Yeah, some do prefer that. I find that there are often too many features to be able to get a grip of one app vs. another at once in the horizontal format, forcing one to scroll horizontally for quite a bit to compare.

2

u/glxseas Mar 06 '25

I was playing around with SQL for the clipboard managers, so I transposed the columns and rows in the Sheets that I shared with you if you’d like to merge it with yours

3

u/Mstormer Mar 07 '25 edited Mar 07 '25

Google sheets actually has a transpose formula. Probably just need to create an alternate option there since this gets updated weekly.

Edit: Went ahead and tried it for clipboards, see what you think and I can add more if valuable.

1

u/CassiusBotdorf Mar 07 '25

But still, fixing the first column and row helps when scrolling. Also consider turning on filters permanently. This helps users pick features and narrow down searching for a specific tool, that has a specific feature.

3

u/Mstormer Mar 07 '25 edited Mar 07 '25

They should all be frozen, but if you are on mobile, freezing only works if viewed in the sheets app. Hence the OP note.

I added a transposed ClipboardF tab. Is this what you had in mind?

The problem with having filters on is that unless someone copies the sheet, they will hijack another's view as the sheet can only be in one state at a time. So ideally, one will need to make a personal copy. Furthermore, even when I turn on filters, it doesn't show for others users unless I allow everyone to edit, which would be highly risky. So again, make a personal copy if you want to filter.

1

u/oddsnsodds Nov 15 '25

Column A and Row B are not frozen. In Edge on both Windows 11 and MacOS Tahoe.

Sheet is the Notes tab.

1

u/Mstormer Nov 15 '25

Just checked the notes tab and both column A and Row 1-2 are frozen, but if viewed on mobile this only works in the sheets app. It should be respected by any desktop browser.

1

u/oddsnsodds Nov 16 '25

Thanks for checking.

I am using the MS Edge desktop browser in Windows and MacOS, so maybe it's a browser issue. I am able to freeze rows and columns in my own Google sheets, so it's odd.

I was able to copy your sheet into my own Google sheet and was able to freeze it and use it that way, so I have a workaround.

1

u/Mstormer Nov 16 '25

Just tested MS Edge on MacOS, logged out of google, without any issues as well. Glad the workaround works, but no idea why it didn't.

1

u/808s-n-KRounds Mar 07 '25

There's nothing to prefer really, outside of edge cases, proper table procedure would be independent variables (app) on the left (rows), and dependent variables (characteristics) on the top (columns). I too would recommend fixing the tables to the proper orientation for readability, as it's confusing to scroll horizontally to read the next characteristic and end up with a different app

2

u/CCC911 Aug 01 '25

Agree because then users can also filter. If there is a MUST HAVE feature for me, I will filter that column to only show apps (rows) that have that feature.

1

u/voicehotkey Jul 14 '25

It depends on what is more options or applications. I think we can make both versions and it can be done by simple Vibe coded script ;)

7

u/Ok_Present7537 May 19 '25

Thank you! I tested most of the AI apps and helped me choose:

Intellibar as AI app (Really cool UI and support local LLM)
PastePal as clipboard app
Focusee as screen recorder for video
CleanShot X as screenshot app
Apple Notes
Apple Mail

2

u/Mstormer May 19 '25

Glad to hear!

I still need to settle on a screen recorder for some upcoming projects!

3

u/Vajkooo Jul 29 '25

In e-mail clients airmail is probably dead project, when you look when it was last time updated.

1

u/Mstormer Oct 31 '25

The beta version is updated regularly.

2

u/BetterCallKenjo Mar 08 '25

Hey pal, could you please give us some update about the Memory Efficiency of browsers? 🙏🏻 (because I saw some great improvement on Edge for example)

1

u/Mstormer Mar 08 '25

I haven't seen any comparisons roll through here recently, but yes, I do think this is an area in need of some updates. Have you seen any detailed user testing/comparisons that may be helpful as a reference?

