Best Mac Apps for Bloggers (and Writers) in 2023
Utilities • Jan. 2, 2023
Whether you are doing it for passion or business, blogging requires discipline. If you are a blogger, your daily tasks probably include writing, editing, researching, updating old posts, replying to emails, managing social media, creating content, and a million other things.
This is hard to keep up with. But thanks to technology, the best Mac Apps for bloggers help improve productivity and time management by optimizing your writing and organization.
Top apps for writing
Writing is most definitely what bloggers spend the most time on. Therefore, you need an app that can provide the best writing experience. Here are some of your best options.
Apple Freeform
Apple Freeform is a new app that helps streamline your creative processes. It offers a blank canvas to work on and plenty of space to capture your visual and written ideas as they come. You can use a variety of tools, such as different brushes, colors, and imports to refine your ideas to their best parts.
Some of the other features of Freeform include Quick Look, where you can preview canvases and view multiple videos at the same time, and Annotation, where you and other collaborators can edit space on the top of or around an object.
In addition to files being synced and stored across all of your Apple devices through iCloud like most Apple applications, one of the best features of this new app is the ability to collaborate with multiple people while on a FaceTime call. By taking advantage of iMessage’s built-in collaboration features, inviting people to collaborate in-call on a canvas is as simple as dragging the canvas into iMessage and joining a call together.
Freeform will be available on and after Ventura 13.1. Read our quick hands-on review on Freeform here.
Drafts 5
This writing tool is such an impressive balance of simplicity and power. For bloggers and writers, this is where your first text starts.
It has a simple user interface that makes it easy to use. You just need to start typing, or talking if you are on the go, and save your work or send it elsewhere, as needed.
Some features that make your writing easy on Drafts 5 include customizable themes, focus mode, syntax highlighting, multiple file export options, and more.
The app has a completely free version that comes with basic features to create and edit drafts. If you want more action, you can go pro with one of their two subscription options; $19.99/ year or $1.99/ month. These also come with a free 7-day trial.
Ulysses
The simple and easy-to-use interface is one of the many factors why writers love Ulysses. It comes with many features that help you stay focused and avoid distractions from notifications and other apps.
These features include Dark Mode, iCloud Sync, focus sessions, backup, markdown-based editor, automatic saving mode, file export options (HTML, DOCS, PDF, ePub, and even Text), customizable organizing sections, spelling and grammar checker, beautiful, customizable themes, and more.
The app is also fast and easy to download and install on your device. It is priced at $5.99/ month or $39.99/ year.
Google Docs
It goes without saying that Google Docs is one of the most popular products of its kind. The software offers multiple features to make work easier both at home and for businesses, and bloggers are no exception.
Among the many Google apps you can use as a writer, Google Docs is your most convenient because of its cloud online writing. All you need to do is download the app, create a Google account, log in, and start writing.
It is compatible with multiple other tools such as grammar checkers and SEO tools that make your writing even more compelling and relevant. The app has a credible and reliable lifetime free version. There are no additional costs once you begin using Google Docs, and it works seamlessly with all other Google Apps, most notably Maps, Gmail, and Drive.
Grammarly
As the name suggests, Grammarly is meant to make your writing more readable by correcting grammar and spelling mistakes. You can download the app for free on your device, or add it as an extension to your browser.
It is compatible with multiple writing software such as Microsoft Word, making your writing even easier.
The app has a lifetime free version with basic features, which only checks basic grammar and spelling mistakes. If you want to get advanced features, you can subscribe to their paid plans at $12.00/ month billed annually, $20.00/ month billed quarterly, or $30.00/ month billed monthly.
Top apps for media files
Another thing you spend most of your time on as a blogger besides writing is capturing images, screenshots, videos, and other visuals relevant to your blogs. Here are the best Mac Apps for bloggers to capture media files.
CleanShot X
Looking for a great app to capture clean screenshots? Well, look no further.
You can count on the CleanShot X app for high-quality images.
The app also has a collection of editing features, a screen recorder, a GIF recorder, and more powerful snipping tools to capture your screen during your research, interviews, and the entire process of content creation.
You can sign up and get a CleanShot X account for free. But to leverage all the features, you need to upgrade to their monthly subscription at $8/month if billed annually or buy it at $29, a one-time payment.
Gifox 2
You can already tell from the name that this is for GIFs. With audiences loving videos, and visuals more, GIFs have grown in popularity. Note that you don’t even need to download anything as this is already in your macOS menu.
Use Gifox 2 to capture tutorials and how-to guides, better than screenshots or screen recordings. And don’t worry about loading time on your blog. The app allows you to compress your GIFs so they won’t have any negative effects.
