When it comes to productivity apps, there's certainly the big players like Trello, Asana, Evernote, and more that have transformed the way we work. In this post, we'll talk about some of the smaller, lesser-known Mac apps that can help improve specific aspects of your work for increased productivity.

The first app i install on a new set up, always. Fast, versatile, awesome features and powerful. You can tell the developers work really hard, continuously releasing great updates. Great support and social presence on twitter, a healthy forum for great workflows, customizable ui, tons of cool features. Alfred is the paragon of.

• Numi
• Noisli
• Calendly
• Aware
• Alfred
• PopClip
• SizeUp
• Focus

Continue reading to learn more about these productivity apps including how they boost productivity, what features are included, and how much they cost.

Numi

Calculate anything with numbers.

How does Numi increase productivity?

Numi is a one-stop converter application. Want to know how many milliliters are in a gallon? Euros to dollars? Pounds to kilograms? When it comes to calculating numbers, Numi does it all. With Numi, you can avoid opening Google and other distractions by simply choosing the application when you need to make a calculation.

Numi Features

• Calculate currency, temperature, area, length, volume and time.
• Calculate math functions like sin, cos, exponent, and more.
• Calculate percentages (Example: what is 15% of $70?)

Is Numi Mobile Friendly?

This app is not for use on Apple mobile devices.

Cost of Numi

Numi is currently free to download with a paid license on the horizon.

Noisli

Customize your background noise.

How does Noisli increase productivity?

Mix and match sounds to occupy the background of your work environment. Do you work best during a thunderstorm? In a coffee shop? Both? Create your perfect sound environment and maximize your productivity. Use the Timer feature for productive sessions that take advantage of other productivity techniques like Pomodoro.

Noisli Features

• Break down the sounds of your day with timed productivity sessions
• Save and share your favorite sound combos
• Minimalist text editor function for writing in a distraction-free environment

Is Noisli Mobile Friendly?

There's anofficial Noisli app for iPhone, iPod, and iPad. It's great for creating a productive space while working remotely, on the go, or for help going to sleep.

Cost of Noisli

The desktop version and all of its features are completely free. There's a small one-time fee for the mobile app.

Calendly

Schedule meetings without the back-and-forth.

How does Calendly increase productivity?

Calendly lets you set your availability, share your calendar, and have others book a time that's convenient for them. Coordinate schedules simply and efficiently without wasting time on back-and-forth emails.

Calendly Features

• Integrates with Google, Outlook, Office 365 or iCloud calendar
• Meeting confirmation and reminder emails
• Schedule meetings with multiple team members at once
• Set daily limits on available meeting time
• Time zone detection

Is Calendly Mobile Friendly?

This app is not for use on mobile Apple devices. Calendly is actively researching a solution for an iOS app.

Cost of Calendly

The basic plan for Calendly is free. Other features, such as metrics and reporting, are accessible with Premium for $8 a month and Pro for $12 a month. There is also an option to try all features free for 14 days.

Aware

Track and monitor computer usage.

How does Aware increase productivity?

Aware is a very minimalist app with no reminders, alarms, notifications, or blinking lights. Aware is a menubar app that simply tracks your Mac usage so you can better understand the time you spend online.

You can monitor your computer usage to make sure you are putting in enough productive hours, and to make sure you aren't overextending yourself.

Aware Features

• Monitor computer usage to ensure you're putting in enough productive hours
• Monitor computer usage to ensure you're not overworking yourself

Is Aware Mobile Friendly?

This app is not for use on mobile Apple devices.

Cost of Aware

Aware is free to download from the app store.

Alfred

Boost your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords, text expansion and more.

How does Alfred increase productivity?

Never repeat a dull computer operation again. Alfred is your personal online butler. With Alfred, you can customize the functionality of your Mac for workflows at the tip of your fingers. Happy Alfred users say they can't imagine working without it.

Alfred Features

• Build your own private workflows
• Import pre-made workflows from a community of creators
• Save clipboard history
• Create default search keywords
• Perform quick math calculations
• Check spelling and/or definitions

Is Alfred Mobile Friendly?

Alfred has a companion mobile app for iPhone and iPad called Alfred Remote. The application boosts frequently used actions on your mobile device.

