Tools I use

This page contains a list of tools I use for my work. It may contain some affiliate links. If you purchase something through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For Development Work

  • Text editor: I use Cursor over Visual Studio Code nowadays because the AI features within Cursor are much better than VSCode’s.
    • I still recommend VSCode for new developers because it’s free and easy to get started. (Cursor builts on top of VSCode anyway).
    • By the way, I created a video series to help you get started with Visual Studio Code if you’re new.
    • I have also customised Visual Studio Code shortcuts to make my workflow more effective. (These work with Cursor too).
  • Theme: I use Twilight Cosmos (made by yours truly).
    • Before that I’ve used Moonlight 2 Italic and Night Owl.
  • Coding Font: I’ve used Jetbrains Mono (free) for a long time now and I prefer it over pricer options like Operator Mono Screensmart and Dank Mono (40 Pounds).
  • Terminal: I tend to use iTerm2, but the integrated terminal in Cursor / Visual Studio Code is great too.
  • Git: Tower is my choice for this. Get 20% off the first year of Tower with zell20.
  • Database:
    • I’ve switched over to SQLite ever since I started using Astro. If you’re using SQLite, TablePlus lets you check your SQL data. This is bundled with Setapp. (More below about Setapp below).
    • MongoDB is good, but it gets complex. If you’re using MongoDB, MongoDB Compass is a great app for viewing your data.
  • Hosting:

For Writing and Editing

  • Text Editor:
    • I’ve been using Obsidian for a while and I like it very much — more than Ulysses and iA Writer — because I can store all my notes and writing in one place. (No more switching between many apps!)
  • Emoji: Rocket is hands-down the best emoji picker for Mac.
  • Editing:
    • Hemingway helps me prune sentences
    • Grammarly helps me check for grammar and spelling mistakes
  • Screenshot: I use Cleanshot over Mac’s default screenshot taker.
    • It’s faster
    • It cleanups the desktop.
    • I get Cleanshot via Setapp.
  • Annotation: Cleanshot has a built-in annotation tool that’s good enough for most use cases.
  • Video capture and GIF makers: Recently, I’ve been using Cleanshot for this as well

For Design

  • Design: I use Figma.
  • Font Management: Typeface is currently my favourite font manager. (It comes with Setapp too).
  • Color Picker: Sip (via Setapp) is a great color picker tool.
    • It lets me check color-contrast against accessibility guidelines.
  • Color Palette:
    • I rely on my gut feeling and experience so I no longer use tools to generate color palettes nowadays but I’m open to suggestions if you have any.
    • I write colors in oklch format. oklch.com is useful for converting between hex and oklch.
  • Measuring:
    • If I need precise measurements between things on my screen, I use PixelSnap. (Comes with Setapp)
    • If a rough gauge would do, I just take a screenshot and examine subtract the crosshair numbers 🙃.

For Life and Business

  • Email: I use Gmail. No other email client seem to be a good fit nowadays.
  • Todolist systems: I built my own system within Obsidian. Other systems don’t seem to work for me with the way I manage stuff.
  • Email List:
    • I use Sendy nowadys.
    • I’ve tried Convertkit and Buttondown previously but they got really expensive really fast. They’re good when you’re starting out though.
    • Sendy costs $1 for every 10,000 emails sent - and $0 if I don’t send anything.
  • Payment provider:
  • Currency Conversion:
    • I use Transferwise to convert USD to SGD whenever possible because it has better rates
  • Scheduling: I use Cal to schedule calls because it’s free.
  • Video calls: Google Meet is my go-to for video calls.

For Streaming

File Storage and Backups

  • Dropbox: For files that require good syncing capabilities and speed
  • Google Drive: For less essential stuff
  • Backblaze: To backup all my projects (because they have large node_modules folder). Backblaze backs EVERYTHING up. (It’s a lifesaver for the occassional faulty Mac models)

Mac Stuff

Lots of stuff here.