Posts Tagged → sponsor

Upgrade Your Software Stack with SummerFest (Sponsor)

One of the things I love most about being part of the Mac community is discovering thoughtfully crafted software from independent developers. These aren’t apps churned out by massive corporations—they’re passion projects built by small teams who genuinely care about solving real problems for people like us.

The Artisanal Software Festival is happening right now, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to support some truly exceptional indie developers while picking up tools that can transform how you work. This isn’t one of those overwhelming bundles with dozens of apps you’ll never use. Instead, it’s a curated collection of professional-grade software for writers, researchers, and creative professionals.

Some standouts that caught my attention (and that I’ve used): Tinderbox for complex note-taking and idea mapping, Scrivener for long-form writing projects, HoudahSpot for lightning-fast file searching, and BBEdit—the legendary text editor that’s been a Mac staple for decades. There’s also Bookends for reference management, EagleFiler for organizing all your digital information, and SpamSieve for keeping your inbox clean.

These are all fantastic apps and made by teams that prioritize sustainability over growth-at-all-costs, which means better long-term support and more thoughtful feature development.

The festival is running for a limited time with genuine discounts—no artificial markups or gimmicky bundles. Just quality software at fair prices, with full support and upgrade privileges included.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your toolkit or supporting indie developers who are keeping the Mac software ecosystem vibrant and innovative, this is a perfect opportunity to do both. Check out the Artisanal Software Festival and see what catches your eye.

Turn Your Reading Backlog Into Your Next Favorite Podcast with Listen Later (Sponsor)

Listen Later is back as a MacSparky sponsor, and I’ve got to share how this service has genuinely changed my relationship with long-form content.

You know that feeling—you’ve got a dozen thoughtful articles bookmarked, a stack of PDFs waiting to be read, and newsletters piling up in your inbox. The content is valuable, but finding uninterrupted reading time? That’s the real challenge. Listen Later turns this frustration into opportunity by converting your saved reading into personalized podcast episodes with remarkably natural AI narration.

What impresses me most is how seamlessly the service fits into existing workflows. Email an article URL directly to Listen Later, and within minutes you’ve got a custom podcast episode waiting for you. Those research PDFs gathering digital dust? Now they’re perfect companions for your morning hike.

For productivity nerds like us, Listen Later solves a fundamental time management problem: it lets you consume quality content during otherwise “dead” time—commuting, exercising, or doing household tasks. Your saved articles finally get the attention they deserve, and your downtime becomes more productive.

The service handles everything from Google Docs to email newsletters, even extracting text from images to create audio. It’s thorough without being complicated.

Ready to tackle that reading backlog? New users get $2 in free credit to explore what Listen Later can do. Head over to their site and start turning your to-read pile into your next favorite podcast.

Check out Listen Later and discover how much more you can actually “read.”

Fantastical’s New Email Event Capture (Sponsor)

One productivity struggle I constantly hear from readers (and have faced myself) is keeping events and meetings organized when the details live in email. Fantastical, which Apple made “App of the Day” earlier this week, has brilliantly solved this problem with their Forward Emails to Fantastical feature, and I can’t imagine going back.

Here’s how it works: When you get an email confirming an appointment, a webinar registration, or even something informal like coffee with a friend, just forward that email directly into Fantastical. The app intelligently parses the content, extracting dates, times, locations, and participants, and automatically creates a perfectly formatted calendar entry. It’s magical—and a huge time-saver.

I’ve always appreciated how Fantastical seamlessly integrates into the Apple ecosystem, syncing effortlessly across my Mac, iPad, and iPhone. This latest feature just adds another layer of smart automation, eliminating manual entry and reducing the risk of typos or overlooked details. If you’re as obsessed with automation and efficiency as I am, you’ll quickly see how this small change makes a big impact.

Congratulations to the Fantastical team on being featured as App of the Day—it’s well-deserved recognition for continually improving an already indispensable app.

Give Fantastical a try or explore this clever new email-forwarding feature yourself at flexibits.com/fantastical. Your calendar will thank you.

DEVONthink 4 Beta: AI That Makes Sense for Power Users (Sponsor)

With WWDC finally here and everyone talking about AI, I’ve been thinking about which AI tools actually earn their place in my workflow. Most feel like solutions looking for problems–but DEVONthink 4 is different.

I’ve been testing the beta, and what strikes me most is how thoughtfully they’ve integrated AI into what’s already the gold standard for document management. This isn’t AI for AI’s sake. It’s AI that solves real problems for folks who work with lots of information.

