When you hear the word 'app,' you immediately think of those small programs for your smartphone. However, an app is simply any piece of software that serves some kind of purpose, either online, on your computer or another electronic device.

Some of the best and most versatile apps are available for Mac. We've compiled a list of the best free Mac apps, from well-known ones such as Dropbox and Skitch, to lesser known ones such as Adium and CheatSheet.

SEE ALSO: The 25 Best Free iPad Apps

Some of these apps can be found within Apple's App Store, while others are registered under the GNU GPL license, meaning that you can view and change the source code easily. Many of them are also compatible with various plugins and add-ons, which make it easy to customize the app to your liking.

As mentioned above, Apple’s Xcode is a free, full featured IDE for native apps. However, it’s not very hard to press it into service for beginning C code on a Mac, and it includes a GUI. The same source code archive can also be used to build the Windows and Mac versions, and is the starting point for ports to all other platforms. Download the latest Python 3 and Python 2 source. Alternative Implementations.

Which free Mac apps would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments section below.

Homepage image: Flickr, John Watson

Developers are doing
great things with Swift.

Swift is a fast and efficient language that provides real-time feedback and can be seamlessly incorporated into existing Objective-C code. So developers are able to write safer, more reliable code, save time, and create even richer app experiences.

Great apps
built using Swift.

More and more developers are incorporating Swift code into their apps. And some are even building all-new apps entirely in Swift.

Better performance
equals better apps.

Swift apps more than live up to the name. For instance, a common search algorithm completes much faster using Swift.

10,000 integers found in a graph
using depth-first search algorithm*

Educators are adding Swift
to their curriculum.

Developers aren’t the only ones who’ve experienced the potential of Swift. Universities and academic institutions around the world teach with Swift and Xcode on Mac, empowering their students with the best tools to build amazing apps. And with Apple’s free Develop in Swift curriculum, the transition from introductory coding to app development with Swift has never been easier.

Colleges and universities that are incorporating Swift into their courses

• Aberystwyth University
• Borough of Manhattan
  Community College
• California Polytechnic State University
• Central Piedmont Community College
• Foothill College
• Full Sail University

• Houston Community College System
• Ingésup
• Lawson State Community College
• Mesa Community College
• Northwest Kansas Technical College
• Plymouth University

• RMIT University
• Southern Methodist University
• Stanford University
• Technical University of Munich
• Tecnológico de Monterrey
• University of California, Santa Cruz

Swift is everywhere.
And now it’s open for everyone.

Swift is free and open source, and it’s available to a wide audience of developers, educators, and students under the Apache 2.0 open source license. We’re providing binaries for macOS and Linux that can compile code for iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Linux. And to help Swift grow into an even more powerful language, we created a community where users can contribute directly to the Swift source code.

Get started with Swift.

The Definitive Book

Download The Swift Programming Language from the Apple Books Store free. Learn how Swift makes programming easier, more flexible, and more fun.

Download the free book

Xcode

Xcode is the Mac app used to build every other Mac app and every iOS app, too. It has all the tools you need to create an amazing app experience. And it’s available as a free download from the Mac App Store.

Download Xcode from the
Mac App Store

App For Coding Apps

Developer Website

Get detailed technical information and an advanced overview of Swift. Check out the developer blog and stay up to date on the latest news. And enjoy free access to great resources like guides, videos, and sample code.

Best Coding Apps For Mac

Learn more