It’s that time again: What is your absolute "God Tier" Mac App of 2025?

As we wrap up 2025 and head into 2026, I want to refresh our collective "Must-Install" list. Last year's thread was a goldmine, but the landscape has shifted (new AI tools, browsers, and LiquidGlass updates etc.).

I’m looking for the apps that carried your workflow this year - whether it's for productivity, creativity, personalization, or just pure fun!

The Question: If you had to wipe your Mac today and could only install three 3rd-party apps first, what would they be for 2026?

To start the discussion, here are my top 3 picks for the year:

1. **TrackWeight**: My "fun" pick of the year. It literally lets you weigh objects using your Mac’s trackpad!!
2. **Ice**: The hot new open-source MenuBar management app.
3. **Pearcleaner**: To keep your Mac clean.

Best Mac Apps of 2025



https://redd.it/1pszln4
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Notes apps that search document contents, not just noscript

I'm wondering if we can get a semi-comprehensive list going here of apps that can search, not just the noscript, but the contents of a text file. Also, can Spotlight/Alfred/Raycast do it? And I know this is r/macapps, but I'm wondering if Windows' global search can do the same these days. Apps that come to mind are Obsidian, Roam, Logseq — and I know Craft just implemented this. And then there's Houdahspot. But what about, say, Bear, iA writer, UpNote, etc., etc., etc.? The reason I ask: I'm a news reporter and over the years I've found myself wanting to search for a certain phrase or the name of a source inside my hundreds of files of interview notes, but I haven't had the time (or taken the time) to figure out which apps do this and which do it best, so I figured I'd open the question here and see if we can put our brains together.

https://redd.it/1pt5rch
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Question for Developers About Updates

https://preview.redd.it/g2n45cz77t8g1.jpg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66dc918dad53e98b4c4218a65915f08ed5c254f0

Why do some apps not cooperate with updater apps that use Sparkle or Homebrew? Does it cost extra money, or is it more difficult to implement than I am aware of? I've heard that you can't use Homebrew unless your app has a GitHub page with more than 50 stars. Is that true? Why do so many apps that have an option within their built-in updaters to "Automatically update in the future" still insist on asking me if I want to update them? For me, the holy grail is an app that can be set to stay up to date and never require anything else from me. Most browsers can do it.

Staying on top of app updates is a constant struggle for me. I know that I am an edge case with upwards of 600 installed apps, but when testing and reviewing software is your hobby, that's what happens. There isn't a single updater that catches every available app on my box, so I run them all on a rotating schedule: Latest, Updatest, Homebrew, MacUpdater (for 10 more days), and even the one built into CleanMyMac (DO NOT COME AT ME). Even with all of those available, there are still a few apps in my stack that don't cooperate with updater apps.

[DynamicLakePro](https://www.dynamiclake.com/) \- a notch app with lots of features and two pet peeves. It adds itself to my startup items without permission, and although it has its own updater, it doesn't work with anything else.
Badegeify \- An app that adds notification badges to the menu bar for apps like Messages, Slack, Teams, and more. It has a habit of showing up in updater apps as requiring a manual upgrade, but then when you run its built-in updater, it tells you that it's at the latest edition already.
The entire [Mac App Store](https://www.apple.com/app-store/) \- is just an inconsistent mess. Apps show up in updater apps as having updates available, but when you check them in the MAS GUI, you can't force an update. I typically use the CLI version of the MAS because it's built into [Topgrade](https://appaddict.app/post/topgrade-upgrade-all-the-things), but even then, there will often be a discrepancy between version numbers, and the same apps will redownload over and over. I've had this happen with Day One and Duplicate Detective.
Tinker Tool, an OG optimization app that's been around forever, wants to use another app from the same developer to download apps, kind of in the same way that Microsoft Office has its own updater app.

Lest I sound like an ungrateful twat, I want to add that, by and large, most of the developers I've contacted, either as a customer or a blogger, have bent over backwards to be helpful. It can be almost surreal to receive help from people I've read about or listened to on podcasts. I'm extremely appreciative of the people who make the apps that help me get work done. Y'all rock.

https://redd.it/1pt8z6s
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Poll: Do you use home brew for you apps

Do you use homebrew?

View Poll

https://redd.it/1ptcpos
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Poll: Does homebrew effect your purchase decision

For those who use homebrew, does whether an app offers home brew make any difference in if you purchase the app?

View Poll

https://redd.it/1ptcnov
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Click - Klack and MechVibes but better

https://redd.it/1ptm3ya
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Hey everyone! 👋

I've been working on Subnoscript Forge, a free and open-source subnoscript tool that I wanted to share with the community.

# What is it?

A cross-platform GUI application for managing subnoscripts from video files. Works on **macOS**, **Windows**, and **Linux**.

