Useful Mac Apps Worth Checking Out - August 2021

Apps created for the Mac don't often receive as much attention as apps designed for iPhones and iPads, so we have a video series that highlights useful Mac apps worth checking out. Our August picks feature apps for drawing with the trackpad, managing music, keeping track of passwords, and more.

  • SigmaOS ($10/Month) - SigmaOS is a browser that's aimed at those who do a lot of their work on the web. It allows websites and web apps to be organized into different workspaces or projects, and it supports multitasking with two active pages at one time. Workspaces that you don't need can be snoozed temporarily, and for those who often collaborate, you can send pages directly to another user's browser. SigmaOS is free to try, but it costs $10 per month for unlimited workspaces, pages, actions, and cross-device syncing.
  • MiniKey ($1.99) - MiniKey is a lightweight one-time password app for the Mac that's designed as an alternative to apps like Authy or Google Authenticator. It lives in the Mac's menu bar and can be used to store all of your two-factor authentication codes. You can click to copy or drag and drop from the drop down menu where your authentication codes are stored.
  • Magic Drawing App (Free) - Magic is designed to let you create drawings with your Mac's trackpad. It has pressure sensitivity when used with a MacBook's Force Touch trackpad, and there are customizable brushes to choose from.
  • Sleeve ($5) - Sleeve is a desktop music player that works with Apple Music, Spotify, and Doppler. It's deeply customizable and lets you create a little desktop music widget that lets you know what's playing, provides album art, and offers up playback controls. You can decide just how much information you want to see and where you want it.
  • Slapdash (Free) - Slapdash aggregates the capabilities from all of your apps into one easy access spot that can be reached with a single keyboard command (command + J). You just open up Slapdash and search for what you want if it's not already in the quick access list. Slapdash is customizable and there are team features for companies. Slapdash is free for limited use, but unlocking all of the features requires a $12/month subscription.

Know of a must-have Mac app or game that we haven't highlighted yet? Let us know in the comments below and we might feature it in a future video. Many of our Mac apps that we share are recommended by MacRumors readers. For more of our Mac app picks, check out our Mac apps archive.

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Top Rated Comments

dylanthomas Avatar
45 months ago
$10/Month for a web browser...
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seanmills1020 Avatar
45 months ago
In the 1990s Netscape actually charged for its browser, but $120/yr is astronomical.

Netscape pricing ('http://www.cnet.com/news/netscape-cuts-prices-on-retail-products/').
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EmotionalSnow Avatar
45 months ago

In the 1990s Netscape actually charged for its browser, but $120/yr is astronomical.

Netscape pricing ('http://www.cnet.com/news/netscape-cuts-prices-on-retail-products/').
Agreed. The browser seems nice but considering that it misses a few features and the price I am definitely not interested. I am willing to pay for good software but having to pay a subscription more expensive than Apple Music or Disney+ is just ridiculous.

And Slapdash is charging $12/m for their Pro tier. I generally am somewhat understanding when it comes to developers and subscriptions but this is really getting out of hand.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Roadcrew Avatar
45 months ago
Who is even making these recommendations? I'm not afraid of paying for good apps, but the monthly pricing on SigmaOS and Slapdash is just ridiculous.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EmotionalSnow Avatar
45 months ago

Apps created for the Mac don't often receive as much attention as apps designed for iPhones and iPads
That's unfortunately true and why I appreciate this series. I didn't know any of these apps before. Thanks to the MacRumors team.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
45 months ago
No way I would pay a monthly fee to use a web browser.

Minikey does not live in the Menu Bar. It resides there. Apps can't live.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)