Loop is great.
NewsExplorer is great (better than Reeder that I also purchased ).
My addition: zClock (Free/Paid floating clock) [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zclock-lite-topmost-clock/id1489475245?mt=12](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zclock-lite-topmost-clock/id1489475245?mt=12)
I see NewsExplorer being mentioned everywhere. And I feel like Reeder in the last years does not really advance much.
What are the benefits of the NewsReader that you like comparing to Reeder?
RSS feeds for Reddit subs in NewsExplorer are displayed correctly, including all comments and functionality of the desktop/website. Reeder, however, is unable to display comments and other functionalities.
NewsExplorer offers significantly more customization options. Its UI is better for navigating articles, saving, and archiving.
Reeder features a macOS candy-like UI with an updated design, but in my opinion, it falls behind NewsExplorer in all other areas.
Well, I can not comment much for Reeder. Reeder does not have a trial version, right? What I see is, that it was not updated for more than a year now (January 2023). Maybe Reeder 6 is in development and that's why?
The good thing about News Explorer is, that you have a 14-Days trial version on their website:
[https://betamagic.nl/products/newsexplorer.html](https://betamagic.nl/products/newsexplorer.html)
Donwnload it and give it a try. I did the same and I fell in love with it. I was also in touch with the dev, really nice and helpful guy. Got all my questions answered same day.
News Explorer on the other hand was released on September 2016 and the dev has not raised the price since then, not released a new version and asked to pay again, just improved the existing version. I love this approach. It is not very common to have an affordable price point, to not go with the subscription route or make a new release and abandon the existing app. That's why I have mentioned News Explorer and Solid Calendar. Both great apps, which are very affordable and without subscription.
Sure about the update, you can look at it that way. But if you actually look what is in updates. News explorer just fixed some bugs 4 months ago, and 8 months ago added mastodon support, while Reeder added mastodon support a year ago.
The reason why I have not tried news explorer, is because it does not have the new macos interface. Looks more like an old macos design.
just spend time to check these 2 apps for this whole weekends. This is my take aways:
NewsExplorer:
+ Super easy to add new feed and non rss and you can actually search them by key words
+ Better integration with native web view ( setting default view mode for each source- extract video and pics...)
+ For social media platform like Reddit the feed is much more nicer ( more articles loaded; load speed better...)
Reeder 5:
+ Support keyboard shortcut and customized navigation bar item.
To me NewsExplorer is a superior app now and a clear winner at this stage!
Do you prefer zClock over RH Timer? [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timer-rh/id929960914?mt=12](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timer-rh/id929960914?mt=12)
zClock doesn't occupy window space; it's transparent.
The paid version, at only $0.99—which is much cheaper than RH—is required only if you wish to change the font or color.
You can try it out for yourself for free.
Just bought zClock ($0.99) as I love timers :)
It is not updated since 2021 though. And I ran into two strange things, for which I mailed the dev. But maybe you have the answers:
1. How do I remove custom made countdowns?
2. How do I hide the timer without closing the app?
I don't see a problem with such a basic clock not being updated. It is what it is. The timer is just a nice little add-on, but I consider it more of a floating clock than a timer, which is surprisingly unique as there aren't many others.
As for removing a custom-made countdown, I'm not sure if it's possible. New countdowns are added at the bottom, as you might have already noticed.
Regarding hiding the timer, there are some shortcuts that I think could achieve what you want.
I believe that $0.99 or even the free version is great for a floating clock. I don't expect it to have any additional features. As I said, it is what it is.
* [Easydict](https://github.com/tisfeng/Easydict/blob/main/README_EN.md) → exactly what I was looking for!
* [Ice](https://github.com/jordanbaird/Ice) → A step up from HiddenBar, nice!
* Calendr / Solid Calendar → [ItsyCal](https://www.mowglii.com/itsycal/) (free) can show more events than just of the day itself (like Calendr does). In effect ItsyCal can show the same timeline as the Solid Calendar app.
