Why Setapp is ideal for remote work

Setapp gives remote professionals a distraction-free, fully equipped digital workspace with powerful remote work tools for Mac. From async communication to project tracking and deep-focus sessions, Setapp helps freelancers, hybrid workers, and distributed teams streamline their day with efficient remote workflows. Instead of switching between scattered apps, you get 250+ handpicked tools. All in one affordable subscription. 

Whether you're managing time zones or trying to stay focused at home, Setapp simplifies remote work without the overwhelm. In this article, I’ll show you how to build your own smooth workflow using Setapp’s curated Mac apps.

Challenges remote workers face daily

Remote work offers flexibility and a better work-life balance — but it’s not without its struggles. Many professionals face tool overload, blurred boundaries, and constant context-switching that drains productivity. Here are some of the most common challenges remote teams and freelancers deal with:

• Managing remote teams effectively: Without the right tools, managing remote teams becomes difficult. There is a lack of tracking progress, clear communication, and coordination across time zones, which causes confusion, delays, and team disconnect.
• Juggling disconnected tools: To complete a task or project, remote workers depend on many apps for coding, communication, time tracking, file sharing, and more. Sometimes, some apps get disconnected, and juggling through them or other working apps wastes time, reduces productivity, and increases mental stress. 
• Difficulty maintaining focus across time zones: Working with global teams means you need async tools on Mac for communication and smooth hand-offs, but many setups fall short.
• App overload and decision fatigue: With thousands of apps available, it is difficult to find the right tool for your task. Also, sometimes what seems like a good fit actually fails, and this test-and-trial method leads to burnout.

Build a complete remote workflow with Setapp

Remote work sounds easy until you’re buried in browser tabs, notifications, and scattered files. To stay focused, productive, and connected, you need the right tools. But finding them and paying for them individually can be overwhelming.

That’s where Setapp makes a difference. It gives you access to 250+ carefully curated Mac, iOS, and web apps in one subscription, with automatic updates and a single dashboard to manage everything. 

Here’s how Setapp helps build a seamless remote workflow.

1. Stay organized with async task management

The key to remote productivity is clarity, especially when you're working across time zones or working with multiple projects. That’s where asynchronous task management becomes essential. Setapp includes three standout apps that simplify async planning:

• GoodTask enhances Apple Reminders and Calendar into a powerful task manager. It helps you organize and prioritize your tasks smartly. With this app, you can easily create smart lists, set recurring tasks, and sort projects by tags or due dates. It is best for managing both short-term goals and long-term projects in one dashboard.

• NotePlan combines Markdown note-taking with task management and a calendar. Also, the app allows you to track ideas, link notes to meetings, and create daily logs. Great for freelancers or remote teams that depend on flexible planning (this app is my favorite, and I use it daily for my personal and professional work).

• Taskheat: Love the flowchat style interface? If yes, then Taskheat is best for you. You can simply drag and drop tasks into a map and create your personalized flow chart for task management. The best part is that your flowchart adjusts automatically and keeps you from getting distracted by the tasks that are out of your control. I love this app so much. 

How they work together:

• Start with GoodTask to create task lists, set deadlines, and sort them by project or tag.
•  Use NotePlan for daily plans, link notes to calendar events, and manage async updates.
•  For complex workflows, build a flow chart in Taskheat to visualize what needs to be done first and what can wait. 

2. Communicate without chaos

Remote work often feels like juggling too many tabs: Zoom links here, Slack threads there, and a dozen pings in between. Without the right system, communication becomes a drain instead of a driver.

Setapp brings order to the chaos with tools designed for low-stress communication:

• IM+ is best for instant messaging. Using this, you can bring over a dozen popular messaging services (Slack, Telegram, LinkedIn, etc.) in a single convenient window. It saves you from constantly switching tabs or missing messages across platforms. Plus, IM+ supports photos, audio messages, and file sharing.

• iMeetingX lets you easily plan, organize, and document meetings. It integrates with your calendar, helps you send structured invites, and keeps track of agendas, minutes, and follow-ups in one place. This app is a must for remote professionals and freelancers for efficient remote workflows. 

“As a writer and content creator juggling multiple projects, iMeetingX has been a game-changer. I like that everything from agendas to follow-ups lives in one place, and it keeps my remote workflow way more structured and stress-free.”, shares Polina Fomenkova, Senior Content Creator at Setapp. 

• ClearVPN is best for remote workers who need to access geo-restricted content to complete their daily tasks. It offers smart VPN presets for secure and region-free browsing, helping teams collaborate globally without compromising on privacy.

“As a tech blogger, I often need to test apps and features that are geo-restricted — ClearVPN makes that super easy. I just switch between countries in a click, whether I’m reviewing a product or catching up on U.S. Netflix from abroad. It’s fast, reliable, and part of my daily toolkit.”, shares Javier, Minimalis Tech Youtube Channel author. 

How they work together:

• Turn on ClearVPN for encrypted, location-free browsing.
• Open IM+ and log in to all your messaging platforms to manage every conversation in one place.
• Next, use iMeetingX to schedule, organize, and follow up on virtual meetings.

3. Focus and avoid digital burnout

When your home becomes your office, distractions multiply. Constant notifications, background noise, and the blur between work and rest. Over time, that leads to fatigue and scattered focus.

Setapp helps remote professionals stay grounded and energized with these three Mac apps for working from home. Try them for focus, deep work, and mindful breaks:

• Focus helps block unwanted sites and prevents you from getting distracted during work. You can also check how much time you’ve saved with it through its custom graphs.

• Be Focused uses the Pomodoro technique to break your work into timed intervals with breaks in between, helping you stay sharp and avoid burnout.

• Endurance optimizes your Mac’s battery performance and health to avoid slowdowns when you're multitasking. 

