Update 17/01/21
-
Jitsi
meetings
: Secure and privacy-friendly video conferencing. Open-source and end-to-end encryption by default. -
Tresorit Send
files
: Privacy-friendly alternative to other file sharing services (like WeTransfer). End-to-end encrypted and completely GDPR compliant. -
Feedbin
news
: My RSS reeder of choice. Fantastic interface and great for subscribing to blogs and newsletters to keep my mail inbox clutter free. -
GitHub
code
: I keep all my personal coding projects in public and private repositories on GitHub, and have been doing it since I started coding. -
Netlify
code
: Most of my websites are deployed on Netlify. Without thinking about servers or devops. It just works. -
TransIP
code
: Where I buy my domains and host my VPS. Maybe a bit more expensive then regular hosting but they are Dutch, have a great interface and offer good support. -
Grammarly
writing
: Helps me catch grammar mistakes and wording issues. It offers correction which you can apply with one click to your text. -
Hemmingway
writing
: For the flow of text. It highlights complex sentences and common 'logic' errors.
Update 16/01/21
-
Notability
notes
: Note-taking that I use on my iPad. Great features, good syncing and back-up options to have your notes sync everywhere. -
Miro
notes
: Brainstorming and 'whiteboarding' tool. Whenever I need to think about a subject or collaborate on ideas Miro is my go-to. -
Apollo
social
: Beautiful Reddit app that's really fast. Built by a former Apple employee and the interface is based on feedback of thousands of Redditors. -
Castro
podcast
: Podcast app makes it easy to manage lots of podcasts. They have an unique approach to listening podcasts with their 'inbox' feature. -
Firefox Focus
browser
: On mobile my main browser of choice is Firefox Focus. Usually to quickly search something and then closing the web page. -
Goodreads
reading
: To keep track of what I'm reading and to discover new books. I like to read books in the same category which the shelves features allows me to do. -
Halide
photography
: The best camera app for iOS. And the Mark II version is even better. A complete redesign and tons of 'pro' tools and features. -
Hue
lighting
: For controlling the Hue lights and accessoires troughout my home. Also great for setting up routines. -
Oak
life
: Medidation on a consistent basis is quite hard for me. But Oak offers small guided (breathing) exercises with make it easier for me to do some small exercises troughout the day. -
Parcel
packages
: Delivery tracking app where you can store all deliveries in one place. Just add the tracking numbers and no more search trough e-mails. -
Tweetbot
social
: Third party client application for Twitter with some great power tools. Like timeline filters to make curated timelines. -
UniFi Network
internet
: To manage my home network, reset access points, see network status, which devices are connected. Basically al the network information you expect in a clean interface.
Original List
-
Notion
macOS-app
: My most used app, period. I use Notion for almost everything. This is where my to-do list lives, notes for meetings, interior design inspiration, projects to work on, bookmarked links and many more things. -
Fantastical
macOS-app
: My calendar of choice. Great interface and design. I can't live without the calendar sets and conference calls feature. -
Apple Mail
macOS-app
: The trusty default mail app. I've tried many different mail clients of but always come back to the default app. -
1Password
macOS-app
: The best password manager. Combine it with their browser plugins and you'll have your password and login credentials auto-filled in no-time. -
Alfred
utility
: macOS swiss army knife and a great spotlight replacement. It's worth paying for a license you can add workflows. -
Bartender
utility
: Hides mac menu bar items and lets you organize them in a handy drop-down menu. Also useful for background apps that you want hidden permanently. -
Bitbar
utility
: Let's you put the output from any script or program in your Mac OS X Menu Bar. You can install plugins to have it show many different things. -
Objective-See
security
: I install basically every security and privacy utility from objective-see.Oversight, LuLu, BlockBlock etc. I have them all. -
Cloudfare Warp
internet
: A faster and better internet resolver made by Cloudfare. -
Figma
design
: Most of my prototyping happens straight in the browser. I know my way around tools as Sketch, Invision Studio, Adobe XD, Framer X etc. but whenever I do some design work I'll fire up Figma. -
Firefox
browser
: Main browser with the developer tools of my choice, especially for working with layout and typography. Also have almost any other browser installed for cross-browser testing. -
iStat Menus
utility
: Mac system monitor but also useful for detailed battery status and time zone controls. -
Microsoft Teams
meetings
: Hate it but have to because our university uses everything from Microsoft. I try to stay far away from Microsoft products, but this is where we teach our students. -
ProtonVPN
internet
: Don't have a VPN turned on 100% of my time but whenever I visit websites of big tech I like to keep my browsing history private. -
Rectangle
utility
: Move and resize windows on macOS with keyboard shortcuts and snap areas -
Signal
messaging
: Privacy-friendly messaging, open-source and end-to-end encryption. No ads. No trackers. No kidding. -
Slack
messaging
: Part of a couple of communities I like to follow that have Slack workspaces. I don't use it daily. -
Spotify
music
: Spotify all the way. I create a custom playlist every week and curate a lot of house music. The daily mixes and curated playlists are not that bad. -
Stack
cloud
: Online cloud storage and back-up service. I use this for documents etc. that I use daily. The servers are in the Netherlands and for a small fee you get 2tb of storage. -
Transmit
cloud
: More then just a FTP client. I use it to connect to servers and other cloud hosting services. -
Visual Studio Code
code
: Code editor of choice and use the integrated terminal along with it. Switched from using Atom and Hyper. Currently using the Material Theme with Fira Code. -
Open Broadcast Software
recording
: Most people see OBS as live streaming software but it's also great to record your screen for courses and tutorials. -
IINA
media
: Modern open source media player for macOS. A better alternative to Quicktime. The UI is better and more configurable and plays back more file types.
Almost all of these applications are installed through Homebrew Cask. Have a look at my dotfiles for a install script.