The best Mac freeware
December 11, 2007 by Adrian
Filed under Uncategorized
These are free applications that I have tried and liked. This list is updated as needed.
Key:
X11: requires Apple’s X11
OSS: Open Source Software
Ltd: Limited version of a commercial app
Word processors and text editors
- NeoOffice – Native OS X version of OpenOffice.org (word processor, spreadsheet program, drawing program, presentation program and equation editor) [OSS]
- OpenOffice.org – OpenOffice.org for OS X (not a native OS X application) [OSS, X11]
- VooDooPad Lite – A notepad application that supports multiple linked pages within a document and has outlining feautres. Exports to DOC and RTFD [Ltd]
- TextWrangler – The lite version of BBEdit, a very advanced editor [Ltd]
- Smultron – A simple, powerful editor [OSS]
- Aquamacs – An Aqua version of the classic and extensible Emacs text editor [OSS]
Utilities
- ClamXav – A free virus scanner [OSS]
- CominePDFs – Merge pdf files into one large document [OSS]
- PDFLab – Merge and combine pdf files
- DesInstaller – Reads package receipts and removes every file installed by a pkg file
- DropCompress – Drag and drop to zip or tar.gz files [OSS]
- YemuZip – Create zip files
- UnRarX – Rar extractor
- OnyX – An OS X system preferences adjustor and system optimizer
- Quicksilver – An advanced file and application launcher with many plugins
- Butler – A file, application, etc. launcher
- Fink – Tools for installing Linux applications (apt-get style) [OSS, some require x11]
- Himmelbar – An application launcher
- Tigerlaunch – An application launcher
- iScroll – Adds two-finger scrolling to pre-2005 iBooks and PowerBooks [OSS]
Web and graphics
- Firefox and Thunderbird – Duh [OSS]
- Camino – The OS X native browser from Mozilla with slightly better OS X integration [OSS]
- Opera – Another browser with advanced features
- Shiira – A native browser based on Web Kit, has an integrated RSS reader [OSS]
- Shrook – A feature-packed RSS reader
- NetNewsWire Lite – An RSS reader [Ltd]
- Vienna – An open-source RSS reader [OSS]
- Nvu – Graphical XHTML and CSS editor (creates standards-compliant XHTML, based on Mozilla composer) [OSS]
- Taco – An XHTML editor
- Bleezer – Desktop blog editor
- Qumana - Desktop blog editor
- Cyberduck – Graphical FTP client [OSS]
- OneButton FTP – FTP client [OSS]
- Seashore – A native Mac OS X image editor, based on Gimp [OSS]
- Gimp.app – Gnu Image Manipulation Program for OS X [OSS, X11]. Also see: GIMPshop, the same code, but with Photoshop style menues [OSS, X11]
- ImageWell – Basic image editor
- Inkscape – A vector drawing app [OSS, X11]
- Google Earth – Satellite imaging tool
Academic and research
- R – The statistical programming environment based on the S language [OSS]
- Gretl – Gnu Regression, Econometrics and Time Series Library, a graphical econometrics and statistics application [OSS, X11]
- MacTeX – A packaged LaTeX distribution for OS X that includes gwTeX, TeXShop, BibDesk, i-Installer, additional fonts and other utilities [OSS]
- i-Installer/gwTeX – The i-Installer application, which allows easily downloading and installing gwTeX and other LaTeX utilities for the Mac [OSS]
- TeXShop – Frontend for LaTeX on OS X [OSS]
- iTeXMac – Another LaTeX frontend for OX S [OSS]
- TeXMaker – Another LaTeX frontend for OS X [OSS]
- LyX – A graphical (what you see is what you mean) frontend to LaTeX (works with gwTeX/MacTeX or teTeX via Fink) [OSS]
- BibDesk – A graphical BibTeX database manager [OSS]
- Plot – A native 2D plotting utility
Music
- Finale Notepad – Simple sheet music composition [Ltd]
- Senuti – An application that allows you to download music from your iPod to your Mac [OSS]
Resources for more
