Adobe's just put Lightroom in the Mac App Store, marking a new era for the creative professional software vendor. Also, macOS Catalina is introducing a new set of Mac apps that come straight from. The basic purpose of this must have apps for Mac OS X guide is to help you in selecting some of the best apps for Mac and installing them on your Mac system. So, if you have just got yourself a brand-new Mac and totally clueless what to install, this must have Mac apps article is absolutely perfect for you. If your Mac is brand new, you probably don’t have too many icons hanging out in the menu bar in the top-right corner of the screen. That changes over time as you install more software. You might find rather quickly that not all additions to the menu bar are useful or welcome.

Sudo apt install htop Debian sudo apt-get install htop Arch Linux sudo pacman -S htop Fedora sudo dnf install htop OpenSUSE sudo zypper install htop. Using Htop is quite intuitive. To start it up, write htop in the terminal. Once the app is launched, you’ll have instant access to all sorts of system information for your Linux machine. The best part about this Mac utility is that it works on all the apps (at least on all the apps that I use). All you need to do is hold down on the CMD key while you are using an app and it will pull up all the keyboard shortcuts that the app supports.

Entertainment

At the mention of what your Macbook is used to do, entertainment accounts for a large proportion, no matter on watching videos/movies, listening to music, editing photograph etc. If there is an absence of the best Mac apps 2020 in entertainment, you will suffer from a obscure and upsetting journey even on your brand new Macbook.

MacX DVD Ripper

If you are ready to turn your DVD collection s into a digital library in iTunes, MacX DVD Ripper is no doubt the best Mac app in 2020 (macOS Big Sur also supported), as Handbrake has issues now that libdvdcss doesn't work with Sierra. It has dozens of great features, like 1:1 copying with original video quality, excellent protection bypass tools (including for region codes and Disney DRM), output DVD to iOS/Android, and batch conversion.

iMovie

With a streamlined design and intuitive editing features, iMovie lets you enjoy your videos and tell stories like never before. Browse your video library, share favorite moments, and create beautiful movies for iMovie 4K editing. Still, it can be treated as the best free app for iPhone iPad, allowing you to start editing movies on an iPhone or iPad, and finish them on a Mac. And when your movie is ready for its big premiere, you can enjoy it on all your devices in iMovie Theater.

MacX Video Converter

Video formats compatibility is always the top issue for video watching on Macbook Pro/Air, iMac etc. MacX Video Converter definitely keeps you away from this by converting 4K HD/SD videos to MP4, AVI, MPEG, FLV, MOV, WMV, MKV, MP3, etc for playback on QuickTime, iPhone, iPad, Android flawlessly and editing with iMovie and Final Cut Pro. Plus, as an essential Mac app (macOS Big Sur supported), it also stands out on downloading video from 1000+ online video sites, recording screen, editing video, etc.

Handbrake

If you're a video connoisseur, or if you're always finding that you have to convert your videos to make them playable (or streamable) to all of your devices, then you're going to want Handbrake on your macOS Sierra, pronto. This is one of the best OS X apps for video conversion and DVD ripping. It's detailed enough to give power users plenty of options to play with, but it's also simple enough in its core functionality that even newbies will be able to figure out how to convert a video with Handbrake. Best of all, it's free.

5KPlayer

5KPlayer is the rising media player app for Macbook in 2020, which plays videos/DVDs in high definition, downloads videos from YouTube or Dailymotion, and even sends them to your TV or big screen through AirPlay. It's much easier than other media players yet still quick and reliable in everything it does. In short, the best free app for macOS is perfect for those who just want to play videos without complications.

VLC

VLC media player is better than Quicktime in nearly every facet that matters, most notably speed and file compatibility. It is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. Here stating as the best free application on macOS, it's also widely regarded as the first DVD player on Macbook Pro/Air, supporting playback of encrypted DVDs (region code, CSS) by using the libdvdcss DVD decryption library.

Spotify

Apple Music isn't for everyone. With Spotify, it's easy to find the right music for every moment on your phone, your computer, your tablet and more. There are millions of tracks on Spotify. So whether you're working out, partying or relaxing, the right music is always at your fingertips. Choose what you want to listen to, or let the free music download app surprise you. You can also browse through the music collections of friends, artists and celebrities, or create a radio station and just sit back.

Photoshop

Photoshop is one of the most comprehensive photo editing apps on Mac now brings you even more creative possibilities. It has professional-quality tools, like advanced color manipulation and 32-bit/64-bit channel editing. It also has dozens of useful features, like multiple editable layers, vector graphics tools, advanced image processing, and retouching and correction masking tools for 2017 MacBook Pro, Air, iMac users to explore and use.

Do you always find yourself browsing the Apple App Store? We’ve got good news. Every new Mac already comes with a built-in Apple App Store, which is pinned to the Dock. That means, in just one click, you will have instant access to thousands of paid and free Mac apps and we know you are excited to visit the App Store. But, before you begin downloading apps, you have to know that Apple has just updated its security settings. So, you need to grant your system access to install certain apps.

