7 Mac Apps for Developers Who Just Switched From Windows in 2026

I switched from Windows to Mac about two years ago. The hardware transition was smooth — the software transition was not. On Windows, I had years of muscle memory: PowerToys for window management, Notepad++ for quick edits, Task Manager pinned to the taskbar. On Mac, I felt lost. Everything worked differently , and the built-in tools felt both polished and oddly limited. After a lot of trial and error, here are the 7 Mac apps that actually made me productive again as a developer. If you just made the switch (or you're thinking about it), these should save you a few months of fumbling around. 1. Raycast — Your New Command Palette Free (Pro $8/mo) · raycast.com If you loved the Windows Run dialog or PowerToys Run, Raycast is that on steroids. It's a launcher, clipboard manager, snippet expander, and workflow engine all in one. Hit a hotkey, type what you want, and it just happens — open apps, search files, convert units, run scripts. Once you get used to it, reaching for the mouse feels