A running list of everything I use regularly or have used and didn’t like — AI agents, developer tools, services, and more. For each tool I’ve noted what I use/used it for, the honest pros and cons I’ve found through daily use, and my honest opinion on whether or not I recommend it.
A
Apple Hardware and Software Ecosystem
Hardware and software ecosystem spanning iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, AirPods, Apple Watch, and iCloud. The tight vertical integration across devices makes everything from handoff to file sync to AirPlay feel seamless in daily use.
Pros
- Seamless cross-device continuity — Handoff, AirDrop, Universal Clipboard just work
- iCloud keeps contacts, calendars, notes, and files in sync without configuration
- Best-in-class build quality and long software support lifecycles
- AirPods integration with automatic device switching is genuinely magical
- Privacy-first defaults compared to most competitors
Cons
- Premium pricing across the entire product line
- Walled garden makes mixing in non-Apple devices frustrating
- iCloud storage tiers feel small relative to device prices
Recommendation
Yes— Fully integrated into the Apple ecosystem — iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, AirPods, iCloud, etc. — and love that it all just works together without having to mess around with settings and external sync tools. It gives me the best of both worlds between having beautiful desktop applications similar to Microsoft Windows and still having a great command line experience like Linux, and the continuity features across devices are genuinely magical.
B
balenaEtcher
Free, open-source tool for flashing OS images and disk images to USB drives and SD cards. Used whenever a bootable USB is needed — installers, live Linux environments, recovery media, and more.
Pros
- Free and open source
- Validates the write after flashing to catch errors automatically
- Works with virtually any image format (ISO, IMG, ZIP, etc.)
- Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux
- Simple three-step UI — select image, select drive, flash
Cons
- Electron-based — heavier than native alternatives
- No advanced partitioning or multi-boot support
- Can be slow compared to command-line tools like dd
Recommendation
Yes— A great free app for writing disk images to a USB drive that you can boot from. Has worked for me several times when others would not.
BetterSnapTool
Window snapping and management tool for Mac. Lets you snap windows to predefined positions and sizes using keyboard shortcuts or by dragging to screen edges and corners.
Pros
- One-time purchase from the Mac App Store
- Highly customizable snap zones and keyboard shortcuts
- Supports multiple monitors well
- Lightweight and stays out of the way
Cons
- macOS has added basic window tiling natively, reducing the gap
- Setup requires time to configure to your preferred layout
- UI for configuration is a bit dated
Recommendation
Yes— A great one-time purchase for anyone who wants more powerful window management on Mac without using a full tiling window manager like Amethyst.
C
ChatGPT
OpenAI's web-based AI chat interface. Used for quick questions, brainstorming, and tasks where a second AI perspective is useful alongside Claude.
Pros
- Fast and capable for general-purpose chat and writing tasks
- GPT-4o handles images, files, and voice natively
- Wide plugin and tool ecosystem via custom GPTs
- Included with ChatGPT Plus, which also covers Codex CLI
Cons
- Overlaps heavily with Claude.ai for most conversational tasks
- Less consistent tone and reasoning depth than Claude for long-form writing
- Custom GPTs vary wildly in quality
Recommendation
Yes— Great for quick questions and brainstorming alongside Claude
Claude Code
Primary AI coding agent for complex multi-file changes, architectural decisions, content generation, and full-session development workflows. Powers this entire blog workflow including post creation, image generation, and CI/CD.
Pros
- Exceptional reasoning for complex, multi-step tasks
- Deep filesystem, shell, and tool integration
- Highly customizable via CLAUDE.md and reusable skills
- Parallel tool use speeds up multi-step work significantly
- Strong at maintaining context across large codebases
Cons
- Slower than inline assistants for simple one-liner completions
- Subscription cost adds up with heavy usage
- Needs clear instructions to avoid over-engineering
Recommendation
Yes— Love it for complex coding tasks
Claude.ai
Web-based AI chat interface for brainstorming, research, drafting, and quick back-and-forth conversations that don't need CLI integration.
Pros
- Fast and conversational for exploratory work
- Excellent at long-form writing and analysis
- Projects feature lets you maintain persistent context
- Artifacts make it easy to preview and iterate on code/docs
Cons
- No filesystem access — limited to conversation context
- Context resets between sessions without Projects
- Overlaps heavily with Claude Code for technical tasks
Recommendation
Yes— My go-to for brainstorming and writing
Codex CLI
OpenAI's command-line AI coding agent. Used for competitive drafting — spawning independent Codex drafts of blog posts to compare and synthesize with Claude drafts.