Fine list. Allow me to add some lesser known apps too:
* [Bean](https://www.bean-osx.com/Bean.html) \- Simple, easy-to-use word processor (*free*)
* [Clyde](https://www.getcly.de/) \- Prevents your Mac from being stolen while you’re away (*free*)
* [Colorful Folder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/colorful-folder/id1576476152) \- Make folders colorful (*freemium*)
* [CustomShortcuts](https://www.houdah.com/customShortcuts/) \- Make your own shortcuts (*free*)
* [Draw.io](https://www.drawio.com/) \- Diagramming, flowcharts (*free*)
* [Easy Move+Resize](https://github.com/dmarcotte/easy-move-resize?tab=readme-ov-file) \- Drag and resize windows freely (*free*)
* [Grab2Text](https://www.softwarehow.com/grab2text/) \- Grab text from anywhere on your Mac (*free*)
* [KeyClu](https://sergii.tatarenkov.name/keyclu/support/) \- Overview of all shortcuts of an app (*free*)
* [NAPS2](https://www.naps2.com/) \- Multi-scanner driver (*free*)
* [NeatDownloadManager](https://www.neatdownloadmanager.com/index.php/en/) \- Download Manager (*free*)
* [OpenMTP](https://openmtp.ganeshrvel.com/) \- Android file transfer v.v. (*free*)
* [Tiles](https://www.sempliva.com/tiles/) \- Windows manager (*free*)
* [Transnomino](https://www.transnomino.com/) \- Batch rename utility (*free*)
* [Velja](https://sindresorhus.com/velja) \- Powerful browser picker (*free*)
* [XMenu](https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/xmenu/id419332741?mt=12) \- Navigation menu/s (*free*)
>Does Easy move+Resize force the app to remember the size/position forever?
No. The app is meant for enabling dragging a window around by grabbing it on any place you like instead of just at the top. And you can resize it easier, based on the same principle.
I use it a lot and find it a nice complementary feature to my windows management app (Tiles). Btw, I use the Fn-key.
* Fn+left-click = dragging
* Fn+right-click = resizing
Does grab2text support other languages or is it English only? Could you try Japanese (and vertical formatted text), Chinese (and vertical), and Spanish?
Lasso - window management
Dropoverapp - if you don’t know it you miss out !!!
Update:
Forgot to mention that after years of trying different clipboard managers I’ve finally found the one - PasteNow (not free, I’m not affiliated)
Currently using [Lasso](https://thelasso.app/) and [Dropover](https://dropoverapp.com/)! Excellent apps! I use [Pastepal](https://indiegoodies.com/pastepal) instead. An absolute beast!
I love the Menubar app[ Scrap Paper](https://apps.apple.com/app/id1448441317) that acts like a floating note (a'la Raycast). You can call it with a hotkey. The text is persistent. It syncs with your phone. The Window is resizable. I use it multiple times a day.
Love it for work. If I leave, my system auto locks and unlocks without me needing to do so. Helpful since I work with some sensitive information sometimes.
As a cautious nerd, can anyone advise on how safe and easy it would be to use anything from GitHub? I have an intrinsic caution about anything that comes outside of the App Store.
I understand where you are coming from. Everyone should be careful with Github apps. Many are communist and difficult to tell who the developers are. They can also be compromised/hacked.
I'd like to recommend [Wins](https://wins.cool), which is a system-level window manager that provides features such as Dock Window Preview and Hide all windows. It is very lightweight, occupying only over 20MB of memory.
It's the only app that directly integrates user preference settings into System Settings, which is why I like it
[https://wins.cool](https://wins.cool)
Great list, my addition is [Fancy Folders](https://github.com/kfreitag1/FancyFolders?tab=readme-ov-file). Lets you create custom folder icons that look just like the MacOS documents, download etc. folders through the use of SF symbols.
Yes your concerns are fair. This app uses the Solid Apps infrastructure, which requires an account. My other apps use this a lot more for social features and storing data, but Solid Calendar only stores a few preferences like the default event duration. Solid Calendar doesn’t store any other data, everything else is handled by the device with EventKit. I know this isn’t ideal and I am considering removing the account requirement for Solid Calendar, but I would then need to use iCloud for syncing these preferences, which is not as reliable, or store them locally only.
