The Apps I Actually Use Every Day

I like seeing which apps other people actually use. Not the apps they are testing this week or the ones they think they should use, but the boring defaults they open every day.

Here are mine. There is no elaborate productivity system hiding behind this list. Most of my choices are Apple apps because they are already there, sync well, and do the job.

• Mail client: Apple Mail, plus Outlook for work
• Mail server: iCloud
• Notes: Apple Notes
• To-do lists: Apple Notes and Apple Reminders
• Camera: Apple Camera
• Photo management: Apple Photos
• Calendar: iCloud, plus Outlook for work
• Cloud storage: iCloud
• RSS reader: NetNewsWire
• Contacts: iCloud
• Browser: Google Chrome and Safari
• Chat: WhatsApp, Messenger, and Microsoft Teams for work
• Bookmarks: Google Chrome
• Read it later: none
• Word processing: Pages, plus Word for work
• Spreadsheets: Numbers, plus Excel for work
• Presentations: Keynote, plus PowerPoint for work
• Shopping lists: Reminders
• Meal planning: Apple Notes
• Budgeting and personal finance: Numbers
• Music: Apple Music
• Podcasts: none
• Password manager: iCloud Keychain
• Photo editing: Apple Photos
• Package tracking: none
• Code editor: Visual Studio Code
• Transcription: none
• Launcher: Spotlight

The absence of specialist apps is probably the most honest part of the list. If a built-in tool is good enough, I would rather use it than maintain another account, subscription, and workflow.

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