Pros
- Fast execution in non-interactive mode via codex exec
- Good for independent second opinions on architecture and writing
- Integrates well into shell automation and CI workflows
- Free with ChatGPT Plus subscription
Cons
- Less context-aware than Claude Code for large codebases
- Can produce verbose or over-structured output
- Requires careful prompting to match project conventions
Recommendation
Yes— Useful for competitive drafting and independent second opinions
D
DaisyDisk
Disk space analyzer for Mac that visualizes storage usage as an interactive sunburst chart. Makes it easy to find what's eating your disk and delete it directly from the app.
Pros
- Beautiful, intuitive sunburst visualization of disk usage
- Scans quickly and handles large volumes well
- Can delete files directly from the scan results
- Shows hidden and system files with appropriate warnings
Cons
- Paid app — not free
- macOS permission prompts can limit access to some directories
- Occasional rescans needed to stay current after deletions
Recommendation
Yes— Great for quickly identifying and managing disk space usage on Mac.
Darkroom
Photo and video editing app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Used for color grading, photo retouching, and light video edits — a capable, subscription-free alternative to Adobe Lightroom with a clean native interface.
Pros
- One-time purchase available — no forced subscription
- Native app across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud sync
- Non-destructive editing with a clean, distraction-free UI
- Supports RAW files, batch editing, and custom presets
- Video editing support for basic color grading and cuts
Cons
- Less powerful than Lightroom for large catalog management
- Smaller preset and plugin ecosystem
- Advanced masking tools lag behind Lightroom and Photoshop
Recommendation
Yes— Essential software for photo editing and simple video editing. Allows for a one-time purchase instead of a lifetime of subscription fees like Lightroom.
DBeaver
Universal database management tool with support for dozens of data sources including PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, and more. Used for querying, schema browsing, data export, and general database administration.
Pros
- Supports an enormous range of databases and data sources out of the box
- Free Community Edition covers the vast majority of everyday use cases
- SQL editor with autocomplete, formatting, and explain plan support
- Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux
- ER diagrams and schema browser make understanding unfamiliar databases fast
Cons
- Some data sources (Redis, Couchbase, etc.) locked behind Pro license
- No personal license tier — it's free community or paid commercial
- UI can feel dated and cluttered compared to newer tools
Recommendation
Yes, with caveats— Love it and it has support for tons of different types of data sources. Wish they had a 'personal' vs 'commercial' license tier — I'd love Redis support but it's Pro only. That said, the list of Pro-only data sources is very small.
Docker / Docker Desktop
Container platform for building, running, and managing containerized applications locally. Docker Desktop provides a GUI and CLI for managing images, containers, volumes, and networks — used for local development environments and testing before deploying to production.
Pros
- Consistent, reproducible environments across machines and CI
- Docker Compose makes multi-service local stacks trivial to spin up
- Huge ecosystem of pre-built images on Docker Hub
- Docker Desktop GUI simplifies container and volume management
- Integrates cleanly with GitHub Actions and most CI platforms
Cons
- Docker Desktop requires a paid subscription for commercial use beyond small teams
- Can be resource-heavy on macOS (runs a Linux VM under the hood)
- Networking edge cases on Mac differ from Linux production environments
Recommendation
Yes— Absolutely essential for running containers locally for development and testing.
G
Gemini CLI
Google's command-line AI agent. Added to the agent-config workflow to extend centralized configuration management to a fourth AI tool.
Pros
- Free tier with generous limits via Google account
- Good integration with Google services and Search grounding
- Fast responses for lightweight tasks
Cons
- Uses TOML command format (incompatible with Markdown-based agents without conversion)
- Less mature ecosystem of skills and integrations than Claude or Codex
- Requires format conversion to work with shared agent-config commands
Recommendation
Yes— Promising for Google-centric workflows and Search grounding
GitHub Copilot
AI coding assistant integrated directly into VS Code. Used for fast inline code completion, shell scripting, and routine coding tasks that don't need a full agent session.
Pros
- Zero-friction inline suggestions while typing
- Works inside the editor without switching context
- Copilot Chat handles quick questions and small refactors
- Good at boilerplate and repetitive patterns
Cons
- Limited context window compared to Claude Code
- Less capable for complex architectural or multi-file reasoning
- Suggestions can be confidently wrong — requires careful review
Recommendation
Yes— Great for inline code completion and quick coding tasks
GitKraken
Visual Git client that replaces the command line for visualizing branch history, resolving merge conflicts, and managing complex repository states.
