Developer Tools I Use and Recommend
I want to share the tools that are currently open on my machine. Before we start, a quick note on transparency: some of these are referral links. If you sign up through them, I get a small reward at no extra cost to you.
However, many of the tools I love are open-source or simple utilities that don't have "rewards" - I include them because they are genuinely great. I only recommend what I actually use.
There
If you work in tech, you probably have friends or teammates scattered across every timezone. There is the most elegant way I've found to keep track of them.
It lives in your macOS menu bar. Instead of Googling "Time in Berlin" or "Time in Tokyo," you just click the icon and see a beautiful list of your people, their local time, and their offset from you.
Why I use it:
- Avoid the "Midnight Ping": I can see at a glance if it's 3 AM for a friend before I send a message.
- Visual Offsets: It shows a clear timeline of who is "starting their day" vs. who is "signing off."
- Minimalist: It stays out of the way until you need it.
Mole
Most "Mac Cleaner" apps are expensive, bloated, and feel like "scareware." Mole is the exact opposite.
It’s an open-source system cleaner that is incredibly fast and lightweight. It focuses on the things that actually take up space: system caches, application logs, browser data, and the trash.
What sets it apart:
- Open Source: You can see exactly what it’s doing with your files.
- Beautiful UI: Following the aesthetic of its creator (tw93), it feels like a native part of macOS.
- No Fluff: No "memory optimizers" or fake "speed boosters" - just a solid tool to reclaim disk space.
RunJS
I use RunJS every time I want to try something quickly without spinning up a project.
The problem it solves: most modern frameworks come with setup overhead. If you just want to verify how a library works or test a function, you don't want to create a package.json just to see a result. RunJS gives you a desktop scratchpad where you write code and see output instantly.
Warp
I resisted switching terminals for a long time. Then I tried Warp and haven't looked back. It’s written in Rust and brings modern features like "Blocks" (command/output grouping) and built-in AI that helps you remember those obscure shell flags.
GitKraken
GitKraken is my command center for complex workflows. While I use the terminal for basic commits, GitKraken is unbeatable for visual commit graphs, managing multiple repositories in Workspaces, and resolving nasty merge conflicts with its built-in editor.
Cap
Cap is the screen recording tool that made me finally stop using Loom. It's open-source, faster, and gives you a clean shareable link in seconds. I wrote a full breakdown here.
Final Thoughts
Whether it’s a paid tool with a referral or a free open-source project, the goal is the same: reducing friction so we can focus on building. If any of these help your workflow, they've done their job!
Photo by Nathan da Silva on Unsplash
Real Software. Real Lessons.
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