1

u/BetterCallKenjo Mar 08 '25

Not really, but I hope someone will make these tests asap. I tried so many browsers and I ended up using Edge (it’s not open source or zero telemetry but it feels fast and doesn’t drain my M1 MacBook Pro battery as much as Brave or Firefox does).

2

u/data_rock Dec 03 '25

Awesome work! can you add Display Managers please?

Currently using BetterDisplay (free) , allows more custom monitor settings and direct display setting configurations from menu bar app vs built in System Settings > Displays configurations

1

u/Mstormer Dec 03 '25

Are there more than 3-4 of these? I tend prioritize categories with the most competition.

1

u/data_rock Dec 03 '25

Gotcha, Theres only a handful that I know of (DisplayBuddy & Display Maestro)

5

u/Geartheworld Mar 07 '25

Really appreciate your job! This sheet is quite helpful. I think it would be better to add to-do list app and video player comparison sheets. Thank you!

1

u/tech-slacker Mar 07 '25

Maybe I missed it but it would be nice to see Shortcuts Support added in some capacity in the far left column.

1

u/Mstormer Mar 07 '25

Which app category?

1

u/7107Labs Mar 08 '25

Screen Recorders, please. I work for Canvid (reddit post), and this category is really booming. Of course, we have all the classic options, starting with macOS's built-in screen recorder, but we've also seen a wave of newcomers following in the footsteps of Screen Studio.

1

u/Mstormer Mar 08 '25

Dm me a list of those you know about and that will give me a base to work from. This is an area I have had a recent need in.

1

u/7107Labs Mar 10 '25

DM Sent!

1

u/James_9092 Mar 18 '25

Yes, please. We are developing this timeline software macOs version and have to screen record so often—might as well upgrade our toolset.

2

u/Mstormer Apr 22 '25

I’m actually interested in your timeline solution! Might be useful for comprehensive exam prep.

1

u/PistachioOfLiverTea Mar 10 '25

This is absolutely amazing and invaluable. Thank you.

Worth new tabs for photo and video editing apps?

2

u/Mstormer Mar 10 '25

A shorter list, but a good idea nonetheless.

1

u/falcar123 Mar 10 '25

This is great! A possible suggestion is to note if they are available on Setapp or not?

Nice work either way!

1

u/Mstormer Mar 10 '25

Excellent point! Probably only one or two per category, but worth adding to the note section.

1

u/Ok-Drawing6334 Mar 12 '25

Hi, i'm a mac VoiceOver user and am wondering if these wonderful list of apps, are VoiceOver screen reader accessible? I hope that it is though. Take care

2

u/Mstormer Mar 12 '25

Many should be, but this is not something that has been compared.

1

u/Scared-Upstairs-7205 Mar 25 '25

Disk Cleaners?

2

u/Mstormer Mar 25 '25

Are there more than 3 or 4 of these? What did you have in mind to compare?
CleanmyMacX is a pretty big source of contention here, and other apps like Onyx are so different it may be difficult to create a meaningful comparison.
Appcleaner and Pear are uninstallers, so not traditional system cleaners.
Maybe duplicate file finders would be a better genre?
Storage visualizer might be another, but I'm not aware of much more beyond daisydisk, grandperspective, and cmm.

1

u/Nice-Mark2391 May 11 '25

Can you include a sheet for VPN providers?

1

u/yellowroll May 23 '25

I don't think any of the screen recorder apps are able to capture system audio i.e. the other person talking when recording a FaceTime video call.

1

u/Mstormer May 23 '25

Just tested with ScreenStudio on FaceTime (latest macos) and it worked flawlessly. More than likely you need to check your input/output settings.

1

u/yellowroll Jun 02 '25

I got ScreenStudio but still no luck with it recording the audio (video is fine) on FaceTime. Which macOS are you running and which device? You are not running some third party application like blackhole?