# Features:

🎬 **Extract Subnoscripts**

* Extract from MKV files (batch processing supported)
* PGS to SRT conversion with OCR
* VobSub, ASS, SSA support

📝 **Convert Subnoscripts**

* Universal format converter (SRT ↔ ASS ↔ VTT ↔ SSA ↔ SUB ↔ TXT)
* Batch processing
* Preserves formatting where possible

🌍 **AI Translation** (NEW!)

* Translate subnoscripts using **Google Gemini AI**
* Supports **Gemini 2.5** and the new **Gemini 3.0** models
* Intelligent batch processing with progress tracking
* Resume interrupted translations
* Smart thinking settings auto-applied per model

📥 **Insert Subnoscripts**

* Mux subnoscripts back into video files

# Tech Stack:

* Built with **Go** \+ **Fyne** GUI framework
* Uses `gemini-srt-translator` (GST v3.0.0) for AI translation
* Integrates with FFmpeg, MKVToolNix, Tesseract OCR

# Links:

🔗 **GitHub**: [https://github.com/VenimK/Subnoscript-Forge](https://github.com/VenimK/Subnoscript-Forge)

📦 **Download**: Check the [Releases page](https://github.com/VenimK/Subnoscript-Forge/releases/latest) for pre-built binaries

https://preview.redd.it/xm95hvr8nw8g1.png?width=4434&format=png&auto=webp&s=cfaecf35155a4d471abdd5fc23c8d1285202039e

https://preview.redd.it/16tpzxr8nw8g1.png?width=5120&format=png&auto=webp&s=a117d9d1b6809f9df97b3f7dafbfbf70cfc14e21

https://preview.redd.it/l56i1xr8nw8g1.png?width=5120&format=png&auto=webp&s=10b58d2b681318f9f185859f0c01155cd1ff157d

https://preview.redd.it/rry04wr8nw8g1.png?width=5120&format=png&auto=webp&s=0522efc2eda47ec97b3179ceb0a45d02bf90ed80

https://preview.redd.it/yh0cxvr8nw8g1.png?width=5120&format=png&auto=webp&s=dc3671773a4ec59382d63e2bf02ef00ff2b19d63

It's completely free and open source. Would love to hear your feedback, suggestions, or bug reports!

If you find it useful, consider giving it a ⭐ on GitHub. Thanks! 🙏

https://redd.it/1ptnrfa
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Share my favorite Terminal app in 2025 and how I configured it.

https://redd.it/1ptp6re
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Share the best designed app

I am a designer, I am going to design a mac app. I am researching about design.

For that asking:

Which app you loved for design? Share the name please 🙌

https://redd.it/1ptp0vz
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Valid m4a plays as silence in Apple Music, but works in my own player

Hi, I’m new to macOS (switched a few months ago) and I’m a bit confused.

I’m developing a MIDI visualizer app and part of it exports audio from MIDI (m4a). The file is generated without errors, but when I try to play it with Apple Music, it’s completely silent — no error, no warning.

At first I assumed my export was broken, so I tried other players as well (including MKPlayer), but the result was the same: silence.

Out of curiosity, I then played the exact same file with a small player I wrote myself — and the audio plays perfectly.

So:

Is Apple Music (or macOS audio in general) doing some extra validation, indexing, or processing that can cause valid audio files to play as silence?

Why does it take 10–20 seconds to start playing a simple local audio file?

All I want is very basic behavior:

Click a file in Finder → instant playback. No cloud, no library scanning, no subnoscriptions.

Is there a lightweight, “normal” audio player for this on macOS, or is writing your own player the expected solution?

Thanks!

https://redd.it/1ptq55o
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Bloom - how do I add onedrive to bloom so that I can use it to copy files etc. Said on the site that it supports onedrive but I cant see an option to add it anywhere.

I did email the developer but not had a reply yet so was wondering if anyone on here knows how to do this.

I have looked in the connect to server option but that only lists SMB. Could not see anything in settings so I am at a loss of how to create the connection.



https://redd.it/1ptsp3e
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Vimo Rebinder 2.4.0: Free Version Now Supports Unlimited Global Shortcuts!

Hey macapps community! 👋

Vimo Rebinder just got a fresh update (2.4.0) for **free users**:

* **Unlimited custom global shortcuts –** add as many as you want
* **Redesigned shortcut creation interface** – smoother and more intuitive
* Stability improvements and minor optimizations

Check it out in **Mac App Store** and see the new version in action!

https://redd.it/1ptou8k
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Getting a New Mac for Christmas? A Few Apps to Help Migrate Your Setup

https://preview.redd.it/9pogcpu6uy8g1.png?width=1536&format=png&auto=webp&s=4e4e36877a0978fb6ce129595a707c4fafc51c74

Macs and Mac applications offer so many customizations that it's impossible to remember them all. Quite frankly, it can be easy to forget what's native and what's the result of a setting you've changed in a background utility. Just fine-tuning which apps open specific file types can be challenging if you have to do it from scratch.

