The general contact with macOS soon friends will find that previously on Windows very common tools and software on macOS but not so easy to find similar, either need to pay to use. According to the experience of Kiker Jun, the compilation of ten very good and most people will often use the tools and software, and are free Oh, compared with the same type of paid software, you will find that this will save a lot of money.
A, garbage cleanup: CleanMyMac X (248 yuan / year) – Tencent lemon cleanup (free)
As a cleanup software with an explosive reputation on macOS platform, CleanMyMac X is a bit comparable to a certain Defender/Butler for Windows users. Of course, CleanMyMac X is very lightweight compared to a certain Defender/Butler, and its functions are basically focused on cleaning cache, junk files or uninstall residue, with some network detection and memory cleaning tools.
However, compared to the $248/year subscription price, CleanMyMac X does not seem to be that attractive. I usually use it to uninstall some software, clean up residuals or check for software updates.
In the field of Windows in China, several major manufacturers of security guards, butler and other software is basically unknown to everyone, basically everyone is using or has used. After realizing that the strategy to deal with Windows terminals could not be replicated in macOS, Tencent abandoned Tencent Computer Manager for Mac in 2019 and launched a new product, Tencent Lemon Cleaner.
I’ve actually been using Tencent Lemon Cleanup since the earliest beta version, and I could see at a glance that the direct competition was CleanMyMac. The core functions are very similar to those of CleanMyMac X.
The commonly used functions such as large file cleaning, privacy cleaning, application uninstallation and boot item management are also very useful. But in some details, Tencent Lemon Cleanup even does a better job. For example, it supports preview mode in file cleaning, so you don’t need to jump to folders; the software uninstallation can clearly see the path details of related files, including the UI style of Lemon Cleaner is also more concise, which meets the current aesthetic needs.
What’s more, it’s free!
In addition, in terms of menu bar functions, the important information displayed by Tencent Lemon Cleanup is more intuitive, and it also supports camera and microphone privacy protection reminders, which is more practical.
Leaving aside the price, it is hard to judge who is better between Tencent Lemon Cleanup and CleanMyMac X. Both can give full play to their core cleaning functions. However, it should be reminded that Tencent Lemon Cleanup has a Lite version on the App Store, but it is recommended to go to the official website to download the full version because of the review restrictions.
Window management tool: Magnet ($18) – Rectangle (free)
Desktop main system to macOS for more than two years, before and after the tossed a lot of tools software, but to really say that has been inseparable from a, my first thought is Magnet.
Magnet is a window management tool that allows you to split and maximize the screen with shortcuts, and is equally efficient on multiple monitors. Although Apple has optimized window splitting in macOS 10.15, it is still far less convenient than Magnet.
When I first bought Magnet from the App Store, it cost $6. Now it’s up to $18, but it’s still worth it.
It was not until later that I was surprised to find a very similar freeware, Rectangle, which also supports shortcuts and menu bar ribbon, but Rectangle is a bit more feature-rich.
Rectangle probably takes a lot of cues from Magne, as it includes all the features of Magnet and adds more customization, including support for hiding menu bar icons. Honestly, if I had known about Rectangle from the beginning, I don’t think I would have spent money to buy Magnet, but since I have bought it, I’ll comfort myself that the App Store is safer.
NTFS read/write tool: Paragon NTFS / Tuxera NTFS ($100+) – NTFS Tool (free)
I think many just contact macOS will encounter this trouble – NTFS format hard disk can not read, previously through the search engine to understand the larger number of users is Paragon NTFS and Tuxera NTFS these two tools, due to different agents, the price is not uniform, but also basically in more than 100 yuan, for the size of the package and UI style, I finally bought Paragon NTFS, use so far did not encounter any unsatisfactory.
In preparation for this article, I have relearned that there are many new lower priced or even free NTFS read/write tools, I won’t talk about the other paid ones, but NTFS Tool, a free open source tool, is recommended. After installation, you can directly read and write files on your hard drive in the Finder. However, NTFS Tool seems to be a little different in its recognition of system disks, but there is nothing wrong with using it.
