My App Defaults 2023

Saw Dayu’s post and the App Defaults trend, so I figured I would share what I actually use day to day.

Mail Client

• Spark (Paid) - Multi-device sync is my favorite feature.

Mail Server

• iCloud (Paid) - Custom domain email on iCloud+ is cheap and just works.
• Cloudflare - Inbound routing only. If you want a full setup, check out Lepture’s write-up; for outbound delivery, Resend is great.

Notes

• Apple Notes - Quick scratchpad ideas.
• Obsidian - Work notes. Company security policies forbid cloud syncing, so it stays local.

To-Do

• Apple Reminders

iPhone Photo Shooting

• Apple Camera

Photo Management

• iCloud (Paid)

Calendar

• Apple Calendar

Cloud File Storage

• iCloud (Paid) - Photo and document backups.
• openmediavault - Movies, TV shows, and PT downloads.

RSS

• Inoreader - The free plan with 150 feeds is plenty. Keeping around 100 high-quality feeds gives me plenty to read without wasting hours.
• NetNewsWire - Free and clean RSS reader on macOS, paired with Inoreader.

Contacts

• Apple Contacts

Browser

• Edge - History syncs across all my machines. The Better History extension makes the history UI look way better.

Chat

• WeChat - The inescapable “small and beautiful.”
• Telegram

Bookmarks

• Browser Favorites

News

• Twitter / X
• Mastodon

Music

• Apple Music (Paid) - For tracks missing on QQ Music.
• QQ Music (Paid) - Most complete Chinese music catalog.

Podcasts

• Google Podcasts - Shutting down soon, sadly. Still hunting for a replacement.

Password Management

• Enpass (Paid) - Bought a lifetime license for $30 eight years ago; should easily last me another eight.