Mac app guides & tips

Honest setup guides, workflow deep-dives, and curated roundups from the MacBuddy editors.

IINA vs VLCIINA is the Mac-native media player that gets out of your way; VLC is the format-conquering utility you keep around for everything else.
Jun 17, 2026
TablePlus Review: The Best Database GUI for Mac?TablePlus is the database GUI that finally feels native on Mac — fast, multi-engine, and honest about what it is and isn't.
Jun 17, 2026
Warp Terminal Review: Is It Worth Replacing iTerm2?Warp's Block model and built-in AI are genuinely impressive, but mandatory accounts and privacy tradeoffs mean it's not the right terminal for everyone.
Jun 17, 2026
Zed Editor Review: The Fastest Code Editor on Mac?Zed is genuinely the fastest code editor on Mac, but after four months daily driving it, the extension gap means it's not a full VS Code replacement — yet.
Jun 17, 2026
Best Mac Apps for Developers in 2024Seven Mac apps that belong on every developer's machine: the terminal, database GUI, proxy debugger, docs browser, and git clients that actually earn their dock space.
Jun 17, 2026
OrbStack vs Docker Desktop on Mac: Is It Worth Switching?OrbStack boots in seconds and barely touches RAM — a practical head-to-head against Docker Desktop for Mac developers on Apple Silicon.
Jun 17, 2026
Things 3 Review: The Most Beautiful GTD App on MacThings 3 is the most beautiful task manager on Mac — and after a year of daily use, I'm convinced it's the best personal GTD app for Apple users who want a system they'll actually keep using.
Jun 17, 2026
Getting Started with Obsidian on Mac: A Complete Setup GuideA no-nonsense first-session guide to Obsidian on Mac — vault structure, the right core plugins, appearance settings, and the gotchas nobody warns you about.
Jun 17, 2026
How to Protect Your MacBook Battery: AlDente and Best PracticesAlDente lets you cap your MacBook's charge at 80% — here's the battery science behind why that matters and the habits that make it stick.
Jun 17, 2026
CleanShot X Review: The Screenshot Tool Mac Professionals Swear ByCleanShot X is the screenshot tool Mac professionals reach for when Apple's built-in tools stop being enough — here's what 8 months of daily use reveals.
Jun 17, 2026
Why Every Mac User Needs a Clipboard ManagerThe built-in macOS clipboard holds exactly one item at a time — here's how Maccy, Pasta, and Raycast each solve that in meaningfully different ways.
Jun 17, 2026
The Ultimate Guide to Mac Menu Bar Apps in 2024The Mac menu bar is the most underused real estate on your screen — here's how to tame it with the right monitoring, hiding, and dashboard apps.
Jun 17, 2026