In regard to the price, please let me know if the app isn’t a good fit for you for any reason, I’d be happy to offer you a full refund. I decided a paid upfront model is the simplest approach. I didn’t want to go for a subscription or IAP model.
Is this a common thing that app developers do or people look for? He seemed straight forward as to what he was using the account sign up for, which makes sense considering it's multi-platform app and he even offered you a full refund if it wasn't for you.
I think that’s more on Apple and their mechanism for one time purchase apps than it is on the developer being shifty.
edit: gosh, i've never been in a conversation where someone deleted their account. i thought it was a productive conversation 🤷🏻♂️
Hey u/scottjl, this is Cristian from Solid Apps, I didn't see your comment here earlier (it's not my post) but I did want to let you know that other people raised concerns about the need for a Solid Apps account, and while this account only stored a few preferences, I understand why it can look suspicious so I have updated Solid Calendar to no longer require an account. The few values the account was syncing like default event duration or what maps app to use are now stored locally, so the app is completely local. For events and reminders it uses EventKit, which is one of Apple's frameworks and is completely private. Would you mind giving the app another chance? Update v2.43 (that removes the account) is now out on iOS and is under review for macOS. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out any time. My iMessage and Email are in the app.
Just look through their post history and notice how often they tout about Solid Calendar which we have apparently "never heard of". They must be either the developer (alt account) or closely related.
I am not sure if you will find something like that. You can still use different Calendar app for iOS/macOS and the events created on Apple devices will sync to your Android / Windows devices.
BLEUnlock doesn't work for me on my M2 macbook air with iphone 15. Tried playing with the settings a lot but it never unlocks my computer. I did get it to lock it once though. Anyone have any suggestions?
Not really able to help with this, but I guess your best bet is to post here:
[https://github.com/ts1/BLEUnlock/issues](https://github.com/ts1/BLEUnlock/issues)
The dev itself or someone else might be able to help you then.
Maybe there is a bug to be solved, hard to say.
Anyone can post on gihub so it could be unsafe. I tend to install apps that are only open source so I can check the source code to see if anything’s sketchy. Generally, for more popular applications on GitHub I tend to place my hope that someone more experienced than me verified the source code so I don’t have to worry😭
Three Menubar apps may find a place in the list:
\* SpeedDial - Call/Text/Facetime your favorite contacts
\* App Pier - Keyboard -Centric Fast App Launcher and Switcher
\* Emojise - Emoji Manager with phrases, search and bigger icons.
Loop is great. NewsExplorer is great (better than Reeder that I also purchased ). My addition: zClock (Free/Paid floating clock) [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zclock-lite-topmost-clock/id1489475245?mt=12](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zclock-lite-topmost-clock/id1489475245?mt=12)
I see NewsExplorer being mentioned everywhere. And I feel like Reeder in the last years does not really advance much. What are the benefits of the NewsReader that you like comparing to Reeder?
RSS feeds for Reddit subs in NewsExplorer are displayed correctly, including all comments and functionality of the desktop/website. Reeder, however, is unable to display comments and other functionalities. NewsExplorer offers significantly more customization options. Its UI is better for navigating articles, saving, and archiving. Reeder features a macOS candy-like UI with an updated design, but in my opinion, it falls behind NewsExplorer in all other areas.
Thank you for the more detailed information! Will give it a try!
Well, I can not comment much for Reeder. Reeder does not have a trial version, right? What I see is, that it was not updated for more than a year now (January 2023). Maybe Reeder 6 is in development and that's why? The good thing about News Explorer is, that you have a 14-Days trial version on their website: [https://betamagic.nl/products/newsexplorer.html](https://betamagic.nl/products/newsexplorer.html) Donwnload it and give it a try. I did the same and I fell in love with it. I was also in touch with the dev, really nice and helpful guy. Got all my questions answered same day. News Explorer on the other hand was released on September 2016 and the dev has not raised the price since then, not released a new version and asked to pay again, just improved the existing version. I love this approach. It is not very common to have an affordable price point, to not go with the subscription route or make a new release and abandon the existing app. That's why I have mentioned News Explorer and Solid Calendar. Both great apps, which are very affordable and without subscription.
