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Default Apps

September 6, 2026 #

Here you can find a list of all default apps that I use for personal things. I tried to follow Hemispheric Views podcast guidelines (you can see their deep and nice list!). I’ve added a few items to the list recently.

  • Mail Server: Infomaniak email. It’s a Swiss hosting provider, affordable, mindful of privacy and of features.

    Previously: iCloud Mail with custom domain on iCloud+.

  • Mail Client: on macOS I use the web app, while for iOS and iPadOS I use the mobile apps. I have the same mail configured on Mail.app too.

    Previously: Mail.app only.

  • Notes: Bear. My notes are safe, on Apple’s cloud, and I still lick the display every time I use it. For work, instead, I use Obsidian, set up as a second brain with an LLM supporting me in managing my complicated tangle of information. I use the PARA method – slightly customized – on both tools.

    Previously: Notion.

  • To-Do: Todoist. I’ve been a pro user for years and use it for personal and professional reasons. I love the Shortcuts integrations with Apple Reminder and Calendar. It has many more functions than I need, but the convenience of managing tasks has no equals.

  • iPhone Photo Shooting: iOS Camera, because of the swipe to left shortcut.

  • Photo Management: Photos.app. I get bored looking for other solutions.

  • Calendar: Apple Calendar.app. It is sufficient for my personal and family meetings.

  • Cloud File Storage: Infomaniak’s kDrive which, surprisingly, is much faster than iCloud on mobile – where I care more about quick access to files. It has a client that syncs with macOS too, and plenty of space. Work files, instead, live on OneDrive.

    Previously: iCloud Drive.

  • RSS: SmartRSS as client, FreshRSS as server.

    Previously: Unread synced with iCloud.

  • Contacts: Contacts.app. I’m very default with default things.

  • Browser: Safari for personal stuff, Microsoft Edge for work.

  • Chat: WhatsApp, but I hate it. I prefer Telegram, but I have fewer contacts there. I don’t like groups and channels. I don’t like that messages need to be instant. I like emails.

  • Bookmarks: Bear.

  • Read It Later: Bear, but I’ve decided to use the power of postponing a read less and less, because in fact I (almost) never get back to it.

    Previously: GoodLinks.

  • Word Processing: Bear.

  • Spreadsheets: who uses spreadsheets in their private life?

  • Presentations: just at work.

  • Shopping List: Bring! shared with my partner. But, the broken sync system with Alexa is putting us in a crisis.

  • Meal Planning: nothing. If I will learn to cook, I want to use Mela.

  • Budgeting and Personal Finance: BudgetBakers Wallet, but then I bring everything into a google.com/sheets file that is organized and optimized for my needs.

  • News: see RSS section.

  • Music: Apple Music for myself and my family.

  • Podcast: Pocket Casts. I am a loyal user, and I love it. I have used it since 2016, and it’s the best for listening to podcasts. For now.

  • Password Management: 1Password. It’s worth what it costs, no way around it. For work passwords (for the companies I manage), instead, Bitwarden with a self-hosted server.

    Previously: Apple Passwords.

  • Mastodon: Ice Cubes.

  • Code Editor: Visual Studio Code, but every now and then I try to give Lumide a chance.

    Previously: Sublime Text.

  • Git Client: the editor that I’m using or the terminal, for macOS; Working Copy on mobile on iOS and iPadOS.

  • LLM: I use Claude, with satisfaction. Every now and then I give Google’s Gemini a shot, but Anthropic, marketing or not, is the one that inspires a bit more trust in me.

  • Terminal: for a few months now I’ve been using Ghostty. I don’t feel the need for anything else.

  • (S)FTP Client: Cyberduck.

  • Ad-Blocker: NextDNS.

  • Maps: even though, every now and then, I try not to be disappointed by Apple Maps, I don’t think anyone can beat Google Maps; I also often use Waze, on routes I already know, for traffic directions.