As someone who designs apps for a living, I pay close attention to the apps and services I rely on. I naturally gravitate towards those that exemplify great design, functionality and an overall exceptional user experience*. Below is a curated list of my favorite apps across various categories.

• 📨 Mail Client: Spark Mail

• 📮 Mail Server: iCloud

• 📝 Notes: Apple Notes for simple things, iA Writer for long-form

• ✅ To-Do: Apple Reminders with Remind Me Faster as an action button capture shortcut.

• 📷 Photo Shooting: iOS Camera

• 🖼️ Photo Management: Apple Photos

• 🖌️ Photo editing: Photomator, Pixelmator, Darkroom, Apple Photos

• 📆 Calendar: Apple Calendar (Fantastical being a close second)

• 📁 Cloud File Storage: iCloud Drive

• 📖 RSS: Reeder

• 🙍🏻‍♂️ Contacts: Contacts

• 🌐 Browser: Safari

• 💬 Chat: iMessage, Telegram, Signal

• 🔖 Bookmarks: Safari

• 📑 Read It Later: Play for YouTube videos and GoodLinks for everything else

• 📊 Presentations: Keynote

• 🛒 Shopping Lists: A shared Todoist list with my partner

• 💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance: YNAB

• 📰 News: Reeder, Bluesky, Mastodon

• 🐘 Mastodon client: Ivory

• 🎵 Music: Apple Music

• 🎤 Podcasts: Apple Podcasts

• 🧠 Focus sounds: Endel

• 🔐 Password Management: Apple Passwords

• 💻 Screenshot tool: CleanShot X

• ✍️ Journaling: Apple Journal and Day One

• ✈️ Fight tracker: Flighty

• 🌤️ Weather: CARROT Weather

*I also use some apps that are simply “good enough” due to the convenience of Apple’s ecosystem, or other factors such as privacy or ethics. Even the apps I consider well-designed are, of course, subjective. As a power-user in certain app categories, my idea of the best might not align with what works best for someone else—or even for my own preferences over time. I’m always switching apps and trying new things anyway!

Shoutout to the Hemispheric Views podcast, who originally came up with the idea of listing your default apps on Episode 97 called Duel of the Defaults.