macOS is a great operating system, but certain aspects of it are puzzling, to say the least. Basic functionalities such as a dedicated per-app volume slider and a built-in charge limiter are just some of the several missing features that hinder macOS from truly being a superior operating system.
Thankfully, the community has come together to release a set of macOS apps (and extensions) that aim to solve these issues. These apps are divided into both paid and free variants.
While the premium versions of these Apple apps are quite a fair bit more powerful for the end user, there do exist free/freemium variants that are ‘good enough’ for the average user.
Top 10 free macOS apps
The macOS apps mentioned below can be downloaded, free of charge from either the App Store or corresponding official websites of their own:
1) Orion
The Orion browser is an excellent alternative for those looking to expand upon the rather anemic functionality offered by Safari, while trying to cut down on the resource and battery usage seen in Chromium-based browsers.
Orion is based on Safari’s Webkit and consumes a lot less memory and power compared to Chrome. It’s also compatible with both Chrome and Firefox extensions, making it quite a capable browser.
2) VMWare Fusion Pro
While Parallels is an excellent virtual machine solution for Windows, it is also quite expensive. For those not wanting to purchase a Parallels license, VMWare Fusion Pro 13 for Apple Silicon Macs is a great alternative.
VMWare Fusion Pro is also completely free for personal use and is quite performant in nature – running Windows 11 ARM without major hiccups, even on a base 8 GB Macbook Air.
The lack of a Coherence mode is sorely missed though.
3) AppCleaner
Uninstalling macOS apps can be a pain, especially when attempting to remove residual files. Unlike Windows, macOS requires manual intervention for the removal of system files, instead of a one-click uninstaller in the system menu.
This is where AppCleaner comes into play. This free app can remove an application and its residual files, clearing up space on your Mac. It’s pretty limited in its functionality compared to something more premium like CleanMyMac X though.
4) PlayCover
Thanks to the ARM-based architecture of Apple Silicon, it is possible to run iPhone and iPad apps on macOS without major hiccups. In fact, Apple officially supports the installation of mobile apps via the App Store, but only for a select few titles.
This is where PlayCover comes into ‘play’, offering near universal compatibility with otherwise ‘incompatible’ applications – such as mobile-only games. In fact, PlayCover is a great way to get unsupported titles such as Genshin Impact up and running on Apple Silicon.
5) Hand Mirror
Hand Mirror is a handy little camera capture application that resides in your macOS extension dock. Simply click on the app icon to bring up a pop-up window that captures your camera input.
Hand Mirror is also a great way to prepare yourself before the odd Zoom call, checking your surroundings and such to avoid awkward moments. The app also comes bundled with fun, funky background screen effects.
6) Amphetamine
Controlling sleep timeouts on a Mac can be genuinely frustrating, with no extensive options being offered such as an on-demand toggle by Apple. Amphetamine aims to solve this conundrum, by adding a toggle to your extensions menu.
Once installed from the App Store, this free macOS app can be used to temporarily disable sleep and thus keep your screen always on with the press of a button. The app can also be configured to your liking.
7) Whisky
Installing Windows applications on Apple Silicon can be quite tricky. Bootcamp is no longer an option for these machines, and emulation remains the only alternative. Using the power of Rosetta and several other translation layers, (such as D3DMetal) Whisky aims to create a Wine wrapper for Windows-based applications.
Whisky is particularly useful for installing games (including the Windows version of Steam, making otherwise unplayable games run on a Mac), and is entirely free.
8) Background Music
One of the more glaring omissions in macOS is the lack of a system-wide, per-application volume control. Background Music aims to remedy this issue, offering a per-application volume slider – in addition to several additional goodies such as auto pause for music players.
While not as robust as Sound Control, Background Music makes up for it by being entirely free to download and use.
9) AlDente
There is no built-in macOS charge limiter, and the ‘optimized charging’ option under the battery menu is underwhelming at best. AlDente is a great, free application that can limit your battery’s maximum charge.
Limiting your MacBook’s battery to 80% or lower is a great way to reduce full charge cycles and thus extend your battery life over the years.
10) Stats
As the name implies, Stats is a system-wide resource monitor for macOS. Stats lives on top of your extensions bar and generates useful information regarding multiple parameters such as RAM, CPU, and GPU usage.
Stats can also be configured extensively, allowing end users to further fine-tune the HUD.
Do keep in mind that a fair number of these apps come with in-app purchases to unlock ‘Pro’ features, which can be safely skipped for most users.
