3 min read Productivity

14 Best Productivity Apps for Developers and Power Users (2026 Edition)

Stop wasting seconds. Discover the S-Tier app stack to standardize workflows and save hours every month through compounding productivity.
14 Best Productivity Apps for Developers and Power Users (2026 Edition)

Is it overwhelming to figure out which app is the best fit for your workflow? I am always on the hunt for optimization. In engineering, we know that saving a few seconds on a recurring task doesn't just save time—it reduces cognitive load. Over a year, these small wins compound into days of recovered productivity.

I recently watched Matt’s video from A Better Computer (check it out here) and realized I’ve already integrated many of his S-tier picks. Here is my breakdown of the best tools for a standardized, high-efficiency workflow.

Standing on the shoulders of Giants, I put together a list of the apps he mentioned, along with their pricing structures and links to their homepages.

The Developer’s Command Center:

  1. Ghostty (Terminal)
    • Pricing: Free / Open Source
    • Why it’s S-Tier: It’s the new gold standard for terminal performance. Ghostty is GPU-accelerated and handles high-throughput logs without breaking a sweat.
    • Visit Ghostty
  1. Raycast (Spotlight Replacement)
    • Pricing: Free (Basic) / $8/mo (Pro with AI)
    • Why it’s S-Tier: It’s not just a launcher; it’s an extensibility engine. I use it to manage my clipboard, resize windows, and trigger scripts without touching my mouse.
    • Visit Raycast
  1. Keyboard Maestro (Automation)
    • Pricing: ~$36 (One-time purchase)
    • Why it’s S-Tier: If you can do it on a Mac, you can automate it with Keyboard Maestro. It’s perfect for standardizing those repetitive "Holding-Subsidiary" reporting tasks.
    • Visit Keyboard Maestro

Communication & Writing:

  1. Mimestream (Email client for Gmail)
    • Pricing: $4.99/mo or $49.99/yr
    • Why it’s S-Tier: The best native Gmail experience on Mac. It’s fast, lightweight, and supports multiple accounts
    • Visit Mimestream
  1. Obsidian (Note-taking)
    • Pricing: Free (Personal) / $50/yr (Sync optional)
    • Why it’s S-Tier: It’s "Local-first" and Markdown-based. Your thoughts stay on your machine, not in a proprietary cloud. It’s a second brain that won't disappear if a service goes down.
    • Visit Obsidian
  1. Notion Calendar (Scheduling)
    • Pricing: Free (with Notion)
    • Why it’s S-Tier: Formerly Cron, this is the best way to visualize your time across time zones.
    • Visit Notion Calendar

Multimedia & Content Creation:

  1. CleanShot X (Screenshots & Recording)
    • Pricing: $29 (One-time) + optional Cloud
    • Why it’s S-Tier: It replaces the Mac screenshot tool, a screen recorder, and an annotator. It’s the app I use most for documenting and creating tutorials for my team.
    • Visit CleanShot X
  1. Quick Subtitles (Video Tool)
    • Pricing: Freemium / Pro options
    • Why it’s S-Tier: High-quality video needs captions. This saves me the headache of manual transcription, letting me focus on the video's actual content.
    • Visit Quick Subtitles
  1. ChapterPod (Podcast/Video Markers)
    • Pricing: Varies by usage
    • Why it’s S-Tier: It automates the most tedious part of video editing: creating chapters. Perfect for making long-form tech reviews digestible.
    • Visit ChapterPod

System Utilities & Security

  1. 1Password (Security)
    • Pricing: $2.99/mo (Individual) / $4.99/mo (Family)
    • Why it’s S-Tier: 100% legal compliance starts with security. Managing cross-border business credentials requires a world-class, reliable vault.
    • Visit 1Password
  1. The Unarchiver (File Management)
    • Pricing: Free
    • Why it’s S-Tier: It just works. It handles formats that native macOS utility chokes on. It’s a "set it and forget it" utility.
    • Visit the unachiver
  1. Reader by ElevenLabs/Readwise (Information)
    • Pricing: Included with Readwise (~$8/mo)
    • Why it’s S-Tier: It centralizes my newsletters, RSS feeds, and PDFs. It’s where I keep up with BIS and FEMA regulations without cluttering my email.
    • Visit Reader
  1. Aqua Voice (AI Speech-to-Text)
    • Pricing: Monthly subscription tiers
    • Why it’s S-Tier: Coding with your voice or drafting blog posts while walking is the ultimate optimization. Aqua Voice is built for high-accuracy dictation that understands technical context.
    • Visit Aqua Voice
  1. Supercharge (Extension/Utility)
    • Pricing: Free/Paid versions
    • Why it’s S-Tier: (Usually refers to Raycast extensions or specific browser boosters). It adds that extra layer of speed to your most frequent web-based workflows.
    • Visit Supercharge

Conclusion:
Finding the right tool isn’t about following trends—it’s about finding the "best fit" for your specific output. These S-tier apps are the foundation of my daily workflow as an engineer and business owner.

Huge thanks to Matt from “A Better Computer” and Birchtree for the inspiration. Their focus on the "compounding effect" of small optimizations is exactly how I approach my own systems.