The Chat Assistant lets you have conversations with your documents, which sounds gimmicky until you try it with a research project. Ask it to summarize themes across dozens of PDFs, or find connections between notes from different projects. It’s like having a research assistant who’s read everything in your database.

But the real power is in the automation. Smart rules can now use AI commands to auto-tag, label, and rate documents as they come in. Imagine never having to manually organize research papers or client files again. The AI summarizing feature is particularly clever. It creates concise summaries that actually capture what matters.

What I appreciate most is DEVONthink’s approach to AI providers. Instead of locking you into one service, they support multiple providers and models, including local ones if privacy is a concern. They’re even planning Apple Intelligence support when it arrives.

For those of us who’ve built our workflows around DEVONthink’s powerful search and organization features, version 4 feels like a natural evolution rather than a gimmicky add-on. The AI genuinely makes the app more useful without getting in the way.

The beta is available now, and if you’re curious about AI that actually serves your productivity instead of just impressing at parties, it’s worth a look.

Easy and Powerful Audio Recording, with Piezo and Audio Hijack from Rogue Amoeba (Sponsor)

This week, my friends at Rogue Amoeba are back to sponsor MacSparky, and I want to spotlight two of their most popular apps: Piezo and Audio Hijack.

Piezo is the simplest way to record audio on your Mac. With its one-click interface, you can capture audio from any app or input device. It’s perfect for recording Zoom calls, streaming audio, or just making some quick voice notes. There’s no complicated setup: hit record and you’re set.

If you want even more power, Audio Hijack is the ultimate audio recording tool for Mac. Capture audio from any app or device on your Mac including the whole system audio, and apply real-time effects. You can schedule recordings for live streams, and even transcribe your audio. It’s all handled in a beautiful and intuitive design. Whether you’re a podcaster, teacher, or just want total control over your Mac’s audio, Audio Hijack has you covered.

I use Audio Hijack daily. My wife uses Piezo to record audio on her Mac. Not sure which to choose? Both apps offer free and fully functional trials, so you can try them out before you buy. And as a MacSparky reader, you can save 20% on these and any Rogue Amoeba purchase through the end of June. Just use coupon code SPARKYRECORDS on their online store.

My thanks to Rogue Amoeba for supporting MacSparky and making audio recording so easy.

Direct Mail: Email Marketing That Feels at Home on Your Mac (Sponsor)

I’m pleased to welcome a new sponsor to MacSparky, Direct Mail for Mac. If you run a business, a side hustle, a podcast, or just want to stay in touch with a community, you know how important great email marketing can be.

The brand-new Version 7 is a huge leap forward. This update brings a host of new features, including a reimagined user interface, smarter list management, powerful email sign-up forms, upgraded reporting, and all-new tools to help your emails stand out. Whether you’re sending to 10 people or 10,000, Direct Mail gives you the tools to do it professionally and painlessly.

If you’ve ever been frustrated with clunky email marketing websites, or just want something that feels right at home on your Mac, I encourage you to check out Direct Mail. It’s free to download and try, and there’s no subscription required if you prefer a pay-as-you-go option. You can be up and running with your first campaign in just minutes. Get started today and grow your audience with powerful, Mac-first email marketing tools.

Listen Later: Get Your Articles as Podcasts (Sponsor)

Today’s MacSparky sponsor is Listen Later—a clever service that transforms your reading list into personalized podcast episodes narrated by advanced AI.

I love the depth and thoughtfulness of long-form content, but there’s never enough time to sit down and read everything I’d like. Listen Later solves this beautifully by turning articles, emails, and PDFs into rich, lifelike audio experiences. Suddenly, that great article you’ve saved isn’t trapped in your inbox—it’s with you on your daily commute, during your afternoon walk, or while tackling chores around the house.

Their AI narration is genuinely impressive, bringing nuance and clarity that surpasses typical robotic voices. Listen Later even lets you translate content into multiple languages, breaking down barriers to access great global writing. You can easily enjoy your personalized audio feeds in your favorite podcast app, available on all your devices.

Listen Later’s powerful feature set includes article-to-podcast conversions simply by emailing URLs, transforming emails, newsletters, and PDF attachments into audio, and converting content directly from Google Docs and Dropbox. It also converts text within images into podcast episodes and offers multilingual translation and narration, making global content accessible and enjoyable in your preferred language.

Ready to turn your backlog into engaging listens? Sign up today and you’ll receive $2 in free credit, making it easy to give Listen Later a try, risk-free.

Try Listen Later today and start listening smarter.