Pros
- Visual branch graph makes complex history immediately readable
- Drag-and-drop merge and rebase interactions
- Built-in merge conflict editor is far better than most alternatives
- Works across multiple repos from one interface
Cons
- Pro features require a paid subscription
- Can be slow on repositories with very long histories
- Overkill for simple linear-history projects
Recommendation
No— The yearly subscription seems a bit much for my needs, especially for what seems like a low amount of 'Compose commits with AI' usage and a similar git branch graph to what VS Code provides for free. I prefer command-line Git and other visual clients, and Claude/Codex agents can handle complex Git operations without leaving the terminal.
GPG Keychain
Mac app for managing GPG keys, part of the GPG Suite. Used for creating, importing, and managing PGP keys for signing commits, encrypting email, and verifying signatures.
Pros
- Native Mac UI makes GPG key management approachable
- Integrates with Mail for encrypted email via GPG Mail
- Supports key generation, import/export, and keyserver sync
- Works with git for signing commits via GPG
Cons
- GPG Mail (email encryption) requires a paid license
- GPG itself has a steep learning curve for new users
- Occasional friction with macOS updates breaking integration
Recommendation
Yes, with caveats— Essential for secure communication and code signing on Mac. Still don't have their GPG Mail plugin working with the latest macOS updates, so I use it primarily for key management and git commit signing, but it's an indispensable tool for that.
Graphviz
Open-source graph visualization software that renders diagrams from DOT language descriptions. Used for generating dependency graphs, architecture diagrams, and flowcharts programmatically.
Pros
- Free and open source
- Text-based input (DOT language) makes diagrams scriptable and version-controllable
- Handles complex graphs automatically — no manual layout needed
- Multiple output formats: SVG, PNG, PDF, and more
Cons
- DOT language syntax requires learning
- Layout algorithms can produce cluttered results on dense graphs
- No interactive or GUI editor — purely command-line driven
Recommendation
Yes
H
Hugo
Static site generator powering this blog. Chosen for its speed, flexibility, and zero runtime dependencies — every page is pre-built HTML served directly from GitHub Pages.
Pros
- Extremely fast builds (milliseconds for most sites)
- No runtime — pure static HTML, no server vulnerabilities
- Powerful templating with Go templates and partials
- Excellent leaf bundle support keeps post assets co-located
- Active ecosystem and good documentation
Cons
- Go template syntax has a steep learning curve
- Some Hugo conventions (output formats, shortcodes) require documentation diving
- Theme ecosystem is smaller than Jekyll or WordPress
Recommendation
Yes— Excellent for static site generation and blog workflows
I
ImageMagick
Command-line image processing toolkit. Used in the optimize-images.sh script to resize hero images and convert PNG/JPG to WebP for web-optimized delivery.
Pros
- Handles virtually any image format conversion
- Scriptable and automatable — fits naturally into shell pipelines
- Free and open source
- Available on every platform including CI runners
Cons
- CLI syntax is unintuitive and easy to get wrong
- Documentation is dense and hard to navigate
- Requires separate installation on each machine/runner
Recommendation
Yes— Essential for image processing and optimization tasks
J
JupyterLab
Interactive notebook environment for Python (and other languages). Used for data exploration, prototyping, and running code alongside markdown notes and visualizations in a browser-based interface.
Pros
- Combines code, output, and documentation in a single notebook
- Excellent for data exploration and iterative experimentation
- Supports Python, R, Julia, and dozens of other kernels
- Rich ecosystem of extensions and integrations
Cons
- Notebooks can encourage non-reproducible, out-of-order execution
- Not ideal for production code or large software projects
- Dependency management (kernels, environments) can be fiddly
L
LibreOffice
Free and open-source office suite covering documents, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, and more. A full-featured replacement for Microsoft Office and Apple iWork with broad format compatibility.
Pros
- Free and open source — no subscription, no license fees
- Excellent compatibility with Microsoft Office formats (docx, xlsx, pptx)
- Full suite: Writer, Calc, Impress, Base, Draw, Math
- Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux
- Active development community with regular releases
Cons
- UI feels less polished than Microsoft Office or Apple iWork
- Some complex Office documents render imperfectly
- No cloud-native collaboration like Google Docs or Microsoft 365
Recommendation
Yes— An absolute essential — better than Microsoft Office or Apple Pages/Numbers/Keynote, and it's free and open source.
