In no particular order....
- Pixelmator Classic. (image/graphics editor) Simple UI but very capable.
- UpNote. (PKM, notes). Visually appealing. Quick and nimble. cross-platform. Note linking capabilities on par with things like Obsidian.
- MP3Tag. (metadata editor) A must-have for making sure audio files get cataloged and arranged correctly. cross-platform.
- SimpleMind Pro. (mindmap) A terrific mind map tool that is criminally ignored. cross-platform.
- VLC. (media player and more) A great media player that can also convert files. cross-platform but the Mac version lacks a few features that are available on other OSes.
- Apple Pages. (word processing/desktop publishing) When I want to easily create material to print, Pages straddles the fence between word processing and desktop publishing.
- 4K Video downloader+. An important utility for downloading media from Youtube and other sites. Can download playlists, entire channels, full video, audio-only of video files, and much more.
- Audacity. (audio editor) Cross-platform, easy to use. A ton of functionality.
- Handbrake / MakeMKV. (video converting, ripping). Both tools help me to rip my physical DVD collection to populate my Plex server.
- LibreOffice. (productivity suite) It doesn't look pretty but it is highly capable. It can handle highly complex Word documents that MS Word for Mac chokes on.