If you want to see an updated list of the apps I use, check out my /uses page.
Following the end-of-year tradition, here is an updated list of the apps I choose to use for the vast majority of my daily activities on my Mac and iPhone.
Apps that are new compared to last year are marked with the ✨ emoji.
- 📧 Mail service: Fastmail
- 📬 Mail client: Fastmail✨
- I used to use Apple Mail but got tired of its unreliability. Fastmail's iOS app and web client on desktop are close to perfect, really.
- 📆 Calendar: BusyCal✨
- More reliable than Apple Calendar and I love the "Current & Upcoming" widget on iOS. I don't use a lot of the features, but since it's included in Setapp, it's a no-brainer.
- ✅ Tasks: TickTick
- 📝 Notes: Obsidian
- 🌐 Web browser: Vivaldi✨ on Mac, a mix of Vivaldi✨ and Orion✨ on iPhone
- I wrote extensively about my migration from Arc to Vivaldi on the desktop. On mobile, Vivaldi is not as appealing. Orion scratches my need for simpler navigation when I just need to do a quick search.
- 📰 RSS Reader: Reeder✨
- Readwise Reader was great but too expensive. Reeder works pretty well and it's a one-time purchase that I'm pretty happy with.
- 🧮 Code Editor: Windsurf✨
- It's VS Code, but with better integrated AI features. It's very powerful if used correctly, which I like to believe I'm doing.
- 👨🏻💻 Terminal: iTerm 2
- 🔎 Search: Kagi
- ⌨️ Launcher: Raycast
- ☁️ Cloud storage: iCloud
- 🌅 Photo library: iCloud
- 🌤️ Weather: Apple Weather
- 🎙️ Podcasts: Apple Podcasts / YouTube
- 🎶 Music: Apple Music
- 🛹 Clipboard manager: Maccy
- 🔐 Passwords: 1Password
- 💸 Budgeting: YNAB
- 💁🏻♂️ Social: Mastodon
- 🐘 Mastodon: Phanpy✨
- Simply the best social media client ever. Everything is so thoughtfully put together. It's a web app which is great on desktop, slightly less so on mobile (mainly Apple's fault). I made an iOS version of it, which should be launched somewhere soon (just maybe not the App Store).
- 🎮 Gaming: PS5 and Switch
- 🖼️ Screenshots: CleanShot X
Did this blog post change your life? Or maybe I made a mistake that ruined your day? You can always send me an email to tell me about it.