Cotypist: AI Autocompletion Everywhere on Your Mac (Sponsor)

There are a lot of angles to AI and productivity emerging right now. One I’ve come to appreciate is AI-based smarter autocomplete. My tool of choice for this is Cotypist. It’s made by a trusted Mac developer, it’s fast, and it takes privacy seriously.

Unlike many AI writing tools that require you to work within their specific interface, Cotypist works in virtually any text field across your Mac. Whether you’re drafting an email, writing in your favorite text editor, or filling out a form, Cotypist is there to help speed up your writing.

The app’s latest version (.9) brings notable improvements to both performance and completion qualityand new AI models that give even better completions. It even respects your Mac’s Smart Quotes preferences – a small but meaningful touch that shows attention to detail.

With Cotypist turned on, it offers inline completions that appear in real time. Then you’ve got a few options:

  • You could just ignore the suggestion and keep typing like you’ve always done.
  • If you want to accept the full multi-word suggestion, you press a user-defined key. (I use the backtick – just above the Tab key on a US keyboard.)
  • If you just want to accept the next suggest word, you hit another user-defined key (I use Tab)
  • If you want to dismiss the suggestion entirely, press escape. (This is handy when doing online forms, for instance.)

At first, the constant suggestions may feel distracting, but once I adapted to it, I can’t imagine going back.

Cotypist generates all completions locally on your Mac. No cloud services, no data sharing – just your Mac’s processing power working to speed up your writing.

Like I said, Cotypist represents an interesting take on AI and is worth checking out.

Focus Without Fuss: Focus Firewall for macOS (Sponsor)

This week I’m pleased to welcome a new sponsor to MacSparky, Focus Firewall.

We all know the feeling. You sit down to work, crack open your Mac… and somehow 20 minutes vanish into the black hole of news sites, social media, or some link a friend just texted you. That’s where Focus Firewall comes in.

It’s a lightweight, distraction-blocking app built specifically for macOS. Flip a switch, and it instantly hides the usual suspects – over 140 pre-configured websites and apps – so you can stay on task. There’s no need to fiddle with settings or build elaborate profiles. You just open your Mac and get to work.

What I like most about Focus Firewall is that it strikes a thoughtful balance. It doesn’t nag you or enforce a strict lockdown. Instead, it takes a more mindful approach: encouraging focused time while still giving you a guilt-free “pause” button when you need it. I think of it as an invisible safety net; I don’t have to think about it, but it’s there when I need it. Most days, I only touch it during breaks, when I allow myself a quick jaunt into something like YouTube woodworking.

This app is special because it works with your habits, not against them. And over time, it really adds up. Even if I only use it for a few hours, that’s a few hours without getting pulled into algorithm-driven rabbit holes. I’d much rather have a tool that builds sustainable focus than one that forces it.

If you’ve been looking for a simple, respectful way to block distractions without turning your Mac into a digital prison, I highly recommend giving Focus Firewall a try. It takes less than a minute to set up – and could save you hours down the line.

The Eternal Storms Bundle: Four Handy Mac Utilities, One Great Deal (Sponsor)

I’ve always had a soft spot for indie Mac developers — especially those who build tools that quietly make your Mac better. Eternal Storms Software is a great example, and right now they’ve got a special bundle deal that’s worth checking out.

This bundle includes four of their best-loved apps:

  • Yoink: A smart little shelf that makes drag-and-drop a whole lot easier. I’ve used Yoink for years — it’s one of those “how did I live without this?” utilities. Just drag a file to the edge of your screen, and Yoink gives you a temporary holding space to keep things tidy while you navigate between apps or Finder windows.
  • ScreenFloat: Ever needed to keep a reference image, receipt, or bit of text visible while you work? ScreenFloat lets you snap screenshots and have them float above everything else. It’s perfect for research, design work, or anytime you want to stop flipping between windows.
  • Transloader: This one’s a gem for folks who juggle Macs and iOS devices. You can send download links from your iPhone or iPad straight to your Mac, where the file downloads automatically. No more emailing yourself links or awkward AirDrop workarounds.
  • Deskmat: Need to share your screen on a Zoom call? Invoke DeskMat and cover all the clutter. It’s really that easy.

What I love about all four of these apps is that they solve small, real-world annoyances in elegant, Mac-native ways. They’re lightweight, thoughtfully designed, and just… helpful. You won’t find bloat or subscription nags here — just solid utilities that do their job well.

And right now, you can grab all four at a discounted price in the Eternal Storms Bundle. Whether you’re already a fan of one or two of these apps, or just want to explore some new Mac superpowers, it’s a great deal.