If you need to make a bootable installer of the beta versions of the macOS, Terminal is your best choice. If you want a bootable installer of the released version of macOS Catalina, you can use either Terminal, as described above, or DiskMaker X, once it’s updated. Using the Bootable Catalina Installer. A look at over 15 new features for macOS Catalina. Thanks to Intego for sponsoring 9to5Mac on YouTube! Save over 50% on the Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9: htt. The latest: Apple releases macOS Catalina 10.15.5 update. Apple released an update for macOS Catalina that includes the new Battery Health Managment feature for MacBooks, and a new option to turn.
Which Mac operating system is the best is a topic of numerous debates among Apple fans.
Since the mission of this blog is to refute myths and legends around Macs, it’s time for me to provide my 2 cents about the issue on hand. While everything below is just my opinion, as a long-time Mac user and veteran software engineer, I hope my opinion worth something.
TLDR; The best Mac OS version is the one that your Mac is eligible to upgrade to. In 2019-2020 it is macOS Catalina. However, users that need to run 32-bit applications on Mac should not go with Catalina because it only supports 64-bit apps. Also, older Macs would benefit if upgraded at least to macOS Sierra because this is the earliest operating system for which Apple still releases security updates.
Update: On WWDC 2020 Apple announced a new macOS Big Sur, which is said to have the biggest UI redesign and the biggest Safari update. New Safari will run 50% faster than Chrome and use less battery. It also has new limitations: Big Sur will require at least MacBook Pro late 2013, MacBook Air 2013, and Mac Mini 2014 or later to run. Big Sur will be released in the fall of 2020.
How to Tell Which macOS You Are Running
To find out which macOS is currently running on your Mac, follow these steps:
- Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the menubar
- In the dropdown click on the first item: About This Mac
- The first line in the Overview tab is the name of the current OS.
What Version of OS Can My Mac Run?
Not all Macs can be upgraded to the latest OS version. For instance, old Macs powered by PowerPC CPUs cannot run OS intended for Intel-based computers. Also, some versions have hardware limitations.
For instance, Mojave cannot be installed on MacBook Pro earlier than Mid 2012 model.
Check below to know exactly what version of OS your Mac can run.
Which OS is Best for my Mac
Anytime someone asks me which OS is best for them I always suggested going with the latest. Things have changed recently, however.
Should I Upgrade to macOS Catalina?
While personally I like macOS Catalina and have it installed on my MacBook Pro, Catalina comes with serious breaking changes. If you have old 32-bit apps, they will not run in the new OS. macOS Catalina and newer can only run 64-bit apps.
If you wondering whether you should upgrade to macOS Catalina, first verify that you don’t have any 32-bit apps. But first, take a back up, so you can go back in case something breaks after upgrade.
For instance, I had to remove uTorrent after upgrade. And I didn’t know that uTorrent is 32-bit!
How to Know If App is 32-bit or 64-bit
To find out whether the app on your Mac is 32-bit or 64-bit follow these steps:
- Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the Mac screen
- Click on About This Mac option
- Click on System Report button in Overview tab (first one)
- Scroll down to Software -> Applications
- Find the app and check Kind
Which macOS Should I Use
If you have an older Mac which is not eligible to upgrade with some latest software or hardware, I’d suggest upgrading at least to Sierra for the following reasons:
- Sierra is still supported by Apple, and it gets security updates
- APFS file system is available
- It supports Siri
- Significant security improvements
The most important point when choosing the best OS is the ability getting security updates. While Apple generally does not announce the OS end of life dates, it is possible to know when they stop releasing security updates from this page.
For instance, according to the page, the last security update for OS X Yosemite was released on September 12, 2017. The last update for OS X El Capitan was in July 2018, and Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that El Capitan’s end of life date was August 2018.
Snow Leopard Myth
I know that some users on forums believe that the best OS version for Macs was Snow Leopard. But that is a myth. And I know how such myths get created.
Once I worked in the company, which was selling a 20-year old product. And customers were still using and didn’t want to switch to new versions, because the old one was rock solid.
I then talked to the engineer who worked on the project, and he revealed that the product was a total disaster when it was first deployed. Engineers had to work on-site for almost a year in order to fix all bugs.
After five or so years of polishing the product, it becomes virtually bug-free, and nobody now remembers how bad it was when it was first rolled out. A similar thing happened Snow Leopard, and it was recognized as best mac os version after some time.
How to Update to the Latest Version
There are two ways to update to the latest OS version on Mac:
- From the Software Update section in System Preferences
- Use a download link
Using Software Update
This is by far the best option, but it only available if you have Yosemite, or later OS installed already. If you enabled automatic updates, then Mac will inform you that the next macOS is available.
