This article is an overview with collections of bloggers, designers and Mac-Users that have listed the most popular tools for developing, designing, system-helping as well as business- & project-organisation on Mac OS X (Mostly freeware).
Hope you find some gems you don’t know yet in the following lists.

This is also my opportunity to say Happy 30th Birthday, Apple!

(Listed in arbitrary order, might be more than 10)

1. Joshuaink: Free Sexy OS X Apps
   (Apple Jack, Paparazzi, Voodoopad, Sidenote, Khronos, Oblique, SeeSS, AdiumX, DashOnOff, Diablotin, Share Points, Night Shift, CocoaMySQL, TinkerTool, ClamXav)
2. Mac Specialist: Essential OS X Applications
   (Acquisition, Backlight, Fugu, Onyx, Pixen, Virtue…and many many more)
3. Bartelme Design: Mac Applications Starter Kit
   (NetNewsWire, TextMate, skEdit, CSS Edit, Transmit, Quicksilver, Synergy, Growl, Saft, iSnip, Pixadex, CandyBar, Konfabulator, ShapeShifter, VLC, xScope)
4. Download.com: The best free Mac software
   (Taco HTML Edit, Quicksilver, WordPress, AdiumX, VLC, Gimp, Music Publisher)
5. PaulStamatiou.com: 10 Apps Every New Mac User Should Download
   (Cyberduck, iBackup, Nvu, StuffIt Expander, TextWrangler 2, Windows Media Player)
6. Cool OSX Apps
   (gDisk, Jumpcut, Paparazzi, Detour, Taboo, Pith Helmet, WrapAround, ToastMount, etc…)
7. OpenSource Mac
   (Vienna, Cabos, Juice, iPodDisk, Inkscape, Centerstage, Shiira, Blender, etc…)
8. Nullriver Software
   (Amaryllis, Connect360, MenuShade, NewsTicker, PSPWare, ZoomQuilt)
9. Mac Freeware
   (Butler, OSXvnc, iPhotoBuddy, CarbonCopyCloner, HenWen, MenuMeters)
10. Dan Schellenberg: Mac OS X Must have Utilities
    (Soguid, SiteSucker, mail.appetizer, Balthisar Tidy, SubEthaEdit, NetNewsWire Lite)
11. GigaOM: 10 Mac Apps
    (Ecto, BluePhoneElite, Cocktail, USB Overdrive X, Folder Share, Camino)
12. GeneralDisarray: Nifty OS X Apps list
    (NeoOffice, ClamXav, Himmelbar, Vienna, Shiira, TeXShop)
13. Boyd Creative: Top 10 Open Source OS X Apps
    (Senuti, Vienna, Smultron, Fugu, etc.)
14. Phill Ryu’s Blog: The Top Ten Most Beautiful OS X Apps
    (Quinn, CoverFlow, Acquisition, Transmission, PodcastMaker, etc.)
15. academhack: Top 10 Mac Applications For Students
    (Mellel, TextExpander, Act-on, Devon Think, iClip, Bookends)
16. Factory City: Neat Mac apps that help you concentrate
    (WriteRoom, Pzizz, Backdrop, Safari Enhancer, Slim Battery Monitor, Handbrake, etc…)
17. FreeMacWare
    Massive collection of more than 500 Mac freeware tools in 25 categories.

Feel free to post a comment if I have left out any collections with tools for OS X that are an essential must-have.

Posted in Apple, Software, Tags:Apple, essential, osx, Software

Possibly Related Entries

• Socialising Flash Apps
• Subversion Interfaces on Mac OS X
• Essential Fonts for Designers
• Developing for iPhone
• Trunk, Tags, Branches