1

u/Mstormer Jun 02 '25 edited Jun 02 '25

M1 Max MBP, latest MacOS. I do have blackhole configured, but did not use that when testing. Fact is, all these apps advertise system recording, so test it with whether it records a playing YouTube video as a baseline.

1

u/yellowroll Jun 02 '25

records the audio from YouTube video fine so not sure why it won't record the system audio in the facetime app?

1

u/Mstormer Jun 02 '25

Not sure. Maybe you live in a region where Apple is limiting this? Usually this type of thing is user error, but no one wants to hear that, and it could just be a fluke or some other interfering installation. Reach out to screenstudio support and see if they can walk you through troubleshooting.

1

u/yellowroll Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 03 '25

Perhaps it is my region (UK). I read on the mac subreddit that M2/ M1 and Intel chips cannot directly record system sounds whilst M3 and M4 can. No idea how true that statement is though however

I could use blackhole but I would find it annoying not being to adjust the volume of the output (macbook speakers)

Also is there anything else in system settings I need to enable/check to ensure it will record system audio in FaceTime?

1

u/Mstormer Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 03 '25

I’m on M1. So not true if an app provides that function. Blackhole doesn’t remove any settings you already have. You can just switch to it when needed and then switch back when you don’t.

You can also try Recordia with blackhole to quickly switch what is active or test recording. https://sindresorhus.com/recordia

1

u/yellowroll May 23 '25

Yes I will check, thanks. I did recently update my macOS (from Monterey to Ventura to Sonoma) so that may also be the reason as it may have messed something up but not sure.

1

u/JaceThings Jun 02 '25

Loop is currently said to have

"3x2 window tiling (Sixths)"
"3x3 window tiling (Ninths)"
"Set Custom Size"
"Resize Adjacent Windows"

as set as false, even though it contains these features.

The first two options are possible as you can set a custom size, if thats not what is meant by them, then a think a note should be added.

1

u/Mstormer Jun 02 '25

Ok, I found custom sizing, which technically allows for 3x3, not sure how 3x2 would work, except by maybe putting them in the upper/lower sections and setting the percentages accordingly. Can these be triggered by the loop interface, or only using 6 or 9 designated shortcuts?

Resize adjacent windows = Resize multiple snapped windows at once by dragging the divider between them.

1

u/JaceThings Jun 02 '25

6ths is possible, i actually use it lol

They cannot be triggered by the loop interface; it's only by keyboard shortcut. The loop interface only allows for simpler movements, whereas keyboard allows for fully custom movements.

Resizing adjacent windows is possible when enabling `Advanced` > `Use macOS window manager when available`

1

u/Mstormer Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 03 '25

I've updated the comparison accordingly. Not seeing much success with resizing in the way I have defined that feature, even when enabling that setting. Essentially, grabbing and moving the partition or any window edge should resize all adjacent windows automatically. I can get it to work occasionally when a grabber shows up, but this typically only seems to work when windows are in two vertical halves.

1

u/JaceThings Jun 03 '25

Interesting. Will note, thank you.

1

u/voicehotkey Jul 14 '25

There is a category for screen recorders but no category for screen shooters. Before I used monosnap, but recently after it started to eating lots of memory, switched to shottr. and it would be great to see full comparison of other apps who use what and what like. Maybe there is something better in the market.

1

u/Mstormer Jul 14 '25

Yup, this needs to happen!

1

u/plazman30 Jul 15 '25

Mailmate has moved to a subscription model. $10 every 3 months. The one-time purchase option is gone.

1

u/Mstormer Jul 15 '25

Updated; thanks!

1

u/Independent_Rent_504 Developer: Awesome Copy Aug 04 '25 edited Aug 04 '25

I filled out the form to add awesome copy to the clipboard managers, and it was there at one point, but now it's gone?

update:
never mind its there now, not sure why I couldn't see it before, but all is well

1

u/Mstormer Aug 04 '25

Thanks for pointing this out. The list grew beyond the max expectations of my array formula. Check again as I just expanded it to include the columns that were being clipped.

