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David Sparks

Writer of MacSparky and author of the MacSparky Field Guides on Apple productivity software; a former lawyer, he co-hosts the Mac Power Users podcast.

17 things

OmniFocusSoftware The Omni Group

loved

OmniFocus is my primary task manager for 2026.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

Apple NotesSoftware Apple

loved

The big revelation? Apple Notes is really good. I mean it. After spending months in it for the Field Guide, I’m all in on Apple Notes for general note-taking. It’s fast, reliable, and more capable than most people realize.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

DEVONthinkSoftware DEVONtechnologies

loved

Nothing can hold a candle to DEVONthink.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

ClaudeSoftware Anthropic

loved

That said, the last six months I’ve been primarily using Claude. I’ve been really happy with it.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

PlotterOther

loved

Also, for several years now, I’ve been using Plotter stationery. I’m still loving it.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

ObsidianSoftware Obsidian

liked

Obsidian has this massive community plugin ecosystem that lets it do damn near anything.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

NotePlanSoftware

liked

NotePlan is more conservative, but it’s a native Mac app, which makes it easier to use on mobile and gives you all the traditional Mac benefits like Shortcuts integration and proper window management.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

DaVinci ResolveSoftware Blackmagic Design

liked

I’ve been quite happy with the change. DaVinci Resolve works the way I think more than Final Cut does.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

Screen StudioSoftware

liked

Screen Studio is less powerful and requires more post-production in DaVinci Resolve. But it does the pieces I need very well for screen video capture.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

SafariSoftware Apple

liked

I like all the benefits I get from using Safari because it’s so baked into the other applications I use.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

FantasticalSoftware Flexibits

recommended

But I’m leaning into Fantastical because of a few additional features that are useful to me. Primarily proposals.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

FastmailService Fastmail

uses

So heading into the new year, I’m moving back to Fastmail and using Apple Mail.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

UnreadSoftware Golden Hill Software

uses

For RSS, I use Unread as my feed reader.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

Readwise ReaderSoftware Readwise

uses

I continue to get a lot of value out of my Readwise subscription in terms of capturing and organizing what I read.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

DiaSoftware The Browser Company

uses

However, I frequently run the Dia browser these days when I need a Chrome-based browser.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

Field NotesOther

uses

I’m using my collection of Field Notes more aggressively than ever. I carry them in my pocket.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

SuperhumanSoftware Superhuman

mixed

I can say without a doubt that Superhuman is the best tool I’ve ever used to work through email quickly. There’s no single reason. The keyboard shortcuts are lightning fast. The composition tools avoid friction. Its auto-sorting is excellent. I’m just scratching the surface of the full feature set. But Superhuman comes with a significant cost at $30 a month.

His annual post locking in the tools he will use for the coming year, app by app, with the reasoning for each choice.

2026-01-31·macsparky.com ↗

Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.

The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.

A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.

The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.

The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Fully green is recent. It drains a quarter at a time as the post gets older, and is empty once it reads as dated.

What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The shading is gone after about:

Stripes mean the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no shading.