Install three free apps first: Bitwarden for passwords, Raycast for launching anything from the keyboard, and Rectangle for snapping windows side by side. Those change how the Neo feels in about five minutes. The other 22 below fill specific gaps, and 21 of the 25 cost nothing. Because the Neo's 8GB of memory can't be upgraded, we favored apps that stay light and flagged the few that don't.
If you're still learning macOS, keep our guides on switching from Windows or moving over from a Chromebook open alongside this list.
Your Neo already includes Safari, Notes, Reminders, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Preview (for PDFs and quick image edits), and Photos. Start with those and add from this list when you hit a wall. Our day-one Neo tricks show how much the built-ins can do.
Productivity and writing apps
1. Raycast
Free (Pro from $8/month, billed yearly) · Launcher · raycast.com
Raycast replaces Spotlight with a launcher that does far more. Tap a hotkey and you can search files, do quick math, pull up your clipboard history, control apps, and add extensions for tools like Notion or GitHub. The free version covers all of that. If you'd rather keep your hands on the keyboard than reach for the trackpad, install this one first.
2. Notion
Free for solo use · Notes and workspace · notion.so
Notion mixes notes, documents, databases, and to-do lists in one workspace. Students build class notes and assignment trackers in it, and it handles a reading list or a budget just as well. The free plan gives you unlimited pages as long as you're the only member of the workspace. Invite classmates and you run into a block limit. It also needs a connection to sync, so offline work is patchy.
3. Obsidian
Free, including for work · Markdown notes · obsidian.md
Obsidian saves your notes as plain Markdown files on your Mac and lets you link them into a personal wiki. Nothing sits on someone else's server unless you pay for Obsidian Sync or point it at your own cloud folder, so your notes stay readable even if the app disappears one day. It stays fast with thousands of notes. Pick it over Notion if you care more about owning your notes than sharing them.
4. LibreOffice
Free · Office suite · libreoffice.org
LibreOffice opens and edits Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files for free, and it works offline. If you don't want to pay for Microsoft 365 or live in Google Docs, it's the desktop answer for papers and spreadsheets. Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are also free and look cleaner, so try them first if your files are simple.
5. Todoist
Free tier · To-do list · todoist.com
Todoist syncs your to-do list between the Neo and your phone. Type "essay due Friday" and it sets the due date for you. The free tier allows five active projects, enough for classes plus personal tasks.
6. Things 3
$49.99, one-time · Task manager · culturedcode.com
Things 3 is the task manager to buy if you want the best-designed one on the Mac. It's $49.99 once, with no subscription, and it syncs with the iPhone version, which is sold separately. If $50 feels steep, start with Todoist and switch once you know you'll stick with a task app.
7. iA Writer
$49.99, one-time · Distraction-free writing · ia.net
iA Writer shows your words on a plain page and nothing else, which helps with essays and first drafts. It's $49.99 once and exports cleanly to Word and PDF. If toolbars pull your attention, it's worth the money. If they don't, Pages is free.
System utilities that fix Mac annoyances
8. Rectangle
Free · Window management · rectangleapp.com
macOS Sequoia added basic window tiling, but Rectangle is faster and more precise. Drag a window to an edge or press a shortcut to snap it to half the screen, a quarter, or full screen. It's free, open source, and uses almost no memory. On a 13-inch display you'll use it constantly, and even more once you add an external monitor.
9. Maccy
Free from its website · Clipboard manager · maccy.app
Maccy remembers everything you copy, so you can paste something from ten items ago instead of finding it again. Press a shortcut, search your clipboard history, and paste. Download it from the website to get it free, because the Mac App Store version is paid.
10. AppCleaner
Free · App uninstaller · freemacsoft.net
Dragging an app to the Trash leaves stray settings and support files behind. AppCleaner finds and removes them, which frees space on the Neo's 256GB drive. When cleanup isn't enough, an external SSD for overflow files is the next step.
11. The Unarchiver
Free · Archive extractor · Mac App Store
macOS opens ZIP files on its own but not RAR, 7z, and dozens of other compressed formats. The Unarchiver handles those. Install it once and double-clicking an archive opens it.
12. Thaw
Free · Menu bar manager · open source
As you add apps, your menu bar fills with icons, and on a 13-inch screen macOS starts hiding the ones that don't fit. A menu bar manager tucks the ones you rarely need behind a divider. Ice used to be the free favorite, but it's no longer maintained and doesn't fully work on recent macOS versions. Thaw, a community fork of Ice, picks up where it left off, and IceMelt is another option. Want glanceable info on the desktop instead? Try these desktop widgets for the Neo.
13. Stats
Free · System monitor · open source
Stats puts live readouts of your CPU, memory, network, and battery in the menu bar. On an 8GB machine, glancing up to see what's eating your memory lets you catch a hog before the Neo slows down. It pairs well with our 8GB optimization guide.
14. CleanShot X
$29, one-time (includes a year of updates) · Screenshots and recording · cleanshot.com
macOS takes screenshots, but CleanShot X lets you annotate them, blur sensitive text, capture a whole scrolling webpage, and record your screen or a GIF. It's $29 once, and that includes a year of updates. Worth it if you make tutorials or share screenshots daily, overkill if you don't.
