Our systems are becoming increasingly modern; architectures, software, and our habits as users are changing rapidly. As of 2026, while the performance offered by Apple’s M-series processors continues to increase, new applications that leverage technologies such as Unified Memory and Neural Engine are quickly becoming a part of our lives.
But are there no problems at all? Of course there are. To be honest, the look Apple introduced with macOS 26 Tahoe in 2025, which they call Liquid Glass, has been a bit of a flop. Many people have reported issues ranging from the appearance of colors to difficulty seeing elements because they are too transparent. We hope it will be fixed with continuous updates. As an additional note, iOS 27 is expected to be introduced in June; I should add that I believe the Liquid Glass issue will be resolved on the iPhone side.
I have compiled the most up-to-date applications that take advantage of these beautiful developments and provide solutions to the problems mentioned.
Menu Bar Management and Interface Optimization
Our first application is aimed at solving a problem created by the Liquid Glass and the notch. As you know, the menu bar in Apple is a place for open applications, battery icons, sound, etc., at the top. However, for these icons that get cluttered with the notch and Liquid Glass in newer models, here is a great solution.
Ice:
Ice is completely open-source and free. The service it offers provides a clean look by hiding the icons you don’t use frequently in the menu bar, while offering easy and functional use by giving them visibility with a shortcut key or when you hover over them.
System Cleaning and Complete Uninstallation
Deleting an application by throwing it in the trash on a Mac does not completely delete it. That’s why our Macs occasionally start consuming unnecessary amounts of storage with old application remnants and forgotten files. Recently, I published a guide on how to clear space and clean up unnecessary remnants using terminal commands, but that black screen and commands might have remained a bit more on the professional side. With this application, cleaning is possible through a much more user-friendly UI.
AppCleaner:
AppCleaner, a timeless, extremely lightweight, useful, and safe application, is a true classic. Working with a drag-and-drop logic, AppCleaner is reliable because it is programmed not to touch system files.
Pearcleaner:
We recommend this application for those who know what they are doing and for professionals who want to perform a deeper cleaning. Our open-source and somewhat aggressive application requires high-level permissions such as “Full Disk Access” and “Accessibility” to work. Therefore, this part is more for experienced users.
Local AI Alternative
Lately, although we haven’t seen a direct price increase in cloud-based AI systems for now, we see decreases in usage limits. We can call it fewer token rights for the same money. At this point, even if they aren’t “super” AIs like cloud-based systems, AIs can also be run locally.
LM Studio:
For those looking to escape the limitations of cloud-based systems, running local AI is a total lifesaver. You can choose and run the latest open-source models like Meta’s Llama, Google’s Gemma 3, Qwen 3, or the highly efficient DeepSeek, depending on your Mac’s hardware capabilities. Its graphical interface makes managing these models incredibly easy, and since everything runs 100% offline on your own device, LM Studio is the ultimate solution for anyone with privacy concerns.
Media Playback and Content Consumption
We continue with a video player. Unfortunately, QuickTime, which comes built-in with macOS, does not support every video type. For high-resolution videos, .mkv, .avi, or files with different codecs (a problem I also experience from time to time) a powerful player is needed.
IINA:
Developed specifically for modern macOS, this application offers a more advanced usage than an ordinary video player. I should mention that besides being open-source and free, it provides a “native” feel on macOS. Trackpad gestures, Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode, dark mode support, and smooth playback of 4K videos using hardware acceleration without draining the battery make it unrivaled.
Of course, you have alternatives like VLC, but I didn’t want to mention it since it is so well-known.
Information Management and Notes
I have always been afraid of my ideas that come to mind suddenly getting lost and forgotten. In an era that we can call the golden age of ideas, I never want to forget. At this point, modern note-taking applications come to our rescue.
Obsidian:
Obsidian stores our notes not in the cloud, but directly on our own Mac as plain text. Probably the best part of this application is the ability to establish links between notes. And I think this is a great thing; because as humans, associating things with other things helps a lot in remembering. This application does exactly that. For example: when writing an “Economics” note, if you put the word [[Inflation]] in square brackets, it creates a link. Thus, we don’t just go from “Economics” to “Inflation”; when we enter the “Inflation” note, it is a great feature to see which notes have links coming there. It allows us to build an entire structure, just like Wikipedia pages are connected to each other like a spider web.
Additionally, I think being able to see the relationships of all notes with each other using “Graph View” will be very helpful in establishing logic. Moreover, this software, which has become completely free even for companies, is unrivaled in the field of long-term personal knowledge management for researchers, students, and professionals managing massive projects.
Apple Notes:
Alternatively, it is also preferable for those who want a simpler use, like using it by saying “Hey Siri,” with its beautiful features like iCloud synchronization.
Conclusion
The macOS ecosystem in 2026 has become even stronger with the free tools offered by open-source software communities and independent developers. With the applications I recommend in these 5 main categories on my blog, you can reveal the full potential of your Mac by rejecting the high costs imposed by commercial software. Depending on your own usage style, technical knowledge, and needs, you can experience a much more productive and functional use by choosing the main applications or their alternatives.
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