There are tons of fascinating Mac apps with amazing features. Ranging from task managers, calendars, presentation to file managers, the Mac App Store has got all sorts of apps to cater to your specific needs. And each one has its own specialty to stand out from the rest! Due to the huge abundance, picking out the best apps for Mac is never an easy task.

Jun 11, 2015. Aug 11, 2019. Jul 16, 2018. On Apple Watch, Dark Sky is the best watchOS app of 2015, while Rules! Claims the top game spot. On OS X, Affinity Photo is Apple’s pick for best Mac app, and Pillars of Eternity is the best.

#1. Spark

Time to manage emails smartly! Spark is exactly what you need to have to take the desired control over your inbox and prevent it from being cluttered.

The app only displays the messages that are relevant to you and automatically removes the ones that are unnecessary. As they are segregated into different categories, you will be able to access the specific ones quickly.

One notable feature of this app is the collaboration that lets you craft emails together. Even better, you will also schedule messages to be sent later.

Price: Free
Download

#2. Microsoft OneNote

I consider Microsoft OneNote not only a top-ranked note app but also one of the best apps for macOS for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it comes with several tools to let you record thoughts and jot down your views. So, you have more flexibility to take notes.

The second, it provides powerful organization tools that ensure you can keep your files perfectly in sync with your workflow. And with the to-do tags at your disposal, you will be able to quickly access your tasks.

And the third, OneNote offers a robust collaboration tool that allows you to work perfectly with all of your buddies on a project and complete it on time. On top of all, this note-taking app can let you snap ideas in several languages.

Price: Free
Download

#3. PDF Expert

To me, PDF Expert is hands-down the most efficient PDF editor for Mac. What makes this app a better choice is the wide range of tools that allow you to edit text, links, outlines, and images proficiently.

Whether it’s annotating files efficiently or converting multiple docs into PDF, this app can stand up to the task really well. You can add notes to your file so that they won’t go out of your mind.

Use digital signature to give your file a pro look. That’s not all, PDF Expert is compatible with many languages including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and more.

Price: $79.99
Download

#4. Airmail 3 By Bloop S.R.L

Airmail 3 is a well-known mail client designed to provide a seamless experience. You can use it to manage your inbox with the needed flair and proficiency.

As it has the support for several services like Exchange, iCloud Gmail, IMAP, POP3, Yahoo, Outlook and more, you will be able to manage all of your accounts without breaking any sweat.

The addition of quick reply feature and multi-touch gestures ensure you can get on top of your tasks without wasting any time. Plus there are a good many visual themes to let you customize the app. Like using shortcuts? Airmail 3 has you fully covered!

Price: $9.99
Download

#5. Things 3

When you talk about the most proficient task management apps for Mac, “Things 3” comes into the picture immediately. And rightly so. The highlight of this robust task manager is the ability to let you take control of all of your to-dos.

Featuring several customization options, Things 3 ensures you can keep everything organized as per your goal. So, whether it’s capturing thoughts, planning events smartly or optimizing the workflow, this app enables you to carry out your tasks proactively.

Use Today Widget to take a peek at what’s lined up for you and take advantage of reminders to never forget an essential work. What’s more, Things 3 is fully integrated with all the major macOS features like Siri, Handoff, and Calendar.

Price: $49.99
Download

#6. Pocket

I’ve picked out “Pocket” for the folks who want to read articles with complete peace of mind. You can use this app to save all of your favorite articles and videos to catch up with them at your most convenient time.

Plus, it also provides the browser extension for Chrome, Safari, or Firefox so that saving stories is a pretty simple task for you.

With the offline mode in the offing, you can explore your stories and read them even without the Internet connection. Even better, the tags play a vital role in keeping all of your stories organized and quickly accessible.

Price: Free
Download

#7. Affinity Photo

If a fully featured image editor for macOS is on top of your demand, look no further than Affinity Photo. Deservedly, it had also been the winner of the Apple Mac app of the year 2015.

