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20+ Free Productivity Booster Apps for Mac

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Lacking of productivity applications will slow down our workflow and consume more time, even though we've already purchased a Mac. Using only built-in Mac applications, we can neither get the most out of our Mac nor boost our productivity.

In this article, we've compiled several free applications for Mac OS X (including application launcher, easy note-taker application, data backup tool, data sharing utility, etc) that can significantly boost your productivity.

Let us know which one is your favorite!

Quicksilver

Quicksilver is a super fast application launcher empowered with many time-saving actions. The moment you get used to Quicksilver, you won't think of any other application launchers.

Think

Think is a light application that lets you fully focus on your work. By forcing you to concentrate only on one active application, Think improves your concentration and hence boosts your productivity.

Cashbox

Cashbox is a personal finance application for Mac OS X designed to make managing your personal finances a breeze. Cashbox was designed to be a quick and simple to use application for managing personal finances.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a super-lightweight to-do list application for Mac OS X Leopard that synchronizes with iCal and Mail. Its sleek and simple user interface won't affect your workflow thus increasing your productivity.

Sidenote

Sidenote tries to catch the "Stickies" spirit but in the form of a multi-document drawer that will hide in the corner of your screen (left or right). You can use it to take all your daily notes, include images and easily modify text color and font.

Growl

Growl is a Mac OS X applications that unintrusively notifies you when something happens.

SketchBox

SketchBox is a Sticky Notes Managerr for your Mac. SketchBox enables you to enter text, make drawings, and set reminders for each sticky notes.

Name Mangler

Name Mangler is a batch file renamer application, which supports several renaming tasks, such as Find & Replace (with or without regular expression), Number Sequential, Set Extension, and many others common batch renaming functions.

Appointments

Appointments is an application that can assist in keeping record of customers, contact persons, and important events. Appointments save the information in several separated dictionaries to provide higher convenience in user interface, like sorting and filtering of data.

FreeMind

FreeMind is a free mind-mapping application written in Java. The recent development has hopefully turned it into high productivity tool. Using FreeMind, you can map your ideas to a more solid state, i.e. a mind map.

iClockr

iClockr is a simple Mac application that helps you in tracking your time. With iClockr, it's very easy to calculate total time used to finish a certain project.

iTunes Alarm

This iTunes utility turns your Mac into alarm clock. It'll gently put you to sleep then quietly do the same for your Mac. When its time to wake up, it'll wake the computer first, and then rouse you from your slumber with music of your choice.

SnapNDrag

SnapNDrag is an application that has its own clipboard. By simply clicking on SnapNDrag button, the screenshot is saved into SnapNDrag clipboard and can be dragged anywhere you want.

SnapNDrag also supports multiple file formats for saving wider range of image quality and for supporting variety of screenshots.

Mojo

Mojo is a music sharing application. It lets you browse, select, and download music from other Mojo users that can be found within the same network.

The free version of Mojo limits the number of internet buddies, but doesn't have any usage limitations (great news, folks!).

Maybe you feel that Mojo doesn't have any relation with productivity, but for me, Mojo has saved me a lot of time on searching for music that my friends have.

EverSave

EverSave allows saving of all documents in a specific time interval or by changing frontmost application thus avoiding data loss during application crash.

The Unarchiver

The Unarchiver is an archive unpacker application for Mac OS X, which is designed to handle more formats than built-in BOMArchiveHelper.

The Unarchiver supports filenames with foreign character sets and also supports files created with non-English versions of other operating systems.

Service Scrubber

Service Scrubber is a free application for Mac OS X that helps you in arranging available services of your Mac. With Service Scrubber, you can restructure, change keyboard shortcut, and disable/enable services.

With modified services menu, your productivity will be significantly improved.

Burn

Using Burn, you can easily burn your files to a disc, choose different filesystems to share the file with, and for burning Audio CD, Burn offers MP3 tag editing to personalize your disc.

iBackup

iBackup supports scheduled backups of files, folders, and applications. Furthermore, iBackup uses plugins to backup application settings, reducing the hassle of tweaking the Mac all over again.

