Must-try Mac tools in 2025: Discover hidden gems before everyone else

Most Mac users stick to the usual suspects like Safari, Mail, maybe a note-taking app, while the real game-changers stay buried in the shadows. 

In 2025, there’s a new wave of hidden Mac app gems that can save you time, simplify your workflow, and unlock features you didn’t even know you needed. 

I’ll share the must-try Mac tools everyone else will wish they’d found first.

2025’s must-try Mac apps you might not know about 

Are you a designer, coder, writer, or just someone navigating a hectic digital life? These apps can redefine your Mac experience in 2025. Here’s the selection criteria for this curated list:

• Recently launched or got major updates
• Solve problems better than traditional tools
• Focused, intuitive, and efficiency-driven

Most of these apps are available through Setapp, so you can try them out without worrying about buyer’s remorse. The platform gives you access to over 250 Mac, iOS, and web apps all under one subscription. The cool thing about Setapp is that it only offers top-quality apps and tools, so you're getting a curated collection that can help solve a variety of problems.

ClearVPN — Smarter, adaptive VPN experience

ClearVPN is not your average VPN. Sure, it secures your connection and hides your location, but it goes a step further: it adapts to what you’re doing. Whether you're streaming, working remotely, or accessing region-restricted sites, it optimizes your connection on the fly.

What it offers to users:

• Strong security (AES-256 encryption) and a no-logs policy
• Cross-platform support (macOS, iOS, Android, Windows)
• Kill Switch protection (automatically disconnects you from the internet to prevent data leaks)

Best for:  

• Remote workers hopping between coffee shop Wi-Fi networks
• Digital nomads accessing global content libraries
• Privacy-conscious users who want encryption without the hassle

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

Craft — The future of structured note-taking

Craft offers extensive support for structured writing, letting users intuitively interconnect their thoughts. Imagine outlining a blog post, adding research links, embedding media, and building a polished, shareable doc without jumping between apps.

The aesthetically pleasing but practically designed interface encourages critical thinking, brainstorming, ideation, and polished writing. 

What it offers to users:

• Sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, web (and Vision Pro), with offline editing supported
• Over 100 premade styles and custom templates
• Built-in AI assistant for idea generation, proofreading, translations, summarization, and quick searches within your workspace

Best for:  

• Writers planning long-form content or scripts
• Project managers structuring complex plans
• Students organizing research notes
• Bloggers refining content pipelines

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

Also, check out this curated list of the best apps for bloggers to improve your entire workflow.

Paletro — Universal command palette for your Mac

Have you ever jumped off a window on your Mac and, upon returning, it suddenly falls off the map? That’s exactly what Paletro is there for. 

Paletro is your universal command palette. It works across your apps, summoning every function you could think of (and plenty you forgot existed). Instead of memorizing dozens of quirky shortcuts or clicking through endless menus, you just press a simple shortcut, and Paletro will reveal everything you can do in that app.

What it offers to users:

• Access to all menu commands of any macOS app, including keyboard shortcuts
• Quick command search by typing partial keywords without needing exact names
• Customizable activation shortcuts for a smooth, personalized workflow

Best for:

• Anyone juggling feature-rich apps but tired of wasting clicks
• Writers, designers, coders

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

Hookmark — Deep linking across your workflow

Imagine a glue that binds your digital world together. Hookmark is the hyperlink system your Mac always needed but never had. Instead of endlessly searching for that note, email, or document, Hookmark lets you create embedded links between files, web pages, emails, or tasks. 

What it offers to users:

• Two-way links between files, emails, tasks, and notes for better navigation
• Contextual linking to instantly generate links to the current item, whether it's a webpage, email, or file.
• Universal links compatible with various apps, including Notion, Google Docs, and Agenda, for easy sharing and access.

Best for:

• Researchers, creatives, and knowledge workers 
• Pulling inputs from PDFs, emails, and articles

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

Expressions — A cleaner way to write and test RegEx

Do regular expressions (RegEx) feel like an indecipherable wall of symbols? Expressions makes RegEx simple and approachable. It helps you understand, write, and test regular expressions easily, so you can quickly find patterns in text without the usual confusion.

What it offers to users:

• Real-time testing on how your RegEx matches text
• Highlights and explains each part of your expression to help you understand how it works
• Reusable snippets for quick access and future projects

Best for:

• Developers, analysts, and anyone wrangling data 
• For scraping text, validating inputs, or parsing logs
• Coding demos or interviews
• Quick fixes where time is tight but precision is non-negotiable

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

Unite — Turn any website into a standalone Mac app

Are your favorite web tools always buried under a pile of browser tabs? This niche Mac software fixes that. Unite instantly transforms any website into a dedicated Mac app, complete with its own dock icon, custom settings, and native window controls. 

