I review Macs for a living, and I install these 5 apps first on every MacBook

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Setting up a new Mac? Whether it's a MacBook or a Mac mini, I have some suggestions for the apps you should install right away.

Sure, Safari and the rest of Apple's default apps are good enough to get by with in a pinch. But I find nothing makes a Mac feel more comfortable to use right out of the box than kitting it out with all the apps and tools I use on a daily basis.

I've had a lot of time to refine my list, too, because I regularly review Macs and MacBooks as part of the Computing team here at Tom's Guide. And every time I unbox a new Apple computer, one of the first things I do is install all the software on this list.

(The very first thing I do is turn on dark mode, of course!)

I have a similar list of 7 apps I install on every Windows 11 PC I get in for review, and I like to use the service Ninite to create a custom installer package with all those apps in one handy file. Unfortunately, Ninite isn't supported on Mac, so you may have to just head to each app's website and download it the old-fashioned way.

You could also try using macapps.link, which offers a similar one-stop-shop for Mac apps: you just click the ones you want from the big list, and macapps packages them all up for you in one easy-to-download installer. It has a pretty good selection that includes some of the best Mac apps we recommend, including everything on this list.

The site can look a little dodgy if you don't use an ad blocker since it displays a significant number of ads, but I've used it many times myself and never had an issue.

Whether you choose to try macapps for yourself or want to click through to every app before downloading, these are the 5 apps I recommend you install first on your new Mac!

Discord

I didn't think much of Discord back when it launched in 2015, but nowadays it's become one of my most-used tools for staying in touch with old friends and colleagues around the world. For that reason, it's one of the first things I install on any new Mac.

Once upon a time it felt like Twitter was the best place to stay in touch with people, but these days I prefer the more comfortable intimacy of a Discord server with pals. The service has evolved significantly over the years, too, and now you can use it for cross-platform voice chat, so friends on Macs, PCs, and even a PS5 can all hop into the same voice channel to catch up after work.

While you can get by with the browser version of Discord, I like to download the app because I feel like the quality of my audio sounds better when I'm broadcasting using the app vs. the browser version—but that's entirely subjective, and your mileage may vary.

GIMP

As a working journalist I need to edit images on a regular basis, and the Photos app just doesn't cut it. I like to download GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) on every new MacBook I get my hands on because it's capable, quick to download and most importantly, free.

I've also spent years using it, so I know my way around this image editor in a way I'll never understand Photoshop. And while there are lots of great free image editors available out there, including lots you can access right in your browser, I prefer to have an app downloaded to my Mac hard drive so I can work with images even when I'm on the go and don't have a reliable Internet connection.

Sure, the name is a little silly and the interface could be better, but for the asking price you can't beat GIMP.

Google Chrome

Like I said up top, Safari is fine—in fact, it's better than ever thanks to the upgrades in macOS Sequoia—but I still prefer to use Chrome on my Macs.

Admittedly, partly that's just laziness and habit: I have Google accounts for both work and personal business, so it's convenient to have Chrome because I can stay on top of both with a browser logged into each account.

But I also love Chrome because while it's demanding, it feels faster and more responsive than Safari. I also like how it supports every website and web service I need to use. Plus, it has robust cross-platform support so I can open a link on my phone using Chrome for iOS, then hit a button to send it to my desktop Chrome instance running on my MacBook for easier reading when I'm back at my desk.

Steam

Macs are better gaming platforms than ever thanks to the work Apple's been doing to help game developers get their games running well on the company's M-series chips, so Steam is a must-have.

You can get games off the Mac App Store, the Epic Games Store or a few other places, but Steam is the first (and often only) game storefront I download because it simply has more games than anywhere else. And with the power of Apple's top-tier chips in premium Macs like the MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max you can enjoy the best Mac games  (including my fav, Baldur's Gate 3) at killer framerates.

It's not just about the games either—I also keep in touch with a few friends on my Steam friends list, so it's nice to have it installed and running on my PC to keep abreast of who's playing what.

VLC

Sometimes you need to watch a .wmv (Windows Media Video) on a Mac, and QuickTime Player isn't up to the task. For those moments, you want a capable alternative like VLC media player installed.

I put this media player on basically every laptop I review because I watch a lot of videos while testing display quality and conducting research, and I can't afford to be constrained by the limits of Apple's default software. I recommend VLC because its lightweight and easy to download, yet supports a broad variety of file formats and codecs.

Plus, it's free!

Bottom line

Every Mac I get my hands on gets these apps installed as soon as possible, because navigating the web in Safari or editing images in Photos feels terrible. And when work is done, I'm ready to fire up Discord and Steam and have some fun with my friends.

I wish Ninite supported Mac because I already regularly use it all the time for Windows 11 PC software, but at least there's macapps.link. I've been using it with my new MacBooks for a while now, and as long as it stays as useful as it is, I think it's a great way to grab all of these apps in one fell swoop.

And of course, you don't have to stick to my suggestions--macapps offers a wide variety of free software, so have a look around and try out some new finds!