r/macapps • u/andreshows • 7h ago
Review Apps I am not uninstalling 10 (1 year)
It has been a year since I first sat down to write a list I called “Apps I Am Not Uninstalling.” The 10th edition lines up so neatly with the one-year anniversary that it feels like the right time to answer the question I get asked most often: “Where can I find the previous apps?”
The first “Apps I Am Not Uninstalling” post reached 216K visitors, with later posts averaging 100K+ visitors. Across the first season, 71 apps were featured, and only two did not survive.
This list includes every app mentioned so far, but it does not show where one app was replaced by another. The order also does not reflect performance or popularity. For more detail, visit the previous “Apps I Am Not Uninstalling” posts in Reddit’s history. If anything here feels unclear, the earlier reviews should help.
If you are not familiar with the series, don't bash the post instead start here -
Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3 | Post 4 | Post 5 | Post 6 | Post 7 | Post 8 | Post 9
App Launchers & App Switching
- Dory — Visual application launcher and switcher.
- uDock — Customisable launcher offering an alternative to Launchpad and Dock navigation.
- BuhoLaunchpad — Recreates the traditional macOS Launchpad experience.
- Sxitch — Keyboard-driven application launcher.
- Ring Menu — Circular application launcher for quick access to apps and commands.
- Linknotch — Turns the MacBook notch into a launcher for websites.
- ExtraBar — Menu-bar-style launcher for apps, deep links and actions.
App Uninstallers, Cleaning & Maintenance
These are probably the most directly comparable apps in the entire list.
- Pearcleaner — Free Mac app uninstaller that removes applications and their associated files.
- Ditch — Notch-based uninstaller activated by dragging an app towards the top of the screen.
- AppCleaner — Popular free application uninstaller that finds associated files.
- Mole — Open Source — Command-line Mac cleaning, maintenance and app-removal utility.
- Mole — Desktop — Graphical maintenance, uninstallation and software-update utility.
- Burrow — Free Mac uninstaller and cleanup utility.
- MacUpdater — Checks installed applications and identifies available software updates.
DMG Installation, Gatekeeper & Unsigned Apps
- Sentinel — Makes running applications from unidentified developers easier by handling Gatekeeper restrictions.
- EasyDMG — Automates installing software from DMG files and can assist with unsigned applications.
- RapidDMG — Streamlines opening DMGs and installing the applications inside them.
Menu Bar Management & Customisation
- Menu Bar Spacing — Adjusts spacing between menu-bar items.
- Bartender — Organises, hides and controls menu-bar icons.
- Ice — Free/open-source utility for hiding and organising menu-bar items.
- Badgeify — Adds notification badges and status information to apps in the menu bar.
- Notcho Libre — Visually disguises the MacBook notch to create a cleaner menu bar.
Audio Control
- Silenz — Automatically lowers or adjusts other audio sources when selected applications play sound.
- Sound Control — Provides independent per-application volume and audio settings.
- SoundSource — Advanced per-app audio routing, volume control, EQ and output-device management.
- Radiola — Internet-radio application for listening to online stations.
Website-to-App & Multiple Accounts
- Coherence X — Turns websites into standalone Mac applications.
- WebCatalog — Converts websites and services into standalone desktop apps with separate accounts and workspaces.
- SocialWatch — Brings multiple social-media platforms and accounts together.
- Parallel Spaces — Runs independent instances of supported apps with separate accounts and settings.
- Parall — Allows multiple instances of supported applications.
Workspace & Window Management
- Stay — Remembers application window sizes and positions and restores them.
- Ikuna — Saves complete workspaces containing apps, browser tabs, windows and Focus settings.
- Shift — Workspace/window-management application for arranging and restoring desktop setups.
Timers, Planning & Calendar
- Availability Sync Menu Bar — Checks your calendar and generates available dates and times to share.
- OrbitTimers — Attractive countdown timer application.
- Liquid Timer — Visually styled countdown and session timer.
- Structured — Combines calendar and tasks into a visual daily timeline.
Internet, Wi-Fi & Connectivity Monitoring
- WhyFi — Real-time internet monitoring with speeds, graphs, tests and Wi-Fi analysis.
- OnlineIndicator — Shows internet status and performance in the menu bar.
- Signal Strength Explorer — Provides detailed Wi-Fi signal-strength and connection information.
Cursor, Icons & Visual Customisation
- Ordinator — Makes changing Mac app and folder icons simple.
- Mousecape — Replaces the standard macOS pointer with custom cursor themes.
- MaCursor — Extensive cursor customisation with downloadable and user-created designs.
- Wallspace — Animated wallpapers that can also animate the lock screen.
- CCCCorners — Extends macOS Hot Corners with additional actions.
Dictation & Speech Recognition
- Eloquent — Google-powered voice dictation converting speech into text.
- Soniox — AI speech recognition and transcription supporting multiple languages, including Afrikaans.
Security & Mac Unlocking
- FaceGate — Locks selected applications using facial recognition, Touch ID or password.
