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The best Mac utilities in 2026

Six utilities that make a Mac quicker to work on: two launchers, a window manager, a clipboard manager, a text expander and a subscription that bundles hundreds of apps. Each pick says what it does, what it costs and where else it runs.

Updated Oct 4, 2026 · 6 tools · How we pick

Mac utilities overlap more than most software. A launcher such as Raycast or Alfred also keeps clipboard history and expands snippets, which is the whole job of Paste and TextExpander, and Raycast manages windows, which is what Rectangle is for. So the real decision is whether one app that does several things is enough, or whether a specialist is worth adding for the job you do most.

All six run on the Mac, which is why this is a Mac guide, but some reach further. Raycast and TextExpander also have Windows and iOS apps. Paste syncs with iPhone and iPad, and Setapp's larger plans cover iOS devices. Alfred and Rectangle are Mac only.

They also differ in how you pay. Rectangle is free and open source. Raycast, Alfred and TextExpander have free versions with paid upgrades. Paste and Setapp are subscriptions with a 7-day trial and no free plan. Two can be bought outright: Alfred's Powerpack, which is priced in pounds, and Paste's Lifetime plan. The order runs from the utility that suits the most Mac users to the most specialized.

The shortlist

  1. 1RaycastBest all-in-one launcher
  2. 2AlfredBest launcher to buy once
  3. 3RectangleBest free window manager
  4. 4PasteBest clipboard manager for Apple devices
  5. 5TextExpanderBest for text snippets shared by a team
  6. 6SetappBest for a bundle of Mac apps

The picks in detail

  1. 01

    Raycast

    Best all-in-one launcherKeyboard launcher with extensions, clipboard history and AI

    Raycast's free plan replaces several small utilities at once: a keyboard launcher with clipboard history kept for 3 months, snippets, quicklinks, a calculator, window management and a store of thousands of extensions for tools such as Linear, Slack and Notion. Pro, at $96 a year or $10 a month, adds Raycast AI with 500 credits a month, cloud sync and unlimited notes. It also runs on Windows and has an iOS companion app, and verified students get 50% off Pro.

    Worth knowing: AI, cloud sync and unlimited notes need Pro, top-tier AI models need the $20 or $50 a month tiers, and the Windows app does not yet have every macOS feature.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $96 / year, billed annually
    Runs on
    macOS, Windows, iOS, Browser extension
    Raycast pricing and detailsraycast.com
  2. 02

    Alfred

    Best launcher to buy onceMac launcher with hotkeys, snippets and custom workflows

    Alfred is the launcher for people who would rather pay once than subscribe. The core app is free forever and covers app, file and web search. The Powerpack, a one-time £34 for Alfred 5, unlocks clipboard history, snippets, file actions and workflows, which chain triggers and actions together without code; thousands of community workflows can be imported. The £59 Mega Supporter license adds free upgrades to future versions.

    Worth knowing: It is Mac only and priced in pounds sterling, and the £34 license is tied to Alfred 5, so a later major version means a discounted paid upgrade unless you hold Mega Supporter.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from £34 one-time purchase (Powerpack Single License)
    Runs on
    macOS
    Alfred pricing and detailsalfredapp.com
  3. 03

    Rectangle

    Best free window managerFree, open-source window snapping for macOS

    Rectangle does one job and charges nothing for it: it moves and resizes windows with keyboard shortcuts, or when you drag them to snap areas at the screen edges. It covers halves, thirds, quarters and sixths, sends windows between displays, and lets you choose Spectacle's default shortcuts on first run. It is the only open-source app in this guide and the only one with no paid tier of its own.

    Worth knowing: It is Mac only, and window throwing, custom sizes, saved workspaces and iCloud sync are in Rectangle Pro, a separate paid app whose price is not shown as readable text on the site.

    Price
    Free
    Runs on
    macOS
    Rectangle pricing and detailsrectangleapp.com
  4. 04

    Paste

    Best clipboard manager for Apple devicesClipboard manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad with pinboards

    Paste is for people who copy and reuse things all day. It keeps a searchable clipboard history with no limit on age or count, where Raycast's free plan keeps 3 months, and syncs it between Mac, iPhone and iPad through your own iCloud. Pinboards hold the snippets, links and templates you reuse, and rules can make it ignore passwords and anything copied in apps you mark as sensitive. Personal is $2.49 a month billed annually ($29.99), and a Lifetime plan is $99.99 on the US App Store.

    Worth knowing: There is no free version once the 7-day trial ends, and the App Store listing requires macOS 14 or later and iOS or iPadOS 26 or later.