What it offers to users:

• Multiple app modes to suit your workflow 
• Advanced tab control: Pin, rename, lock, isolate, and prevent duplicates 
• Unite app sharing with others by sending a file, facilitating collaboration and consistency across devices

 

Best for:

• Remote workers and students
• Entrepreneurs who live on platforms like Notion, Slack, or Figma

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

Nitro PDF Pro — Lightweight PDF editing, without Adobe bloat

Editing PDFs shouldn’t demand excessive resources. Nitro PDF Pro is a lightweight PDF editor that efficiently handles your tasks without overloading your Mac. It allows you to edit text, annotate, merge, sign, and secure PDFs. I appreciate its simple interface and rapid performance.

What it offers to users:

• Advanced PDF editing: edit text, images, and pages with precision.
• OCR to convert scanned documents into searchable and editable PDFs
• Digitally sign documents and fill out interactive forms

Best for:

• Freelancers working on contracts
• Student annotating research papers

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

You can also view the comparison of the top free PDF editors for Mac in 2025.

PliimPRO — Presentation mode reinvented for Mac

We’ve all been there: You’re sharing your screen, and out of nowhere, a private Slack message pops up, or your messy desktop steals the spotlight. Enter PliimPRO, and your Mac goes full presentation mode when you need it the most. 

With a single click, PliimPRO hides notifications and desktop icons, and even switches wallpapers. 

What it offers to users:

• Presentation mode to hide desktop icons, disable notifications, mute speakers, and change your wallpaper
• Works seamlessly with all major meeting platforms, including Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime
• Easily mute or unmute your microphone using a persistent Touch Bar icon or a customizable keyboard shortcut 

Best for:

• Remote workers, teachers, and creatives frequently hosting demos, webinars, or client calls
• Public speakers running both virtual and in-person presentations

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

SideNotes — A modern side-drawer for fast note capture

With SideNotes, your ideas don't have to wait. SideNotes is that slick note-taker that's always there on the edge of your screen, sliding in and out whenever you're inspired to put something down. 

What it offers to users:

• Distraction-free sidebar within reach
• Markdown and code support for rich formatting
• iCloud synchronization for notes across all your Apple devices 

Best for:

• Coders capturing quick snippets
• Writers brainstorming headlines
• Professionals noting action items mid-meeting 

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

Downie — Download videos from anywhere, effortlessly

Want to save a tutorial, webinar, or marketing video for offline viewing? Downie makes it easy. Just drag and drop a link (or paste it), and the app downloads the high-quality video. 

It works with YouTube, Vimeo, social media platforms, and even less common sites, so your content is always available when you need it.

What it offers to users:

• Wide website support: YouTube, Vimeo, social media, and others
• High-quality downloads, including 4K
• Simple drag-and-drop to start download instantly

Best for:

• Students saving lecture replays
• Marketers archiving campaigns
• Creators building offline research libraries
• Anyone prepping content for editing or repurposing

Setapp availability: Part of the Setapp power toolkit

How to explore all these tools with one subscription

Updates are kind of hit or miss. That's where Setapp comes in. Instead of paying for each app separately, you get one simple subscription that grants you access to all of them and many more.

With a Setapp single subscription for all tools, you can get:

Freedom to explore 

Setapp’s curated library is an evolving toolbox that grows with your needs. This month, you explore productivity boosters like SideNotes and Paletro. Next, you’ll dive into hidden Mac app gems like Downie for content downloads.

Automatic updates with the latest features

Your Setapp apps are always upgraded to their latest versions, all without costing you a dime extra. You don't even have to manually re-download the new versions; they just pop up where the previous one sat.

Supercharged app discovery

You can search the full Setapp catalog right from your Mac, download any app instantly, and see which tools you actually use.

Top-notch security

Every app meets strict standards, so you don't have to second-guess what you’re installing.

Why does discovering niche Mac software matter?

Discovering niche Mac software matters because it lets you unlock tools that solve specific problems. Everyone knows Slack, Notion, and Final Cut Pro, but sticking to the usual 5-10 apps means you’re missing the tools that could actually change the way you work. 2025 best apps for Mac users can really streamline workflows, protect privacy, and supercharge productivity in ways mainstream apps can’t. 

What makes an app a “must-try” in 2025?

An app becomes a must-try Mac tool in 2025 if:

• It’s fresh (newly launched or recently upgraded).
• Solves a clear problem better than traditional tools.
• Delivers efficiency without unnecessary clutter. 

I believe the real winners are apps that feel indispensable the moment you start using them.

Unique apps for Mac 2025: Found

Mac tools in 2025 are all about smarter workflows, seamless automation, and minimalist design.

That’s when Setapp lets you explore top-rated Mac apps in 2025. Try tools like Paletro or PliimPRO, see what fits your workflow, and move on if it doesn’t. 

With Setapp, you get a tidy, organized ecosystem that adapts to your work style, whether you’re a creative, developer, student, or entrepreneur. If you’re ready to try must-try Mac tools, you can start with a 7-day free trial before subscribing.