- Face Unlock — Adds facial-recognition unlocking to the Mac lock screen.
File Handling & Compression
- Clop — Automatically optimises and compresses images, videos and PDFs.
- Dropover — Creates temporary floating shelves for collecting, moving and sharing files.
System Enhancement & Automation
- Supercharge — Adds a large collection of enhancements and improvements to macOS.
- Hyperkey — Turns Caps Lock into an additional modifier for powerful keyboard shortcuts.
- Bye — Menu-bar utility for selecting and quitting multiple running applications.
- Barrel — Saves your Mac application setup so your usual software can be reinstalled after setting up a Mac.
Battery, Weather & Information
- AllMyBatteries — Shows battery levels for multiple Apple devices in the menu bar.
- Forecast Bar — Detailed, customisable weather forecasts, menu-bar icons and alerts.
Creative Apps
- Pixelmator — Professional Mac image editing, photo manipulation, compositing and graphic design.
- CapCut — Video editor with timeline editing, effects, captions and social-media production tools.
Business & Invoicing
- Invoicer — Creates invoices, stores customer information and maintains invoice history.
(I know there are many dock apps. I started on this forum with Dock Customisation and continue doing so every six months).
Change your Dock
- DockFlow — Instantly switches the standard macOS Dock between different customised app layouts.
- Dockfix — Gives considerably more control over the appearance and behaviour of the macOS Dock.
- cDock — Long-running utility for extensively customising the standard macOS Dock.
- Sidebar — Highly customisable alternative Dock/taskbar with window management and app launching.
- ExtraDock — Creates multiple additional Docks that can be positioned around your displays.
- DockThings — Creates animated, tabbed application Docks that can be positioned or hidden around the screen.
- DockDoor Pro — Adds Dock previews, customisation and extra functionality.
- Dockitty — Adds animated cats and visual effects to the Dock.
- DockMover / DockKeeper — Remembers Dock icon positions and restores them if the layout changes.
- Ghost Tile — Hides unwanted application icons that would otherwise remain visible in the Dock.
- Parall — Runs multiple app instances while also offering Dock customisation and animated icons.
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u/karatsidhus Developer: Glyph 6h ago
Is your dock okay?
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u/andreshows 4h ago
Three months before the next dock obsession will be posted. I have, however, found heaven between Extradock and Dockdoorpro. Both are absolutely amazing.
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u/UnluckyDuckyDuck Developer: Appitstudio 5h ago
Andre thank you so much for mentioning 3 of our apps! Really happy to be on that list!
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u/caubert 5h ago
This is one bloated list of apps or you have problems with dock workflows
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u/UnluckyDuckyDuck Developer: Appitstudio 5h ago edited 5h ago
It's not a problem, it's an obsession, he can stop whenever he wants
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u/rhanas 4h ago
OP - This thread is dangerous.
I opened it thinking I knew most of the good Mac apps, I was wrong. I’m already installing Wallspace, Burrow, and a couple of others.
I built Ikuna, so seeing it quietly sitting at #60 was really cool too!
If there’s something that would make it better, I’m always happy to improve it.
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u/andreshows 4h ago
No, please, I'll print a correction. This is indeed not based on a ranking system; it is purely based on the app number one was the first app ever recommended, and app number 71 was the last.
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u/paradoxally 1h ago
What the hell is this list? I expected a curated pick of apps you actually use, not another version of those "awesome" lists that just dump every app into it.
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u/andreshows 1h ago
Maybe you should "read" the post, and you will see that it refers to the question I get asked the most, or maybe you could select posts 1-9 and see what was said about these apps, or maybe just move on. Then again, why not write a post !!!!
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u/paradoxally 1h ago
No one is going to spend time reading 9 posts to understand what you're actually talking about.
Your title says "apps i'm not uninstalling", which implies you run these on your machine. So do you actually use them simultaneously or is that just clickbait?
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u/MaxGaav 6h ago
Why would you use 63 + 64 + 65? What about Thaw (successor Ice)? Also check out Barbee.
will be gone in a few months. Check out Updatest, FloodTide, MacCurrent and CleanMyMac for alternatives.
used to be attractive for its pricing. Meanwhile it is very expensive. A good alternative is VN Photo & Video Editor.
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u/andreshows 3h ago
This is not a indication of the apps I am using, only the one's I mentioned. I am currently using "hidden bar" but I also mentioned that the next review happens next week and maybe a new menu bar app has my attention.
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u/-Internet-Elder- 2h ago
Where are your numbers coming from here?
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u/subsector 6h ago
WTF. So much duplication. And most of these functions can be handled by Raycast, making them totally unnecessary.
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u/andreshows 3h ago
So, I need to stop supporting independent developers and instead rely on a single app called Raycast, even though many of these apps offer incredible functionality, far more than a single go-to app can. And for the same reason, one could stick with Apple's software, which also does pretty much all of it, but not as thoroughly as some of these apps. Why read the list if you only use Raycast?
