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macOS Catalina helps iPad apps come to the Mac, here are the first to launch

After a summer of beta testing, macOS Catalina is now available to the public. In addition to features like Sidecar and Apple Arcade, macOS Catalina adds Mac Catalyst, a new technology that makes it easier for third-party developers to port their iPad apps to the Mac.

These are some of the first new applications to come to the Mac using Mac Catalyst.

What is Mac Catalyst? Here’s how Apple describes it:

Also available with macOS Catalina is Mac Catalyst, a new technology that lets app developers easily build Mac versions of their shipping iPad apps. The iPad ecosystem comprises over a million iPad apps, and now users will see more of their favorite titles come to Mac than ever before

Note that a few of these apps may be still in beta or propagating through the App Store. Our list of featured apps will be updated over the next few days so check back for more!

Mac Catalyst Apps Available Now

LookUp

Lookup is a powerful English dictionary application that helps you “discover and learn” a new word every day:

LookUp is a much loved app on the iOS App Store, and with macOS Catalina, the same experience comes to the Mac. The app has been completely redesigned to take advantage of macOS and lets users focus on learning English in a powerful way, by adding words to collections and discovering details like translations and definitions all in one screen.

Download LookUp on the Mac App Store for $9.99.

Planny 3

If you’re looking to give a new to-do list app a try, Planny is one of the more powerful options:

Planny is your new friend helping you to be more productive. Planny learned everything important from common to do list apps but combines them with intelligence and gamification. In the morning and during the day Planny intelligently recommends tasks and also reminds you if you tend to forget them.

Download Planny 3 on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchases.

CARROT Weather

The snarky, data-rich CARROT Weather has also gotten an overhaul on the Mac thanks to macOS Catalina and Mac Catalyst.

Check the weather lightning-fast with my gorgeous new interface. And there’s so much more meteorological goodness packed under the hood, just waiting for your clicks and scrolls.

Download CARROT Weather on the Mac App Store for $14.99. Read more in our coverage of the app here.

Rosetta Stone

The new Catalyst-built Rosetta Stone app for macOS allows you to learn a new language with pronunciation, immersion, and more:

Pick up words and concepts instinctively and without translation. Rosetta Stone’s award-winning application trains you to associate words with imagery in real-life situations, so you can fully engage with your new language.

Download Rosetta Stone on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchase.

Allegory

Allegory is another powerful note taking app that aims to bring a minimal and focused writing experience to everyone:

Allegory removes the complexity of most markdown editors, presenting a minimal UI that’s welcoming for casual writers and note-takers as well as more attuned authors, making it a great app for you to pick up regardless of your background and skill level.

Download Allegory on the Mac App Store for $3.99.

Jira

The Jira Cloud project management app from Atlassian was touted as an early adopter of Mac Catalyst back at WWDC, and it’s now available for everyone to try:

Now snappier than ever, the app has been designed with ease and simplicity in mind. Finding and switching projects has never been more seamless. Users will also enjoy all the benefits of a native application in macOS, including customizable push notifications and a custom menu bar.

Download Jira on the Mac App Store for free.

Proloquo2Go

AssitiveWare has released a powerful Augmentative and Alternative Communication tool for macOS using catalyst:

Proloquo2Go is an easy to use communication app for people who cannot speak or need help being understood. Select images or type words to speak using natural sounding voices, including real children’s voices.

Download Proloquo2Go on the Mac App Store for $124.99.

MakePass

This app allows you to easily create Apple Wallet passes using a barcode, and now you can do it from your Mac:

MakePass allows you to create Apple Wallet passes quickly from any supported barcode. MakePass supports scanning and detecting barcodes from images, PDFs and directly from the camera, customizing the pass and storing it on Wallet so it will be synced across all your devices.

Download MakePass on the Mac App Store for $0.99.

Dice by PCalc

Dice by PCalc is now available on the Mac thanks to Catalyst, giving you a host of tools for games:

Dice by PCalc, is a physics-based simulation of polyhedral dice for use in tabletop role-playing games with dungeons and/or dragons. Featuring near-photorealistic 3D graphics, it comes with a variety of gorgeous dice sets. Throw multiple dice with advantage or disadvantage, and any given modifier, and the app will automatically calculate the correct total.

Download Dice by PCalc on the Mac App Store for $1.99.

HabitMinder

If you use HabitMinder to track your healthy habits and accountability, you can now easily do so via the Mac:

Change your habits, change your life! HabitMinder will help you form healthy habits and keep you accountable with useful tools like mini apps and sessions screens. For example, HabitMinder will remind you to do breathing exercises or a quick meditation session.

Download HabitMinder on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchases.

Firey Feeds

For the ultimate RSS fans, Fiery Feeds packs features like custom URL sharing, text extraction, and much more on macOS.

Almost every aspect of Fiery Feeds is customisable. Color Themes, Fonts, Text sizes. If you want a leisurely reading environment, just the headlines, or anything in between, Fiery Feeds has you covered.

Download Fiery Feeds on the Mac App Store for $31.99.