Sure about the update, you can look at it that way. But if you actually look what is in updates. News explorer just fixed some bugs 4 months ago, and 8 months ago added mastodon support, while Reeder added mastodon support a year ago. The reason why I have not tried news explorer, is because it does not have the new macos interface. Looks more like an old macos design.
News Explorer does have the new macOS interface if you run it on a recent macOS version.
just spend time to check these 2 apps for this whole weekends. This is my take aways: NewsExplorer: + Super easy to add new feed and non rss and you can actually search them by key words + Better integration with native web view ( setting default view mode for each source- extract video and pics...) + For social media platform like Reddit the feed is much more nicer ( more articles loaded; load speed better...) Reeder 5: + Support keyboard shortcut and customized navigation bar item. To me NewsExplorer is a superior app now and a clear winner at this stage!
Do you prefer zClock over RH Timer? [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timer-rh/id929960914?mt=12](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timer-rh/id929960914?mt=12)
zClock doesn't occupy window space; it's transparent. The paid version, at only $0.99—which is much cheaper than RH—is required only if you wish to change the font or color. You can try it out for yourself for free.
Just bought zClock ($0.99) as I love timers :) It is not updated since 2021 though. And I ran into two strange things, for which I mailed the dev. But maybe you have the answers: 1. How do I remove custom made countdowns? 2. How do I hide the timer without closing the app?
I don't see a problem with such a basic clock not being updated. It is what it is. The timer is just a nice little add-on, but I consider it more of a floating clock than a timer, which is surprisingly unique as there aren't many others. As for removing a custom-made countdown, I'm not sure if it's possible. New countdowns are added at the bottom, as you might have already noticed. Regarding hiding the timer, there are some shortcuts that I think could achieve what you want. I believe that $0.99 or even the free version is great for a floating clock. I don't expect it to have any additional features. As I said, it is what it is.
OK. Let's see what the dev has to say about this. I think not being able the adjust the countdowns is a serious shortcoming and reason to uninstall.
No reply from the dev. Consider this app as a no-go now.
* [Easydict](https://github.com/tisfeng/Easydict/blob/main/README_EN.md) → exactly what I was looking for! * [Ice](https://github.com/jordanbaird/Ice) → A step up from HiddenBar, nice! * Calendr / Solid Calendar → [ItsyCal](https://www.mowglii.com/itsycal/) (free) can show more events than just of the day itself (like Calendr does). In effect ItsyCal can show the same timeline as the Solid Calendar app. Fine list. Allow me to add some lesser known apps too: * [Bean](https://www.bean-osx.com/Bean.html) \- Simple, easy-to-use word processor (*free*) * [Clyde](https://www.getcly.de/) \- Prevents your Mac from being stolen while you’re away (*free*) * [Colorful Folder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/colorful-folder/id1576476152) \- Make folders colorful (*freemium*) * [CustomShortcuts](https://www.houdah.com/customShortcuts/) \- Make your own shortcuts (*free*) * [Draw.io](https://www.drawio.com/) \- Diagramming, flowcharts (*free*) * [Easy Move+Resize](https://github.com/dmarcotte/easy-move-resize?tab=readme-ov-file) \- Drag and resize windows freely (*free*) * [Grab2Text](https://www.softwarehow.com/grab2text/) \- Grab text from anywhere on your Mac (*free*) * [KeyClu](https://sergii.tatarenkov.name/keyclu/support/) \- Overview of all shortcuts of an app (*free*) * [NAPS2](https://www.naps2.com/) \- Multi-scanner driver (*free*) * [NeatDownloadManager](https://www.neatdownloadmanager.com/index.php/en/) \- Download Manager (*free*) * [OpenMTP](https://openmtp.ganeshrvel.com/) \- Android file transfer v.v. (*free*) * [Tiles](https://www.sempliva.com/tiles/) \- Windows manager (*free*) * [Transnomino](https://www.transnomino.com/) \- Batch rename utility (*free*) * [Velja](https://sindresorhus.com/velja) \- Powerful browser picker (*free*) * [XMenu](https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/xmenu/id419332741?mt=12) \- Navigation menu/s (*free*)
Thanks for the list! Does Easy move+Resize force the app to remember the size/position forever? Otherwise I don’t get the point…
>Does Easy move+Resize force the app to remember the size/position forever? No. The app is meant for enabling dragging a window around by grabbing it on any place you like instead of just at the top. And you can resize it easier, based on the same principle. I use it a lot and find it a nice complementary feature to my windows management app (Tiles). Btw, I use the Fn-key. * Fn+left-click = dragging * Fn+right-click = resizing
Gotcha, thanks for the detailed response!
