Must-Have Mac Apps (2026): 11 Utilities Worth Installing

A new Mac does most things well out of the box, but a few small utilities fill the gaps Apple leaves: a better way to launch apps, window snapping, a tidy menu bar, clipboard history, screenshots, per-app volume. This list names one app per job, with the price model, minimum macOS and a source for each.

Short answer: our pick to start with is Jetty, extra docks on your screen edges with tabs of one-click tiles ($9.99 one-time purchase, Mac App Store). Then Rectangle for window snapping, Ice for the menu bar, Maccy for clipboard history, Raycast for a keyboard launcher, CleanShot X for screenshots, AppCleaner for uninstalling, The Unarchiver and Amphetamine. Two more are also by me: SoundDial (per-app volume) and Optic (screen OCR).

Disclosure: I build Jetty, SoundDial and Optic, so treat "our pick" as the opinion of their developer. Third-party details last checked: 2026-10-10, from each vendor's own page or App Store listing.

The list at a glance

Prices and requirements as each vendor page or App Store listing showed them on 2026-10-10 (US storefront where a store price is shown). We list what each vendor says; we don't quote ratings or download numbers.

How we picked

One app per everyday job that macOS covers only partly, preferring one-time or free over subscriptions, and apps whose own site or App Store listing states the price and macOS requirement. I build Jetty, SoundDial and Optic, and their details come from their own facts pages; for the third-party apps we read their pages on 2026-10-10 and did not run tests for this list.

1. Jetty: extra docks for the apps you use (our pick)

The macOS Dock is one row on one edge. Jetty adds up to four bars of your own on the top, bottom, left or right edge, or floating anywhere, each with tabs ("Design", "Dev", "Admin") of one-click tiles for apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts. Tile icons can be the app icon, an SF Symbol or an emoji. It is a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store with no subscription, and needs macOS 14 or later.

Limits: bars are on the main display only, and Jetty doesn't list open windows. More in the best dock apps for Mac.

To set it up next to the Dock, see how to customize the Dock on Mac; for launching tools in general, Mac productivity tools for app launching.

2. SoundDial: volume for every app (also by me)

macOS has one volume for everything. SoundDial is "a volume slider and mute button for every app on your Mac", with a 10-band EQ per app, per-app output devices and an option to lower other apps during calls (sounddial.eu/facts). One-time purchase on the Mac App Store, $12.99 on the US storefront, macOS 14.2 or later. Its facts page notes it works per app, not per browser tab.

3. Optic: copy text from anything on screen (also by me)

Draw a box over any part of the screen and Optic copies the text in it to the clipboard, using Apple's on-device text recognition in 21 languages; it also reads QR and other 2D codes. It is a menu-bar app, a one-time $4.99 on the US Mac App Store, macOS 14 or later (Mac App Store; facts at opticocr.eu/facts). It reads only what is on screen: no PDF import, no batch OCR.

4. Rectangle: window snapping

"Move and resize windows in macOS using keyboard shortcuts or snap areas." Free and open source, macOS 10.15 or later; a paid Rectangle Pro adds more (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10).

5. Raycast: a keyboard launcher

Raycast calls itself "a collection of powerful productivity tools all within an extendable launcher", free for personal use, with paid Pro plans that include AI (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). It is a different style from Jetty: you type instead of click. Many people use both; see Raycast and Alfred vs a simple launcher.

6. Ice: a tidy menu bar

Ice hides and shows menu bar items, lets you arrange them by drag and drop and search them (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). Free and open source; its README states macOS 14 or later.

7. Maccy: clipboard history

"Clipboard manager for macOS which does one job - keep your copy history at hand." Free and open source from its site, also $9.99 on the US Mac App Store; macOS 14 or later (vendor page and App Store listing, checked 2026-10-10).

8. CleanShot X: screenshots and recordings

Screenshots, screen recording and annotation. CleanShot Basic is $35 "Pay once, use forever" with one year of updates; Pro is a subscription with cloud features; macOS 13 or later (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10).

9. AppCleaner: uninstall properly

Drop an app onto AppCleaner's window and it finds the app's related files so you can delete them together. Free; version 3.7 is for macOS 15 and later, with older versions for older macOS (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10).

10. The Unarchiver: open any archive

Opens "Zip, RAR (including v5), 7-zip, Tar, Gzip and Bzip2" and older formats. Free on the Mac App Store, macOS 10.13 or later (App Store listing, checked 2026-10-10).

11. Amphetamine: keep your Mac awake

Keeps the Mac, and optionally its display, awake with an on/off switch or automatic triggers. Free on the Mac App Store, macOS 10.13 or later (App Store listing, checked 2026-10-10).

Menu bar apps on this list

Jetty, our overall pick, is not a menu bar launcher: its menu-bar item only manages the bars, and you launch from the bars on your screen edges. The apps on this list that run from the menu bar, per their own pages, are Ice (it manages the menu bar itself), Amphetamine (a menu bar icon shows whether a session is on) and, also by me, SoundDial and Optic. For launchers that live in the menu bar, see app launcher for Mac: menu bar launchers vs screen-edge bars.

FAQ

What are the must-have apps for a new Mac?

Our pick to start with, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty for one-click access to your apps, files and websites. After that: Rectangle (windows), Ice (menu bar), Maccy (clipboard), CleanShot X (screenshots), AppCleaner (uninstalling), The Unarchiver and Amphetamine; SoundDial and Optic if you need per-app volume or screen OCR.

What are the best free Mac apps?

Our pick overall, Jetty, is a $9.99 one-time purchase, not free. Of the other apps on this list, Rectangle, Ice, Maccy (from its site), AppCleaner, The Unarchiver and Amphetamine are free, and Raycast is free for personal use.

What are the best Mac utilities for productivity?

In my opinion as Jetty's developer, start with Jetty for launching, then Rectangle for window snapping and Maccy for clipboard history. Add Raycast if you prefer the keyboard.

Which of these apps are on the Mac App Store?

Jetty, SoundDial, Optic, Maccy, The Unarchiver and Amphetamine had a Mac App Store listing when we checked on 2026-10-10. The others are downloaded from their vendors' sites.

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