What Kinds of Apps should You Have on Your Mac

• Nov 30, 2018
• By George E. Rowe

What is the first thing you will do when you get a new Mac computer? Installing a bunch of apps may be on the list. The built-in apps that come with the macOS system enables you to do some daily operations, but if you wan to use the device with high proficiency, you’d better explore the best suitable apps to meet personalized demands.

So, what apps do you need to install on the new Mac? We make a list of apps that can be used as alternatives to the built-in apps. Read on to see if any of them interest you.

Web Browser – Google, Firefox

Google Chrome: a free, fast web browser developed by Google LLC. Available on Mac App Store. It supports latest web technologies and has a large extension library. If you already have a Google account, you can use it to log in to Chrome browser.

Mozilla Firefox: a free and open-source web browser developed by Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, Mozilla Corporation. Available on Mac App Store. If you value your privacy much and don’t want to share your personal data with Google, Firefox could be a worthy replacement to Chrome and alternative to Safari.

Productivity- Microsoft Office, WPS

Microsoft Office: the latest version is Office 2019 for Mac. As a productivity suite, it includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Available as a one-time purchase for commercial users. If you have to use Windows computer in work or often transfer Office files with others, the Office 2019 for Mac may be a necessity.

WPS Office: a free suit developed by Kingsoft Office Software,Inc. It includes three apps: Writer, WPS Presentation, and WPS Spreadsheet, compatibility with Microsoft Office, Google Docs and OpenOffice. Currently the company offers Alpha version of WPS Office 2019 for Mac users on its website. If you don’t want to pay for Microsoft Office, consider to use this trial as an supplement to Apple’s built-in iWork suit.

Entertainment – Spotify, Popcorn Time

Spotify: a music streaming platform developed by Swedish company Spotify Technology. It provides DRM-protected content from record labels and media companies. The basic features in this platform are free with advertisements or limitations, while the additional features, such as improved streaming quality and music downloads, are offered via paid subscriptions. To download and use the desktop app on your Mac, you need to first register for a Spotify account.

Popcorn Time: a multi-platform software BitTorrent client that provides a free alternative to subscription-based video streaming services such as Netflix. Though it helps users to stream torrents of movies and TV shows for free, it also involves risk. Please note that using this app could be illegal, depending on where you are based.

There are many other apps that could be essential to your Mac, such as Skype in the Communication category, or like Google Drive, VLC and Unarchiver in the Utilities category. To find the suitable apps for your requirements, we suggest you to do a related research and test several similar apps to decide which one is the best.

Then, where can you download the install the apps you want to use on your Mac? There are two reliable sources: the Mac App Store or the app developer’s official website. We suggest you to download apps from these options for security purpose.