Widgets, the small, self-contained GUI elements, enhance both functionality and display aesthetics. MacBook displays are already visually appealing, but these compact components on the home screen make actions more convenient and elevate the at-a-glance experience.
Whether your Mac runs on macOS Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma, we present some of the best Mac desktop widgets, both free and paid. Let’s dive in.
List of Desktop Widgets for Mac
Desktop widgets for Mac are compact, self-contained GUI elements that enhance functionality and aesthetics on your screen. They provide quick access to essential tools and information, making everyday tasks more convenient and efficient. Whether you need a calendar, weather updates, notes, or system monitors, these widgets keep vital data at your fingertips.
Designed to complement macOS’s sleek visuals, these widgets seamlessly integrate with the interface, enhancing the user experience. Compatible with macOS Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma, these widgets, available in free and paid versions, are perfect for personalizing and optimizing your Mac’s desktop.
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Best Desktop Widgets for Mac
You’ve likely heard, “Work smarter, not harder.” Widgets embody this principle, serving as shortcuts for quick access to features and data on your Mac. They are commonly used for tasks like checking the weather, tracking time, getting news updates, adding notes, and managing music playback. There’s a widget for every need. Transform your MacBook into a productivity powerhouse with the best widgets listed below.
| WIDGET CATEGORY | TOP WIDGETS | FEATURES | COMPATIBILITY |
| Weather Report | Big WeatherWeather Widget Live | Daily forecast, Hourly temperature, and rainfall | macOS 12.0 or latermacOS 10.12 or later |
| Notes | MindNodePost-it | Note down text, to-do lists, and images | macOS 13.0 or latermacOS 13.0 or later |
| Self-Care | WaterMinderScreen Time | Check your daily water intake and screen time | macOS 12.0 or laterPre-installed |
| Productivity | Smart TasksMonkeyMind | Add events and improve productivity with quick actions | macOS 11.0 or latermacOS 10.13 or later |
| Calendar & Clock | Mini CalendarDesktop Flip Clock | Pop-up calendar displays date, time, and weekday | macOS 10.10 or latermacOS 10.15 or later |
1. Color Widgets: Custom Widgets
The Color Widgets app on the Apple App Store offers visually appealing, handy, and customizable widgets for your Mac’s notification center. This app allows you to add personal pictures, change dates, set countdowns, display battery status, show weather updates, and feature quotes, among other options. You can choose from various colors, fonts, and designs.
Key features include:
Pre-designed widgets are available in multiple sizes
Easy-to-use widget creator for custom designs
A variety of attractive backgrounds
Ability to change app icons
In-app purchases are available:
Monthly plan: $1.99
Unlock all features: $4.99
2. Dash Dot Dash
Dash Dot Dash is a user-friendly widget that empowers Mac users to create personalized desktop widgets. Packed with interactive features, its library enriches desktop experiences. Users can personalize widgets with pictures or drawings, which can be easily shared with friends who also have the app.
Key Features:
Add images to your monthly calendar
Attach comments to your pictures
Vibrant yellow sticky notes for shopping lists
Share creations directly with friends
The app is free to install, with a $2.99 fee to unlock all features.
3. WaterMinder- Water Tracker
Maintaining health, particularly hydration can slip your mind during the daily hustle. WaterMinder offers a Mac widget to assist users in monitoring water intake and setting reminders to stay hydrated.
Key Features:
Personalized water intake goals based on weight, age, gender, and activity level.
Predefined cups of various sizes for quick tracking.
Option to create custom cups for precise measurement.
Manual logging of water intake.
Visual representation of daily, weekly, or monthly hydration progress.
Price: $4.99
4. Fantastical – Calendar
Fantastical lives up to its name as a stellar, award-winning calendar app. Despite its simple interface, it boasts a wealth of features, including serving as a schedule management widget for task creation and event tracking.
Key Features:
Natural language text parsing for intuitive scheduling.
Entire calendar window for detailed views and a mini window for quick access.
Task support, including integration with Todoist and Google Tasks.
3-day weather forecast integration.
Variety of attractive templates for customization.
Ability to add Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls directly.