# Migration Assistant

I've typically used one of Apple's most powerful and functional apps to migrate my setup from one computer to another - Migration Assistant. These days I use Time Machine on an SSD as my source, and it runs incredibly fast. The drawback is that I accumulate cruft, stuff like the wi-fi password to a job I left six years ago and folders in my \~/Library for apps that I uninstalled when Obama was president -- even though I use App Cleaner and Pear Cleaner to do uninstalls. Still, it's worth the trade-off. The cruft really hurts nothing, and the time spent on setup is minimized.

# Homebrew

One of the little-known features of Homebrew, a package manager for macOS, is that you can use it for backup and restore operations. The command brew bundle dump creates a text file you can transfer to a new computer, where you can then run brew bundle to reinstall every single app and package straight from the developer. I have 278 CLI packages and 249 casks (apps), and restoring them all would take just seconds to initiate.

# Mackup

This app gave me PTSD when I used it in Sonoma before a major bug was discovered. That bug, having to do with moving configuration files and replacing them with symbolic links, has since been fixed. These days, your dotfiles (configuration files) are sanely copied to your choice of cloud services. You can restore a copy of those files on a new Mac, and you won't have to reconfigure your apps one by one.

# Supercharge

Supercharge, a multi-featured app from uber-developer Sindre Sorhus, has a feature on its Tools tab to back up the settings for any or all of the apps on your computer. I have never used the "all" feature, but I've copied settings between Macs many times for specific apps using this utility.

# Offloader

Offloader can ease the doubt about whether your files have been uploaded to iCloud or not, because it can be hard to tell sometimes. I keep my \~/Documents and \~/Downloads folders synced with iCloud, and they contain some huge sub-folders. Using Offloader, I can be certain that the files exist in the cloud and not just on my machine.

# A Few Tips

1. If you use cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc., you will do better by downloading the files from the cloud than trying to restore a local copy and hoping it syncs with what is online. This is a good opportunity to ditch all the individual cloud service apps and consolidate them all with something like Mountain Duck, a single app that can mount multiple remote servers, selectively or all at once. I use it with the services I already mentioned, plus Koofr, Kdrive, Box, and Nextcloud running on my self-hosted server.
2. Don't do anything with your old machine for a week while you test everything out, just in case you need to pull something off it.
3. This is a good time to implement a 3-2-1 backup system: three copies of your data, two different media types, one backup offsite. Some helpful apps to accomplish this are Syncthing,

SmartBackup, and a few others, including rsync. For full disk backups, I like SuperDuper.
4. I prefer Time Machine to third-party backup utilities, but there are a few auxiliary apps that can make Time Machine better: Time Machine Editor for setting custom backup schedules (free), Time Machine Mechanic for checking the health of your backups (free), and Backup Loupe for granular control and selective restores beyond what the native app gives you (paid).

https://redd.it/1ptvmii
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Alternative to CleanMyMac

I want an app that is free/open source which is an alternative to cleanmymac. doesnt matter the ui but should show what things are taking up the storage and have inbuilt cleaning option. Please suggest me apps for the same.

https://redd.it/1ptk0h3
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How Many Apps Do You Think You Average Using Every Day?

The Apps I used on 2025-12-23

For the avid app collector there are a few tools available to help catalog and curate the assortment of programs that accumulate over time. You can use Apple's built in system report to get comprehensive information but it's rather dense and not illustrated. You can use an app like Apparency, but then you are limited to a single app at the time. My Applications, available in the app store for 99 cents, serves as both a database and a launcher for your computer.

One feature I love is a snapshot of my app usage for the past 24 hours. There is a screenshot of today's total posted above. Typically, for me it averages around 85 or so, depending on what I am working on. When I write app reviews, I try to mention alternatives, which leads to me opening a half dozen browsers or terminal emulators at a time to look at their features. I am also not shy about running a lot of startup items, so that's always going to jack up my daily total by 30 or so apps.

The My Applications general interface includes a count of the number of apps you have installed, 653 in my case. It breaks the apps down into publishers, for example I have 98 apps from Apple itself and 16 from the wonderful developer Sindre Sorhus. Apparently, many apps don't provide publisher information because I have a lot that are not listed. It also breaks the apps into categories such as utilities, productivity, developer tools, graphics and design etc. The categories, while helpful, are a little too broad for my taste, for example I have 227 labeled as utilities and it seems that could have been further narrowed into categories like disk utilities, archive utilities, etc.

The app interface lets you choose sorting by name or last launched. That can be helpful in determining what might be ready to remove. It tells you how many apps you currently have running and how may you have launched in the past day. If you click on individual apps, you have the option to launch them or to get more information regarding size on disk, location, language localizations, download date and date of last update. A complete permissions report is included. The package contents are listed as is a complete denoscription, apparently from the App store or developer's web site if provided. There are even screen shots provided.

https://redd.it/1ptzfst
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