The best productivity apps for Mac in 2026

The best productivity app for Mac is the one that removes a small annoyance you hit fifty times a day, then gets out of the way. Here are the ones we’d install on a new MacBook, grouped by the job they do.

The rule we used

Each app does one thing well, runs light in the background, and doesn’t need a weekend of setup. If an app wants to become your whole workflow, it isn’t on this list.

Find and launch: Raycast

A faster Spotlight. Open apps, search files, do maths, convert units and run quick commands from one shortcut. The free tier covers almost everyone.

Arrange windows: Rectangle

Snap windows to halves, thirds and corners with shortcuts or by dragging to an edge. Free and open source. macOS now has basic tiling too, but Rectangle is quicker to drive from the keyboard.

Switch windows: AltTab

Brings Windows-style window switching to the Mac, with previews of every window, not just every app. Free.

Clipboard history: Maccy

Keeps what you’ve copied and lets you paste it again from a small searchable list. Free and open source. (peeq also keeps today’s copies in the notch, if you’d rather not add another app.)

Screenshots: CleanShot X

The power tool for screenshots: scrolling capture, annotation, cloud links, GIFs. Paid. If you only need to copy, save or mark up a screenshot quickly, macOS’s own tools plus peeq’s notch preview are enough.

A tidy menu bar: Ice

Hides the menu bar icons you rarely need, which matters on a MacBook because the notch swallows icons that don’t fit. Free and open source; Bartender is the paid alternative. More in our guide to menu bar icons hidden behind the notch.

Keep it awake: Amphetamine

Stops your Mac sleeping during a download, a presentation or a long render. Free on the Mac App Store.

Tasks: Things

A calm, well-designed to-do app that doesn’t turn into project management. Paid, one-time. Apple’s Reminders is a good free option.

Notes: Obsidian

Plain Markdown files on your own disk, linked together. Free for personal use. Apple Notes is fine if you don’t need links.

Before a call: Hand Mirror

Click the menu bar and see your camera before you join a meeting. Free.

The notch: peeq

Your MacBook’s notch is dead space. peeq turns it into a quiet home for the few things you check all day: what’s playing, an incoming call, a message you can answer, a timer, the screenshot you just took and a file on its way somewhere. No widgets, no dashboard. It uses almost no CPU at idle.

How to choose

• Install one app at a time, and only for an annoyance you can name.
• Prefer apps that live in the background over apps you have to open.
• After two weeks, delete anything you forgot was there.

Get early access to peeq — free during the beta, for MacBooks with a notch on macOS 15 or later.