Price: Flexibits Premium ($6.99/month; $56.99/year)
5. Bear Countdown
Counting down to special occasions adds excitement, right? Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or crucial deadline, the Bear app widget in your Mac’s notification center has you covered. It’s not just cute and calm; it’s convenient, too.
Key Features:
Hand-drawn bear artwork in vibrant pastel colors
Write event notes and work deadline reminders
Saves countdown and event history
Set goals and intentions without specific dates
Adjustable countdown pop-up size
In-app purchases start at $0.99.
6. Dark Noise
Quality sleep is paramount for good health. Dark Noise, Mac’s top ambient noise app, promotes focus, relaxation, and better sleep.
Key Features:
50+ soothing built-in sounds
Custom mix creation capability
Resizeable mini player widget for quick access to controls
Choice of 10 themes
Support for keyboard shortcuts and menu bar integration
In-app purchases start at $19.99.
7. Look Up
Why flip through a hefty physical dictionary when LookUp brings the words to you? With interactive widgets for MacBook users, LookUp provides word meanings and enhances vocabulary.
Key Features:
Powered by the Oxford English Dictionary
Supports Thesaurus, audio pronunciations, example sentences, and images
Word of the Day feature with illustrations
Vocabulary builder using Spaced Repetition technique
Translation for over 20 languages
Learn Tab aids in preparing for English proficiency exams like TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, and SAT.
Price:
Monthly: $2.99
Yearly: $29.99
Lifetime: $59.99
8. Widgy
Widgy transforms mundane home screens into visually appealing desktops, allowing users to easily customize widgets to their liking.
Key Features:
The preview layer provides a live display of the widget’s appearance on the home screen.
Share widgets via URL, QR Code, and JSON data
Publish designed widgets for other Widgy users to view
In-app purchases start at $0.99.
9. AirBuddy 2
AirBuddy 2 simplifies the monitoring and managing of wireless devices on macOS, providing an overview of nearby devices and those connected to peripheral Macs running AirBuddy.
Key Features:
Customizable keyboard shortcuts for AirPods or Beats status
Battery alerts for low battery or full charge
Per-device customizable thresholds
Share Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, or Magic Trackpad with another Mac running AirBuddy.
Quick actions for toggling listening modes
Price: $9.99 (Five activations)
10. MD Clock
The MD Clock widget elevates the aesthetics of your Mac desktop with its captivating design and a range of themes. It is compatible with macOS Monterey and newer versions.
Key Features:
22+ themes with regular additions
Diverse widgets for swift access
Multiple alarm settings
Customizable alarm tones, snooze durations, and sound effects
In-app purchases begin at $0.99.
11. Exchange Rates 3
The Exchange Rate 3 widget offers invaluable assistance for frequent travelers or professionals in currency-focused sectors. Tailored for business experts, traders, and market enthusiasts, it provides comprehensive currency information, including world currencies, euro-predecessor currencies, and cryptocurrencies.
Key Features:
Simplified currency converter with up-to-date exchange rates
Personalized rate alerts for specific currency pairs
Rates for precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, and palladium
Built-in support for cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and more
Price: $4.99
12. Parcel
If you’re eager to monitor your package deliveries after ordering, look no further than the Parcel widget for your Mac. Parcel is designed to track deliveries from various services, including UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon Logistics, and many others. With just a click, users gain access to accurate package data.
Key Features:
Tracking available for over 300 delivery services
Convenient push notifications for various delivery statuses such as “delivering soon,” “item shipped,” and “successfully delivered.”
Real-time delivery location displayed on a map
Web access for managing deliveries
Seamless Amazon integration allows the automatic addition of packages from your Amazon account.
In-app purchases are available at $4.99.
13. Card Pointer
CardPointers simplifies money management with its widget, assisting users in saving money through cash back, points, and welcome bonuses. Claiming most users save over $750 annually, it facilitates finding new cards with features like annual fee tracking, renewal recommendations, and personalized offers based on existing cards.
Key Features:
20 interactive widgets
Tracks bonus and recurring bank credits from over 5,000 credit cards and 900 banks
Supports quick notes, swipe actions, pull-to-refresh, and more search views
VoiceOver and voice control support
New Hierarchical SF Symbols
Price: Free, with Cardpointers+ available for $6.99/month, $59.99/year, or $199.99 for a lifetime subscription.
