Mac apps
From Guides, in the HARD wiki · Updated
A page for each app people commonly find on a Mac: what it is, who makes it, how to tell the real one from a fake, what it connects to and what it’s allowed to see.
Looking for HARD for Mac itself? Get it here.
Criminals often dress malware up as a familiar app. Each page says who really signs the app, so a copy signed by anyone else stands out. HARD’s Mac app checks this for every program it sees going online.
Every app
| App | What it is | Made by |
|---|---|---|
| 1Password | 1Password stores passwords, passkeys, card details and private notes, and fills login details in apps and websites. | AgileBits |
| Adobe Acrobat | Adobe Acrobat is an app for creating, editing, converting, signing and sharing PDF documents. | Adobe |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader | Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free app for reading, printing, commenting on and signing PDFs, and filling in PDF forms. | Adobe |
| Adobe Creative Cloud | Adobe Creative Cloud is Adobe’s desktop app for installing and updating its creative apps, adding fonts and managing files. | Adobe |
| Adobe Illustrator | Adobe Illustrator is a drawing and design app for making logos, icons and illustrations that stay sharp when resized. | Adobe |
| Adobe Lightroom Classic | Adobe Lightroom Classic is a desktop app for organising, editing and printing photos stored on your Mac or external drives. | Adobe |
| Adobe Photoshop | Adobe Photoshop is an app for editing photos, combining images and creating graphics. | Adobe |
| Adobe Premiere | Adobe Premiere is a video editor for cutting clips, mixing sound, adjusting colour and adding titles and captions. | Adobe |
| Android Studio | Android Studio is Google’s official tool for writing, building and testing Android apps. | |
| AnyDesk | AnyDesk lets you access another computer remotely or let someone help you by viewing and controlling your Mac. | AnyDesk Software |
| Arc | Arc is a web browser with vertical tabs, separate Spaces and tools for organising websites. | The Browser Company |
| Audacity | Audacity is a free app for recording, editing and mixing voices, music and other audio. | Muse Group |
| Bitwarden | Bitwarden stores passwords, payment cards and private notes in an encrypted vault that syncs across devices. | Bitwarden |
| Blender | Blender is free, open-source software for making 3D models, animations, visual effects and edited videos. | Blender Foundation |
| BlueWallet | BlueWallet is a Bitcoin wallet for sending, receiving and storing bitcoin, with support for hardware wallets. | BlueWallet |
| Brave Browser | Brave Browser is a web browser with built-in blocking of ads and trackers. | Brave Software |
| Canva | Canva helps you make presentations, posters, invitations, social media images and videos. | Canva |
| Cap | Cap records your screen, camera and sound, with tools to edit videos and share them as links. | Cap Software |
| ChatGPT | ChatGPT is an AI assistant for questions, writing, research, creating documents and developing software. | OpenAI |
| Claude | Claude is an AI assistant for answering questions, writing, analysing documents, coding and carrying out computer tasks. | Anthropic |
| CleanShot X | CleanShot X is a Mac app for taking screenshots, recording the screen, editing captures and sharing them. | MakeTheWeb (MTW) |
| ClickShare | ClickShare shares your Mac’s screen or an application window with Barco ClickShare equipment in a meeting room. | Barco |
| Cursor | Cursor is a code editor with AI tools for writing and changing software. | Anysphere |
| Cyberduck | Cyberduck transfers files between your Mac, remote servers and cloud storage accounts. | iterate |
| Discord | Discord lets people exchange messages, make voice and video calls, and share their screens in groups. | Discord |
| Docker Desktop | Docker Desktop builds and runs software in containers, which package an application with the parts it needs. | Docker |
| Dropbox | Dropbox stores files online, keeps them in sync across devices and lets you share them with other people. | Dropbox |
| Epic Games Launcher | Epic Games Launcher is an app for buying, downloading, updating and playing games from the Epic Games Store. | Epic Games |
| Evernote | Evernote stores searchable notes, documents, pictures, recordings and tasks, and syncs them across devices. | Evernote |
