Default Apps 2025
Trends:
- I’ve been using most of the apps for a long time;
- a slight tendency towards self-hosted;
- I try not to complicate things and often use default applications.
List
- 📨 Mail: Apple Mail - there is no big correspondence, even a work one, so the default client is enough.
- 📮 Mail - server: Fastmail, Gmail - I pay for my own domain email address for not to be completely dependent on Google. Gmail is on the list because I haven’t transferred all services to a new address yet.
- 📝 Notes: Bear - like Apple Notes, only simpler and with Markdown support. It’s also a pretty one. Any transitions to Obsidian or other PKM’s tools remind me of Bear simplicity and I’m going back.
- ✅ To-do: Things 3 - so glad I once bought it for all devices. Another beautiful app in my collection.
- 📆 Calendar: Apple Calendar - I don’t see any reason to leave default app.
- 🌐 Browser: Firefox - switched to it as part of de-googlification, no regrets.
- 💬 Chat: Telegram, Viber - Telegram as my main messenger, Viber for communicating with locals.
- 🎵 Music and podcasts: Spotify - great selection of music, and not so bad recommendations.
- 📚 Books: Apple Books, Kindle app - depending on whether I’m still reading on Kindle device or not.
- ✍🏻 Blogging Platform: Hugo - hosted on VPS, updated via Github Actions.
- 🖥 Server: Hetzner - so far, everything is ok. Reasons: - small price and lots of traffic, which allows me to keep a VPN server for myself and loved ones.
- 📷 Photos: default Camera, default Preview app for quick processing.
- 📁 File synchronization: iCloud, Syncthing - iCloud when you need to sync something quickly (but it’s faster via Telegram), Syncthing - for permanent synchronization.
- 💾 File Backup: Backblaze B2 - gets the job done and cheap. Backup all with one console command every week.
- 📖 RSS client and simultaneously Read Later app: Reeder Classic is a very nice looking client. I didn’t like the new version with timeline and didn’t switch to it.
- 📢 RSS server: FreshRSS - hosted on a VPS.
- 🚀 Launcher: Alfred - everything is set up, tweaked as needed, lifetime license. I don’t see reasons to switch to Raycast.
- ⚙️ Automation: already mentioned Alfred and Apple Shortcuts - more than enough.
- 👨🏻💻 IDE: PhpStorm - default choice for many years.