When Finder and Mail are not enough
The default apps on your Mac are great, but sometimes you need more power. Here are the best alternatives to Apple’s Finder, Mail, Calendar, and other apps.
Alternative apps to power up your Mac
Think of Path Finder as a Finder on steroids. The app lets you add and arrange various modules to build an ideal setup. For example, you may want to always see the file info or have a shortcut to your recent folders. And with the dual pane view, you can easily work across two disks or folders and move files between them.
How to change the default file manager: In Path Finder, open Settings > General and select “Set as the default file browser.”
For PDF editing: Nitro PDF
Nitro PDF Pro is here for PDF tasks the built-in Preview app can’t handle. Do almost anything with PDFs, from editing the text and managing pages to redacting sensitive data and merging files. Think of it as Adobe Acrobat that doesn’t cost you extra.
How to change the default PDF app: Right-click on any PDF file on your Mac and choose Get Info. Under “Open with,” choose Nitro PDF Pro and click Change All.
For email: Canary Mail
Canary Mail looks as clean as Apple Mail while adding many advanced features. End-to-end encryption for added security, read receipts, time-saving templates — the list goes on. Stuck writing an email? Copilot, the built-in AI assistant, can do it for you.
How to change the default email client: Open Mail and go to Settings. Under “Default email reader,” choose Canary Mail.
For calendars: BusyCal
BusyCal brings everything you’ve been missing in Apple Calendar: Weather forecast, travel time calculator, and tons of customization options. The best thing? BusyCal shows your to-dos alongside the calendar, letting you easily schedule them.
For videos: Elmedia Player
Video formats like MKV won’t play in the built-in QuickTime Player. Try Elmedia Player instead. Besides popular media formats, it supports MKV, AVI, FLV, 3GP, and more. Now you can spend time watching movies rather than converting files.
On top of superb compatibility, Elmedia Player lets you bookmark your favorite places in videos, fix audio delays, and more.
For notes: NotePlan
Writing your to-dos or plans in Notes? With notes, tasks, and calendars in one place, NotePlan will feel like an upgrade. Schedule to-dos from your notes, add links to other notes and find anything with advanced search.
Hope this how-to will help you solve tasks faster, and enjoy solving them, too! Check out more how-tos picked for you below.