Cost of Alfred

The latest version of Alfred is free to download. Expand your use with purchasable Powerpacks that let you enjoy workflows and themes. Alfred Remote, the mobile app version of Alfred is available for purchase from the app store for $4.99.

PopClip

Reach hundreds of extensions in one-click.

How does PopClip increase productivity?

PopClip appears when you highlight any text, giving you access to hundreds of extensions with one-click. Think of it as the ultimate right click of your mouse. Access a long list of extensions from the usual suspects like copy, cut, and paste, as well as other handy tools like search, spelling, dictionary, and text transformations.

PopClip Features

• Pick and choose the extensions you use most
• Integrates with note-taking apps, like Stickies, Evernote, and Apple Notes
• Integrates with Task Management and To-Do list apps, like Todoist, Wunderlist, and Todo
• Post text directly to a Slack channel

Is PopClip Mobile Friendly?

This app is not for use on mobile Apple devices.

Cost of PopClip

PopClip has a free trial option and can be purchased for $9.99.

SizeUp

Manage your windows.

How does SizeUp increase productivity?

SizeUp is designed for macOS users who use several different windows or monitors at once. It allows you to resize and reposition your windows with ease to clean up and optimize the use of your screen.

SizeUp Features

• Global keyboard shortcuts
• Reserve space at the edges of your screen with customizable margins
• Avoid shadows and overlap by adding space between windows
• Compatible with AppleScript for custom actions

Is SizeUp Mobile Friendly?

This app is not for use on mobile Apple devices.

Cost of SizeUp

Access unlimited features in a free trial, or purchase SizeUp for $12.99 with a 60-day money back guarantee.

Focus

Block distracting websites.

How does Focus increase productivity?

It can take your brain 23 minutes or more to get back to the task after a distraction. Focus blocks distracting websites so you're not interrupted by a Facebook notification inviting you to play Candy Crush. Block any website or application that can cause a distraction to establish productive bursts of work.

💡 Learn more in How to Not Get Distracted When You're Working Online

Focus Features

• Automatic or customizable inspirational quotes to help you get back on task
• Setup and enforce daily, weekly, or weekend schedules
• A built-in Pomodoro timer to break up your work
• Track your progress with productivity statistics

Is Focus Mobile Friendly?

The latest version is only available for macOS but there are iOS (iPhone & iPad) and Android applications in the works.

Cost of Focus

Download a free trial complete with all Focus features or purchase starting at $19 (one-time cost).

We may be a little biased about this last one, but that's because Focus was built with a passion for productive work. Focus aims to improve people's lives by inspiring focus, creativity, and productivity. Thanks for supporting indie development. 💗

With so many amazing apps out there, it's important to make sure you don't overload yourself. At some point, your productivity will decline. Test the apps you think could work to boost your productivity and then ditch any that don't.

We'd love to hear from you too. What do you think the best productivity apps are and why do you love them?

Here are a couple of the other best productivity apps for Mac that didn't get mentioned:

• 1Password is a great Mac password manager that let's you securely and safely use different passwords for all services

• Fantastical is a great macOS calendar that offers features for quickly adding events and reminders

• Zapier isn't a macOS app but does let you connect any service to nearly any other service, very useful for productively creating workflows to optimize your routine.

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Download Focus and increase your productivity today

Working from home (WFH, also called telecommuting or telework) is becoming an increasingly common practice. In 2020, the necessity to effectively work remotely is crucial to productivity more than ever. Here at Parallels, we refuse to pretend as if remote work is a new trend. In 2019, the Business Harvard Review proved that remote employees are found to be more productive, have a lower chance of turnover, and are healthier in both their mental and physical well-being.

However, there is a delicate balance between working from home and effectively working from home.

This delicate balance boils down to the applications an individual could use to stay productive.

For macOS users, there is a nearly never-ending list of native features and apps to help stay on task. The team here at Parallels has researched far and wide to narrow down the most useful macOS apps for everyone who is working remotely.