What stands out this app is the powerful editing tools that ensure you have the desired command to design your pics to your heart’s liking. It offers up the full support for 16 and 32-bit per channel editing and designed to work with many standard formats including PNG, TIFF, JPG, GIF, SVG, EPS, EXR, HDR, and PDF.

The immaculate CMYK workflow with ICC color management makes it an ideal tool for professionals. And with a ton of special effects on offer, you will be able to adorn your pics like a pro.

Price: $49.99
Download

#8. 1Password

Do you find it tough to manage passwords? 1Password is the best solution you can get to manage hundreds of passwords in the most sophisticated manner.

It creates unique passwords for each site, remembers all of them and lets you log in with just a single click. You can make multiple vaults to manage different information with more efficiency.

On top of all, the password manager provides you not only security but also the convenience of browsing web fast. Besides, you can use 1Password 7 in several languages including English, Afrikaans, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German and more.

The app comes with a 30-day free trial after that you will need to subscribe to the premium version. The monthly subscription for one user comes for $3.99, while a family of up to 5 people can get for $6.99.

Price: Free
Download

#9. Fantastical 2

If you don’t want to settle with anything less than the very best calendar app for macOS, you would be hard pressed to find a more proficient option than Fantastical 2.

The app lets you perfectly plan your events and keep track of them. And with the real-time alerts, you will always be ahead of the race and never miss out on the things you must have to do.

Courtesy the Handoff support; you will pick up from where you left off across your synced devices. Plus, it also offers a dark theme so that your eyes will find it more comfortable to view the content at night and the things that are lined up for you.

Price: $49.99
Download

#10. Pixelmator

Yet another robust image editor for macOS! After giving plenty of thought, I decided to include “Pixelmator” in this roundup because it has a lot to offer. If you want to have a reasonably good photo editor to craft appreciable images, you can’t go wrong with it.

Using the precise tool, you can select the specific portion of an image and remove the blemish with ease. Cut out a specific part from a photo and effortlessly add it to another.

Quickly blur, sharpen, lighten, or even darken any area of the pics. Get the most out of the instant effects to add some glamor to the images. What’s more, you can also combine many different effects for out-of-the-box creations.

Price: $29.99
Download

#11. CARROT Weather

“CARROT Weather” is widely considered as the best weather app for macOS. Of course, it’s pricey ($11.99) but if you take all the features into account, you will find it worthy enough.

It provides an accurate and detailed 7-day forecast. And with the short-term prediction (right down to the minute), it helps you avoid getting stuck in bad weather.

Courtesy the real-time notifications; the app alerts you about severe weather. Furthermore, you can use the powerful radar to figure out the possible direction of the upcoming storm.

Price: $11.99
Download

#12. PCalc

Loaded with a great many high-quality features such as an optional RPN mode, multi-line display, a choice of button layouts, an extensive set of conversions and constants, PCalc is tailor-made for scientists, engineers, students or anyone who are looking for a rich calculator. With this new-age calculator, you would enjoy calculation to the core.

Price: $9.99
Download

Apps

That’s all!

What’s your favorite?

So, these are our top apps for Mac. Hopefully, you have found them impressive. Share your thoughts about them in the comments below.

You may want to refer these posts as well:

The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.

  • https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
  • https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
  • https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
  • https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/

Which Mac operating system is the best is a topic of numerous debates among Apple fans.

Since the mission of this blog is to refute myths and legends around Macs, it’s time for me to provide my 2 cents about the issue on hand. While everything below is just my opinion, as a long-time Mac user and veteran software engineer, I hope my opinion worth something.

TLDR; The best Mac OS version is the one that your Mac is eligible to upgrade to. In 2019-2020 it is macOS Catalina. However, users that need to run 32-bit applications on Mac should not go with Catalina because it only supports 64-bit apps. Also, older Macs would benefit if upgraded at least to macOS Sierra because this is the earliest operating system for which Apple still releases security updates.

Update: On WWDC 2020 Apple announced a new macOS Big Sur, which is said to have the biggest UI redesign and the biggest Safari update. New Safari will run 50% faster than Chrome and use less battery. It also has new limitations: Big Sur will require at least MacBook Pro late 2013, MacBook Air 2013, and Mac Mini 2014 or later to run. Big Sur will be released in the fall of 2020.