Just open System Preferences, go to Software Update and click on the Upgrade Now button.
This method is also best if wondering how to check if you have the latest version of OS installed on your Mac. Only the version compatible with your hardware will appear here.
For instance, my the latest version for Mac Mini 2012 is Mojave, I can’t install anything newer than that.
Using download links
For older systems or in case you need to downgrade, you have to download a standalone installer in DMG format. DMG stands for disk image, similar to ISO, just different formats.
After downloading the installer, just double click on it and follow instructions. Again, do not forget to take a backup before the upgrade.
Mac OS Comparisons: Requirements, Features, Compatibility, Download Links
Following is a high-level description of all Mac operating systems as early as Mountain Lion.
You can refer to those descriptions when deciding which operating system is best for your iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, or MacBook.
With each OS description, I included a list of Macs supported. However, you can use Mac OS compatibility checker for more detailed information.
macOS 10.15 Catalina
macOS v10.15 (codename Catalina) is the latest version of the operating system for Apple computers.
Release date: October 7, 2019
Hardware Requirements: RAM requirement increased from 2GB to 4GB.
Features
- Introduced Sidecar, which allows for Macs to use an iPad as an external display.
- iTunes was replaced by separate apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV.
- Find My Mac and Find My Friends have merged into one app.
Software Compatibility Issues
macOS Catalina is the first Mac operating system that does not support 32-bit applications. Only 64-bit apps are allowed to run on Catalina.
How to install
There are two ways to install Catalina: enable automatic updates in System Preferences or download by using the following link.
List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Catalina
- MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
- iMac models (Late 2012 or later)
- iMac Pro (All models)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)
macOS 10.14 Mojave
Release date: September 24, 2018
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 18.5GB free space on disk
Features
- The main feature of Mojave is “Dark Mode”
- FaceTime adds group feature which allows chatting with up to 32 people
- News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home apps were ported from iOS to Mac.
How to install
If your Mac is eligible to update to Mojave, then the easiest way to install it is by enabling automatic updates. Downloading a standalone Mojave installer could be a little tricky.
List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Mojave
- MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
- iMac (Late 2012 or later)
- iMac Pro (All models)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013 and 2010-2012 models with upgraded GPU)
macOS 10.13 High Sierra
Release date: September 25, 2017
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 14.3GB free space on disk
Features
- APFS (Apple File System) becomes the default file system in High Sierra. It’s a significant upgrade from the older HFS+ in terms of speed, size, and security
- iCloud support of Messages which allows sync messages of the account across multiple devices
- Mail app uses 35% less storage space due to optimizations
List of Apple computers compatible with macOS High Sierra
- MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
- iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
How to install
Here is a High Sierra download link.
macOS 10.12 Sierra
This is the first macOS version. Previous OS versions for Macs were called OS X (X stands for 10).
Release date: September 20, 2016
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Features
- Siri was introduced to Macs
- Optimized storage with iCloud sync
- Auto-lock feature allows unlocking MacBook with paired Apple Watch
- APFS preview available
- Disk Utility can manage RAID sets again
- Significant security improvements
How to install
Here is a Sierra download link.
List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Sierra
- MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
- iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
OS X 10.11 El Capitan
Last OS X version.
Release date: September 30, 2015
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Features
- System Integrity Protection – a security feature that protects even when the root user executes the process
- Performance improvements: open PDF files four times faster, Mail is twice faster, launching apps 40% faster
- Notes app similar to the app in iOS
Macs compatible with OS X El Capitan
same as OS Mountain Lion.
How to install
Here is El Capitan download link.
OS X 10.10 Yosemite
Release date: October 16, 2014
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Macs compatible with OS X Yosemite
Same as OS Mountain Lion.
Features
- Major user design overhaul
- Introduction of Handoff and Continuity features
- Photos app replaced iPhoto and Aperture
How to install
Here is Yosemite download link.
OS X 10.9 Mavericks
First free Mac OS. Previous OS versions vary from $19.99 to $129.
Release date: October 22, 2013
Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Features
- Compressed Memory feature automatically compresses inactive apps when approaching maximum memory capacity
- Timer coalescing is a feature that reduces CPU usage by up to 72 percent
- App Nap puts apps that are not currently visible to sleep
Macs compatible with OS X Mavericks
Same as OS Mountain Lion.
How to install
OS X Mavericks installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install Mavericks.
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
Must be purchased. Fixed many bugs introduced in OS X Lion.