Web and communication
15. Brave
Free · Web browser · brave.com
Brave is a Chromium-based browser that blocks ads and trackers by default, so pages load faster and use less memory, which helps on 8GB. Chrome extensions work in it. Safari, which is built in, is still the most battery- and memory-friendly browser on the Neo. Our browser rankings for 8GB compare all the options.
16. Slack
Free tier · Team chat · slack.com
Slack is where many group projects, clubs, and workplaces coordinate. Channels keep conversations sorted by topic, which beats a group text for anything that runs longer than a week. The free tier is enough for most students.
17. Zoom
Free tier · Video calls · zoom.us
Zoom is still the default for many classes and interviews, and it runs comfortably on the Neo. The free plan caps every meeting at 40 minutes, one-on-one calls included, so a long study session means rejoining. Check whether your school gives you a full account before you put up with the limit.
Media and entertainment
18. VLC
Free · Media player · videolan.org
VLC plays practically any video or audio file, with no codecs to install. It's free, open source, and has been the fallback for odd file formats for two decades.
19. IINA
Free · Video player · iina.io
IINA is a video player built for macOS, with trackpad gestures and picture-in-picture. VLC is the universal workhorse, and IINA is the one that looks like it belongs on a Mac. Most people only need one of the two.
20. Spotify
Free with ads, Premium optional · Music and podcasts · spotify.com
Spotify's free tier works on the Neo with ads. The desktop app saves you from keeping a browser tab open for music while you work.
Creative and design
21. Affinity (by Canva)
Free with a Canva account · Photo, design, and layout · affinity.studio
This is the best value on the list. In October 2025, Canva merged Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher into one app called Affinity and made it free. You get Photoshop-, Illustrator-, and InDesign-style tools in a single app with no subscription. The exception is the Canva AI tools inside it, such as generative fill, which need a paid Canva plan. Our photo editing app picks compare it with Pixelmator and Lightroom.
22. Canva
Free tier · Quick graphic design · canva.com
Canva is the fast way to make a poster, slide deck, resume, or social post from a template, in the browser or its Mac app. The free tier covers most student needs. Use Affinity for detailed work and Canva when you need something presentable in ten minutes. For bigger projects, see what the Neo handles for graphic design.
23. Pixelmator Pro
$49.99, one-time, or in Apple Creator Studio · Image editor · Mac App Store
Pixelmator Pro is a Mac-native image editor owned by Apple, with layers, retouching, and AI cleanup tools. You can still buy it once for $49.99. Since January 2026, Apple also bundles it into Apple Creator Studio ($12.99 a month, or $2.99 for students), and some new features only come with the subscription. If free is the goal, Affinity covers similar ground.
24. DaVinci Resolve
Free (paid Studio optional) · Video editing · blackmagicdesign.com
DaVinci Resolve is a professional video editor used on feature films, and the free version covers almost everything a student needs. It's also the heaviest app here, so on 8GB keep to shorter clips rather than long 4K timelines. Our MacBook Neo video editing guide has the details, and our hands-on Neo review covers where the A18 Pro hits its limits.
Security
25. Bitwarden
Free · Password manager · bitwarden.com
Bitwarden stores your passwords and fills them in across your devices and browsers. It's free and open source, so there's no reason to keep reusing one login everywhere. On the $699 Neo, which has no Touch ID, you'll type your master password to unlock it more often, while the $799 model unlocks it with a fingerprint. If you install one app from this list, make it a password manager. Curious about antivirus too? Our Mac antivirus breakdown explains why you probably don't need to pay for one.
Frequently asked questions
Are these apps safe to download?
Yes, as long as you get them from the official site or the Mac App Store, not a random download site. Everything here is well established, and macOS checks apps for known malware before they open.
Will these apps slow down my 8GB MacBook Neo?
Most won't. Rectangle, Maccy, and Thaw use almost no memory, and the everyday apps run comfortably. DaVinci Resolve is the one to watch. Install Stats (number 13) to see what's using memory, and use the optimization tips linked in that entry if things feel tight.
Do I have to pay for any of these?
No. Twenty-one of the 25 are free, and the four paid apps are one-time purchases. If you'd use several paid apps, Setapp bundles hundreds of Mac apps for $14.99 a month, or about $8.99 a month paid yearly.
Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Office and Photoshop?
Yes to both. LibreOffice (number 4) opens and edits Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, and Affinity (number 21) is a free stand-in for Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Can I get Microsoft Office on the MacBook Neo?
Yes. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook all run on the Mac with a Microsoft 365 subscription. Before you pay, sign in at office.com with your school email, because many colleges give students Microsoft 365 free, depending on the school.
Can I run Windows apps on the MacBook Neo?
Not directly. You can either find a Mac alternative, which exists for most popular apps, or run the Arm version of Windows 11 in a virtual machine like Parallels. Our guide to installing Windows on the Neo explains how, and how far 8GB stretches when Windows shares it.
Do Mac apps update automatically?
Apps from the Mac App Store update on their own as long as automatic updates are on in the App Store's settings. Apps you download from a developer's website, like Raycast or Rectangle, usually include their own updater and will prompt you when a new version is out.
Which of these apps should a student install first?
Bitwarden, a notes app (Notion if you work in groups, Obsidian if you don't), and Todoist cover most of school. Add LibreOffice only if your school doesn't already give you Microsoft 365, and Zoom if your classes use it.