How they work together:

• Open Focus and create a list of apps you want to avoid during work hours.
• Use Be Focused to structure your day with timed work sprints and breaks.
• Turn on Endurance to keep your Mac battery running smoothly even with multiple tools open.

If your system ever feels sluggish during focus-heavy sessions, these tools help you stay in the flow. Also, you can take help from a guide on Mac shows memory issues. 

4. Collaborate, present, and share easily

Collaboration shouldn’t feel like chaos, especially when your team is scattered across time zones. Here are the right productivity apps from Setapp for distributed teams to keep everything smooth and professional:

• Presentify lets you annotate your screen while sharing it during calls, so you can highlight points in real time without switching windows.

• Dropshare makes sharing files as easy as drag-and-drop. Just upload your files and instantly share secure download links.

• ForkLift is best for organizing files across servers and accessing external drives to share files, images, folders, etc. It also allows you to share presentations with just a click. 

How they work together:

• Use Presentify when walking through slide decks in client calls or meetings.
• Upload files via Dropshare and share link-based access without cloud storage hassle.
• Connect and manage external storage with ForkLift to keep project files easily available.

5. Automate and simplify your setup 

Remote work thrives on efficiency, and that starts with a workspace that’s ready when you are. Here are some powerful tools to automate repetitive actions, so you don’t waste time reopening files, arranging windows, or launching the same apps every morning:

• Workspaces lets you create “workspaces” for different projects. When you launch one, it opens all the right apps, files, and websites instantly. No manual setup required.

“Workspaces is a lifesaver for keeping my projects organized. I create a separate workspace for each client, and it automatically pulls in all the right files — footage, audio, graphics, feedback — so I’m never guessing where anything is. It saves me time and keeps my workflow clean”, shares Stefan-Radu Gogolan, video editor, digital marketing specialist. 

• BetterTouchTool allows you to create custom gestures, shortcuts, and automation for your Mac. You can automate everything from window snapping to copying/pasting repeated text.

• Unclutter gives you a tidy dropzone for quick notes, temporary files, and clipboard history, so your workspace stays clean and efficient.

How they work together:

• Use Workspaces to group resources for each client or task and launch them with one click.
• Set up time-saving shortcuts in BetterTouchTool to reduce manual tasks.
• Keep your desktop neat with Unclutter by dragging files into its hidden sidebar and retrieving them when needed.

Real-world remote workflows with Setapp

Every remote worker has a different rhythm, and Setapp adapts to each one. Here’s how different types of remote professionals use their favorite app stacks to get work done smoothly.

The digital nomad

A digital nomad who works from co-working spaces in one week and from a beachside café the next needs a strong connection to be client-ready every time:

• With ClearVPN, you can secure every public Wi-Fi connection while accessing location-restricted content effortlessly. 
• When flying and needing to finish tasks, draft tasks in Ulysses, which works smoothly even offline. 
• Finally, there is iMeetingX, which helps you attend all client meetings from Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams. It automatically pulls all meetings into one schedule, making it easy to start the next call without juggling between emails. 

The async team manager

For leaders managing a remote team spread across different time zones, staying synchronized with daily updates is essential.  Therefore, to manage projects and a global team, you can rely on:

• GoodTask integrates seamlessly with your calendar and reminders to track everything.
• Also, there is a Timing that runs in the background, logging work hours and focus patterns without disrupting your flow. Also, it provides you with a clear view of team productivity without micromanagement.
• To share process documents or recurring updates, use Paste.

The freelancer on multiple projects

Freelancers who handle multiple projects, including writing and graphic design for various clients, require numerous apps to communicate and manage their workflow. For multitasking, you will need:

• IM+ helps you in many ways by bringing all your conversations, from Slack and WhatsApp to LinkedIn, into one clean interface. 
• For project planning, Taskheat is best. It helps you map out daily tasks visually, showing you which ones are of priority and which ones can wait. 
• When not in the mood to develop, start creative writing and use MindNode Classic to organize creative thoughts and present them clearly to clients. 

The pricing advantage: Replace multiple paid tools

One of the biggest perks of Setapp is cutting down on subscription overload. Instead of paying separately for writing tools, time trackers, planners, and call schedulers, you get everything in one place for one affordable monthly price.

Here’s how Setapp compares to buying popular productivity tools individually:

Tool category	Popular individual tool	Estimated monthly cost	Included in Setapp for
To-do lists	GoodTask	$39/lifetime	$9.99/month + tax and 250+ apps
Mind mapping	MindNode Classic	$2.99/month	$9.99/month + tax and 250+ apps
Writing & notes	Ulysses	$5.99/month	$9.99/month + tax and 250+ apps
Screen capture	CleanShot X	$10/month	$9.99/month + tax and 250+ apps
Time-tracking	Timing	$96/year	$9.99/month + tax and 250+ apps
Secure VPN	ClearVPN	$9.99/month	$9.99/month + tax and 250+ apps
Calender	iMeetingX	$50/lifetime	$9.99/month + tax and 250+ apps
Cloud storage utility	Dropshare	$39/lifetime	$9.99/month + tax and 250+ apps

Total cost if bought separately: ~$253 Setapp subscription: Only $9.99/month plus tax (or $107.88/year + tax) for access to 250+ Mac, iOS, and web apps with premium features included at no additional cost.

Simplify your remote work with Mac apps for working from home

Instead of juggling 7–10 separate subscriptions, Setapp offers you seamless access to over 250 macOS, iOS, and web apps under one simple account. No more subscription headaches or worrying about manual updates as Setapp keeps all your apps automatically up to date. 

Whether you’re a freelancer, team lead, or remote professional, the curated collection of Mac apps for working from home helps you build efficient remote workflows with less stress and more focus. Give it a try today and see how much smoother your remote work life can become.