Countdowns

Countdowns makes it easy to track the number of days until big events and much more:

Countdowns will help you count down to those important moments in life. Perfect for birthdays, holidays, weddings, anniversaries, vacation, retirement, and other special events!

Download Countdowns on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchases.

Pine

Pine is a sleek app now available for macOS that offers a collection of guided breathing exercises:

Pine is there for you to take quick, minute breaks to sit back, relax, and collect your thoughts throughout the day. After completing each breathing exercise, Pine share with you with a quote about meditation, stress, and self-care to inspire you to keep doing great work.

Download Pine on the Mac App Store for $4.99.

Crew

Cross-platform messaging and scheduling app Crew now has a dedicated app for the Mac thanks to Catalyst:

Crew simplifies team communication. Managers and employees can create group messages, schedule shifts and assign tasks. Use Crew to keep everyone on the same page with messaging, scheduling, file sharing, tasks and recognition in one place.

Download Crew on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchases.

Zoho Sign E-signature app

Zoho Sign makes it easy for you to sign and send documents, share documents to cloud services like Dropbox, and more:

Zoho Sign is perfect for anyone who needs to sign business documents but widely used for HR, legal, finance, and sales functions.

Download Zoho Sign on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchases.

PDF Viewer

PDF Viewer its a powerful annotation app that allows you to sign documents, annotate with markup and highlights, create and edit PDFs, and much more:

PDF Viewer Pro is a fast and beautiful app, allowing you to view, search, and annotate PDF documents with ease on your Mac.

Download PDF Viewer on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchases.

Zoho Books

For more advanced accounting needs, Zoho Books is also now available on macOS with a dedicated app:

Zoho Books is your smart, easy-to-use online accounting software that fulfills your accounting needs. It streamlines the recording of transactions and tracking of income and expenses. This saves you time and lets you focus on your business. Also, it is tax compliant across all its editions.

Download Zoho Books on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchases.

MoneyCoach

If you’ve been looking for a dedicated macOS application to manage your finances, MoneyCoach might be it:

MoneyCoach is helping millions of people aggregating all their accounts & finances in an easy and intelligent way. MoneyCoach changes your financial behaviour, so that you can save more money. Now all of this is available for your Mac.

Download MoneyCoach on the Mac App Store for free with in-app purchases.

Nocturne

Nocturne is a recording app for macOS that tries to be basic and easy to use as possible:

When a complete studio is overkill, Nocturne gives you the immediate freedom to improvise and iterate. Just connect your MIDI device to your Mac (adapters may be required) and tap record.

Download Nocturne on the Mac App Store for $2.99.

Beat Keeper

Building on the music theme, Beat Keeper is a “stylish and amazingly accurate” metronome for macOS:

It balances the functionality you need with the precision you expect, all in an intuitive interface that’s designed to get you playing as quickly as possible.

Download Beat Keeper on the Mac App Store for $0.99.

Post-it App

The Post-it App for macOS makes it easy to convert your analog Post-it Notes to digital notes and more:

Simply capture analog notes from a photo, or create new notes right on your device for those important reminders. Arrange, refine and organize notes and ideas on your board anyway you see fit.

Download Post-it on the Mac App Store for free.

King’s Corner

For those looking for a new card game to try on macOS, King’s Corner might be it:

Move over Solitaire, there’s a new king of card games! King’s Corner, or Kings in the Corner, is a great game for all ages—easy to pick up and endlessly entertaining. And now with support for Dark Mode and more, King’s Corner 2.5 is better than ever.

Download King’s Corner on the Mac App Store for $1.99.

GoodNotes 5

GoodNotes has become the gold standard note taking app for iPad, and now its Mac counterpart is just as powerful.

Transform your Mac into smart digital paper and a powerful document management system. Use the same features from GoodNotes’ iPad version on your Mac and work with your documents where you want and when you wan

Download GoodNotes 5 on the Mac App Store for $7.99.

TripIt: Travel Planner

Fans of the powerful TripIt travel planner can now access it on macOS:

With TripIt, you can keep up with your travel plans whether you’re at your desk or on the go—and even when you’re offline. TripIt, the world’s highest-rated travel-organizing app, keeps you organized by creating a single itinerary for every trip.

Download TripIt on the Mac App Store for free.

American Airlines

The American Airlines app makes it easy to plan your travel from a dedicated macOS app:

The American Airlines app for Mac lets users check in and choose their seats, see three-dimensional renderings of their seats powered by SceneKit, and even view traffic to the airport provided by Maps.

Download American Airlines on the Mac App Store for free.

More (updated 10/9):

Coming Soon

While there are numerous Catalyst apps available today, there are even more still coming. Perhaps most notable is Twitter, but here are some of them:

  • Invoice: Create invoices, track your company’s performance and more.
  • Morpholio Board:Interior design software, teased by Apple in the macOS Catalina press release
  • Twitter: Announced at WWDC, coming sometime this year.
  • Asphalt 9

Do you have a favorite new Mac app yet? What do you think of the early Catalyst apps? Let us know down in the comments!

Developers, our list can’t be 100% comprehensive so please continue to share your Catalyst apps with me on Twitter @ChanceHMiller.

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Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com