Release date: July 25, 2012
System Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk
Features
- New apps: Notification Center, Notes, Messages, Game Center
- AirPlay mirroring allowed to mirror Mac screen to Apple TV
- Application updates automatically install from the App Store
List of Apple computers compatible with OS X Mountain Lion
- iMac (Mid-2007 or newer)
- MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
- Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
- Xserve (Early 2009)
How to install
Mountain Lion installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install OS X Mountain Lion.
List of older Mac OS Versions
Following Mac OS versions are still running on older Macs, but Apple does not support them anymore, and there is no point to upgrade (or downgrade) to them:
- OS X 10.7 Lion
- OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
- Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
- Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
- Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
- Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
- Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
- Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah
2020-11-07 14:46:06 • Filed to: macOS 10.15 • Proven solutions
The PDF file format was developed in the 1990s by adobe to be a way where documents were to being shared among users with the different operating system. Hitherto, this became a great success and the only major way to share files. This has prompted best OSX apps including web browsers and office suits to have the inbuilt capability to open and read PDF files. However, apart from those applications, there are the best macOS 10.15 apps which give you more capabilities with PDF files like to create PDF, edit, compress, and more. This article digs deep and brings to you the best macOS 10.15 apps to use for your PDF documents.
Top 9 Free Apps for macOS 10.15
1. PDFelement
PDFelement is arguably the best utility ever to have been developed for macOS 10.15. It offers users the liberty to do so much with their PDFs. It has great functionalities which effortless allow you to create, edit, convert and view PDF files.
Key features
- This PDF utility can allow you to feasibly change the text, annotate, and even edit watermarks and links within a few clicks.
- When you got scanned documents, you can make it editable without missing every bit of critical information with the help of optical character recognition functionality.
- Functionalities like adding backgrounds, headers and footers are easy than before making you to further customize PDF's.
- What about sharing files? This has been made easy than before like sending a text via social media and supports page merging and splitting.
- Importantly, it has multiple folds of PDF templates which you can use and come up with a professional PDF file.
Pros:
- Has a user-friendly interface.
- Powerful editing functionality.
- Uses advanced technology; OCR technology
- Cloud integration
2. LightPDF
LightPDF appears second among the best macOS 10.15 apps and has been there for a while now. It has proven to be a must-have online PDF utility which has more important features like any desktop professional utility. It supports a wide range of document formats including PPT, Word, Excel, and PNG which you can convert to PDF. It doesn't require any kind of additional installation to use the suite. LightPDF has broken down the conversion of files to PDF a simple task without interfering with the content. It is reliable and free from malware dispelling any security compromises worries. This online Mac PDF utility has no limit for the size of the document you can upload. It has advanced technology function, OCR, which allows every user to transform scanned documents to editable Excel, RTF, and Word formats. Perhaps, this is one of the best macOS 10.15 apps.
Pros
- Supports extraction of files from PDF and Images.
- User-friendly and easy to understand
- You permit to add watermarks
Cons
- Batch processing of files isn't possible
- Contain a few features which are not an expectation from the best application.
3. Adobe Acrobat Pro Document Cloud (DC)
This is one of the best macOS 10.15 Apps which has been in use for the longest time while maintaining their good reputation. Pro DC is one of the distinct software for macOS 10.15 which is available online and in the desktop version. It provides unique services to the users to efficiently edit, print, view, manage, and create PDF documents. It has the cloud on its name meaning you can create a document online an upload to cloud storage which you can later access on mobile phone or desktop. Online security for Adobe Pro DC is reinforced with the e-signature and Dropbox integration.
Pros
- Output files in high resolution virtually maintaining them to be the same.
- Sharing functionality allows for PDF file compression.
- Much easier to store and archive PDF documents.
- Supports form filling.
Cons
- Incapable of editing PDF documents.
- Only works with PDF documents prompting you to convert them first before using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
4. ABBY FineReader Pro for Mac
There is no complete list of best applications for macOS 10.15 without ABBYY FineReader Pro. The PDF suite has an exceptional combination of OCR and document conversion quality with a user-friendly interface. A thing making top its peers is the ability to precisely recognize text and retain layout with support of 180+ international languages. The program works well with PDF and multiple image formats. Convert easily PDF to word on macOS 10.15 and also feasible output into several other formats like TXT, XSLX, HTML, EPBU, and more others. Notable functionalities are the ability to carry batch processing and Text-to-Speech saving significant time while working with it and convenient for every user.
Pros
- Best OCR accuracy and speed
- Supports conversion to the editing of PDF, Word, Excel and more
- Precisely maintains the formatting of the original document
Cons
- Fail to support older TWAIN scanners.
