AppAddict

AppAddict's Default Tech Stack, Third Edition

This is the third annual edition of my personal tech stack. In 2023, I saw many people talking about their default apps as a result of an episode of the podcast Hemispheric Views.. I learned about a lot of great software that I wasn't familiar with. I wanted to get in on the fun, so I started a blog for that express purpose, and the rest is history. The biggest changes in 2025 happened as a result of cutting ties with Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon. I've tried to move as much of my back end tech stack out of...

December 2nd, 2025 Universal Apps

Update on Options for Updating Apps

With nearly over 500 apps installed on the MacBook I use for testing, keeping everything updated is a daily chore. If I wait a week between scans, I end up with 60-80 available updates to install. Based on my experience, the app updater that catches everything doesn't exist. Historically, the app that does the best job is MacUpdater, but, absent any breaking news, it will become deprecated at the end of December. Today, I ran several updaters on my system to determine how they compared. • Macupdater found 27 available updates. It installed 17 of them automatically and gave me...

December 1st, 2025 Mac Apps

KeyKeeper is The Tool for Tracking Your Software Purchases

If you have been taking advantage of all the Black Friday sales, You've got a bunch of information to track - serial numbers, download links, upgrade policies etc. I keep all my software licensing information in KeyKeeper, an app by the same team that operates Bundlehunt. I've been buying Mac software since the days of the classic OS. Believe it or not, some apps I purchased as far back as 2004 are still functional, requiring the original license key when I set up a new system. Shout out to SuperDuper! I've used various methods to track licensing information: a spreadsheet,...

November 28th, 2025 Mac Apps

Backup Loupe

Everyone need a backup plan. The more complex your workflow is, the more complex your backup strategy will become. I use a combination of cloud services (Koofr and kDrive) and syncing across multiple devices (two Mac Laptops, two Linux workstations and a self-hosted server/NAS) with FreeFileSync, Syncthing and SmartBackup. But, the base of my plan is the native macOS backup app, Time Machine. An Internet friend recently suggested an addition to my plan, Backup Loupe by Soma-Zone Software, and after evaluating it, I happily paid full price ($33.53) for a license. What It Is, What It DoesBackupLoupe is a “front-end...

November 27th, 2025 Mac Apps

Details on Mega-sale of Daisy Disk, Houdahspot, CleanshotX, Default Folder X, Downie, Marked 2 and more

It's always good to see a sale on popular, well established apps. Today through Friday, you can get a dozen quality Mac user favorites individually for half price or as a total package for $77. I've reviewed a few of these apps before and some of them i use every day. Check the links below to see the reviews. • CleanShotX - $14.50 The go to screen shot app with over 50 features, useful if you are a blogger, need screenshots for work documents or deal with tech support regularly. • Downie - 10 - Downie not only downloads from...

November 26th, 2025

Downie and Permute Both on Sale for Seven Days

Get Them HereDownie If you want to download video from YouTube, there are a variety of ways. There is a Raycast Extension. There is the great free YouTube muti-action app, Freetube. Finally there is Downie from Charlie Monroe. Downie not only downloads from YouTube, Youku, Bilibili and Vimeo it can download from more than 1,000 sites with more being added bi-weekly. You can even write to the developer and request that a site be added and chances are he will act on it. He even offers to help if you run into a problematic video on a site already in...

November 24th, 2025

My Black Friday Wish List

Even before I started writing app reviews, my Applications folder was always bulging because I have a hard time resisting any software that looks interesting or useful. We actually have a Software category in our family's monthly budget. While there is a lot of Mac software, there isn't an infinite supply, and making a wish list for Black Friday sales means there are a lot of apps being discounted that I won't buy because I already own them! So just keep in mind that this list is the most interesting selection from what I don't already have. • CSV Table...

November 23rd, 2025 Mac Apps

Roundup of AppAddict Reviews of Apps on Sale for Black Friday

Scooping up apps at a discount during Black Friday season is an annual tradition for me. It takes a little planning and research, but I've picked up a number of useful titles over the years. If you are looking at what's available for 2025, here is a list of my reviews for apps currently being offered. Thoughts - Quotes Manager 50% OFF Lifetime with code BLACK25 By Henri Bredt to manage quotes, authors and tags. It creates a personalized feed from your collection that you can view from a widget. ExtraDock 50% off with code BLACKXXFRIDAY50 Nov 26th - Dec...