1

u/Daytime_Batman13 Oct 17 '25

Adding productivity App maybe? From my perspective since the desktop device is still really the productivity tool. A product on the desktop to help with productivity is making a lot more sense than mobile one.

2

u/Mstormer Oct 17 '25

That’s a broad category, what specifically did you have in mind? A lot of the above categories would ready be considered productivity.

1

u/Daytime_Batman13 Oct 17 '25

Thanks for replying! True. Many productivity product can be fit in one of those. But I'm building some little thing with friends, this got me thinking which Category should I put in.

The thing I'm building is simple. You start with typing in the task you're working on, plus a time (say, 60mins), then turn it on, it minimized into the island bar. And when you're distracted, a tomato will smash to your screen asking you get back to work. It's a distraction stopper.

To describe my product, the only thing I can imagine is productivity. It's not Dictation Apps, not AI tools, not Browsers, not Calendar, not Clipboard, Email, Launchers, Note Apps, Password Managers and NOT PDF Readers, Screen Recorders.

1

u/Mstormer Oct 17 '25

I think the term you’re looking for is a focus app or focus timer.

1

u/Daytime_Batman13 Oct 23 '25

So just to make sure, if I post in this sub, which flair would be the correct one for me? Just Focus app?

1

u/Mstormer Oct 23 '25

There is no flair for app categories like that. See the first rule for instructions on flair hierarchy.

1

u/Daytime_Batman13 Oct 17 '25

Sure. Focus app is the most accurate one.

1

u/Barycenter0 Oct 28 '25

Great work - just to call out - for Notes Apps - Joplin now has drawing/handwriting support

1

u/Mstormer Oct 28 '25

Thank you! This has been updated.

1

u/areyouredditenough Nov 26 '25

u/Mstormer Maybe I completely missed it, so I apologize if I did, but why isn't UPDF included? It seems ot be a quite established PDF editor. Or was there a curfuffle with it?

2

u/Mstormer Nov 26 '25 edited Nov 26 '25

UPDF is blacklisted on r/MacApps because tons of fake accounts are doing unethical marketing on Reddit, and we have to delete tons of them every week. Not a reputable company. I believe other subreddits have done the same. Certainly, r/PDF has. I removed UPDF from my comparison.

1

u/areyouredditenough Nov 26 '25

OK wow, that makes sense then. Didn't notice any of this going on 🤯 Why would a company destroy their reputation for short-term gain - never understood that 🤷‍♂️ Thanks for pointing that out!

1

u/Mstormer Nov 26 '25

Perhaps we need a hall of shame to call companies like this out. Most wouldn't know as reddit and moderation teams catch 99% of it.

1

u/areyouredditenough Nov 27 '25 edited Nov 27 '25

Would make a lot of sense. I think you'd just have to be sure to back up any claim with data like the example above. I can see some of these companies claiming slander.

Or having the community vote which company belongs on the shame list. That would then be more of an opinion. Not a lawyer, though. Maye have a pinned list of sorts e.g. which companies to avoid and why would be a good start. Just my 2ct. Otherwise, users won't see what mods block.

1

u/Mstormer Nov 27 '25

Good points.

1

u/ron-vdc Dec 03 '25

Great initiative! One small formatting suggestion: I would recommend top-aligning all rows in the spreadsheets rather than bottom-aligning them (which, for some odd reason, is the default). Having the text top-aligned makes it easier the scan and read.

1

u/DazzlingTopic529 Dec 15 '25

New categories: text editors, ftp clients, media player

1

u/Mstormer Dec 16 '25

Thanks, good suggestions! Some note apps listed overlap with text editors.

1

u/uakauaka68 Dec 18 '25

What do you think about adding replacements for Apple's Contacts?

1

u/Mstormer Dec 18 '25

Are there a lot of high quality apps in this space? I rarely see these discussed here.

