25 Must Have Free Apps for your New Mac
Nicole DominguezOne of the best parts of owning a Mac is the cool free apps that you get to download! Just like the iPhone, there’s an app for your every need, and they exceed expectations most of the time. I will go over free basic apps as well, for those with a new setup. A lot of the apps that will be showcased are open source, which basically means that you can view it’s source code and contribute to the project.
1. Skype
Skype lets you make voice calls, as well as video conferencing online to anyone else with this free app installed. You can also make conference calls effortlessly, as well as participate in text chats and file transfers. With Skype To Go, you can make calls from your mobile phone and from your computer, you can dial international landlines and to cell phones with prepaid minutes.
2. Anxiety
This great little app is a to-do list manager. It’s easy to use, out of the way, and can be integrated with iCal and Mail. Melting into your desktop – and out of your way, you can effortlessly add new tasks and task sheets, to keep areas of your life separate with multiple lists.
3. Cyberduck
Cyberduck is a “FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Cloud Files, Google Docs and Amazon S3″ browser for your mac. With an easy to use interface, super cool features and seamless integration with external text editors, this app is not one to miss!
4. GIMP
GIMP is an image editor (raster), which quite possibly to many is a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. It has tons of cool features, and is a great free alternative to other software.
5. Monolingual
Monolingual is a utility that removes unwanted languages from OS X, and in doing to can recover disk space you never knew you had. By removing those unwanted languages, you can seriously save sever hundred mbs of space.
6. Firefox
Firefox is a leading open source web browser, with a tons of skins and expansions. This modern browser has features like Tabs, CSS3/HTML5 support, Private Browsing, an Awesome Bar, easy bookmarking and a built in Feed Reader.
7. TextWrangler
TextWrangler is a powerful text editor that makes editing files a breeze with remote FTP support, Keychain support, syntax coloring, auto indenting, built-in text transformations and so much more.
8. VLC
VLC is an application that lets you view any type of video file without hassle. Features like handling subtitles, DVDs, CDs, web streams, VLC is a powerful media player. If you are a Mac Developer, the people behind VLC are looking for more developers for the Mac OS X port of VLC.
9. Growl
Growl is a notification system for Mac that lets supported applications send you notices in an unobtrusive way. With customizable skins, and add-ons for even more growl-goodness, you control all aspects of the notifications that get sent your way.
10. Transmission
Transmission is an open source, non-commerical BitTorrent client that is easy to use and comes with tons of cool features, like; having a small footprint, seamless integration, uses Growl Notifications and is quite powerful.
11. ClamXAV
Macs are not prone to getting infected with viruses, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t transmit them to a machine that can be. ClamXAV is a free virus scanner that checks for files that can infect other operating systems as well.
12. Google Notifier
Google Notifier is an application that lets you check your email and calendar events without even visiting a browser. Much like Growl, but for Gmail and Google Calendar.
13. Adium
Adium is a small, yet powerful Instant Messaging client that lets you connect to multiple networks, such as AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk, ICQ, and Facebook Chat – just to name a few. It also has customizable ‘Xtras’, file transfers, and an events system.
14. Thunderbird
Thunderbird is another one of Mozilla’s creations; a messaging application that enhances your email experience. Features tabs, search, archives and add-on support. Its open source and totally secure and not to mention, easy to use.
15. Google Chrome
Google Chrome is a fully featured yet functional web browser. With themes and extensions, you can totally transform it to make it your own. Being amazingly fast, plus with a built in Google Search, Chrome is the way to go.
16. Quinn
Quinn is a Tetris mock for Mac! Have fun playing this addicting game on your local network, or with the globe against the highscore database.
17. Inkscape
Inkscape is a free vector graphics editor, similar to Illustrator and Corel Draw that supports many advanced features. Not only is Inkscape open source, but there is a great community behind it that creates articles, tutorials and maintains a gallery for users.
18. AppCleaner
AppCleaner makes it easier to uninstall unwanted apps by removing all small, yet unnecessary files that an application dumps on your system – once you decided it’s time to remove the app. And all it takes is moving the app’s icon to the trash!
19. Seashore
Seashore is a small lightweight graphics editor for Mac OS X; it features gradients, anti-aliasing, textures, layers and alpha channel editing. Seashore is based off of GIMP, yet remains different in many ways.
20. Caffeine
Caffeine is a small, out of the way application that gives you the option of preventing your Mac from going to sleep. Residing in the menu bar – caffeine is always there when you need it.
21. Paparazzi
Paparazzi is a small utility that allows you to generate full-page screenshots of a certain webpage. This app can prove to be very useful for web designers in need of large screenshots.