| ExpressVPN | ExpressVPN is a paid VPN that encrypts your internet connection and replaces your public IP address with a VPN server’s address. | Express Technologies |
| Figma | Figma lets people design websites and apps, make interactive mock-ups and work together on shared whiteboards. | Figma |
| Firefox | Firefox opens websites and includes tools for bookmarks, saved passwords, downloads and PDF files. | Mozilla |
| GIMP | GIMP is a free image editor for retouching photos, drawing and combining pictures. | The GIMP Team |
| GitHub Desktop | GitHub Desktop is a visual tool for tracking changes to project files and sharing them through GitHub or other Git services. | GitHub |
| Google Chrome | Google Chrome is a web browser for opening websites, using web apps and downloading files. | |
| Google Drive | Google Drive syncs files between your Mac and Google’s online storage, with access through Finder. | |
| Grammarly | Grammarly checks spelling, grammar and tone, and offers AI help with drafting and rewriting. | Grammarly |
| HandBrake | HandBrake converts video files into other formats and can make them smaller. | The HandBrake Team |
| Harvest | Harvest records time spent on work projects and syncs it with an online timesheet. | Harvest |
| Inkscape | Inkscape makes and edits drawings that stay sharp when resized, such as logos, diagrams and posters. | Inkscape |
| iTerm2 | iTerm2 is a replacement for Apple’s Terminal that lets you run commands, scripts and connections to other computers. | George Nachman |
| Karabiner-Elements | Karabiner-Elements changes what keyboard keys do, including shortcuts and rules for particular apps. | pqrs.org |
| KeePassXC | KeePassXC stores passwords, usernames and notes in an encrypted file and can fill them into websites and apps. | KeePassXC Team |
| Laravel Herd | Herd sets up the tools needed to build and test PHP and Laravel websites on a Mac. | Beyond Code |
| LibreOffice | LibreOffice is an office suite for writing documents, making spreadsheets and creating presentations. | The Document Foundation |
| Little Snitch | Little Snitch is a Mac firewall that shows which apps connect to the internet and lets you allow or block those connections. | Objective Development |
| Logi Options+ | Logi Options+ is Logitech’s app for customising supported mice, keyboards, webcams and other accessories. | Logitech |
| Loom | Loom records your screen, camera and voice so you can share a video explanation by link. | Atlassian |
| Malwarebytes | Malwarebytes scans your Mac for harmful software and can block threats and dangerous websites. | Malwarebytes |
| Messenger | Messenger is Meta’s former Mac app for Facebook messages, group chats, and voice and video calls. | Meta |
| Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Edge is Microsoft's web browser for visiting websites, searching the internet and using online services. | Microsoft |
| Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Excel creates and edits spreadsheets for calculations, budgets, lists, charts and data analysis. | Microsoft |
| Microsoft OneDrive | OneDrive stores files online and keeps them in sync between your Mac and other devices. | Microsoft |
| Microsoft Outlook | Microsoft Outlook is an app for reading and sending email, managing contacts and organising calendars. | Microsoft |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Microsoft PowerPoint is an app for making, editing and showing slide presentations with text, pictures, audio and video. | Microsoft |
| Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams is an app for video meetings, voice calls, messages and sharing files. | Microsoft |
| Microsoft Word | Microsoft Word is an app for writing, editing, formatting and sharing documents. | Microsoft |
| Mullvad VPN | Mullvad VPN encrypts your Mac’s internet connection to Mullvad’s servers and hides your IP address from websites. | Mullvad VPN |
| NordVPN | NordVPN is a paid service that encrypts your internet connection and routes it through a server in a location you choose. | Nord Security |
| Notion | Notion brings notes, documents, task lists and databases together in a shared workspace. | Notion Labs |
| OBS Studio | OBS Studio is a free app for recording your screen, camera and sound, and broadcasting live video. | OBS Project |
| Obsidian | Obsidian stores notes on your Mac and lets you link them together to organise information. | Dynalist |
| OpenCode | OpenCode is an AI assistant that helps people understand, write, change and run computer code. | Anomaly |
