Default Apps

This is the third annual edition of my personal tech stack. In 2023, I saw many people talking about their default apps as a result of an episode of the podcast Hemispheric Views.. I learned about a lot of great software that I wasn’t familiar with. I wanted to get in on the fun, so I started a blog for that express purpose, and the rest is history.

The biggest changes in 2025 happened as a result of cutting ties with Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon. I’ve tried to move as much of my back end tech stack out of the US for privacy reasons.

Apps with a ⭐ are new choices since last year. There are links at the end to my previous year’s choices.

• 📨 Mail Client: ⭐ FMail3 for Fastmail
• 📮 Mail Server: ⭐ Fastmail
• 📝 Notes: Obsidian and Scratchpad
• ✅ To-do: Things3
• 📷 iPhone Photo Shooting: ProCamera
• 🟦 Photo Management: ⭐ Digikam
• 📆 Calendar: Fantastical Legacy, not paid with Fastmail as the back end, ⭐Dato
• 📁 Cloud File Storage: ⭐ Koofr, kDrive (3TB for €4.99 a month)
• 📖 RSS: Inoreader (because Pocket died)
• 🙎🏻‍♂️ Contacts: Cardhop with Fastmail as the backend.
• 🌐 Browser: Vivaldi on macOS and iOS
• 💬 Chat: Messages.app
• 🔖 Bookmarks: Raindrop.io
• 📑 Read It Later: ⭐ Inoreader
• 📜 Word Processing: Obsidian and Drafts
• 📈 Spreadsheets: ⭐ Easy CSV Editor
• 📊 Presentations: nope
• 🛒 Shopping Lists: Anylist, a great app!
• 💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance: Monarch on Mac and iOS
• 📰 News: ⭐ Sill, ProPublica, DemocracyNow!
• 🎵 Music: ⭐ Cog
• 🎤 Podcasts: Overcast
• 🔐 Password Management: ⭐ Apple Passwords
• 🐘 Mastodon: ⭐ Mona, social.lol
• 🦋 Bluesky: Skeets, Deck.blue
• 🚀 Launcher: Raycast
• 🎞️ Media Tracking: Trakt via Watcht, Sequel
• 💻 Screenshot Tool: Cleanshot X
• ✍🏻 Blogging: Micro.blog, OMG.LOL, Scribbles, BearBlog
• 🔗 Websites: Amerpie, Living Out Loud, AppAddict, Linkage
• ⚙️ Automation: Keyboard Maestro, Hazel, Popclip, Better Touch Tool

2024 Default Apps

2023 Default Apps