Basically, all NTFS read and write tools on macOS only allow the system to read and write to NTFS formatted drives normally, but all other file operations are done in Finder, but these tools can also be used as management for external drives.
No matter which tool you use, as long as you can achieve the desired purpose, that is enough, NTFS Tool may not be the best, but as a free open source tool, so it is enough.
IV. All-in-one screenshot tool: CleanShot X ($200)/Xnip ($50) – iShot (free)
With regard to the screenshot function, macOS users are obviously the happiest, because in addition to qq, WeChat and the system’s own screenshot function, there are many excellent third-party screenshot tools. I have used two paid screenshot tools – CleanShot X and Xnip, the former for $29 (about RMB 200) and the latter for $50 buyout or $24/year subscription.
In terms of features and experience, I think CleanShot X is the most powerful, with a full set of features (especially after adding the scrolling screenshot function) and a beautifully designed UI; Xnip is lighter and faster to use despite its streamlined features; and iShot basically combines all the features of the first two, and both support scrolling screenshot function.
Most importantly, iShot is free and can be downloaded directly from the App Store.
In terms of features, this picture says it all. iShot supports area screenshot, window screenshot, time-lapse screenshot and scrolling screenshot, and it can automatically add image shadows to make it more stylish.
Of course, after taking a screenshot, you can directly enter the editing, annotation, and paste mode, including mosaic, arrow, text marker, highlighting and other tools, which is more efficient and convenient as it eliminates the need to open PS again.
Scrolling screenshot function is very useful for sharing some web screenshots, and all three screenshot tools support scrolling screenshot function, and the implementation principle is basically the same. However, only CleanShot X supports the scrolling screenshot re-editing feature, which makes it easy to re-adjust the screenshot area or make annotations.
iShot and CleanShot X also support screen recording, and can directly convert the recorded content to GIF, which is several times more efficient than before when I recorded the screen first and then converted it to GIF with other tools.
I’m not going to say much more about the richness of the game here, so go experience it yourself ~
Five, decompression: Bandizip ($118) / unwind ($45) – eZip (free)
Like Windows, decompression software is also one of the macOS installation must-haves. Most macOS users will search the App Store first, and you’ll see a “Unzip Pro” currently ranked fourth in the paid APPs, after being number one for a long time.
I don’t really have a good feeling about this “Unwind”. If I remember correctly, it was originally listed on the App Store with the name and logo of Good Pressure, and it kind of rubbed off on the popularity of Good Pressure in Windows, and it even has a black history of forcing 5-star reviews, which is a lot of slots, so be careful about buying it.
I think this is also the App Store’s recommendation mechanism has been exploited, resulting in some good software being overwhelmed. KeKa ($18), which is also paid, is actually quite good, but Bandizip, which has more users in Windows, is priced at $118 in the Mac App Store. The App Store is not without its free and useful decompression software, such as “The Unarchiver”, 360 Compression Master and so on.
I have been using eZip, also a free decompression tool, supports the mainstream compression format, powerful and UI is also very pleasing, I have a special article on the introduction, here will not be verbose.
Six, translation tools: Mate ($198) – Bob (free)
In reading some foreign language content, I often need to use translation tools, although Chrome browser comes with web translation, but the limitations are still too big. I have used “Mate” in the App Store, which costs $198, but the actual experience is still far from that of “Bob”.
Neither the name nor the logo makes people think it is a translation tool. It supports three translation engines, namely Youdao, Baidu and Google, so it also supports a large number of languages for mutual translation. The more powerful function is that Bob supports screenshot OCR recognition and then translation, in addition to word translation.
It’s easy to translate words or long paragraphs, and it supports listening to pronunciation, copying the original text or sharing the translation. The operation is more efficient with shortcut keys, and the translation speed is very fast.
