3 Third-Party Apps Every Macbook User Needs

3 Third-Party Apps Every Macbook User Needs

When you purchase a MacBook, you're not just getting a great piece of hardware. In addition to the continuously impressive operating system, Apple provides users with a whole host of free applications. Their office pack is up there with the best. And you'll find few free alternatives to the likes of iMovie and GarageBand.
So it might seem like third-party applications are unnecessary. Everything important is covered, after all.
Well, not quite. As enviable as Apple’s default software is, there are some important additions every Mac user needs.
Download the following 3 third-party apps and your MacBook will be complete.

ExpressVPN (or a good alternative)

Most Macbook owners will never download an antivirus for their computer. Quite simply, Apple have made it clear that their inbuilt software is pretty resilient. Their track record is very good, and even those who are not convinced that nothing will get through will have a hard time finding an antivirus that does a better job. However, security issues don’t end there. Unfortunately, the biggest threat to you online is not a virus, but having your information stolen from you. Hackers can steal your identity
without you knowing until it is too late. Anyone online is vulnerable. The best defense against identity theft is to use a VPN. ExpressVPN is probably the best VPN for Mac. It fits seamlessly into the macOS ecosystem and offers hundreds of servers around the world. There are other good alternatives, but few offer as great an experience.

Dropbox

Apple provides all users with 5GB of iCloud storage. All the extra storage you need comes at around US$1 per month, so you don’t need to worry about running out. However, Apple is typically restrictive about which third-party apps can get direct access to its cloud. Which is why many apps for external devices such as iPhones and iPads cannot store or retrieve content on the cloud. It also makes it difficult to share with people not using Apple products. Dropbox, however, is pretty universal. Apps that don’t use iCloud will use Dropbox in its stead. Friends or colleagues who don’t use Apple can easily access a shared Dropbox folder. Installing it on your Mac is easy and it fits surprisingly well, considering it is a Microsoft product, into the macOS ecosystem.

Dropbox has its issues, including very limited subscription options, and in the near future
Google Drive will likely render it obsolete. For now, however, Dropbox is a very useful addition to your Macbook.

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Finally, as things stand, Apple’s native options for viewing and editing PDFs are very limited. Adobe Acrobat is still necessary for opening documents from many corporations or governmental organizations. Apple and Adobe had beef a while back, but analysts think the time might soon come when Apple actually buys Adobe.
In an ideal world, we won’t need Adobe Acrobat Reader, or there’ll be much better alternatives. It still feels like software from the old world, which crashes and is needlessly confusing. But if you want to make sure you're covered for all your PDF needs, Adobe is a necessary download.