N
ngrok
Tunneling tool that exposes a local port to the internet via a public URL. Used for testing webhooks, sharing local dev servers with teammates, and demoing work in progress without deploying.
Pros
- Instantly expose localhost with a single command
- HTTPS tunnel out of the box — no SSL cert setup needed
- Supports webhook inspection and request replay
- Free tier covers most casual development use cases
Cons
- Free tier URLs are randomly generated and change on restart
- Persistent custom domains require a paid plan
- Traffic routes through ngrok's servers — not suitable for sensitive data
Recommendation
Yes— Great for quickly exposing local servers to the internet for testing webhooks and sharing work in progress without deployment.
Notion
All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, databases, and project tracking. Used for collaborative planning, structured content databases, and anything that benefits from a shared, web-accessible workspace.
Pros
- Flexible block-based editor handles everything from simple notes to relational databases
- Real-time collaboration built in
- AI features (Notion AI) useful for summarizing and drafting
- Web-accessible from any device without setup
- Good for sharing structured information with others
Cons
- Slow load times compared to local-first tools
- Markdown export is lossy — not ideal as a long-term archive format
- Free tier limits can be restrictive for larger workspaces
- Requires internet connection for full functionality
Recommendation
No— I prefer tools that are faster and more focused on writing and knowledge management without the overhead of a full workspace platform. Notion is great for collaborative projects but feels too heavy for my personal note-taking and drafting needs. I also don't like being forced into their AI features when I just want a clean writing environment or would rather use a different AI tool.
O
Obsidian
Local-first Markdown note-taking and knowledge management app. Used for capturing ideas, building a personal knowledge base, and drafting content before it moves into the blog workflow.
Pros
- Files are plain Markdown — no vendor lock-in, fully portable
- Powerful graph view and backlinks for connecting ideas
- Rich plugin ecosystem for custom workflows
- Works entirely offline with local storage
- Fast and lightweight compared to Notion or Confluence
Cons
- Sync across devices requires Obsidian Sync (paid) or a DIY solution
- Plugin quality varies widely — some are abandoned
- No native real-time collaboration
Recommendation
Yes— Excellent for personal knowledge management and offline-first workflows. I can also open Claude Code or Codex CLI sessions directly in the vault for seamless integration between AI-assisted writing and note-taking.
P
Pagefind
Static site search library. Indexes the built HTML at CI time and ships a small JavaScript client that runs fully in-browser — no search server required.
Pros
- Zero infrastructure — search runs entirely client-side
- Fast indexing and instant search results
- Integrates cleanly with Hugo's build pipeline
- Small bundle size with no external API calls
Cons
- Search index is only as fresh as the last deployment
- Limited advanced search features compared to Elasticsearch or Algolia
- Custom UI requires CSS work to match site design
Recommendation
Yes— Great for adding search functionality to static sites without a backend
Photomator
Photo editing app from the Pixelmator team, designed around Apple Photos integration. Offers non-destructive editing with ML-powered tools and deep Pixelmator Pro interoperability for more advanced work.
Pros
- Seamless integration with Apple Photos library
- One-time purchase
- ML-powered tools (denoise, Super Resolution, auto enhance) work well
- Great companion to Pixelmator Pro for round-tripping complex edits
- Available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad with iCloud sync
Cons
- Overlaps significantly with Darkroom for most editing tasks
- Less useful if you don't organize photos through Apple Photos
- Not as feature-rich as Lightroom for large catalog workflows
Recommendation
Maybe— Purchased before I knew about Darkroom. One-time purchase with great integration with Photos and Pixelmator Pro — so if you already have those two it might make sense, but I'd try Darkroom first.
Pixelmator Pro
Native Mac image editor used for everything from quick resizes and crops to more complex compositing and retouching. A powerful, affordable alternative to Photoshop that feels at home on macOS.
Pros
- Native Mac app — fast, lightweight, and deeply integrated with macOS
- One-time purchase with no subscription
- ML-powered tools (background removal, Super Resolution, color matching) are genuinely useful
- Handles RAW files, layers, masks, and non-destructive edits
- Great for resizing and optimizing images for the web
Cons
- Mac and iPad only — no Windows or cross-platform option
- Smaller plugin ecosystem than Photoshop
- Some advanced compositing workflows still feel easier in Photoshop
Recommendation
Yes— Love it for anything from simple to complex image editing and resizing.
