iOS / iPadOS
- 1password - paid subscription - the best password manager. nice passkey integration. always use passkeys when available. it's better security, but also a better a ux. make sure you set 1password on iOS as the default password manager. instructions here
- apple calendar - i don't like google having my calendar data. you know, privacy.
- apple music - paid subscription - best music service. make sure you upgrade your audio quality to lossless for a better listening experience. the airpods pro 2/3 can handle the bandwidth. i have streaming and download quality set to lossless. pro-tip: download songs for uninterrupted playback to counter any potential networking issues. make sure you set the download quality to lossless. instructions for the music app on iOS can be found here.
- apple podcasts - free - smartless and conan needs a friend all day. like adam sandler said in his special, 'i love you': 'nothing beats the comedy'.
- bend - paid - stretching and flexibility app. really nice.
- chrome - free - i switch between chrome and safari. some websites still suck on safari.
- claude - freemium - better than chatgpt. helpful for research and finding information. the paid pro plan gets you access to their flagship llm models. totally worth it.
- google maps - free - works almost everywhere. almost. i also use it to to research restaurants, as it has the most data/photos to validate food quality. but you know, privacy.
- google translate - free - still the best. but you know, privacy.
- github - freemium - the best code repository management.
- gmail - freemium - still use it. for now.
- linear - freemium - modern project management with clean ux/ui. you still can't create projects from the iOS app. i requested this feature several months ago.
- proton mail - freemium - not as good as the gmail app, but you know. privacy.
- proton authenticator - free - always use 2FA with an authenticator. never use SMS verification when possible. not as good as google authenticator, but you know. privacy.
- safari - default - i switch between chrome and safari. some websites still suck on safari.
- shortcuts - free - i created a custom shortcut to toggle noise cancellation & transparency on my airpods. i added the shortcut to my lock screen for quick access.i don't always like to squeeze my airpods stems to toggle noise control. i also set up some custom automations to geofence caltrain stops for reminders. better than using 3rd party transportation apps for this functionality.
- ticktick - paid subscription - personal task management. used to use omnifocus for gtd, but this is better.
- trello - freemium - organize grocery lists kanban style. easy to mark items as completed.
- waymo - available in more and more places. better than uber.
- youtube premium - paid subscription - i hate ads.
macOS
- 1password - paid subscription - the best password manager. nice passkey integration. always use passkeys when available. it's better security, but also a better a ux. make sure to add and use the chrome or safari browser extension.
- alfred 5 - freemium - better than apple spotlight. i like to not use the mouse as much as possible.
- apple calendar - i don't like google having my calendar data. you know, privacy.
- apple music - paid subscription - best music streaming platform. again, make sure you upgrade your streaming and download audio quality to lossless for a better listening experience. if you want to get real nerdy, get an apogee duet 3 with the apogee duet 3 dock and good headphones. the dock is useful to keep cabling to a minimum. for headphones, i recommend the beyerdynamic dt 1990 pro mkii. if you want the most elegant solution, get the apogee duet symphony desktop instead of the duet 3 + the dock. instructions for setting up apple music's audio quality for macOS can be found here.
- caffeinated - useful for when you want to keep your screen on and not have it dim/lock.
- chrome - free - the better browser. but you know, privacy.
- claude desktop app - freemium - better than using the browser. the paid pro plan gets you access to their flagship llm models. totally worth it.
- figma - i switch between figma and framer for website and app design. figma is better for app design.
- framer - framer has different strengths than figma. framer used to be good for designing and prototyping apps and their ui interactions/animations. no longer the case. solely for websites now.
- hidden bar - keep items in the menu bar, but hide them. more useful then just completely disabling them from the menu bar in system settings.
- linear - again, a modern project management with clean ux/ui.
- mimestream - the best native macOS gmail app. has push built in by default. almost all other options use polling, so there’s a delay compared to the instant nature of push.
- rectangle pro - paid - quickly move and position windows around your screen with your keyboard. good for people with ocd. again, i like to use the mouse as little as possible for speed.
- ticktick - personal task management. used to use omnifocus for gtd, but this is better.
dev tools
- claude code - cli version of claude code. enables faster development cycles. easier to set up mcp servers and other stuff.
- dash - offline api documentation.
- docker cli - container management. duh.
- github desktop - who likes actually using git? i still use this sometimes instead of managing git with claude or vscode.
- homebrew - the macos equivalent of linux's package manager. the best.
- iterm - macos terminal replacement. highly customizable.
- jupyter notebooks - the best way to experiment with code in a reproducible manner. you can break code down into chunks without running an entire file. pro-tip: use vscode jupyter notebook extension.
- pyenv - simple python version management. necessary for when you have a bunch of different python versions. easy to set projects with default python versions. pro-tip: use claude to help you set up pyenv and pyenv-virtualenv correctly.
- pyenv virtualenv - pyenv plugin to manage virtual environments. keeps global and project level dependencies separated and clean. perfect for people with ocd, or those who hate dependency hell.
- vscode w/ claude code extension - the best product microsoft ever made. pro-tip: use claude for managing anything with git. pro-tip: use ⌘+d for multi-cursor editing.