23 Must Have Mac Apps

Mac OS X doesn’t quite well match up to the popularity of windows when it comes to software. There are millions of softwares for windows but there are hardly thousands for a Mac. But when it comes to quality and functionality of Mac Softwares they beat their windows counterparts hands down. Here is a list of Mac Apps that is a must have for anybody who wants to make their Mac usage all the more fun and productive..

• Adium

Adium is a free instant messaging application for Mac OS X that can connect to AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo, GTalk and more.




• Dockables

group of applications that allows you to do routine tasks such as shutting down, restarting, sleeping, and ejecting cds – all through the dock. To start and run the applications, you just have to drag them to the dock, where ever you like. When you wish to perform a task, just click and the ask will be performed.




• Transmit

Transmit is an FTP client for Mac OS X and Mac OS Classic (which is unsupported). Developed by Panic, Transmit is shareware – after a 15 day trial period, some features of the product are disabled ntil it has been purchased.




• Azureus

Azureus is a Java-based BitTorrent client, with support for I2P and Tor anonymous communication protocols. The core developers of Azureus have formed a company called Azureus, Inc




• VLC media player

- It is a free cross-platform media player
- It supports a large number of multimedia formats, without the need for additional codecs
- It can also be used as a streaming server, with extended features (video on demand, on the fly transcoding




• Show Desktop

Show Desktop is a small OS X application that will hide all applications and shows the desktop when clicked. It can run in the menu bar or the dock depending on your preference. Furthermore, shift-clicking on the icon will show all applications for quick access. Show Desktop can also be configured with an exclusion list for more precise user control.




• StuffIt Expander

STUFFIT EXPANDER expands all your compressed and encoded files!

- Access any file, download, or attachment!
- Scan your compressed or encoded files for viruses!
- NEW! StuffIt now allows you to open Zip archives encrypted using the 256bit AES method!
- Always FREE! Expander never nags you for payment!




• Quicksilver

When opened, it will create a catalog of applications and some frequently used folders and documents. Activate it, and you can search for and open anything in its catalog instantly. The search is adaptive, so Quicksilver will recognize which items you are searching for based on previous experience. It also supports abbreviations, so you can type entire words, or just fragments of each. When not in use, Quicksilver vanishes, waiting for the next time you summon it.




• Firefox

The award-winning Web browser is now faster, more secure, and fully customizable to your online life. With Firefox 2, we’ve added powerful new features that make your online experience even better.




• Dock-It

Dock-It is a multifunctional dock and Finder enhancer for the Mac OS X operating system. We decided to take a different path in regards to Dock-Its feature set. Many of our competitors clutter their offerings. Dock-It is simple and to the point. It has everything one would look for in a dock application and nothing else. The end result is an easy to use, yet powerful alternative to the competition.




• iBackup

iBackup is a simple to use backup/restore utility. iBackup supports scheduled backups of files, folders and applications. Further, it uses plugins to backup your settings like the dock, deskop picture, time, firewall, bluetooth and other system preferences. It is also able to backup Application Settings.




• Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop for Mac enables you to run Windows, Linux, and more side-by-side with Mac OS X on any Intel-powered Mac, without rebooting. With Parallels’ award-winning virtualization technology, you can run Mac OS X and your favorite Windows applications at the same time. You can even drag-and-drop files between desktops!




• AppZapper

AppZapper is for people who want to confidently try new apps while knowing they can uninstall them easily. Drag one or more unwanted apps onto AppZapper and watch as it finds all the extra files and lets you delete them with a single click.




• Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, cross-platform e-mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a web browser. Just as Firefox aims to redefine the web browser, Thunderbird is a refinement of the mail and news interface.




• Highlight

Based on a professional experience as a teacher, here comes Highlight, a small and simple piece of software that allows you to put an invisible drawing sheet on top of whatever is on your screen, and offers basic drawing capabilities : the missing link between you and your audience is here!




• Growl

Growl is a notification system for Mac OS X: it allows applications that support Growl to send you notifications.Notifications are a way for your applications to provide you with new information, without you having to switch from the application you’re already in.




• MacTheRipper

MacTheRipper is a free DVD ripper (extractor) for Mac OS X. It can extract commercial DVD movies to your hard drive, minus all the copy protections and region controls put in place by DVD publishers. You can then use various tools to burn the movie back to DVD-R for use in DVD players, or convert the movie to different formats for playback with a variety of devices.




• NeoOffice

NeoOffice is a full-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and drawing programs) for Mac OS X. Based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, NeoOffice has integrated dozens of native Mac features and can import, edit, and exchange files with other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office.




• Caffeine

Caffeine is a tiny program that puts an icon in the right side of your menu bar. Click it to prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep, dimming the screen or starting screen savers.




• On The Job

On The Job is an unobtrusive, easy to use time tracker. It’s not bloated with features you’ll never use, yet it’s powerful enough to handle all of your time tracking needs. On The Job is perfect for anyone billing by the hour.




• OnyX

It allows you to run misc tasks of system maintenance, to configure some hidden parameters of the Finder, Dock, Dashboard, Exposé, Safari, Login window and of some of Apple’s own applications, to delete caches, to remove a certain number of files and folders that may become cumbersome, to see the detailed info of your configuration, to preview various logs and CrashReporter-reports, to check the Preferences files and more.




• Overflow

Overflow is an application designed to quickly launch applications, open documents, or access folders while keeping the size of your dock in check. Anything you want can be added to the Overflow interface, making it accessible through a few simple mouse clicks or keystrokes. The interface is resizable, and fully customizable. Create separate categories for your applications, work files, games, or anything else you want to be able to access quickly. After using Overflow, we think you’ll find it just as indispensable as we do.




• Awaken

Awaken wakes you up to your iTunes music, or any of the built in alarm sounds. You can also fall asleep listening to your music with the built in sleep timer.

This is it.. If you have any other favorite Apps for Macs that you would like to suggest then please drop in a comment and let me know.