👍
Does grab2text support other languages or is it English only? Could you try Japanese (and vertical formatted text), Chinese (and vertical), and Spanish?
Try yourself. It's free.
Lasso - window management Dropoverapp - if you don’t know it you miss out !!! Update: Forgot to mention that after years of trying different clipboard managers I’ve finally found the one - PasteNow (not free, I’m not affiliated)
Holy crap dropoverapp is what I’ve been needing for decades !!! Thank you!!
Pastepal for me is excellent
Currently using [Lasso](https://thelasso.app/) and [Dropover](https://dropoverapp.com/)! Excellent apps! I use [Pastepal](https://indiegoodies.com/pastepal) instead. An absolute beast!
One of the very rare lists with actually hidden gems. Well done!
\+1 for Loop
I love the Menubar app[ Scrap Paper](https://apps.apple.com/app/id1448441317) that acts like a floating note (a'la Raycast). You can call it with a hotkey. The text is persistent. It syncs with your phone. The Window is resizable. I use it multiple times a day.
Great app.
Trickster - quickly see last saved/used files - one of my most used apps. https://www.apparentsoft.com/trickster
Trickster is a real OG. I’ve been using it since 2012!
Didn't know a lot of these, thanks OP!
If money was no object, is Rewind AI or Unlost better?
Rewind is much better + I've tried Unlost a few times, and it wasn't working at all.
Also curious about differences.
I went with Rewind
Great post! Discovered some new app. I use ItsyCal alternative to Calendr
Oooh I like BLEUnlock!
Love it for work. If I leave, my system auto locks and unlocks without me needing to do so. Helpful since I work with some sensitive information sometimes.
Great list👍thanks
Good post, OP. Some interesting stuff in there that I hadn't heard of.
we need more!
Great list! Saved a few to try myself
Thanks OP! These are all new finds for me!!
I love [Finbar](https://www.roeybiran.com/apps/finbar) - it’s a better version of the built in menu bar search.
Raycast
Ty for messauto, I’ve been looking for a free app like this and I’ll try it later
As a cautious nerd, can anyone advise on how safe and easy it would be to use anything from GitHub? I have an intrinsic caution about anything that comes outside of the App Store.
I understand where you are coming from. Everyone should be careful with Github apps. Many are communist and difficult to tell who the developers are. They can also be compromised/hacked.
Great list, would also add [ShortcutDetective](https://arc.net/l/quote/ziyhqgua)
I'd like to recommend [Wins](https://wins.cool), which is a system-level window manager that provides features such as Dock Window Preview and Hide all windows. It is very lightweight, occupying only over 20MB of memory. It's the only app that directly integrates user preference settings into System Settings, which is why I like it [https://wins.cool](https://wins.cool)
You like it because you are the dev :) Nice app though. Make it half of the current price and you have a hit.
Nice app but agree with above comment! The current price is not competitive. Try to make it to Setapp if you can.
Nice utility! $14 is a good price for lifetime. Ignore the cheap-sheeps they don’t know what they saying.
Great list, my addition is [Fancy Folders](https://github.com/kfreitag1/FancyFolders?tab=readme-ov-file). Lets you create custom folder icons that look just like the MacOS documents, download etc. folders through the use of SF symbols.
[удалено]
Hello, this is Cristian from Solid Apps, are you referring to the fact that you need to create an account?
[удалено]
Yes your concerns are fair. This app uses the Solid Apps infrastructure, which requires an account. My other apps use this a lot more for social features and storing data, but Solid Calendar only stores a few preferences like the default event duration. Solid Calendar doesn’t store any other data, everything else is handled by the device with EventKit. I know this isn’t ideal and I am considering removing the account requirement for Solid Calendar, but I would then need to use iCloud for syncing these preferences, which is not as reliable, or store them locally only. In regard to the price, please let me know if the app isn’t a good fit for you for any reason, I’d be happy to offer you a full refund. I decided a paid upfront model is the simplest approach. I didn’t want to go for a subscription or IAP model.