S
Screen Recorder by Omi
Mac screen recorder with a comprehensive set of capture modes including full screen, selected area, window, and app content recording. Supports camera picture-in-picture, virtual backgrounds, system audio, mouse/key event display, and on-screen drawing — all in one tool.
Pros
- One-time purchase — no subscription
- Multiple capture modes: full screen, area, window, app, camera
- Camera picture-in-picture with virtual background support
- Records system audio, microphone, mouse clicks, and key presses
- On-screen drawing during recording for annotations and demos
Cons
- Mac only
- Exports to mp4 — limited format options
- Lighter editing capabilities compared to dedicated video editors
Recommendation
Yes— Absolutely essential for screen recording demos. One-time purchase with tons of great options — camera overlays, full screen, area, window, window content, app content, audio recording, the works!
U
UTM
Virtual machine manager for Mac built on QEMU. Used for running Windows, Linux, and other operating systems in VMs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs without requiring a paid VMware or Parallels license.
Pros
- Free and open source
- Runs on Apple Silicon natively via QEMU/Apple Hypervisor
- Supports a wide range of guest OS architectures
- Available on the Mac App Store for easy install
Cons
- Performance lags behind Parallels for Windows on Apple Silicon
- Setup for some guest OSes requires more manual configuration
- Less polished UI than commercial alternatives like Parallels or VMware
Recommendation
Yes
V
Viscosity
VPN client for Mac and Windows supporting OpenVPN and other protocols. Used for connecting to VPN servers with a clean, menubar-driven interface and solid connection management.
Pros
- One-time purchase — no subscription
- Clean, minimal menubar UI that stays out of the way
- Supports OpenVPN, with robust connection profiles and scripting
- DNS leak protection and traffic statistics built in
- Available on both Mac and Windows
Cons
- Not free — paid upfront compared to some open-source alternatives
- No built-in VPN service — requires your own server or provider config
- WireGuard support is limited compared to dedicated WireGuard clients
Recommendation
Yes— A great one-time purchase for a simple yet powerful VPN client.
VLC
Free and open-source media player that handles virtually every audio and video format without needing additional codecs. A universal constant in any software toolkit.
Pros
- Plays virtually any media format out of the box
- Free, open source, and available on every platform
- No ads, no accounts, no telemetry
- Handles network streams, DVDs, and even damaged files
- Lightweight and fast to launch
Cons
- UI hasn't changed much in years — feels dated
- Advanced features are buried in menus
- Lacks the polish of native platform media players
Recommendation
Yes— Obviously. I mean, who doesn't love VLC?
VS Code
Primary code editor. Used for all editing work not handled by AI agents directly, with Copilot integration for inline AI assistance.
Pros
- Massive extension ecosystem covers every language and workflow
- Free and open source
- Remote development support via SSH and Dev Containers
- Tight GitHub and Copilot integration
Cons
- Can become slow and memory-hungry with many extensions
- Default settings require significant customization to optimize
- Electron-based — heavier than native editors
Recommendation
Yes— A great general-purpose code editor with strong AI integration and extensibility
W
Cross-platform messaging app used for personal and group communication. End-to-end encrypted by default and available on iPhone, Mac, and web.
Pros
- End-to-end encrypted by default for messages and calls
- Works across iPhone, Android, Mac, and web
- Supports voice/video calls, file sharing, and group chats
- Widely used internationally — reaches people who aren't on iMessage
Cons
- Owned by Meta — privacy concerns around metadata collection
- Requires a phone number to register
- Large media files eat storage quickly without regular cleanup
Recommendation
Yes— A widely used messaging app that reaches people across platforms and geographies. Great for group chats and international communication, but privacy concerns around metadata collection by Meta are worth noting.
Wireshark
Open-source network protocol analyzer for capturing and inspecting packet-level traffic. Used for debugging connection issues, understanding how applications communicate over the network, and diagnosing anything from TLS handshakes to DNS failures.
Pros
- Captures and decodes traffic for hundreds of protocols out of the box
- Powerful display filters make it easy to isolate exactly what you need
- Free and open source
- Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux
- Invaluable for understanding how apps and services actually communicate
Cons
- Steep learning curve — effective use requires networking fundamentals
- Capturing on macOS requires elevated privileges or a helper tool
- Raw packet data can be overwhelming without knowing what to filter for
Recommendation
Yes— A must-have for packet capture to diagnose deep connection issues or just see how programs and services communicate with each other.