Here are the best macOS applications to help stay productive when working from home in 2020:

Utilities:

• Parallels Toolbox
• Alfred
• Google Chrome
• Snag-it

Mac Alfred App

Project Management:

• Task Paper
• Todoist
• Asana

Knowledge Workers:

• Parallels Desktop
• BBEdit
• Grammarly

Communication:

• Discord
• Microsoft Teams

Mood-Boosting:

• Spotify
• Swift Playgrounds
• Yack for Reddit(in beta)

Breaking down our list into categories makes it a bit easier to find the app you’re looking for considering the vast landscape of available macOS apps. Now, let’s deep dive into how these macOS apps can make your work from home experience more productive.

Utilities Must-Haves for macOS:

Parallels Toolbox

Parallels Toolbox is a suite available of macOS of one-click tools that make everything easier. We do mean everything. While there are dozens of tools within Parallels Toolbox, I want to outline the specific tools used to help make my work from home life more productive. The tools Alarm, Stopwatch, and Timer are all fantastic for time management. During meetings, the Alarm Tool has found to be wildly helpful to stay on task – individually, and I can present without continually looking at the clock and becoming distracted. The Stopwatch tool in Parallels Toolbox is excellent when managing a large meeting. This tool gives each presenter the same amount of time, making it helpful to be respectful of everyone’s time and collective voice. The Timer tool has become necessary when it comes to time management because I give myself an allocated time for a task before moving to the next item on my to-do list.

There are a few more tools hidden in Parallels Toolbox that makes working from home a breeze. The tool, Energy Saver, can be used automatically when disconnected from the charger or when you enable it manually. Energy Saver consists of several different options to prolong a computer’s battery life by optimizing resource consumption such as pausing non-essential processes such as Spotlight indexing, AppStore updates check, and macOS updates check. Additionally, Energy Saver is intelligent enough to eject external devices, pause Time Machine backups, and hide non-active (idle) apps. It makes the hidden applications go to the built-in macOS App Nap mode, where they consume very little energy.

Pro tip: Parallels Toolbox tools Hide Desktop or Presentation Mode are game-changers during presentations. The Hide Desktop tool hides all the files, folders, and other icons on your desktop when you’re doing a presentation, sharing or recording your screen, or taking screenshots with one click. If you’re worried about push notifications that you may have enabled, your Mac going to sleep, or distractions from bouncing icons in your macOS Dock, check out the Parallels Toolbox user favorite, Presentation Mode. This endlessly helpful tool disables distractions for a better presentation experience. The Presentation Mode tool can automatically detect external displays and turn them on, too. Also available for Windows 10, but more Parallels Toolbox tools are available on macOS.

Alfred

Alfred for macOS is an award-winning app that can seriously boost productivity with efficient hotkeys, keyword shortcuts, quick text expansion, and so more, based on your needs. Similar to macOS Spotlight, Alfred enables an intelligent search through macOS and the web and encourages users to be more productive with custom actions to extend and automate the efficiency of your work on your Mac.

The team at Alfred also offers an additional add-on, the Alfred Powerpack. You can instantly enable more profound control your Mac with the Powerpack’s third-party app integration such as iTunes, 1Password, Shell. Plus, endless workflows and themes that make staring at your computer screen for 8-hours a day more enjoyable.

Google Chrome

Readers may laugh at a suggestion of a web browser to help boost productivity. Still, there’s a lot of power in Google Chrome that some primary users may not know about or be utilizing. While I was researching the best extensions for Google Chrome, I came across a supremely helpful article from Kyle Pearce over at DIYGenius. Kyle has an extensive list of useful Google Chrome extensions to stay productive, and I urge you to check it out ASAP.

My absolute favorite extension to Google Chrome was UBlock Origin, a free and open-source, cross-platform browser extension for content-filtering such as ad-blocking. However, the ad-blocker Kyle mentioned Ghostery is next-level and I believe it performs better on Google Chrome than UBlock. I’ve already made the switch, and I suggest you do, too!

Snag-it

I first stumbled upon Snag-it back in 2018 when a coworker here at Parallels suggested it to me for a presentation. It felt like just another tool to create a screenshot. Wow, I was SO wrong. In 2020, Snag-it is outperforming any other screenshot tool I’ve tried and has the smoothest user experience I’ve felt in a long while.

To summarize, Snagit lets you quickly capture a process, add your explanation, and create visual instructions without any frustration. Truly, I cannot emphasize how excellent Snag-it is at transforming your communication. You can save hours of your time to help visualize your ideas in ways other people can easily understand. Not to mention, my favorite feature of Snag-it is the panoramic capture. Capture wide, horizontal scrolls, scrolling webpages, and everything in-between.