November 22nd, 2025 Mac Apps

DearMob iPhone Manager is a Useful Tool for Normies and Power Users

A few years back, I had an iPhone that just stopped backing up to iCloud. I went through every troubleshooter I could find, and nothing worked. At the time, I had a MacBook with a small hard drive (256 GB), and using Finder to back it up resulted in a file of over 90 GB, taking up a significant chunk of space. Not only that, it took about 30 minutes to complete. I had to hack together a way, using symlinks, to move the backup to an external drive. It was a huge PIA. That's when I started using DearMob...

November 21st, 2025 Mac Apps

Collections Database Hits a Sweet Spot

Collections Database is a user-friendly app by developer Matteo D'Ignazio, with an easy learning curve. It's not made for SQL experts or those who need complicated relational connections. For most Mac users who want a polished and well-supported way to manage and track collections, inventories, and various items, it's almost a no-brainer, supporting macOS and iOS and costing only $6.99 on the Mac App Store for the pro version. There is a free version, limited to 100 records, but sufficient for testing if you want to try before you buy. What's To Like• Ease of Use: Made for everyday...

November 19th, 2025 Universal Apps

Keyboard Maestro is 50% Off for One Week at Bundlehunt!

The folks at Bundlehunt have managed to get the developer of Keyboard Maestro to offer the app at half price for seven days only. Keyboard Maestro by Stairways Software is the preeminent automation application for macOS. It acts on nearly 30 triggers to perform almost any Mac function you can think of. It can launch tasks, control applications and manipulate text and images. It's easier to demonstrate its powers than to explain them, so I'll share my top 10 macros. 1. Add Today's TaskThis is an example of a macro that runs an iOS shortcut, in this case one that...

November 17th, 2025

Spokenly Free Version is My Voice-to-Text Daily Driver

My voice-to-text use case is almost exclusively dictation (in English) in lieu of typing. There are a lot of transcription apps, many of them very powerful with advanced features for enterprise and academic users in multilingual environments. I don't need that. I just need something dependable and free that works well and saves me from having to type so much. After trying a great many apps, I'm most satisfied with Spokenly. Key Features for This Use Case• Requires no account - just download it from the Mac App Store, set it up, and start using it. You don't need a...

November 15th, 2025 Mac Apps

Stay is a Free and Useful Utility for Multiple Monitor Setups

When it comes to multi-monitor setups, users have wildly different demands. Some people make extensive use of spaces, while others won't; their applications must be tiled the exact same way at all times. My personal use case in the two-monitor setup that I use is that I want apps to open on the same monitor with each use. Although Stay does remember tiled window positions in its profiles, I don't care so much about that, because I tend to use most of my apps in full-screen mode. I absolutely do not want to have to drag windows around from monitor...

November 13th, 2025 Mac Apps

ExtraDock Simplifies Remote Work

On the computer, where I get most of my work done, I have a dual monitor setup dialed in over a period of time to match my preferences for the apps and processes that I use daily. I am partial to a keyboard-centric workflow. I have used keyboard-driven launchers for many years, including LaunchBar and currently Raycast. However, I deal with a great many files, primarily photographs, videos, music, and eBooks, moving them from different locations in my file system to other locations. This requires me to use a mouse and to do quite a bit of application switching. When...

November 12th, 2025

tinyMediaManager - Power User Toolbox for Movie and TV Show Collections

My personal media collection dates back to the days of ripping Netflix DVDs, back when the Internet used to come in the mail. Consisting of thousands of titles and weighing in at 20 TB, it presents some management challenges. Keeping things organized and standardized is important to me, and while I value automation, I also want full control over my files. To that end, I use tinyMediaManager (aka TMM), a cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux) app written in Java. Since it is optimized for Apple Silicon, I use it on my M2 MBA rather than my vintage Intel MBP. The actual...

November 10th, 2025 Mac Apps