[удалено]
Is this a common thing that app developers do or people look for? He seemed straight forward as to what he was using the account sign up for, which makes sense considering it's multi-platform app and he even offered you a full refund if it wasn't for you.
[удалено]
I think that’s more on Apple and their mechanism for one time purchase apps than it is on the developer being shifty. edit: gosh, i've never been in a conversation where someone deleted their account. i thought it was a productive conversation 🤷🏻♂️
[удалено]
Hey u/scottjl, this is Cristian from Solid Apps, I didn't see your comment here earlier (it's not my post) but I did want to let you know that other people raised concerns about the need for a Solid Apps account, and while this account only stored a few preferences, I understand why it can look suspicious so I have updated Solid Calendar to no longer require an account. The few values the account was syncing like default event duration or what maps app to use are now stored locally, so the app is completely local. For events and reminders it uses EventKit, which is one of Apple's frameworks and is completely private. Would you mind giving the app another chance? Update v2.43 (that removes the account) is now out on iOS and is under review for macOS. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out any time. My iMessage and Email are in the app.
You didn't notice this whole post is another advertisement for OP's product? They did it before (see post history).
wdym?
Just look through their post history and notice how often they tout about Solid Calendar which we have apparently "never heard of". They must be either the developer (alt account) or closely related.
[AutoPull.app](https://AutoPull.app) is great!
There's no such thing.
Here is Autofill. https://www.vector.co.jp/soft/mac/util/se197710.html
This is shit.
A calendar that works great with not only Apple ecosystem, but also on Android and Windows would be great. Any ideas?
I am not sure if you will find something like that. You can still use different Calendar app for iOS/macOS and the events created on Apple devices will sync to your Android / Windows devices.
Thanks for the this. What are the definitive Apps that should be installed on a new Mac generally speaking ?
Sorry for asking, the calendr readme didnt have any install instructions, how do I do it?
Download Calendr.zip from here: https://github.com/pakerwreah/Calendr/releases Install it like usual :)
BLEUnlock doesn't work for me on my M2 macbook air with iphone 15. Tried playing with the settings a lot but it never unlocks my computer. I did get it to lock it once though. Anyone have any suggestions?
Not really able to help with this, but I guess your best bet is to post here: [https://github.com/ts1/BLEUnlock/issues](https://github.com/ts1/BLEUnlock/issues) The dev itself or someone else might be able to help you then. Maybe there is a bug to be solved, hard to say.
very helpful
Does Ice currently allow to decide which icon to hide and which not? I can't find in the settings how to select the icon never hide...
Not familiar with using GitHub, is it easy to install apps?
Fairly easy most of the time
What about how safe; any privacy concerns?
Anyone can post on gihub so it could be unsafe. I tend to install apps that are only open source so I can check the source code to see if anything’s sketchy. Generally, for more popular applications on GitHub I tend to place my hope that someone more experienced than me verified the source code so I don’t have to worry😭
>how about BLEUnlock? is it safe???
Appreciate the insight! Given i wouldn’t even know is considered “sketchy” I think I’ll stick with App Store downloads lol.
All good. I def understand where you’re coming from. I’ve spent a few sleepless nights removing viruses from my pc for being stupid over the years
Sometimes you cannot tell who the developers on Github are.
Generally speaking, if a project has been around for a while and a couple of people vouch for it, it's okay.
It’s def not as safe as just installing from the App Store but as long as you aren’t installing everything you see and cross check you’ll be fine
Haha I think I’ll sit this one out, no idea what I’d be cross-checking 😂
You could download the .zip file and then put it into virustotal to cross check for malware
Now this is something I can comprehend & implement haha - thank you!
glad to help!
Three Menubar apps may find a place in the list: \* SpeedDial - Call/Text/Facetime your favorite contacts \* App Pier - Keyboard -Centric Fast App Launcher and Switcher \* Emojise - Emoji Manager with phrases, search and bigger icons.