Project Management That is Easy to Use:

Task Paper

TaskPaper is a plain-text to-do list that’s surprisingly adept and thoroughly modernized. Since 2006, TaskPaper has delivered an excellent and easy to use to-do interface. This tool makes keeping your lists, searching with palettes to filter your never-ending lists, scheduling future dates/events easier than ever.

Not to mention, the clean UX makes for a distraction-less experience. While the minimalistic UX makes Task Paper look a bit bare-bones, this intelligent to-do list is packed with much more than just a simple interface.

Todoist

Todoist is used by over 20 million users to organize, plan, and collaborate on projects, both big and small, since 2007. While Todoist isn’t exclusive to macOS due to support via a mobile and web interface, it’s been a favorite of mine for years now. Why? Well, they also have a Google

Chrome plug-in that has enabled next-level multitasking habits.

With extensive access to over 60 integrations with some big hitters like Google Drive, Dropbox, Zapier, Evernote, and Slack – Todoist will quickly become your hub for getting work and life organized. Plus, their Wunderlist importer can help you switch tools and get started in just a few minutes if you’re looking for a change. If you’re working across multiple Macs or devices, Todoist makes it easy to pick up and continue crossing your tasks off your plate!

Asana

Asana is a widely adopted project management system that allows project managers or individuals to map out each step and organize all the details of your work in one place. Many small, medium or large enterprise companies utilize Asana, Parallels included. Here at Parallels, we love Asana! With the ability to create tasks that are dependent on other tasks, it makes coordinating with your team a breeze.

Truly, Asana has quickly become one of my favorite collaboration tools. Simply because of the ability to visualize multiple stages of projects quickly, easily, and the beauty of the UX makes this for a refreshing project management system. Simplifying workflows means reduced errors, and ultimately, saving time for solving more essential problems means I can get to work quicker. Every day, I log in, see my projects, and act accordingly. Asana has vast integration across many systems such as JIRA, Salesforce, PowerBI, Slack, Tableau, Adobe Creative Cloud, and they’re adding new features often.

Knowledge Workers Need the Following:

Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop for macOS has been used by millions globally to run Windows, Linux, or other popular OSes on Mac without rebooting. Virtualization serves healthcare to accounting, IT, CAD, creativity, and every industry in between. Parallels Desktop supports users to utilize the software they need on the hardware they already have to ensure you can get your job done faster without buying a second or third computer.

Since 2006, macOS users get the best of both the Mac and PC worlds on one device while you’re working remotely with virtualization. The best part? Parallels Desktop has thousands of supported applications within Microsoft Windows so that every industry can be supported. Plus, a free 14-day trial makes it easy to see if your specific needs are served with a virtual machine in Parallels Desktop. Not to mention, 24/7 support and our 30-day money-back guarantee.

BBEdit

BBEdit has one of the best marketing slogans, “It doesn’t suck.” And the reason why it’s one of the best slogans is that the product rings true and serves a consistent level of quality that is hard to match. While this specific suggestion is more particular to those who need HTML or plain-text editors for macOS, it is powerful because of everything else it can do for you.

BBedit has been crafted to serve the specific needs of writers, devs, and provides endless features for editing. For a power user, the advanced search, manipulation of prose, source code, managing bash data, and textual data is all wrapped up in BBedit. To be clear, BBEdit is not a word processor. However, it can replace several apps on your Mac to become one of the most invaluable macOS apps in your arsenal.

Alfred App Download

Grammarly

Grammarly is easily in my top five favorite apps of all time. Why? Simply because of the copious amount of time it has saved me during my writing process.

Grammarly is the best writing assistant available that goes much deeper than surface-level grammar to offer you comprehensive feedback on your writing. On the technical side, Grammarly is simply a digital writing tool that uses a combination of artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Read: it makes the writing process more comfortable and much less painful.

Communication with Your Friends or Work Team:

Discord

Consider Discord to be my macOS guilty pleasure of choice. While it’s also available for Windows PC, the macOS app is clean. It allows me to connect with friends or coworkers without frustration. Creating my private server or linking to my friend’s server makes everything separate and easy.