    Price
    $2.49 / month, billed annually ($29.99)
    Runs on
    macOS, iOS
    Paste pricing and detailspasteapp.io
  5. 05

    TextExpander

    Best for text snippets shared by a teamText snippets that expand as you type, shared across a team

    TextExpander turns a typed abbreviation into a full reply, a form with fill-in fields or a block of boilerplate, and it syncs snippets across Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and a Chrome extension on every plan. Its strength is sharing: a team keeps groups of snippets and sets who can view, edit or manage them, so common replies stay consistent. Pro is $5 per user a month billed annually for up to 5 users; Business, at $10, removes the limit on team members.

    Worth knowing: The free plan keeps only 5 snippets active, with 1 swap every 2 weeks, and if you do not need team sharing, Raycast's free plan and Alfred's Powerpack also expand snippets.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $5 per user / month, billed annually ($60)
    Runs on
    macOS, Windows, iOS, Browser extension
    TextExpander pricing and detailstextexpander.com
  6. 06

    Setapp

    Best for a bundle of Mac appsOne subscription for a catalog of 300+ Mac and iOS apps

    Setapp is a different kind of purchase: one subscription for a catalog of more than 300 Mac, iOS and web apps, with app updates included. The catalog covers the jobs in this guide, with Paste for clipboard history, Mosaic for window layouts and Rocket Typist for text snippets, plus CleanShot X for screenshots. The Mac plan is $14.99 a month plus tax, or $107.88 billed annually, which suits people who would otherwise buy several of these apps separately.

    Worth knowing: There is no free plan after the 7-day trial, and the base Mac plan covers a single Mac; iOS devices or more Macs need the $18.99 or $22.99 a month plans.

    Price
    $14.99 / month + tax, or $107.88 / year (Mac plan)
    Runs on
    macOS, iOS
    Setapp pricing and detailssetapp.com

How to choose

Start with one launcher

Raycast and Alfred both open apps and find files from the keyboard, and each folds in clipboard history and snippets. Raycast includes those in its free plan and adds window management and an extension store; Alfred puts clipboard history, snippets and workflows in the paid Powerpack. Choose Raycast to pay nothing or to use Windows as well, and Alfred to pay once and build your own workflows.

Add a specialist only where the launcher runs out

Rectangle is enough if window snapping is all you want, and it is free. Paste earns its place when you need clipboard history older than the 3 months that Raycast's free plan and Alfred's Powerpack keep, or want it synced to an iPhone and iPad. TextExpander is for snippets that a team shares across Mac and Windows.

Decide how you want to pay

Rectangle is free, and Raycast, Alfred and TextExpander have free versions. Alfred's Powerpack is a one-time £34 or £59, and Paste sells a Lifetime plan at $99.99 on the US App Store. The subscriptions run from $29.99 a year for Paste and $60 per user a year for TextExpander Pro to $96 a year for Raycast Pro and $107.88 a year for Setapp's Mac plan. Students get 50% off Raycast Pro, and students and educators 30% off the first year of Paste.

Check the other devices you use

Alfred and Rectangle are Mac only. Raycast and TextExpander also have Windows apps, though Raycast's does not yet have every macOS feature, and both have iOS apps. Paste syncs with iPhone and iPad, and Setapp's Mac + iOS and Power User plans add 4 iOS devices. None of the six lists an Android or Linux app.

Common questions

Which Mac utilities are free?

Rectangle is free and open source, with no paid tier of its own. Raycast's free plan includes the launcher, clipboard history kept for 3 months, snippets, window management and the extension store. Alfred's core launcher is free forever, and TextExpander has a free plan limited to 5 active snippets. Paste and Setapp have 7-day trials but no free plan.

Should I choose Raycast or Alfred?

They suit different buyers. Raycast's free plan already includes clipboard history, snippets and window management, and it also runs on Windows; its Pro plan is a subscription at $96 a year. Alfred is Mac only and keeps clipboard history, snippets and workflows in the Powerpack, a one-time purchase of £34, or £59 with free lifetime upgrades.

Do I need a clipboard manager if I use Raycast?

Not necessarily. Raycast's free plan keeps 3 months of clipboard history. Paste goes further, with history that has no limit on age or count, pinboards for items you reuse, and sync across Mac, iPhone and iPad through iCloud, from $29.99 a year.

Do any of these utilities work on Windows?

Raycast and TextExpander have Windows apps, and Raycast says its Windows app does not yet have every macOS feature. Alfred and Rectangle are Mac only. Paste runs on Apple platforms only, and Setapp's plans cover Macs and iOS devices.

What does a Setapp subscription include?

Access to a catalog of more than 300 Mac, iOS and web apps, including Paste, CleanShot X, Craft and Bartender, with app updates included. The Mac plan covers 1 Mac for $14.99 a month plus tax, or $107.88 billed annually. Plans that add iOS devices or cover 4 Macs cost more.