If you can’t wait to get started with using your Mac, consider installing these top free Mac apps first:

1. Adium

Do you find it time-consuming to open all your chat accounts every time you open your Mac? Perhaps the developers of Adium felt that, too, which is probably why they created this app.

Adium is a useful communication app that lets you bring together all your chat accounts, including Hangouts, MSN, Messenger, and a lot more, onto a single platform. You can customize it by downloading plug-ins to let you change certain elements such as the interface color and font style.

Once you install Adium, an animated duck icon will live in your Dock. If its color turns to green, it means you have a message. If it holds up an “Away” sign, it’s suggesting that you have set your status to Away.

2. Caffeine

If you have Starbucks, your Mac also has Caffeine. However, unlike Starbucks, it does not cost your Mac a single dollar to stay energized and awake.

When you install this amazing free app, a small coffee cup icon will be created beside your menu bar. If you click on it, your screen will instantly power up, preventing your Mac from entering the sleep mode.

Caffeine is an ideal app for those who enjoy watching movies or love long reads. With this installed on your Mac, you need not keep moving your mouse to keep your computer awake. Simply turn on this app and you are all set.

3. Dropbox

There comes a time when storage becomes an issue on your Mac. Luckily, Dropbox is here to provide our computer with more free storage.

What’s great about this app is that anything saved here can be shared with other individuals. Of course, the owner has to grant permission to them first.

Dropbox is basically a file storage app that you can access locally or through any Wi-Fi enabled device. Although it’s initially free with 2.5 GB of storage space, you have the option to upgrade your account for more storage space.

4. Transmission

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If you often download videos and software, then Transmission is for you. This app is a reliable BitTorrent client that comes with a user-friendly interface and a set of customizable options.

With Transmission, you can queue your downloads and set timers for when to stop or start them. Although it is open source, its developers claim that it does not show any third-party ads nor track its users. Thus, you are secured as you use it.

Since it does not use up a lot of your memory, rest assured it does not slow down your Mac while it’s running. Then again, just to be sure, you might want to install Tweakbit MacRepair. This amazing tool can help optimize your Mac for top performance.

5. VLC

Now, what will you do with all the videos you downloaded using Transmission? Of course, you’ll watch them. That’s where VLC comes in.

There are a plethora of media players nowadays, but nothing beats the versatility of VLC. Not only can it play almost every media file; it can also be customized to match your needs.

Under its surface, there is a wide assortment of features that you might want to take advantage of. You can convert videos into other formats. You can also use it to subscribe to podcasts.

6. Itsycal

The time and date in the menu bar are already very helpful when it comes to keeping up with your schedules and meetings. However, what if we tell you that there is an app you can use to have total control over your appointments?

Itsycal is an interesting app that can be used in place of your Mac’s existing clock. As the name suggests, this app adds a little but useful calendar to the menu bar with a list of your upcoming appointments.

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The next time you want to organize your appointments and meetings, you know what app to use. Don’t worry. It will not cost you anything to get this app!

7. Evernote

Evernote remains unbeatable among all note-taking apps, and there’s a good reason behind it. This app is easy to use. You can also organize your notes quickly and easily. In addition, it syncs with almost any web-based service you can think of.

And because it is one of the widely used apps today, it’s not surprising why its developers created numerous browser add-ons and extensions that support it.

While Evernote is initially free with basic functionalities and about 60MB of uploads allowed per month, you can upgrade your service to a premium version to enjoy more features.

8. Spotify

If Apple Music isn’t for you, you can try Spotify. It’s the best alternative for those who want to try what’s outside the Apple realm.

Spotify grants you access to its whole music catalog, allowing you to search for and listen to artists, albums, and tracks at no cost at all.

If you want, you can also create your own playlists based on your music preferences. Spotify has every song genre you can think of – hip-hop, acoustic, jazz, rock, pop, alternative, and a lot more.

9. SuperPhoto

Do you love taking photos? Is photography your passion? If so, you will need a fun and creative photo app. SuperPhoto is one.

SuperPhoto allows you to experiment with photos and create something very artistic. This app comes with loads of free filters, frames, patterns, brushes, and textures for you to turn ordinary photos into something extraordinary.

Like other apps in this list, SuperPhoto is free to use. But, you can upgrade for a certain fee to access more amazing features.

10. Unarchiver

Have you just made a switch from Windows to macOS? Then you have to ensure all your .zip and .rar files work perfectly on your Mac. Relax. It’s no big deal as long as you have Unarchiver installed on your Mac.

Best Apps To Install On Macbook Pro

As its name implies, Unarchiver lets you open any .zip or .rar file in less than a minute. Not to mention, this app also supports a wide array of file formats that need extracting. Isn’t that good news?

Best Free Mac Apps

Unarchiver is totally free to use. All you have to do is download the app from the official website.

Conclusion

Mac has no shortage of interesting, useful, and free Apps. Unfortunately, we can’t include all of them on this list. If your favorite free Mac app is not here, let us know in the comments section. We’d like to know why you love it!