14. Widget Art Gallery
Widget Art Gallery caters to art enthusiasts, allowing them to infuse an artistic flair into their Mac experience, particularly those using Mac Sonoma or higher. Users can explore various artworks directly from their notification center, including pieces from renowned galleries like the National Gallery of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, and Rijksmuseum.
Key Features:
Access to over 10,000 artworks
Showcases pieces from world-famous galleries
Customizable overlays for time, battery, date, or text
Enjoy slideshow functionality with pieces from your collection
Price:
Free version available
Art Gallery Premium: $2.99
Art Gallery Premium Retail: $4.99
15. TrashMe 3
TrashMe 3 stands out as essential utility software for Mac users. It offers powerful cleaning and uninstallation capabilities alongside a convenient widget feature.
Key Features:
Simplified installation and uninstallation of apps and extensions, including associated files
Cleans up junk, old, and broken files to optimize disk space
Provides an overview of system disk file structure for better management
Secure storage for favorite apps and registration information
Detailed insights into processor, battery, and memory status
Price: $14.99
16. Orbit: Time-based Invoicing
Orbit caters to businesses and organizations seeking efficient client, project, time tracking, and invoicing management. It enables users to analyze schedules and monitor time allocation across various activities.
Key Features:
Intuitive interface for ease of use
Automatic invoice generation from logged time entries
Crew Plans available for small teams
Emphasis on privacy with zero ads, no metadata tracking, and no sale of personal data
In-app purchases start at $7.99.
17. GameTrack
Ever find yourself struggling to recall the name of a game you played ages ago? GameTrack, a free Mac widget, comes to the rescue. Its user-friendly interface helps gamers monitor their gaming activities, achievements, and progress effortlessly.
Key Features:
Create a wishlist to track titles for future play
Convenient filters for searching gaming libraries by platform, genre, and release date
Connect with fellow players, share ratings and reviews, and follow their activity.
Personalized profile to track favorite games, achievements, and rankings
Integration with PS, Xbox, and Steam game libraries
18. MindNode
MindNode offers a streamlined solution to keep your thoughts, ideas, and essential notes easily accessible. It aids in organizing notes and creating visual representations effortlessly. Choose from small or large widget sizes to fit your home screen seamlessly.
Key Features:
Customize documents with multiple themes and custom stickers
Send tasks to Apple Reminders, Things, or OmniFocus
Export ideas in various file formats, including text and images
MindNode Plus offers additional premium features, starting at $2.99/month
19. Crypto Pro
Whether deeply entrenched in the virtual currency market or just getting started, Crypto Pro is your comprehensive cryptocurrency tracking solution. It furnishes real-time price information, enables portfolio tracking, and facilitates price alerts. Additionally, users can access interactive charts for informed decision-making.
Key Features:
Comprehensive support for all publicly traded cryptocurrencies, metals, and fiat currencies
Automatic data importation through wallet addresses and exchange API keys
Seamless synchronization across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch devices
Distraction-free experience with no pop-ups or third-party data sharing
Customizable widgets offering price updates, charts, news, and more
Crypto Pro Premium subscriptions start at $7.99.
20. WidgeTunes – Music Widget
For music enthusiasts who prefer managing tunes directly from their Mac home screen, Widget Tunes offers a tailored solution. Users can create profiles containing unlimited music widgets featuring selected playlists, albums, and individual tracks. These widgets can be conveniently placed in the Notification Center for one-click music access.
Key Features:
Two widget sizes available: the larger size accommodates up to 16 albums, while the smaller one holds up to 8
Widget layout editor for personalized customization
Simple content updating process
Option to customize background color and add grayscale artwork images for playlists and albums
Price: $3.99
21. Time – Timer Widgets
Time widget lives up to its name by providing seamless time management through a user-friendly interface. Users can effortlessly create, run, and reuse unlimited timers, enhancing efficiency in work monitoring.
Key Features:
Create timers for various activities like workouts, project durations, and daily tasks
Siri integration enables voice-activated time to start
Multiple app icons and presets for personalized aesthetics
Custom sound notifications for timer alerts
iCloud sync for multi-device access and seamless synchronization
22. News Explorer
For those who value staying informed, News Explorer is a comprehensive news widget offering an easy-to-use RSS, JSON, Atom, Reddit, and Mastodon newsreader for Mac and other Apple devices.