How to Tell Which macOS You Are Running

To find out which macOS is currently running on your Mac, follow these steps:

2015 Mac Books

  1. Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the menubar
  2. In the dropdown click on the first item: About This Mac
  3. The first line in the Overview tab is the name of the current OS.

What Version of OS Can My Mac Run?

Used Mac Pro 2015

Not all Macs can be upgraded to the latest OS version. For instance, old Macs powered by PowerPC CPUs cannot run OS intended for Intel-based computers. Also, some versions have hardware limitations.

For instance, Mojave cannot be installed on MacBook Pro earlier than Mid 2012 model.

Check below to know exactly what version of OS your Mac can run.

Which OS is Best for my Mac

Anytime someone asks me which OS is best for them I always suggested going with the latest. Things have changed recently, however.

Should I Upgrade to macOS Catalina?

While personally I like macOS Catalina and have it installed on my MacBook Pro, Catalina comes with serious breaking changes. If you have old 32-bit apps, they will not run in the new OS. macOS Catalina and newer can only run 64-bit apps.

If you wondering whether you should upgrade to macOS Catalina, first verify that you don’t have any 32-bit apps. But first, take a back up, so you can go back in case something breaks after upgrade.

For instance, I had to remove uTorrent after upgrade. And I didn’t know that uTorrent is 32-bit!

How to Know If App is 32-bit or 64-bit

To find out whether the app on your Mac is 32-bit or 64-bit follow these steps:

  1. Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the Mac screen
  2. Click on About This Mac option
  3. Click on System Report button in Overview tab (first one)
  4. Scroll down to Software -> Applications
  5. Find the app and check Kind
2015 mac laptop

Which macOS Should I Use

If you have an older Mac which is not eligible to upgrade with some latest software or hardware, I’d suggest upgrading at least to Sierra for the following reasons:

  • Sierra is still supported by Apple, and it gets security updates
  • APFS file system is available
  • It supports Siri
  • Significant security improvements

The most important point when choosing the best OS is the ability getting security updates. While Apple generally does not announce the OS end of life dates, it is possible to know when they stop releasing security updates from this page.

For instance, according to the page, the last security update for OS X Yosemite was released on September 12, 2017. The last update for OS X El Capitan was in July 2018, and Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that El Capitan’s end of life date was August 2018.

Snow Leopard Myth

I know that some users on forums believe that the best OS version for Macs was Snow Leopard. But that is a myth. And I know how such myths get created.

Once I worked in the company, which was selling a 20-year old product. And customers were still using and didn’t want to switch to new versions, because the old one was rock solid.

I then talked to the engineer who worked on the project, and he revealed that the product was a total disaster when it was first deployed. Engineers had to work on-site for almost a year in order to fix all bugs.

After five or so years of polishing the product, it becomes virtually bug-free, and nobody now remembers how bad it was when it was first rolled out. A similar thing happened Snow Leopard, and it was recognized as best mac os version after some time.

How to Update to the Latest Version

There are two ways to update to the latest OS version on Mac:

  • From the Software Update section in System Preferences
  • Use a download link

Using Software Update

This is by far the best option, but it only available if you have Yosemite, or later OS installed already. If you enabled automatic updates, then Mac will inform you that the next macOS is available.

Just open System Preferences, go to Software Update and click on the Upgrade Now button.

This method is also best if wondering how to check if you have the latest version of OS installed on your Mac. Only the version compatible with your hardware will appear here.

For instance, my the latest version for Mac Mini 2012 is Mojave, I can’t install anything newer than that.

Using download links

For older systems or in case you need to downgrade, you have to download a standalone installer in DMG format. DMG stands for disk image, similar to ISO, just different formats.

After downloading the installer, just double click on it and follow instructions. Again, do not forget to take a backup before the upgrade.

Mac OS Comparisons: Requirements, Features, Compatibility, Download Links

Following is a high-level description of all Mac operating systems as early as Mountain Lion.

You can refer to those descriptions when deciding which operating system is best for your iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, or MacBook.

