Apple Mail (macOS)β β β β βNo-nonsense but full-featured email application for macOS that works well with multiple IMAP accounts and Gmail.
Arc (Web Browser)β β β ββAn interesting experiment in finding different ways to use the web, on the idea that people donβt want to use it more, they want to use the web less to accomplish what they want.
BBEditβ β β β β Text editor for macOS thatβs powerful enough to handle multi-megabyte files and still light enough to jot down notes.
Brave (Web Browser)β β βββA privacy-focused browser, but for every cool privacy feature thereβs something else that makes me want to firewall the application away from my system.
Dillo (Web Browser)β β β β βUltra-minimalist and super-fast browser for web documents (not applications). You wonβt be logging into Gmail with it, but itβll load a Wikipedia article incredibly fast.
Firefoxβ β β β βI still have a soft spot for Firefox. At times itβs been the best web browser on Windows and Linux. Itβs still good, has a solid extension ecosystem, and serves as an important bulwark against one company dominating browser tech.
Fluent Readerβ β β ββA simple, no-nonsense, modern-looking RSS/Atom newsfeed reader for Windows, Mac and Linux. Optionally sync with multiple services, but Iβve had issues with Nextcloud.
Google Chromeβ β β ββThere was a time when Chrome was the fastest web browser available. It isnβt anymore, and over the last few years itβs felt less like a user agent and more like a Google agent.
iCabβ β β ββThis macOS-only WebKit browser is just OK, but with so many other browsers trying to grab your attention and data, sometimes βjust OKβ is what you want.
Jellyfinβ β β β β Great for playing music across my local network, doesnβt phone home to a cloud or try to upsell subscriptions.
KeePass Password Managersβ β β β β KeePassXC, its browser extension, and KeePass2Android are a nice, clean set of apps to manage your passwords on your OWN desktop and mobile devices, auto-fill websites and apps, and sync over your own server or cloud provider.
Kristallβ β β β βCross-platform desktop browser for the small internet, including Gemini, Gopher and Finger. A little faster than Lagrange, but fewer features and hasnβt been updated in a while.
Lagrangeβ β β β β Lagrange quickly became my favorite Gemini client on the desktop with its clean and convenient UI, stability and speed across platforms. And the mobile version works well too.
LibreWolfβ β β β βCustomized Firefox, with an eye toward security and privacy. Follows the stable release channel. Works well most of the time, but privacy features can break some sites.
Manyverseβ β β β βTakes the pain out of setting up and running SSB. Unfortunately it doesnβt overcome SSBβs inherent challenges of discovery, data size or multiple devices. (So far?)
Microsoft Edgeβ β β ββOnce you turn off all the Microsoft specials, it feels usable again β but then, itβs just another Chromium skin.
NetNewsWireβ β β β β Clean, stable, fast, free, no-clutter and no-nonsense RSS/Atom newsfeed reader for macOS and iOS.
Opera (Web Browser)β β β ββOpera used to be one of my favorite browsers back in the day, but its current incarnation just doesnβt appeal to me. I much prefer Vivaldi, which is a spiritual successor to the original.
RSS Guardβ β β β βA solid cross-platform feed reader that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Extremely capable and customizable. Syncs with multiple services.
Thunderbird (Email and Calendar)β β β β β Stable, capable desktop email application, works well with multiple accounts including Gmail, Nextcloud, easy to set up and use but with advanced settings when you need them. FLOSS.
Tor Browserβ β β β βWhen you really want (or need) to stay private while using the web, Tor is the way to go. Just keep the drawbacks in mind when you do.
Vivaldi (Web Browser)β β β β β Spiritual successor to the original Opera browser, this ultra-customizable web browser can open into a full suite for email, calendar, feeds and more β but only if you want it to.
VMWare Fusionβ β βββVMWare Fusion worked great on my Intel-based MacBook for work for years. But since Broadcom bought the company, I canβt even find it.
Waterfoxβ β β β βA Firefox fork aimed at improved performance and privacy, without sacrificing usability. Also available on Android.
Wine and Crossoverβ β β β βTHE major compatibility tool for Windows apps on Linux or macOS, including SteamOS. And a commercial distribution with installers and support.