Key Features:
It has a built-in browser for viewing inline links, RSS and Atom engines, Mastodon user timelines, YouTube feeds, etc.
Multiple themes, adjustable article list with thumbnails & fonts
Reader view for downloading and reading text versions
Integration with keyboard and text search
Simplified folder and feed management through drag-and-drop renaming and reordering
Built-in support for sharing news across other platforms
Price: $9.99
23. Money Manager – MoneyCoach
Money Manager MoneyCoach is a comprehensive financial management tool for your Mac. It provides guidance, fosters healthy financial habits, and reduces money-related stress while enhancing knowledge and skills.
Key Features:
Personalized Smart Budgets to facilitate monthly savings
Interactive widget compatible with Mac Ventura, Sonoma, and macOS Monterey
Predefined and customizable keyboard shortcuts for adding incomes, expenses, and more
Real-time tracking of net worth and financial progress
Data synchronization across all Apple devices
Live and custom exchange rates
In-app purchases start at $4.99 per month.
24. Begin by Zoho CRM
Begin is a sales customer relationship management software designed to streamline user workflows, from managing pipelines and updating records to scheduling follow-ups with leads. Its primary goal is driving sales and fostering interaction with existing and potential customers.
Key Features:
Simple contact management with an intuitive overview
Deal management and progress tracking across all stages
Task, event, and call scheduling capabilities
Split screen feature for enhanced productivity
Various productivity-enhancing functionalities, including keyboard shortcuts, hover actions, touch bar, and menu bar functions
Premium plans start at $8.99/month per user.
25. Smart Tasks – Lists Made Easy
In summary, Smart Tasks is a straightforward yet powerful app designed to enhance users’ efficiency and productivity directly from a widget on their Mac. Key features include:
Drag and drop functionality for quick task management, including adding, reordering, deleting, or importing tasks
Over 40 vibrant colors to categorize tasks and schedules
Quick home screen actions for seamless task management
Integration with Apple Calendar events and Apple Reminders app for streamlined workflow
Smart notifications and VoiceOver support for accessibility
Detection feature for links, emails, and phone numbers for easy access
In-app purchases start at $1.99, offering additional features and enhancements for users looking to optimize their productivity.
Overall, Smart Tasks provides a user-friendly interface and intuitive features to help users stay organized, focused, and productive in their daily tasks and schedules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are desktop widgets for Mac?
Desktop widgets for Mac are small, interactive applications that provide quick access to information, tools, or functionalities directly from your desktop or notification center.
How do I add desktop widgets to my Mac?
You can use the Notification Center to add desktop widgets to your Mac. Click on the date and time in the menu bar, then scroll down or click “Edit” at the bottom to add or remove widgets.
What types of widgets are available for Mac?
Various types of widgets are available for Mac, including weather widgets, calendar widgets, productivity widgets, music widgets, news widgets, and more.
Can I customize desktop widgets on my Mac?
Many desktop widgets for Macs offer customization options, such as changing the size, appearance, or content displayed. Some widgets may also allow you to personalize settings or themes.
Are desktop widgets for Mac free?
Many desktop widgets for Mac are free, while others may offer additional features or premium versions for a fee. It depends on the specific widget and its developer.
Are desktop widgets for Mac secure?
Desktop widgets for Mac available through the App Store are generally secure as they undergo review and approval by Apple. However, it’s essential to download widgets from trusted sources to avoid potential security risks.
Can I create my desktop widgets for Mac?
While creating your desktop widgets for Mac may require programming knowledge and development skills, tools and resources are available to help you create custom widgets if you’re interested.
Conclusion
Desktop widgets for Mac offer users a convenient way to access information, tools, and functionalities directly from their desktop or notification center. Whether it’s staying updated on the weather, managing tasks and appointments, tracking finances, or enhancing productivity, a wide range of widgets are available to suit various needs.
These widgets provide flexibility and customization options, allowing users to personalize their desktop experience according to their preferences. From free widgets to premium options with advanced features, the Mac widget ecosystem has something for everyone.