| Opera | Opera opens websites and web apps, with built-in ad blocking, a browser VPN and an AI assistant. | Opera |
| Oracle VirtualBox | Oracle VirtualBox runs other operating systems, such as Windows or Linux, in virtual computers on your Mac. | Oracle |
| Parallels Desktop | Parallels Desktop runs Windows, Linux and other operating systems alongside macOS, so you can use their apps on your Mac. | Parallels |
| Postman | Postman helps developers test how apps and websites exchange data. | Postman |
| Proton Pass | Proton Pass stores passwords, passkeys, credit card details and private notes, and syncs them across devices. | Proton |
| Proton VPN | Proton VPN is a VPN that encrypts your Mac’s internet connection and sends it through Proton’s servers. | Proton |
| Raycast | Raycast opens apps, finds files and runs commands from a keyboard search box. | Raycast |
| Sequel Ace | Sequel Ace is a Mac app for viewing, editing and running queries on MySQL and MariaDB databases. | Sequel Ace |
| Signal | Signal lets you exchange encrypted messages, share files and make voice and video calls. | Signal Messenger |
| Skype | Skype was Microsoft's app for voice calls, video calls, messages and file sharing; it retired in May 2025. | Microsoft |
| Slack | Slack is a workplace app for group messages, file sharing, and voice and video calls. | Salesforce |
| Spotify | Spotify plays music, podcasts and audiobooks, and lets you organise music into playlists. | Spotify |
| Steam | Steam lets you buy, download, update and play games, and chat with other players. | Valve |
| Sublime Text | Sublime Text is an editor for writing and changing code, website files and plain text. | Sublime HQ |
| TablePlus | TablePlus lets you view, search and edit databases on your Mac or on a server. | TablePlus |
| Tailscale | Tailscale connects your devices through an encrypted private network so you can reach them remotely. | Tailscale |
| TeamViewer | TeamViewer lets someone view and control a computer over the internet to provide help or access files. | TeamViewer |
| Telegram | Telegram is an app for messages, calls, group chats and sharing photos, videos and files across your devices. | Telegram |
| The Unarchiver | The Unarchiver is a free app that extracts files from ZIP, RAR, 7z and many older archive formats. | MacPaw |
| Thunderbird | Thunderbird is a free app for reading and sending email, managing contacts and organising calendars. | MZLA Technologies |
| Transmission | Transmission downloads and shares files with other people using BitTorrent. | Transmission Project |
| Visual Studio Code | Visual Studio Code is Microsoft’s editor for writing, running and checking computer code. | Microsoft |
| Vivaldi | Vivaldi is a web browser with customisable tabs, ad and tracker blocking, and built-in email and calendar tools. | Vivaldi Technologies |
| VLC media player | VLC media player is a free, open-source player for videos, music, discs and network streams. | VideoLAN |
| VMware Fusion | VMware Fusion runs Windows, Linux and other operating systems in virtual machines on a Mac. | Broadcom |
| Warp | Warp is a terminal for running commands, with an AI assistant that can write code and carry out development tasks. | Warp |
| Webex | Webex is Cisco’s app for video meetings, phone calls, messaging and sharing files or your screen. | Cisco |
| WhatsApp lets you send messages, share files and make voice and video calls from your Mac. | Meta | |
| Windows App | Windows App connects your Mac to a remote Windows PC, cloud desktop or Windows app. | Microsoft |
| Wireshark | Wireshark captures and examines network traffic to help people investigate connection problems and security issues. | Wireshark Foundation |
| Zed | Zed is an editor for writing software, with optional AI tools, shared editing, voice calls and screen sharing. | Zed Industries |
| Zoom Workplace | Zoom lets you make video calls, join online meetings, send messages and share your screen. | Zoom Communications |
Checking an app yourself
Every app from a real developer is signed with a certificate Apple issued to that developer. To see who signed one, open Terminal and run codesign -dv --verbose=2 "/Applications/Name.app". The Authority line names the developer and TeamIdentifier is their Apple team ID. Compare it with the app’s page here.
If an app isn’t signed at all, or is signed by someone other than its maker, don’t open it. Delete it and download it again from the maker’s own website.