Any generally well regarded recommended software?

[S1njin]

Hey Gang,

So I haven't had a Mac for well over a decade and a half now. I'll be getting my new M2 Air shortly (though sadly its going under the tree before I can get to it). Are there any software products I should be considering with it? Maintenance software (I see a lot of YouTubers have CleanMyMac X), Anti-Virus software, malware software, etc.? I'm already have a password keeper sub so I have that angle covered.

Way back when I had my Mac the common wisdom at the time was "The OS is based on Unix so you need not worry about viruses) and malware wasn't totally a thing yet.

Any advice?

Thanks much.

 

[KaliYoni]

Any advice?

First, here are my views on Mac security:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/anti-virus-malware-protection-software.2364286/post-31598241

My browser setup:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/google-chrome-helper-gpu-gone-crazy-50gb-who-to-fix-this.2359103/?post=31472308#post-31472308

Some paid utilities I like:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/what-are-your-must-have-20-paid-apps-for-macos-black-friday.2316213/post-30415889

I'm not generally a fan of cleaning apps but I do use Onyx occasionally.

A discussion about free alternatives to MS Office:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/libreoffice-vs-macos-office-apps.2317224/

Finally, if you want Adobe-style image software but without a subscription, the maker of the Affinity suite has a sale on its software through mid December:

Affinity – Professional Creative Software

From the smoothest photo editing and design software to next-gen page layout, Affinity is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with creative technology.

affinity.serif.com

 

[Basic75]

I see a lot of YouTubers have CleanMyMac X

They surely got paid to install this kind of crapware. I agree with @KaliYoni that Onyx can be occasionally useful, but most "keep your Mac clean" apps are useless at best, and a waste of money and/or system resources, if not outright harmful, at worst.

 

[Basic75]

I recommend installing IINA and/or VLC to be able to play just about any video file. And of course Handbrake if you want to convert or recompress video files.

 

[rocketbuc]

I just recently made a list of the support tools that I am using on my new M2 Air. When populating the list I was actually surprised at the large number I have to tweak macOS. Might get rid of some in the future but at the moment I am still happy and find all of them useful.

Here is my list:
- AlDente (battery charge limiter)
- Coconut Battery (check battery status)
- HazeOver (paid app that highlights active window and greys out rest)
- Hush (blocker tool)
- Keyboard Cleaner Tool
- Lockdown (privacy blocker)
- Onxy (great little tool)
- TopNotch
- DuckDuckGo Privacy Tools
- ClipGrab
- Logitech Tools (for Logitech Mechanical Mini keyboard)
- HiddenBar
- SuperDuper! (Complement to Time Machine backup)
- TimeMachine Editor
- TinkerTool
- Wipr (privacy tool)
- GrandPerspective (visualize what is on your harddisk)
- Rectangle (window management tool)

Happy to provide additional infos about the tools and my specific usage.

 

[chown33]

Moderation Note

There's an existing thread about this topic:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/what-are-your-essential-macos-apps.2370397/

Please take any further discussion there.


If you're specifically looking for anti-virus software, please do a forum search before starting a new thread. Here are two recent search results:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/anti-virus-malware-protection-software.2364286/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/are-there-any-free-antivirus-packages-that-offer-virus-removal.2364424/

Search parameters:

keyword: virus​

scope: This forum​

titles only: checked​