Canva
Canva is a must-have for all bloggers. This is not just your average editing app. Canva is a masterpiece designer app for bloggers and graphic designers, for just about anything. This includes posters for social media, blog banners, creating logos, editing videos, GIFs, and more.
It has a super intuitive user interface and comes with many templates to make it easier even for beginners. Just download Canva for MAC, sign up, and you are ready to get started. The premium version starts at $12.99 to $119.99 depending on the subscription plan you choose.
Typeface
Blogging can be difficult at times, especially when you want to make some words pop right off of the page. Choosing the right font for the job can also be difficult when there are thousands of options to choose from, some of which are very similar to each other.
Typeface helps you solve this problem by using font management software to help you pick the perfect font and designs for your blog or website. The app utilizes a minimalist interface, allowing for total focus on your selection to make sure you get exactly what you want.
Typeface‘s four in-depth features include Body Text, Duplicate Fonts, Family Editor, and Font Switch. These features allow for custom font viewing, removing copies of fonts you already have, fixing incorrectly grouped fonts, and altering font design.
Typeface offers a free trial, but to gain permanent access to the full app, it will require a one-time purchase of $35.99.
Camtasia
Camtasia is a screen recorder and video editor. It is a great option for screencast video bloggers because it is easy to learn, provides you with video templates, and helps you create high-quality content.
Camtasia offers templates for a variety of different video types, including but not limited to video tutorials, how-tos, webinars, demos, and instructional videos. Additionally, Camtasia Packages allow you to share your edits and videos in one single file, removing the sharing hassle that comes with other video editing tools.
Camtasia also offers annotation, transition, interaction, quizzing, and integration tools to make the best content possible. Furthermore, they offer a free trial before you have to make the decision on whether to purchase the software.
Pricing is listed at $299.99 per user for all plans, including Individual, Business, Education, and Governemnt/Non-Proft. Each level includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, as well as features unique to each niche.
Top Apps for time management
Time management is the backbone of any business, including blogging. If you are a professional and especially a full-time blogger, then you know how crucial this is. To help you manage your time effectively, here are the best apps to use.
Focus
While distractions are a major productivity killer, they are inevitable, especially if you are working online. Like the name hints, the app is dedicated to erasing all distractions during a set period, say a period of 25 minutes focus sessions with 5-minute breaks in between. This helps you give your blog post, or whatever you are working on, undivided attention, hence helping you achieve more and at high quality.
Other features you can expect rather than the focus sessions include a task manager, in-depth statistics to monitor your progress, and ‘Focus Everywhere’ to sync your focus sessions across all your Apple devices.
The app comes with two subscription options. You can choose the monthly subscription at $4.99 or the yearly subscription at $39.99.
Paste
Needing to copy and paste many bits of content individually can be a huge time waster. Paste is one of the best clipboard management tools for saving time that is currently available.
Paste offers several features that other clipboard managers do not, such as pasting multiple items, seeing all copied items at a glance, and choosing what to keep. You can also see everything in your clipboard as plain text and in light/dark mode.
Paste is free on the Apple App Store.
Clockify
Another time-tracking app to improve your productivity as a blogger is Clockify. It is free and allows unlimited users to log in at the same time.
It also comes with cool features that allow you to group your emails and messaging apps, manage multiple accounts, and create keyboard shortcuts, amongst others.
Apps for teams and project management
If you are working with other bloggers and freelancers that help keep your blog running, then you most definitely need these apps to ensure good communication and flow of work;
Trello
Trello has been around since 2011. The app is free and comes with multiple features that make work easier for you. It allows you to collaborate with your team, assign tasks, schedule content and meetings, communications, and more.
The user interface is easy to navigate once you download and log into the app. The best thing is that you can integrate it with more than 900 other apps including WordPress, Gmail, Microsoft Office, Facebook, and your Google account.
Their free version is always a good option, but if you want to upgrade and explore their advanced technology and features, you can upgrade to Standard at $5 per user per month billed annually, Premium at $10 per user per month billed annually, or Enterprise at $17.50 per user per month billed annually.
Asana
Asana works like Trello. It is a cloud-based, task management software to keep you and your team organized. Here, you can easily collaborate, assign tasks, schedule meetings, make notes, create categories for different things, and more.
You can download the app and set it up on your device for free. However, you will need to create an account to access all the features. The free account is available for up to 15 members so it may work well for you if you have this number or less.
If you have a larger team or want to access more advanced features, you can subscribe to their membership plans starting at $10.99 per user per month for Asana Premium, and $24.99 per user per month for Asana Business. All of these plans come with a 30-day free trial.
Microsoft Teams
If you already have a Microsoft Office account, you don’t need to create another account for any other of their products. In this case, just download the Microsoft Teams app on your phone or laptop, log in with your Microsoft credentials, and you are good to go.
