In this post, we focus on five free productivity apps in the Mac App Store that offer plenty of value. You’ll see that not only are these free productivity Mac apps useful, they’re just as good as paid alternatives – and in some cases, arguably even better.
Why Using a Free Productivity App on Your Mac Is a Smart Move
Given how the modern world is so connected, it stands to reason that we’re all using our devices more. In addition, it’s not uncommon to find yourself switching between devices throughout the day, depending on your task. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, you’ll likely jump between iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and even desktop machines. Tying everything together is an important undertaking. Overall, Apple does a great job of helping you stay on its devices. Free productivity apps can actually help this transition, especially where they use cloud-based storage. As such, you can create a to-do list on your phone and sync it with your Mac Mini when you’re back at the desk. Even without this connectivity, your task list could potentially always be in your pocket, ready for action.
Best Productivity Apps in the Mac App Store
We’ve featured five free productivity apps here, although there are plenty more to choose from. What’s more, the majority have premium tiers that extend the functionality further. If this is relevant for an app, we mention it. Without further ado, on with the list!
1. Alfred
First is an app we’ve featured previously. Alfred is an awesome app launcher and search tool that can take the place of Spotlight. It lets you carry out the same tasks you would with Spotlight and adds extra features on top. For example, you can launch webpages from Alfred itself and even run apps such as the Terminal, system commands, and more. You’re also able to fire up Apple Music directly from Alfred. With a premium purchase, the feature set is expanded even further.
2. Noted.
Next up, Noted. is a way to combine two of Apple’s great apps in one package. It enables you to take notes while recording audio, but the functionality doesn’t stop there. Everything you type is time-stamped, so for long meetings or lectures, you can wind through the recording and find exact points of reference. In addition, you can dictate to Noted., and it transcribes the audio into text. The premium version offers a low monthly or annual price and lets you export notes to PDF, improve the audio quality, and more.
3. Flow – Focus & Pomodoro Timer
For the uninitiated, the Pomodoro Technique is a way to maintain your focus while working. You manage long tasks by breaking up the time into 25-minute chunks and taking regular breaks. The Flow app is a minimal Pomodoro timer that doesn’t distract you. You’re able to set a custom duration for those times when 25 minutes isn’t ideal and also block apps that you may be tempted to open during your sessions. The latter is available in the premium edition, that has a very cost-effective lifetime price.
4. G App Launcher
The G App Launcher is obtained through the Mac App Store but isn’t a desktop app itself. It’s a Safari Extension that lets you launch any Google-based service from the Safari App Launcher. You’re able to define the apps featured in the launcher and also search the entire list for an alternative way to find your app. What’s more, you’re not restricted to adding Google apps either – practically any link can be added through G App Launcher’s “Add Custom Shortcut” button.
5. Todoist
Finally, we have arguably one of the most robust and well-made free productivity apps on the Mac App Store. Todoist is a full-featured to-do list, calendar, and more. In fact, it’s more of a project management platform, given the functionality available. You’re able to share practically any element within Todoist, which makes collaboration easy. What’s more, it’s tightly integrated with macOS’s Share extension, Today widget, and more. The premium version ramps up the functionality to provide trend reports, file uploads, and much more.
In Summary
Increasing your productivity lets you do more tasks and frees up your time for the fun stuff. As such, being able to rely on free productivity apps for your Mac is not only time-saving – it’s cost-effective too. Meanwhile, you should also check out some productivity apps for iOS. Do you use any of these free productivity apps on your Mac, and if not, what’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below!
