The Best Free MacOS Apps Every User Should Install in 2025

Getting a new Mac is an exciting experience. The hardware is sleek, and macOS is a powerful and intuitive operating system right out of the box. But the default apps only take you so far. To truly unlock your Mac’s potential, you need to supplement it with great software—and thankfully, some of the best apps out there won’t cost you a dime.

As someone who spends all day on a Mac, I’ve tested countless applications. Many are paid, and many are free, but only a select few free apps have become so essential to my workflow that I’d recommend them to every user. This isn’t just a random list; it’s a curated collection of genuinely useful tools that will improve how you work, manage files, and stay organized.

Essential Productivity and Organization Apps

Let’s start with the tools that help you get things done. These apps are designed to streamline your daily tasks, from managing notes to keeping your schedule on track.

Rectangle: The Window Manager You Need

If you’ve ever felt clumsy trying to arrange application windows on your screen, you need Rectangle. While macOS has some basic window-snapping features, they’re limited.

Rectangle allows you to effortlessly snap windows to halves, quarters, or specific corners of your screen using simple keyboard shortcuts. It’s an open-source tool that brings a level of window management to the Mac that rivals, and in some ways surpasses, what’s available on Windows. It’s lightweight, easy to learn, and completely transforms your multitasking abilities.

• Get it here: Rectangle Official Website

Obsidian: Your Second Brain

Forget simple note-taking apps. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that runs on top of a local folder of plain text files. What makes it special is its ability to create links between your notes, forming a web of connected thoughts.

It’s perfect for students, writers, researchers, and anyone who wants to organize their ideas in a more dynamic way. While it has powerful features, you can start simple and grow into it. Since your data is stored locally in Markdown files, you’re never locked into a proprietary ecosystem.

• Get it here: Obsidian Official Website

LibreOffice: A Full-Fledged Office Suite

You don’t need to pay for Microsoft Office or a Microsoft 365 subscription. For the vast majority of users, LibreOffice is a more than capable alternative. It’s a powerful and free office suite used by millions around the world.

It includes applications for word processing (Writer), spreadsheets (Calc), presentations (Impress), and more. It’s compatible with all major Microsoft Office file formats, so you can easily collaborate with others.

• Get it here: LibreOffice Official Website

Powerful System Utilities to Enhance macOS

These utilities work in the background to make your Mac faster, more efficient, and easier to use. They handle the little things that add up to a much better user experience.

AppCleaner: The Right Way to Uninstall Apps

Did you know that dragging an application to the Trash often leaves behind preference files, caches, and other support files scattered across your system? AppCleaner is a small utility that finds all these related files and deletes them along with the application.

Using it is simple: just drag and drop an app onto the AppCleaner window. It will find all the associated files and let you delete them with a single click. It’s the clean and correct way to remove software from your Mac.

• Get it here: Freemacsoft AppCleaner

The Unarchiver: Open Any Compressed File

While macOS can handle standard .zip files, you’ll eventually run into other formats like RAR, 7z, Tar, or Gzip. The Unarchiver is a must-have utility that can open virtually any archive format you throw at it. It’s fast, efficient, and integrates seamlessly into the Finder. Once installed, you can just double-click a compressed file, and it will extract it for you.

• Get it here: The Unarchiver on the Mac App Store

VLC Media Player: Plays Everything

VLC is legendary for a reason. It’s a free and open-source cross-platform multimedia player that plays almost any video or audio file without the need for additional codecs. If QuickTime Player can’t open a media file, VLC almost certainly can. It also supports subtitles, streaming, and a host of advanced features if you need them. It’s a reliable and indispensable tool.

• Get it here: VideoLAN VLC Official Website

Creativity and Media Tools at No Cost

Whether you’re a casual creator or need to perform a quick edit, these free tools provide powerful features that often rival expensive paid software.

GIMP: The Ultimate Free Image Editor

For those who need more power than the built-in Preview app but don’t want to pay for a Photoshop subscription, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the answer. It’s a high-quality, open-source image editor that’s packed with professional-level features.

You can use it for photo retouching, image composition, and creating graphics. While it has a steeper learning curve than simpler editors, its capabilities are unmatched in the free software world.

• Get it here: GIMP Official Website

HandBrake: The Go-To Video Converter

HandBrake is an open-source tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs. Whether you need to shrink a large video file to save space, convert a file for a specific device, or embed subtitles into a video, HandBrake can do it all. It offers a wealth of presets for quick conversions and deep customization for advanced users.

• Get it here: HandBrake Official Website

Final Thoughts: A Foundation for Success

The apps on this list represent a powerful starting point for any Mac user. By installing these tools, you’re not just getting free software; you’re adopting a more efficient and capable workflow. You get a system that’s better at multitasking, organizing information, and handling a wide variety of file types without having to spend a single dollar. Explore them, integrate them into your routine, and enjoy your supercharged Mac.