The interface is easy to navigate. You can add other members from your team in one room, schedule and hold meetings, communicate one on one, share files, and even hold video conferences.
The free version gives you access to multiple features and is credible and reliable. However, if you have a larger team and want to access more action, you can subscribe to any of their packages.
This includes $4 per user per month for Microsoft Teams Essentials, $6 per user per month for the Business Basic Plan, and $12.50 per user per month for the Business Standard.
Apps to stay organized
Organization and time management go hand in hand with improving productivity and getting more things done. There are many organizational tools you can find online but only a few can actually meet your requirements. Here are some of the best mac apps for bloggers and staying organized.
1Password
You probably use many apps and software to store your files and media for your blog. But how safe are your accounts? If the passwords leak, breach, or get lost, you stand the risk of intruders breaking and accessing them or being locked out.
And that is where 1Password comes in, to keep your passwords organized. This app helps keep your passwords safe and tracks security problems and breaches. It hunts for duplicated, weak, or compromised passwords, alerting you of any possible dangers.
It also offers other password managing features that allow you to easily share passwords, access multiple platforms, and single-click sign-ins.
All you need to do is download the app and sign up. There are two subscription plans that both offer a 14-day trial period. A one-person subscription at $2.99/ month (billed annually) and the Family subscription for 5 members at $4.99/ month (billed annually).
Notion
Notion has many tools that help you stay on track and complete your to-do list by the end of the day.
It has a content calendar and planner to plan content for your blog, a project board to organize your database, a text editor for your notes, bookmark features for easy access to certain content, and allows you to customize just about anything to suit your schedules and plans.
The app is free but also has a subscription package that you can upgrade to for $10/ member in monthly billing and $96/ member in annual billing.
Bartender
We have seen creative names for different tools but Bartender creators definitely take the award today. It was probably called Bartender because it gives you total control of your menu bar.
This app is meant to keep your screen organized by customizing your menu to your convenience. You decide what is displayed right in front of your eyes and when it should show. You can use features such as triggers, Hot Keys, and Quick Reveal to improve your workflow.
To get started, download the app, sign up, and you automatically get a 4-week trial period, after which you will be prompted to upgrade and buy for $16.00.
Commander One
Commander One is a dual-panel File Manager for macOS. If you are going to distribute your content to a wider audience, you need to have everything organized.
Commander One is perfect for keeping all of your files in one place. It is better than the stander Finder app because it offers two viewing panels for better organization, choosing different fonts and colors, seeing file briefs, customizable hotkeys, and the ability to view hidden tabs.
Commander One is downloadable for free.
Apps to distribute your content
If you are a blogger, you are probably not writing thoughtful and colorful content just for yourself, which is why distributing your content is extremely important to growing an audience.
Convertkit – Email Share
Convertkit is a creator marketing platform for bloggers trying to expand their content distribution in the form of albums, collections, newsletters, and more.
This app offers features designed to grow your audience, connect with fans, automate marketing, and earn an income through landing pages, email marketing, visual automation, and sponsor networks.
Convertkit offers free, $9/month, and $25/month subscription options that each have their own benefits, including unlimited landing pages, forms, and broadcasts.
Buffer – Social Share
Buffer is a content-sharing app that allows you to easily share whatever you would like on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
Buffer is free on the App Store, but there are $5/month, $10/month, and $100/month plans that offer enhanced publishing and analytical tools to best reach your audience.
Things to consider
While these may be the best Mac apps for bloggers, there are factors you must keep in mind before choosing any of them. First, assess your workflow and identify loopholes and what is slowing you down. Then, find the one that will solve these problems.
Compatibility
Find an app that is compatible with other apps and software you are using. For example, you may want an app that integrates well with the browsers you are using, WordPress, Gmail, and Microsoft Office.
Features
Once you identify what your problem is then it will be easy to identify the features that will solve these problems. This may include time management, project management, scheduling, or video conferencing features.
Price
Some apps are free others are not. Some are cheap, others are expensive. It all comes down to what they have to offer. Just make sure you will get value for your money.
Customer Support
Many people forget or overlook this factor. There is nothing more frustrating than spending money on an app that you don’t have the technological capacity to handle. And to make the matters worse, find no help. Before investing, make sure there will always be help available whenever you need it.
These apps make blogging on Mac a breeze
Blogging is great, but it could also be overwhelming and draining. So anything that takes off the stress and makes work easier is a great deal.
These are the best Mac apps for bloggers and writers. They are built with technology and features that will help you with content creation, time management, content management, team and project management, organization, and productivity altogether. Check them out and choose what’s convenient for you.
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