As inspired by https://mattcool.tech/posts/default-apps-2023/ and https://chriscoyier.net/2023/11/25/default-apps-2023/
I’m mostly invested in the Apple ecosystem since I trust them more with my privacy than many other apps (well okay, balancing privacy with convenience/reliability since I have no trust in my ability to sustain an OwnCloud).
📨 Mail Client: Gmail
📮 Mail Server: Google
📝 Notes: Mostly transitioned to Obsidian.md, but still fallback to Apple Notes for personal scratchpad and sharing with partner
✅ To-Do: Obsidian.md
📷 Photo Shooting: iPhone 14.
🎨 Photo Editing: Photos.
📆 Calendar: Google Calendar.
📁 Cloud File Storage: iCloud.
📖 RSS: NetNewsWire
🙍🏻♂️ Contacts: macOS Contacts
🌐 Browser: Desktop: Firefox. iOS: Safari, given how limited Apple lets 3rd party browsers be.
🔖 Bookmarks: Firefox and embedded TODOs in Obsidian.md.
📜 Word Processing: Rarely: Pages. If I need a shared one, Google Docs.
📈 Spreadsheets: Rarely: Numbers. If I need a shared one, Google Sheets.
📊 Presentations: Keynote.
🛒 Shopping Lists: MealLime.
🍴 Meal Planning: Apple Notes or MealLime.
💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance: Nothing consistent daily but for long-term planning Google Sheets.
📰 News: Loosely in order: Reddit, NYT, Mastodon, Economist, Apple News, RSS… I too much news
🎵 Music: Apple Music
🎤 Podcasts: Overcast
🔐 Password Management: 1Password
🧑💻 Code Editor: VS Codium for projects, vim for single files.
✈️ VPN: I use [Mozilla VPN](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/vpn/](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/vpn/) not because of any particular feature qualities but because I find it the most sustainable way to support continued Mozilla development with a monthly contribution tied to a personal benefit: “Powered by Mozilla. Fighting for your right to privacy since 1998.”
Bonus entries
🧑💻 Clipboard Manager: Clipy.
🧑💻 Search/Spotlight replacement: Raycast
🧑💻 Window Manager: Got sick of Raycast’s lack of multi-monitor support and back to Moom
🧑💻 Docker: Orbstack