David Sparks
Writer of MacSparky and author of the MacSparky Field Guides on Apple productivity software. A lawyer for 30 years before going full-time on the site, he co-hosts the Mac Power Users and Focused podcasts.
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Where they publish
Recommends rcmnd
What they recommendrcmnd 17 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Plotter Loved
Also, for several years now, I’ve been using Plotter stationery. I’m still loving it.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Field Notes Uses
I’m using my collection of Field Notes more aggressively than ever. I carry them in my pocket.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Claude Loved
That said, the last six months I’ve been primarily using Claude. I’ve been really happy with it.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Show 14 more
Dia Uses
However, I frequently run the Dia browser these days when I need a Chrome-based browser.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Safari Liked
I like all the benefits I get from using Safari because it’s so baked into the other applications I use.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Readwise Reader Uses
I continue to get a lot of value out of my Readwise subscription in terms of capturing and organizing what I read.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Unread Uses
DEVONthink Loved
Nothing can hold a candle to DEVONthink.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Fastmail Uses
So heading into the new year, I’m moving back to Fastmail and using Apple Mail.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Superhuman Mixed on
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.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Screen Studio 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.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
DaVinci Resolve Liked
I’ve been quite happy with the change. DaVinci Resolve works the way I think more than Final Cut does.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
NotePlan 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.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Obsidian Liked
Obsidian has this massive community plugin ecosystem that lets it do damn near anything.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Apple Notes 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.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
Fantastical Recommends
But I’m leaning into Fantastical because of a few additional features that are useful to me. Primarily proposals.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31
OmniFocus Loved
OmniFocus is my primary task manager for 2026.
macsparky.com 2026-01-31