With OCR recognition of text, Bob can directly translate screenshots, which breaks through the text limitation and can directly translate the content of a picture or video, even when you don’t need to translate, you can use it as an OCR recognition tool and directly copy the recognized content.
Since Chrome comes with web translation, with Bob’s word translation and screenshot translation, you can read foreign language content in web pages more easily.
Video player: Movist ($30) – IINA (free)
Although macOS comes with QuickTime Player, it has limited support for formats, and it’s not a one-and-done video player. movist is undeniably a very good and powerful video player, and it costs $30 on the App Store, but you have other options – IINA. -IINA.
IINA has probably been recommended countless times, and I’m sure there are already a lot of people using it. As a free, open-source video player, IINA has powerful video parsing capabilities and a rich set of expanded features, as well as a great-looking UI.
It can directly parse part of the online video links, so some people directly based on IINA modified into IINA-Plus, which can be directly used to watch the live broadcast of major live platforms.
Eight, menu bar icon management: Bartender ($109) – Hidden Bar (free)
When you install more and more useful software, you will find that the menu bar of macOS is almost too crowded, especially in macOS Big Sure system, Apple intentionally increased the spacing of the menu bar icons.
Bartender is a program that collapses and hides some of the icons in the menu bar that are not often clicked on, making the menu bar look more fresh. However, there is already a free alternative in the App Store – Hidden Bar, which is also described in detail in the previous article.
Support global shortcut key operation, or you can set auto-hide directly. Compared with the last article about Hidden Bar, it is now more perfect, and the Chinese support is basically perfect.
RSS subscription tools: Reeder 4 (free) / News Explorer ($68) – NetNewsWire (free)
For many users seeking a minimalist reading experience, RSS feeds must be a good choice. macOS platform has a number of excellent RSS reading tools, including Reeder 4, News Explorer, Cappuccino, etc., also priced at $69/$60. But recently, Reeder 4 is available for free on all platforms. If you’re not a fan of Reeder 4, you can try NetNewsWire, a free RSS reader.
Compared with Reeder 4, NetNewsWire is closer to the macOS native application experience, including the iOS side of the application is developed using Swift. Second, although not as feature-rich as Reeder 4, NetNewsWire is lighter and smoother.
However, in terms of RSS online subscription support, NetNewsWire only supports Feedbin, while Reeder 4 supports up to 8 online services, and you can also add your own RSS services. Unfortunately, both NetNewsWire and Reeder 4 do not support Chinese in the UI language.
In addition to NetNewsWire, in fact, the Mac App Store recently launched a free RSS reader Fluent Reader, developed by domestic developers, supports Windows and macOS, but in the overall visual style is completely Windows style, although more simple and beautiful, but really in macOS a little out of the play, as for other features of the experience is really good, it is also worth a try.
Ten, bed upload tool: iPic (60 yuan / year) – uPic (free)
I often write articles like this, and the need for a good upload tool is still relatively strong. I had been using iPic ($60/year) for a long time until I discovered uPic. uPic was also used to write this article with markdown notes.
The upload process is simple, you can copy and upload via the right-click menu or shortcut keys, or you can drag the image directly to the uPic icon in the menu bar, and the target image can be either a local file or an online file. Once the upload is complete, the links (in URL, HTML, markdown, and UBB formats) are automatically copied to the clipboard for direct insertion into the editor, and the whole process is very smooth.
Basically, what I’ve experienced on iPic can be obtained on uPic. uPic supports more image beds including custom ones, which can fully satisfy all my needs.
In the near future, uPic has also launched an iOS APP, which makes it easier to write and transfer pictures on iPhone or iPad.
Summary
Although the free alternatives are similar to the paid tools in terms of general functions, there are still some differences, and the resulting differences in the details of the experience are likely to be the reason why you are willing to pay for them.
Obviously, not all paid tools can find free alternatives with similar functionality and experience. As long as you can provide enough value, it should be worth your money, and this is a virtuous circle before software developers and users.
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