5. PDFpen
Yet another simple and powerful PDF application for macOS 10.15 Catalina. Users using PDFpen can create PDF documents, edit, and share them. It as well makes it easy and possible for users to add texts and drawings on their PDF documents. Moreover, other important functionalities which come with this best app macOS 10.15 include allowing users to embed, fill, and design forms on current files. It assures a secured PDF document access by including a digital signature and access diverse document techniques and features for image export into diverse document formats. Including what was recently added is annotations which make possible to mark PDF document and even sharing without manipulating even a thing. PDFpen allows you to add comments easily and has an advanced Table of Contents together with diverse image format versions.
Pros
- Supports export of PDF documents and images into different formats.
- Has Optical Character Recognition function.
- Allows adding of annotations, images, texts, and more on the document page.
Cons
- A bit complicated to use.
- Icons and tool options are not well organized and are quite incoherent.
6. PDF Expert
This PDF utility is one popular and flexible macOS 10.15 PDF editor that provides a user with a platform to read, manipulate and annotate PDF documents from a centralized dashboard. It has in-built functionalities which you can use to edit images, texts and links, fill forms and electronically sign contracts. The speed at which PDF Expert works with several files is more than satisfying. With PDF Expert, you can use password and protect your sensitive files and documents and add notes or comments to easily collaborate with your team.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Has splitting and merging of documents functionality
- Automatically detect fonts
- Good reading experience.
Cons
- OCR is unavailable
- Has fewer features than other PDF editors
7. Preview
This has been an important tool for Mac users in viewing PDF's. Now, in the new macOS 10.15 is stronger than before. The free tool has included features to share, print, and view PDF documents and images features. More advanced features include the ability to run Adobe Illustrator document (AI), PDFs, GIF, JPEG, PPT, and BMT and more other different formats. Security features have rather improved where it now has a file-encrypting and restricting functionality. The PDF document associated with security feature will require you to provide for it to be printed, copied or accessed. This new feature has uplifted Preview to being among the best macOS 10.15 apps.
Pros
- Possible to loop with a lot of simplicity lost GIFs.
- Possible to preview lost playback.
- Upgrades support easier PDF signing and viewing.
Cons
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- PDF's might be erased without warning.
- Encrypted PDF files lack editing feature,
- Fails to support ISO-standardized PDF.
8. SmallPDF
This is a simple and handy tool when matters PDF editing is considered. It allows you to easily draw certain figures and shapes in your PDF, add text and images, among others. It has an intuitive interface which can be managed even by a novice without major difficulty.
Pros
- Supports upload of files from cloud file storage.
- Have in-built practical and usable PDF features.
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Cons
- Fails to execute advanced functions.
- Web-based only.
- Has a limited number of files to be uploaded.
9. Foxit Reader
Considering the best macOS 10.15 apps 2019, Foxit Reader is almost the only app to supports a set of all international languages. It can be used to edit, view, and create PDF documents. A Foxit notable feature is providing users to add both comments and notes to PDF files. Another great technological feature integrated with this tool is the ability of users to reject and share Connected PDF files, manage the viewership of the PDF files and check if they have been tweaked.
Pros
- Supports Job Access with Speech functionality which is great for blind users.
- The program is good for purposes like presentation.
Cons
- Fails to support large files.
How to Choose the Best PDF Apps for macOS Catalina
We cannot detest the fact there are quite a lot of PDF tools available which can aid you to get the job done. However, we agree that All PDF tools available are not of equal capability. After a comprehensive test and reviews, PDFelement emerges as an exemplary tool high above its competitors. What is evident is that the program is supplied with quite a lot of features which are useful even for the free standard version which is an absolute gain for less. PDFelement is highly efficacious, reliable, fast, and affordable if you go ahead and look for features found in the advanced version.
Key features
The following are other beneficial features which come with PDF for Mac:
- Allows edit PDF document, adding headers and footers, watermarks and backgrounds
- Pretty easy to sign in and secure PDF documents
- Supports PDF file conversion to formats like Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, Images, Word and EPUB while maintain format and tables in the PDF.
- Comes with highly advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to scan image-based PDFs to editable formats.
- Provides the ability to comment and annotation features
- Allows to create PDF files from blank documents, from screen capture, window capture and merging existing files.
- Allows you to create forms, fill forms and edit forms.
- Supplied with sufficient PDF templates with a typical download
- Apart from supporting macOS 10.15, it supports all Mac devices.
Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!
Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!
Buy PDFelement right now!
Buy PDFelement right now!