Excellent Alternatives to Boring Stock Mac Apps
Mac comes with a lot of software. Some of them are awesome, but some of them are too basic. It’s a snag with a lot of default Mac software: it’s simple, but once you want to do something else with it, you’re out of luck. So, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite replacements for the usually workable but generally tedious OS X default software.
It’s worth noting at the start of this post that most of the stock OS X software, including Preview, Archive Utility, Finder, Disk Utility, and Activity Monitor, is fantastic on its own and doesn’t need to be replaced. If the alternatives are not listed below, then the default application is likely to be reliable enough.
Vox instead of iTunes
iTunes for Mac isn’t nearly as buggy as it is on Windows, but it’s still a bit bloated and the interface gets dumber with every release. iTunes includes not only your MP3 files, but also the MP3 store, App Store, movies, and podcasts. Because of this, it tends to be a little sluggish and overkill if you’re just interested in listening to songs. For that we love Vox (free). It’s simple, does nothing but play music, and supports pretty much every file format you can use. Plus, you can integrate it with LastFM and Soundcloud to get more songs. If you want, you can split it even further and use Downcast ($ 9.99) or Pocket Casts ($ 9) for podcasts.
Other alternatives : Sonora (free), Enqueue (free), Tomahawk (free), Spotify (free)
Chrome instead of Safari
Safari has gone through a lot of changes over the years, but it’s still not as feature-rich as Chrome (free). Namely, it doesn’t have such an extensive extension library as Chrome, and you can’t really customize it. Chrome has too many great extensions to list, and it’s powerful enough for you to do whatever you want with it . Plus, if you’re using your Google account, you can sync your browsing history and everything else across devices, just like Safari.
Other alternatives : Firefox (free)
Lin instead of iPhoto
iPhoto is so bad that Apple stopped developing it , but for now, it’s still on the Mac App Store. They supposedly have a replacement on the way, but so far he is dead in the water. But no big deal, the best replacement is Lin ($ 20). It makes it easy to manage your photos with a simple tagging system and is pretty quick to launch. It’s very simple, but what else do you need from an image manager?
Other alternatives : Picasa
Screenflow instead of iMovie
iMovie isn’t exactly bad, but weird. It doesn’t use traditional timeline editing, so it’s tricky to use if you’ve ever edited a video before. Our favorite replacement is Screenflow ($ 99), which is actually for screencasting but also has tons of useful editing features. Screenflow will set you back $ 99, but if you want to do light video editing on your Mac and don’t carry the fancy iMovie interface, you just need to have Screenflow. Screenflow is very easy to use, allows you to place video files by drag and drop, makes it easy to edit and easy to work with regardless of your skill level. Basically, this is what iMovie should be.
Other alternatives: DaVinci Resolve (free)
Science fiction instead of a calendar
Calendar (formerly known as iCal) has finally gotten a major overhaul in Mavericks, but it’s still a little clunky if you just want to add an event or see your day ahead. For that, we love Fantastical ($ 19.99). It puts the calendar on the menu bar where you actually see and use it. You can easily add new events, check any upcoming appointments, and it integrates with reminders to show you whatever you do. At $ 20, it is more expensive than other apps, but it is sold quite often so you can get it pretty cheaply. Plus, $ 20 isn’t too expensive to use every day. However, our choice for iOS is Sunrise , which is great too, but doesn’t really integrate as well into OS X as Fantastical.
Other alternatives : Sunrise (free)
Logic Pro instead of Garageband
Like iMovie, Garageband isn’t all that bad if you’ve never worked with audio software before. It has a lot of tools and effects, and overall it is fun to use. Unfortunately, it’s also simplified to the point that it’s difficult to use if you’ve used an advanced audio editor before. You have a lot to choose from in this market, but for a direct upgrade to Garageband, our pick is Apple’s Logic Pro ($ 199). If you find that Garageband is blocking your audio adventures, this is the smartest update for those familiar with how Garageband does things. Logic makes things easier, but doesn’t block functions.
Other alternatives : Audacity (free)
Airmail instead of mail
For a stock app, Apple Mail isn’t all that bad. If you just send and receive a few emails from time to time, it gets the job done. If you want a little more power and customization, we love Airmail ($ 9.99). It’s fast, lets you customize shortcuts, looks and notifications, and has a pretty robust search engine. If Apple Mail doesn’t do it for you, airmail is the way to go.
Other alternatives: Postbox ($ 9.99), mailbox (free)
iTerm 2 instead of terminal
The terminal is good for what is, but it doesn’t really go beyond the call of duty. But iTerm 2 (free) does support. Besides the fun stuff like visual customization options, iTerm2 also supports split panes for multiple sessions, hotkey windows, killer finder, autocomplete, no-mouse copy, and paste history, which makes the command line much easier to use. Like many of the apps on this list, iTerm lets you use it however you want and customize it to your liking, making it a big improvement over Terminal.
Other alternatives: Terminator (free)
Wunderlist instead of reminders
Wunderlist (free) has long been our favorite Mac app, and the introduction of Reminders with Mavericks has made little difference. Wunderlist syncs across all your devices, lets you share and collaborate on lists, add notes to list items, use tags to add context, and more. These are essentially supercharged reminders and they do a great job of it.
Other alternatives: Clear ($ 9.99), Things ($ 50).
VLC instead of Quicktime
The only real complaint with Quicktime is the lack of built-in codecs for video playback. Heck, you can’t even play most AVI files. Of course, you can look for special codecs with something like Perian to install in Quicktime, or just download VLC. So, for a more comprehensive solution, we like VLC (free). It will play just about any video format you add to it, adjust subtitles, and even play some of those weird audio formats you might have.
Other alternatives: MPlayerX ( free)
Google Docs instead of iWork
The iWork productivity suite, which includes Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, is Apple’s version of Microsoft Office. As you would expect from Apple, they should be simplified, easy-to-use applications that anyone can get started with right away. Keynote isn’t all that bad for creating slideshows, but both Numbers and Pages seem to be getting in the way of actually completing your projects. Luckily, you have a lot to choose from in this arena. The most obvious of these is Google’s version of the productivity suite, Google Docs (free). It has cloud autosave, basic editing functionality, and does the job most of us need without the hassle. If you want a real office suite, you’ll want to use LibreOffice or the full version of Microsoft Office, but if you just need to jot down some simple things quickly, Google Docs is a little more stable and easier to use than iWork.
Other alternatives : LibreOffice (free), Microsoft Office ($ 140).