AppCleaner

AppCleaner is a small application that allows you to uninstall unwanted apps. AppCleaner unveils many related application files that are distributed in the System and deletes those small files during application removal.

Folx Downloader

Folx is a free downloader for Mac OS X. Folx can download files of any size via HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP. With the technology of multi-threading tasks, Folx can give maximum download speed.

Folx is still in its beta version. Hope that it's still free after the release of its official version.

Dropbox

With Dropbox, you can share your files online and across computers. If you're working with several people, Dropbox can save your time in distributing your documents as well as in backing up important files.

The free version of Dropbox can support up to 2GB of data storage, which is already quite big for normal usage.

Snippely

Snippely is a basic text and code organizational Adobe AIR Application. Snippely has a nice user interface, suitable for storing bits of code, quick notes and memos, thus avoiding cluttering your hard drives with scattered "snippets".

Perhaps you've discovered other productivity applications, mind sharing with us?

Categories: Applications, Productivity
Tags: Application, Productivity

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Have tried Quicksilver many times, and it has never played nice with Entourage 2004, my most often used application (QS refuses to see contacts in Entourage, and yes I've tried all the troubleshooting tips posted on the web). So I have Namely to launch applications using the keyboard, DragThing to create minimal docks exactly where I want them and behaving exactly as I want, and Xmenu to open oft-used folders. I keep the desktop clean with Camouflage. It's all about minimizing distractions and eliminating the hunt for files and applications.

Yeah. I love them all! Except one, Growl. With it, my Mail app just don't run properly since, like I can't get the incoming messages when I open Mail. So I remove Growl out and Mail runs normally again. That's a long time ago. May it the developers already fix that problem (?)....... Very love AppCleaner and, Quicksilver?, it's good, it's free, and it's fully functional app..... BUT I prefer the built-in Spotlight since I just press "command + Space" and type in whatever I want (files, apps, songs, movies, pictures, everything on your Mac). ^_^ Thanks.

Not sure about promoting "Mojo"...
Another good app for finding and cleaning the hard drive is the now free "OMNI Disk Sweeper"
(and fun with "OMNI Dazzle")
Camouflage hides messy desktops.
Bean is an excellent document processor. Many formats.

Good stuff!

Thinking about productivity you maybe want to have a look at launchbar. Unfortunately it´s not free but I´d always buy it again. I actually trashed quicksilver for it. T.

Maybe you guys wanna have a look at launchbar (obdev.at) talking about productivity. Unfortunately it´s not free, but I´d always pay for it again. Actually trashed quicksilver for it. Almost no need to touch the mouse again. For my mails I´m either using MIniMail or recently mail unread menu. it sits in the menubar, is free and exactly what I need. T.

Amazing list, some I have tried and don't like, some I use daily, and some I can't wait to try :)

Already using Quicksilver, Growl, Burn, Name Mangler, AppCleaner, and Eversave.  Those are simply amazing!  I have looked at anxiety, but now I have more of a need for a ToDo list so I will be checking that out again.

Once again, great work Wendy, thanks.

Great list. That Service Scrubber is a great find!

Nice list, I'm going to try out iClockr and iTunes Alarm. 

I must just mention Evernote though - this app has come to be a real second brain for me (My first one is not up to much)

fyi, Witch isn't free anymore. it's 10euros i believe

Thanks for the information, Dorian. I have removed Witch from the list as it's not free: €9.95 for one license.

This gonna be very helpful tips during daily life.

Text expander and shove box, minuteur is also a really good time tracking app.

How can I get the wallpaper you're using on the Growl part?

hallo,
I'm writing from Italy and I'd like say that this is a greatest and wonderful website that I know
Ciao
enzo

Great list. Should add to it an excellent little app called Focus Booster, where you can download it at www.focusboosterapp.com that helps you implement the Pomodoro Technique very easily. works a treat!