With each OS description, I included a list of Macs supported. However, you can use Mac OS compatibility checker for more detailed information.

macOS 10.15 Catalina

macOS v10.15 (codename Catalina) is the latest version of the operating system for Apple computers.

Release date: October 7, 2019

Hardware Requirements: RAM requirement increased from 2GB to 4GB.

Features

  • Introduced Sidecar, which allows for Macs to use an iPad as an external display.
  • iTunes was replaced by separate apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV.
  • Find My Mac and Find My Friends have merged into one app.

Software Compatibility Issues

macOS Catalina is the first Mac operating system that does not support 32-bit applications. Only 64-bit apps are allowed to run on Catalina.

How to install

There are two ways to install Catalina: enable automatic updates in System Preferences or download by using the following link.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Catalina

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac models (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac Pro (All models)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)

macOS 10.14 Mojave

Release date: September 24, 2018

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 18.5GB free space on disk

Features

  • The main feature of Mojave is “Dark Mode”
  • FaceTime adds group feature which allows chatting with up to 32 people
  • News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home apps were ported from iOS to Mac.

How to install

If your Mac is eligible to update to Mojave, then the easiest way to install it is by enabling automatic updates. Downloading a standalone Mojave installer could be a little tricky.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Mojave

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac Pro (All models)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013 and 2010-2012 models with upgraded GPU)

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Release date: September 25, 2017

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 14.3GB free space on disk

Features

  • APFS (Apple File System) becomes the default file system in High Sierra. It’s a significant upgrade from the older HFS+ in terms of speed, size, and security
  • iCloud support of Messages which allows sync messages of the account across multiple devices
  • Mail app uses 35% less storage space due to optimizations

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS High Sierra

  • MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

How to install

Here is a High Sierra download link.

macOS 10.12 Sierra

This is the first macOS version. Previous OS versions for Macs were called OS X (X stands for 10).

Release date: September 20, 2016

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

  • Siri was introduced to Macs
  • Optimized storage with iCloud sync
  • Auto-lock feature allows unlocking MacBook with paired Apple Watch
  • APFS preview available
  • Disk Utility can manage RAID sets again
  • Significant security improvements

How to install

Here is a Sierra download link.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Sierra

  • MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Last OS X version.

Release date: September 30, 2015

Mac

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

  • System Integrity Protection – a security feature that protects even when the root user executes the process
  • Performance improvements: open PDF files four times faster, Mail is twice faster, launching apps 40% faster
  • Notes app similar to the app in iOS

Macs compatible with OS X El Capitan

same as OS Mountain Lion.

How to install

Here is El Capitan download link.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

Release date: October 16, 2014

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Macs compatible with OS X Yosemite

Same as OS Mountain Lion.

Features

  • Major user design overhaul
  • Introduction of Handoff and Continuity features
  • Photos app replaced iPhoto and Aperture

How to install

Here is Yosemite download link.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

First free Mac OS. Previous OS versions vary from $19.99 to $129.

Release date: October 22, 2013

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

  • Compressed Memory feature automatically compresses inactive apps when approaching maximum memory capacity
  • Timer coalescing is a feature that reduces CPU usage by up to 72 percent
  • App Nap puts apps that are not currently visible to sleep

Macs compatible with OS X Mavericks

2018

Same as OS Mountain Lion.

How to install

OS X Mavericks installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install Mavericks.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Must be purchased. Fixed many bugs introduced in OS X Lion.

Release date: July 25, 2012

System Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

  • New apps: Notification Center, Notes, Messages, Game Center
  • AirPlay mirroring allowed to mirror Mac screen to Apple TV
  • Application updates automatically install from the App Store

List of Apple computers compatible with OS X Mountain Lion

  • iMac (Mid-2007 or newer)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)

How to install

Mountain Lion installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install OS X Mountain Lion.

List of older Mac OS Versions

Following Mac OS versions are still running on older Macs, but Apple does not support them anymore, and there is no point to upgrade (or downgrade) to them:

  • OS X 10.7 Lion
  • OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
  • Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
  • Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
  • Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
  • Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
  • Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
  • Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah

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