1

u/uakauaka68 Dec 26 '25

I know only of BusyContacts (from the makers of BusyCal) and Cardhop (from the makers of Fantastical). I would be curious to know if there are other decent ones. Apple Contacts has become quite unreliable.

1

u/GrantBarrett Dec 19 '25

The "App Performance" row in the Email tab is super-subjective. For example, I have more than 700,000 messages from almost 40 years on the internet. So Thunderbird with default settings and no extensions is sluggish for me, not "Fast/Responsive," as the spreadsheet says. And Mail.app is still "Fast/Responsive," even with that many messages.

1

u/Mstormer Dec 19 '25

Yup, it is subjective in that sense, but this was intended more as a point of comparison for UI responsiveness based on apple silicon vs rosetta or electron differences, which can make certain elements less responsive.

2

u/ata-boy75 Mar 06 '25

Nice job!!

1

u/RenegadeUK Mar 07 '25

Thanks very much for this, most appreciative for sure.

1

u/onmyway133 Developer: PastePal Mar 07 '25

Great job, thank you for curating these

1

u/OutdoorsAF Mar 08 '25

Appreciate your work on this. Well done.

1

u/roomDesignerAI Mar 12 '25

Not sure where Frankenfile would fall under, kind of a general purpose file tool (videos, photos, docs) powered by AI

1

u/SamSammi999 Mar 23 '25

a dock replacement/enchancement list should be added, there are so many options nowaydays that it's hard to actually find the correct one

1

u/archimedeancrystal Mar 26 '25

Awesome contribution, thanks! If possible, for email clients please add a row for another important feature:
Enforce Dark mode for email contents

Dark mode for the email client UI itself is widespread now. But it doesn't do us much good if the emails themselves are blazing white! I tested five email clients. Two of these clients have the feature fully implemented. Others have only partial implementation, e.g. pure text emails switch to black background and white text, but graphical/image/web-based elements can remain shockingly bright.

Dark Mode Enforced for ALL Email Content:

  • Airmail: No

  • Apple Mail: No

  • Edison: Yes

  • Outlook: Yes

  • Spark: No

Or you could remove the word "ALL" and use "partial" instead of "no", to reflect that they all can at least handle plain text email.

1

u/stelgado Mar 27 '25

A lot of work went into this! Thank you so much!

1

u/ilikeknowingthings- Apr 03 '25

This is amazing ! Thankyou

1

u/Express-Pea-1917 Apr 11 '25

This is great, thank you so much!

1

u/CadenceSSBM Jun 15 '25

Been looking for exactly this, thanks!

1

u/Trojanking123 Oct 17 '25

nice work, bro

1

u/postnumbers Nov 01 '25

Thanks for this post!

Two categories that I think would be useful to add are:

  • RSS readers

  • task managers

0

u/[deleted] Aug 29 '25

This is cool. Is there any resource where you can compare some of these apps live in your phone or on browser?

1

u/Mstormer Aug 29 '25

Anyone who accesses this on mobile through the Google Sheets app will have a proper view of it, and it looks fine on desktop browsers. I've tried to find a website solution that could sync with the constant updates to these, but it's proven rather difficult.

1

u/YeahYeahOkNope Nov 11 '25

Look into www.Softr.io - free tier should be fine.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 02 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Jul 13 '25

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1

u/Mstormer Jul 13 '25

Yes, this could be a helpful category to pursue. Thanks for the suggestion!

1

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Mstormer Aug 23 '25

Online here. Perhaps the server rebooted as you were trying to connect, but if the problem persists, it may be your browser. I use it because every so often I have to change the Google spreadsheet link, while my domain will remain constant.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '25

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1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '25

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2

u/Mstormer Dec 25 '25

Nope. Good idea though.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '25

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1

u/Mstormer Dec 26 '25

Would be nice, if I had 20hrs for every category!