22. Burn
Burn offers amazingly simple yet powerful disk burning for your Mac. Features include automatic converting, interactive menu creation, custom icons and file permissions.
23. OpenOffice
OpenOffice is a free productivity suite that gives you abilities like word processing, creating spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more!
24. Miro
Miro is an open-source, non profit video player that downloads torrents and podcasts, and plays videos. Designed with HD in mind, Miro is a better way to watch your videos.
25. AppFresh
Now that you’ve downloaded all of these cool apps, AppFresh helps you keep track of updates for all of your applications! osx.iusethis.com functionality as well.
Anything missed? Feel free to share via comments. Which one is your favorite free mac app?
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korax
Posted 117 days ago 22Some of my personal favs
Little Snitch (Firewall Monitor and interceptor)
Sophos (Anti-V)
TextWrangler
Carbon Copy (HD cloner)
HandBrake
DropBox
Skype
VLC
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BiiPiiGii
Posted 476 days ago 18You’re Missing:
-HandBrake
-XLD
-MacTheRipper
David
Posted 485 days ago 17Thanks for the list!
I would also recommend Anxiety for remembering tasks…
Steve
Posted 601 days ago 16Nice list. Here are a couple more to add to the list:
- Kigo Video Converter (video converter)
- Mikogo (for setting up Webinars)
- PhoneGap (iPhone programming)
- Carbon Copy Cloner (backup)
- Mind Node (mind mapping, brainstorming)
- ISOlator (copy CD/DVD as an .iso)
- Fairmount (unencrypt DVD’s for easy drag and drop copy)
- Truecrypt (create hidden, encrypted volumes on your computer)
There are others, but these should be enough to add to the list above for those just looking for new cool apps for the Mac.
Steve
Nina
Posted 649 days ago 15I use ProteMac NetMine (firewall). It monitors and controls all the Internet and network activity of your computer.
http://www.protemac.com/netmine/
dli
Posted 681 days ago 14mmm…thanks fo rinfo, as for me for network monitoring I like to use ProteMac NetMine (protemac.com)
Rénald Casagraude
Posted 688 days ago 13+1 for QuickSilver
kaeinux
Posted 689 days ago 12thanks for the list, great help!!
Hanne
Posted 689 days ago 11One small application you missed is Flux! (http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/) A small program that dims the screen after the sun has gone down. No more getting blended by the screen when turning the computer on in the middle of the night.
sheena
Posted 690 days ago 10Hi, nice useful post!
Just thought i’d add one more item to your list of great mac apps.
Don’t forget to check out Agile Web Solutions “1Password”:
http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password
It’s a fantastic app that can generate strong, unique passwords for you, remember them all, and restore them – all directly in your web browser with the click of one button.
It’s saves me so much time and all i have to remember is one master password. It’s not free but so worth the money!!!
H.
Posted 691 days ago 9Great list!
You should mention Dropbox.
jay
Posted 692 days ago 8There are browser plugins for both Firefox and Chrome that will take full page screenshots (and other options) right from the browser. No need for a separate application that takes up more space and memory.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1146/
Adam Bushman
Posted 692 days ago 7Quicksilver is a must. I can’t remember who said it, but “Every Mac is broken without Quicksilver.”
unknownclubber
Posted 692 days ago 6Thanks … Here’s some other cool apps, enjoy !
Handbrake : DVD ripping tool
Menu Meters : CPU, memory, disk, and network monitoring tool
Vox : A little and simple music player
Max : An application for creating high-quality audio files in various formats, from compact discs or files
Dia : A MS Visio alternative
Quicksilver : A unified, extensible interface for working with applications, contacts, music, and other data
Onyx : A multifunction utility that enables you to verify the startup disk and the structure of its system files…
Dzinepress
Posted 692 days ago 5you giving an useful inspirations about free mac applications.
Christian
Posted 692 days ago 4Hello,
very nice collection.
I think you should add http://peacockmedia.co.uk/integrity/
Very important to check broken links.
Greetings
Christian
wong
Posted 693 days ago 3Sound like it is lots of thing to install once I got my Mac :lol: Miro is one great entertainment.
David Parsons
Posted 693 days ago 2Thank you for the awesome list. I have learned about 2 new apps I have never heard of before!
Conor O'Driscoll
Posted 693 days ago 1Lovely list, thanks!
There are, of course, hundreds of other great apps for free, but here are a couple of my favourites that I couldn’t live without.
Tweetie (Twitter Client)
Notational Velocity (Note-taking App)
NetNewsWire (RSS Reader)
If you’re on the look out for new apps, Bodega is a free app which showcases lots of apps for you to browse and check out what you want. Definitely worth trying.