Mac Gems Superguide

While most people are aware of the big-name software titles--Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, and the like--some of the best Mac software is, like so many precious gems, hidden. Many great products out there don’t get the recognition, or even the awareness, that they deserve. And when that happens, Mac users miss out.

That’s where Macworld comes in. We mine the Web, looking for inexpensive software (roughly $35 or less) that makes your Mac run better, helps you work more efficiently, and lets your Mac do the little things—and some pretty big ones—you always wished it could do. We call these programs Mac Gems, and we're highlighting the very best in this book. 

We’ve picked our favorite Lion-compatible products, and we present them here. For each program, we give you a brief description of what it does, as well as links to the developer’s website and our full review.

Some of the products in these pages are ones we’ve recently discovered; others are oldies but goodies. The one thing they all have in common is that each is a standout product that won’t break the bank.