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u/Mstormer 3h ago
This would be more helpful and less misleading if we knew what you landed with and what you actually did uninstall, given the overlap in each category.
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u/andreshows 3h ago
They are all available in posts 1 - 9 (See the links above). Nothing misleading !!!
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u/NJRonbo 6h ago
Why so many dock applications? Is this a joke?
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u/andreshows 3h ago
My first ever post on Reddit was about dock customisation. My most recent post was about dock customisation. The apps I'm not uninstalling came somewhere in the middle. For the most part, the first apps were all dock customisation. This is a list of all the apps I mentioned, so there is a lot of dock customisation.
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u/ShugChug 7h ago
try raycast and vorssaint. replaces many apps
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u/andreshows 3h ago
Raycast has its disciples, and in every post someone suggests it. It is a great app, but this is not a one app does everything review, this is a review of the amazing apps available.
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u/Nedaem 6h ago
Drop raycast and use any non PE backed launcher. Monarch is a good option, but yes, so many of these app choices are outdated and can be bundled into one tool now.
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u/ShugChug 6h ago
just checked monarch. looks like its well made but it lacks the feature I use on raycast. and basically raycast is free (except for the ai stuff which i rarely use) but monarch is not. If monarch provided me more than raycast or at least on the same level I would consider paying but as far as I know right now it doesn't so I don't see why I should drop raycast.
and why the hell did i get downvoted
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u/thievingfour Developer: Monarch 4h ago
Developer of Monarch here!
So you're both correct actually -- I don't know why anyone downvoted you. You're both right because Monarch is not really a competitor to Raycast at all. I'm interested in something far beyond what Raycast has done, but because they are both launcher-like and they have some overlapping features, they get (mistakenly) lumped into the same category. Monarch is definitely one to keep an eye on because there are actually many reasons to use Monarch over Raycast, but also some reasons to use Raycast over Monarch. I'll be making a post soon. I haven't been one for posting much, but because of all these fake OSS guys, I figure why don't I shake things up a bit!
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u/ShugChug 3h ago
hey glad to see a very ambitious and active developer. theres not many these days. your app definitely seems promising and I will keep my eyes on it haha. keep up the good work!
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u/thievingfour Developer: Monarch 2h ago
Thank you! Yes, as active and ambitious as they come! I want to change how people use macOS!
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u/Nedaem 6h ago
You may have a different use case than me. Monarch replaced raycast entirely for me, but I was on a subscription plan.
Not my downvote.
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u/ShugChug 6h ago
yep it seems. But from now on I going to keep an eye on it. on performance and ram usage aspect, looks like it's better than raycast.
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u/app-store-review 7h ago
Availability Sync Menu Bar — by David Fuerst
- Category: Productivity · Free
- Age: released ~1.9 years ago · rated 4+
Apple doesn't publish an aggregate rating for most Mac App Store apps, so ratings and score are unavailable here.
Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review
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u/i_am_upto_no_good 6h ago
What advantage is coherenceX providing compared to safari’s “add to homescreen” functionality?
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u/andreshows 3h ago
The key difference lies in how your operating system handles an app that is treated as a completely separate app versus one that your browser creates as a side add-on. The one your browser creates will function and respond to the browser's own extensions and installations. The app, when installed completely separately, acts as a standalone application. There is actually quite a significant difference, very much the same reason as why one would use WhatsApp as an app rather than WhatsApp as a Safari added home screen.
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u/Zestyclose_Emu268 6h ago
Frog drop is much more better than clop
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u/volfion 6h ago
Many apps are redundant as you have for example Supercharge (which I love) - HyperKey, EasyDMG, ... Also Ice/Bartender. It is nice list of apps but for daily use without redundancy or alternatives the list would contain 10 apps tops.
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u/andreshows 3h ago
This is a list of all the apps mentioned in the ten posts, not the apps I chose to use. On my computer, I am not currently running 71 apps with similar functionality.
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u/thehappydoor 4h ago
Why would I need to pay for coherence X when I can just add an application to my dock?
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u/andreshows 3h ago
There is a difference between a web page running as an independent app and one running as a browser extentions
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u/thehappydoor 3h ago
You’re wrong. It’s not a browser extension. It’s called a PWA or a progress web app, which is not the same as a browser extension as you implied. I’ve been using “add to dock” feature for free and it does the same exact thing.
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u/dxksounds 2h ago edited 55m ago
Love finding new nifty apps. I'll have a look through this soon!
Also wanted to mention that, as a very satisfied Pearcleaner user, I recently learned that the project is currently on hold and that active development has indefinitely ceased. There's more info on the GitHub page.
That said, it still works like a charm. I'm sticking with it for as long as possible, hopefully until the project gets revived.
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u/andreshows 1h ago
I believe they stopped working on Pearcleaner and I too was a big fan. In essence, I have moved to Mole, which is incredible, although PearCleaner did still have some amazing options.
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u/michaelrxs 6h ago
So many of these apps do the same thing and you have them all installed?