Mac Productivity Tools for App Launching: A Short Guide

Productivity lists usually cover task managers and notes. App launching rarely gets a mention, yet you do it many times a day. This is a short guide to the kinds of tools that help, with our pick first and one line on each of the others.

Short answer: the best app for launching a fixed set of apps with one click, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty: it adds up to four docks to your screen edges, each with tabs of tiles for apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts. It is a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store and needs macOS 14 or later.

Disclosure: I build Jetty.

Our pick, with the reasons

Jetty is our pick because it is built for one job: keeping the things you open every day visible and grouped.

• Bars sit on a screen edge (top, bottom, left or right) or float where you drag them.
• Each bar has tabs, so you can keep "Work" and "Home" apart.
• Every tile opens one item with one click.
• It is a one-time purchase with no account, and your layout is stored in one local file.

What it does not do: there is no search, no key to open a bar, no window previews and no running-app indicators. Bars sit on the main screen. The menu-bar item lists your bars; launching happens from the bars. It does not replace the macOS Dock.

Other ways to launch apps

Each line is a neutral definition. Check each tool's own site for current features and pricing.

• The Dock (built into macOS): a row of pinned and running apps. Control-click an icon, choose Options, then Remove from Dock to trim it. See how to remove apps from the Dock.
• Spotlight (built into macOS): type an app name and press Return.
• Launchpad (on macOS 15 and earlier) and the Apps view (macOS 26 Tahoe): a grid of installed apps. See what replaced Launchpad in Tahoe.
• Raycast: a keyboard launcher.
• Alfred: a keyboard launcher.
• LaunchBar: a keyboard launcher.
• uBar: a taskbar-style replacement for the Dock.
• Alternatives to Dock-style apps: see our pages on DockThings alternatives and uBar alternatives.

For a fuller comparison of Dock-style apps, read our guide to Dock apps for Mac.

How to choose

• You like typing. A keyboard launcher or Spotlight is a natural fit.
• You like to see your apps. Pick the Dock or a bar of tiles.
• You open the same set daily. A grouped bar saves searching; see how to keep apps grouped by project.
• You want several apps in one click. Build a shortcut in Apple's Shortcuts app and add a Shortcut tile in Jetty to run it, as covered in launching app groups on Mac.

A launcher pairs well with your task and notes tools. You can put them on the same tab as the apps they go with, so they are as easy to open as the work.

Also by me, and a different job from launching: Optic is a menu bar app that copies the text in any area you drag across the screen and reads QR codes shown on screen. For a broader list of utilities, see must-have Mac apps.

How we checked

Jetty's details on this page were checked against the app's source code and its App Store listing on 2026-10-10 and are collected on the facts page; I build Jetty. For built-in macOS steps, Apple's Mac User Guide is the reference for your version of macOS.

FAQ

What is a good way to launch apps on a Mac?

Our pick, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty: bars of one-click tiles on your screen edges. If you prefer typing, Spotlight and keyboard launchers suit that style; the Dock is the built-in option for clicking.

Do I need a launcher if I have Spotlight?

Not necessarily. Spotlight finds any app by name. A bar helps if you want a fixed set visible and grouped without typing.

Is Jetty a replacement for Raycast or Alfred?

No, they work differently. Those are keyboard launchers, and Jetty is a click-to-launch bar with no search. You can use both.

How much does Jetty cost?

It is a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, with no subscription.

What are the best Mac productivity apps?

For launching, our pick, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty. For the rest of a productive setup (window snapping, clipboard history, screenshots, a tidy menu bar), see our list of must-have Mac apps, which names one app per job with its price model and minimum macOS.

Get Jetty on the Mac App Store. $9.99 one-time purchase, macOS 14 or later.