Discord lacks the messy UX that most other chat services offer. Sharing your gaming, your work, or whatever you need to share on your screen, is also cleaner than most other communication apps. Not to mention, it’s cheeky copywriting within the app makes me smirk every time I launch the app, making it easy to want to continue to use it.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is the professional-grade communication tool that my team wanted but didn’t know we needed until we had it. The ability to chat, meet, share, call, and collaborate from anywhere as a global team has increased our productivity ten-fold within the first couple of weeks we started utilizing MS Teams.

It’s not just a communication tool, either. Microsoft Teams is robust enough to support calls, workflows, and meets industry-specific compliances such as healthcare or education. With our world evolving to a fully global digital landscape, Microsoft Teams is here to save the day with endless productivity. Microsoft said it best, with Teams you can work remotely without feeling remote – and it rings true through my personal experience.

Mood-Boosting to Keep Your Brain Productive While Working.

Note: While this blog post is explicitly surrounding the topic of productivity while working remotely, it’s imperative to mention the balance that goes behind productivity. Working your brain without breaks for fun is an expressway to burnout. Let’s avoid burnout by taking fun breaks with these following apps:

Spotify

Alfred Mac Productivity Apps App

Spotify has always been my music-platform of choice due to release exclusives and social components, but Spotify is a secret weapon to a productive day for several reasons. Firstly, Spotify’s market share is massive, so that you can listen everywhere. From speakers to tv’s, cars, gaming, smartwatches, smart displays, and all the best personal assistants. Secondly, their licensing options are fantastic. Of course, Spotify comes free with ads.

However, if you’re looking to ditch the ads for a distraction-free listening experience, Spotify has several subscription options. Spotify Premium has several levels to the membership: Premium, Premium Family, and Premium Student.

What are the differences in Spotify Premium memberships?

Spotify Premium:

• Unlimited high-quality streaming access to over 50 million songs.
• Travel abroad with no limitations.
• No ad interruption.
• Unlimited skips.

Premium Family:

• Up to 6 family members who live together
• Each member has their own Individual Premium account, so there’s no need to share login details.
• Plus Family Mix – a playlist based on the tastes of everyone on the plan.
• Plan managers can control explicit music for members.

Premium Student:

• 50% off discount
• Lasts 1 year at a time, with a 4-year limit.
• Available to students at an accredited college/university, verified by SheerID.
• Access to Hulu’s ad-supported plan and SHOWTIME for no extra cost.

Swift Playgrounds

Swift Playgrounds from Apple is an un-matched method to learn how to code. While it is available to both Mac and iPad, taking a break from your day to day to build with Swift Playgrounds adds a fun dimension to your overall productivity. It’s perfect for new-to-coding beginners and utilizes gamification to grasp the core basics of Swift – Apple’s powerful programming language.

The best thing about Apple is their curiosity for innovation and Swift Playgrounds continuously releases new integrations such as robotics, LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3, and even augmented reality (AR) to master our real 3D world. Apple is smart and understands as you learn, you’ll want more to play with. Because of this, Apple offers a variety of fun devices to shop.

Yack

Alfred Mac Productivity Apps Free

Yack hasn’t quite hit the market yet. However, if you sign up for the beta, it’s clear why Yack is a must-have for macOS Redditors. Without opening your web browser, you can explore your favorite Reddit communities from a single elegant desktop app with a unified user interface.

Also, if you spend the day scrolling through YouTube, Yack also allows you to browse YouTube using the same beautiful, intuitive UI you use to browse Reddit. It’s an excellent and refreshing way to take a short break and check in on what’s going on outside your remote working space.

Alfred Mac Productivity Apps Downloads

The remote workday is envisioned with multiple hurdles of obstacles without any allowance for sanity. macOS users need flexible apps that are easily managed, quickly absorbed, and serves the need of the moment.

The best macOS apps for productivity during remote work should consistently serve the everchanging needs of the digital worker. It is not always easy to craft the best environment for productivity during working remotely. Still, I sincerely hope this list has helped you sort through the hundreds of thousands of macOS apps that are available.

Alfred Mac Productivity Apps Download

Please, let us know what you think or if you have any suggestions for our list of the best macOS apps for productivity when working from home. Reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below!