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Five Mac Apps Worth Checking Out - August 2019

Friday August 2, 2019 2:11 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apps designed for the Mac don't typically receive as much attention as apps made for iPhones and iPads, so we have a series here at MacRumors designed to highlight useful and interesting Mac apps worth checking out and potentially investing in.

This month's picks include apps for overhauling your Touch Bar, updating forgotten Mac apps, controlling music, managing windows, and more, with many of these apps recommended by MacRumors readers.

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  • MacUpdater ($9.99) - MacUpdater is a simple little app that keeps track of the updates for all of the apps installed on your Mac so you can see at a glance which apps are out of date and need updating. It's super useful for apps that have been installed outside of the Mac App Store. You can scan your apps for free using MacUpdater, but updating more than 10 costs $9.99.

  • Moom ($9.99) - Moom is an app that's designed to let you quickly and easily move and resize windows on your Mac. It has preset sizes and locations, and also lets you draw grids to create custom window display sizes. There are also custom controls for moving, zooming, moving windows to a secondary display, centering, resizing and more, and window layouts can be saved.

  • Background Music (Free) - Background Music is an audio utility that's designed to automatically pause your music player when other audio starts playing on your Mac, unpausing it afterwards. It also offers per-application volume controls so you can make certain apps quieter than others, and it has an option for recording system audio.

  • GoldenChaos BTT (Free) - GoldenChaos BTT is a Touch Bar replacement interface that lets you overhaul the way that your Touch Bar works. It lets you change up the Home Strip, access modifier menus with the app switcher, control strip, window snapping controls, and more, and customize the size of dynamic menu options. It supports dock badges, widgets, and more. GoldenChaos is free, but requires BetterTouchTool, a Touch Bar customization app that costs $7.50.

  • EasyFinder (Free) - EasyFinder is a menu bar app that offers up quick access to important and frequently used files and folders, so you can get to what you need with just a click or two. You can add files and folders in different categories like Personal, Work, and Others, and you can get to that content right from the menu bar.
If you have a favorite must-have Mac app that we haven't highlighted yet, let us know in the comments, and we might feature it in a future video. For more of our Mac app picks, make sure to check out our Mac app archives.

Tag: Essential Mac Apps
[ 96 comments ]

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Peter Maurer
11 weeks ago
I'm mostly a lurker on these forums, but…

I've been using Moom for years... and recently started playing with MacUpdater... Moom is a 'rock star' of an app... does what it does very well and doesn't try to be more than it is.


Moom is great


+1 for Moom. Awesome tool


Love Moom, and thanks for including some truly free apps. Always gems.


Love Moom! Been using it for years!


Another shout for Moom. Invaluable for productivity and housekeeping. Been using it for several years, and my Macs would feel lacking in core functionality without it.


To the creators of Moom:
THANK YOU.

My window uniformity and alignment OCD itch has been scratched.


…speaking as one of the abovementioned creators of Moom, thank you everyone! I'm tempted to put some of these quotes on rotation on Moom's product page. :D

Note that you can toss these apps in the trash cometh 10.15 release.


Nah, don't worry. As of the current Catalina beta, there's a bit of an interference between Apple's new zoom button menu (I wonder where they got the idea?) and Moom's zoom button controls. But we're working on that, and I can promise you that one way or another, Moom will be ready by the time Catalina is officially released.
Rating: 14 Votes
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GoldenChaos
11 weeks ago
Hey, that's my BTT preset! Awesome overview!

If anyone is trying out GoldenChaos-BTT and needs any help getting set up, wants to request a feature, or just has questions, I lurk on the forums so I'll keep an eye on my PMs and I'll subscribe to this thread :)
Rating: 10 Votes
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PilotWoo
10 weeks ago

That truly is a shame. Good developers need to be compensated.


I totally agree. I don't mind paying for software, but I don't want a subscription. I always transition away from apps that go to a subscription model. Devs need to think about that.
Rating: 6 Votes
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dwfaust
11 weeks ago

They are also becoming extremely stingy to pay for software.


That truly is a shame. Good developers need to be compensated.
Rating: 5 Votes
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masotime
11 weeks ago
+1 for Moom. Awesome tool
Rating: 4 Votes
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CoreCode_Limited
10 weeks ago
hello MacRumors readers,

everyone on our team here is thrilled to be featured by MacRumors. we are delighted to offer a promo code to all readers here that gives you a 10% discount off MacUpdater. just enter the Coupon Code 'MACUPDATER-MACRUMORS' during purchase (after testing the free version extensively).

for any feedback, please contact us over twitter @corecode_io or via the feedback function built into the app itself.

thanks, julian
Rating: 4 Votes
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dwfaust
10 weeks ago

If you are referring to Moom, I don't use it for window snapping, but rather resizing and repositioning app windows. I run a 13" MBP as my only computer and run it on a 27" external when I am home.

So when I switch back and forth between laptop mode and "dekstop" size clamshell mode, Moom makes it really easy to get all the apps shaped up for the new screen size.

I bought MacUpdater after is was suggested in a thread like this a couple weeks ago. Really nice app. It will scan all your apps for updates, then download the updated DMG file, mount it and install the update, then eject and delete the DMG if you want.


Likewise, I read the glowing praise for MacUpdater on another thread. I had a false start or two, but eventually everything settled in and I bought it. I have it on all of my family's Macs. It's a really solid app...

And been using Moom much the same way you do - have been for about 7 or 8 years.
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MacUpdater ('https://www.corecode.io/macupdater/') ($9.99) - Why would you need a ten bucks app for checking updates for other apps? Pointless..

Moom ('https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moom/id419330170?mt=12') ($9.99) - Too expensive.. there are cheaper alternatives, like BetterSnapTool or Magnet. Why promoting expensive stuff?

To be honest, it's a shame that Apple can't do proper window management in macOS. This is such an obvious and useful thing.. Windows can do snapping from version 7 (back in 2009)


Not sure I'd call a $10 app that is functional, light weight and reliable "expensive".

This is the result of ad-ladened "free" apps... people are reluctant to compensate developers for their work when one deems it appropriate... of course, there is always the option of "paying" with your privacy and data. (I am looking at you, Facebook and Google.)

macOS has had "window snapping" for a while, as well... but only to the edges. Moom allows you to set the granularity of the workspace and then resize windows into the grid that represents the workspace. Lightweight, intuitive and just down-right handy to have. Worth $10 in my book.
Rating: 3 Votes
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luckman212
11 weeks ago

Great to see Macupdater on this list. The developer (no relation) works hard for your one-time $10 payment! Great app and great service.

I agree!! Was very happy to see MacUpdater at the #1 spot too :D No relation here either— just a very happy customer of a well written time-saving app.
Rating: 3 Votes
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dwfaust
11 weeks ago
I've been using Moom for years... and recently started playing with MacUpdater... Moom is a 'rock star' of an app... does what it does very well and doesn't try to be more than it is.

No experience with EasyFinder, Background Music or GoldenChaosBTT ... but willing to give GoldenChaosBTT a whirl.
Rating: 3 Votes
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MisterSavage
11 weeks ago
I appreciate stories like this because Mac apps aren't something I keep up with like I should.
Rating: 3 Votes

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