Some Mac apps are great at what they do but aren’t much to look at. Others look beautiful and still get the job done. But once in a while, you find an app that not only performs its task well but is also fun to use, and those are my favorite kind of apps. In this guide, I am going to show you three Mac apps I discovered this year that are both useful and fun to use.

Tendedero: hang your screenshots out to dry

I take dozens of screenshots every day, and the default macOS experience has always bugged me. A floating thumbnail lingers for a few seconds before the screenshot lands on your Desktop and adds to the clutter. I am still partial to CleanShot X for its amazing feature set, but it’s a costly app. If you want something free that elevates the built-in screenshot tool, Tendedero is the app to get.

With Tendedero, your screenshots go up on a virtual clothesline that sits right above your screen. Whenever you want to see them, move your pointer to the menu bar, and the clothesline slides into view. The animation is really cool, and I never get tired of watching it. Nothing gets dumped on your Desktop anymore, and the app only saves the screenshots you decide to drag out.

The best part is that you don’t need to learn new shortcuts. You keep using the built-in macOS screenshot shortcuts, and Tendedero simply takes over.

Here’s what you can do with your screenshots on the line:

• A single click copies a screenshot, while a long press opens Markup so you can annotate it.
• Double-click it to open it in Preview, or force click it for a quick look.
• Drag it into an app to send a copy, or drag it into a folder to move it off the line.
• Delete a screenshot by tapping the cross icon or dropping it in the Trash.

Tendedero also works with screen recordings, which show up with a play button. If you want to trim a recording, just long-press it. When you are done, click anything in the menu bar to put the line away, or use the ⌃⌥T keyboard shortcut to show or hide it.

Paperman: make your screen feel like paper

If you spend all day in front of your Mac like me, you know how tired your eyes feel by evening. Most eye comfort tools, like Night Shift and f.lux, try to fix this by turning your screen orange. Paperman takes a different approach.

Paperman leaves your colors alone and instead covers your whole display with a light paper texture. It’s the software version of sticking a matte protector on your screen. The texture softens bright highlights and tones down the harsh contrast, making your screen far easier to look at for long periods.

You can pick from eight paper and fabric textures, including Classic Matte, Whisper Weave, and Sunbaked Parchment, among others. You can set separate textures for light and dark screens and adjust the intensity between 5% and 40%.

Then there are the fun extras. Desk Lamp mode adds a cozy, warm light to your display, so it feels like you’re working by a reading lamp. And when your Mac sits idle, Art mode shows one of over 20 famous paintings in a frame instead of a blank screen.

Paperman is a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store or the developer’s website. It’s also available on Setapp, where new subscribers can try it free for 7 days.

Cats Lock: keep your cat from writing your emails

Sometimes an app is fun not because of how it looks but because of the task it performs, and Cats Lock is one such app. If you share a desk with a cat, you know the struggle of coming back to a document full of gibberish.

Hit ⌘L, and Cats Lock locks your keyboard no matter which app you are using. You can change this shortcut, or lock the keyboard using the app window, its menu bar icon, or a widget. When your cat steps on a key, a lock screen pops up and a sound plays. So even if you are in another room, you will know your furry friend is up to no good.

My favorite feature is Smart Detect. The app can tell when a cat is walking on your keyboard, for example, when lots of keys are pressed together or in quick, random patterns, and it locks the keyboard automatically. Everything happens on your Mac, and the app doesn’t see the words you type, only how the keys are being pressed.

External keyboard users can lock only the MacBook’s own keyboard. That way, your cat gets a warm spot to nap, and you can keep typing on your external keyboard. You also get custom lock screens, sounds, and lock profiles.

The app doesn’t track you or gather any of your data, and you can buy it for a one-time price of $4.99. That said, if you already own Supercharge, a Mac app I covered in the past, there’s no need to buy this one, as Supercharge has this feature built in.

Useful Mac apps that are fun to use

These are the three Mac apps I discovered in 2026 that prove useful software doesn’t have to be boring. My favorite app on the list is Tendedero, as it turns taking screenshots into a fun experience. Share your favorite fun Mac apps, and we will be sure to try them out.