Defaults 2025
my app stack as at December 2025
Cannot believe it has been two years and its good to see that people are still sharing their defaults. You can explore others defaults here. My 2023 list is here.
Anyway, as 2025 comes to an end, here's mine and how it compares to my 2023 list.
| App | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Mail Server | Google Workspace / MxRoute | Fastmail |
| Email client | HEY Email | HEY Email |
| Notes | Notion/Tot | Notion/Tot |
| Task Management | Todoist | Todoist |
| Camera | Apple/Google | Apple/Google |
| Photo Management | Google Photos | Google Photos |
| Calendar | Google Calendar and Fantastical | Google Calendar and Fantastical |
| Calendar Backend | iCloud and Google | iCloud and Google |
| File Storage | Dropbox | Dropbox |
| RSS | Feedbin | Feedbin |
| Contact Management | iCloud | |
| Browser | Arc on MacBook, Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS | Arc on MacBook, Vivaldi on Android/Windows and Safari on iOS |
| Chat | Beeper | Beeper |
| Bookmarks | Raindrop | Raindrop |
| Read-it-later | Reader | Reader |
| Shopping list | Apple Reminders | Apple Reminders/Google Keep |
| Music | Spotify and YouTube Music | Spotify and **Apple Music ** |
| Podcast | Pocket Casts | Pocket Casts |
| Password Management | 1Password | 1Password |
I have predominately remind true to my apps because they have served me really well. There are been a few changes.
The following is my current thoughts.
I consolidated my email server from Google Workspace/MxRoute to going all in on Fastmail as the backend of my email service. Having Fastmail also mitigates some of HEY's weaknesses like search, email rules, etc. This is an expensive way to solve this problem, but sometimes it's worth paying for a system to get exactly what you want. However, the practical person in me still considers either going all in on Fastmail and letting go of HEY. Gmail is also a decent solution, which may work with no need to pay for Fastmail and using MXROUTE as my email server.
But for now, happy to continue with Fastmail + HEY combo. Since 2023, my costs for HEY has reduced as now I am part of the HEY Family thus reducing the per user costs.
Browser
Arc is still the best browser on macOS for me, and as such, I still bounce between Arc and Vivaldi on Windows. On Android, Vivaldi has been my default browser for a while now, and I would say, 80% of my Android browsing is on Vivaldi. The remaining use is on Firefox because of its vast extensive extension support on Android, which Vivaldi does not. Once again, I have considered going all in on Vivaldi on all platforms. Life isnt always that easy. I like Safari on iOS, I like Arc on macOS, I like Vivaldi on Windows and Android.
Contacts
I moved from iCloud to Google Contacts simply because it was just easier, especially because I live in a multi-platform ecosystem. Honestly, I cannot recall what pushed me over the edge, but it is pretty simple to move from iCloud to Google contacts and back, etc.
File Storage
I am still using Dropbox and I am probably stuck on Dropbox as detailed here.
MereCivilian
I have considered Google Drive because of its AI integration. Having said that, Dropbox has enabled similar features through Dropbox Dash. Looking forward to exploring Dropbox Dash first before considering Google Drive. My motivation also from reducing costs because I already pay for Google One which includes 2TB storage via Google Drive. Going all in in Google will allow me to cut down on my Dropbox subscription. Knowing me, I like to keep things in different baskets so I am likely to continue using Dropbox.
Task Management
Todoist continues to work well for me. I enjoy its design, and it works so well on all platforms. Todoist has increased its subscription pricing from now on. Thankfully, I am grandfathered into the old plan. The downside being, I will not have access to new features. As a customer, this feels unfair but it is the landscape of the SAAS business. If the new features are worth it to me, I obviously, I can upgrade to the current plan.
It has been over 2 years since I moved from Things to Todoist. I do not regret the move and it is disappointing that Things has not had a meaningful update in the last 2 years. It has stayed true to its roots and for some people, this is a huge positive. Having a reliable system is more important than bloating your app with new features.
It is also true that Things 3 helped me for many years and Todoist has also done the same. I know I can get things done with almost any task manager because I have a simple system in place. My biggest lesson having tried different task managers is to focus on the system and remember that no task manager exist today that can do things for you.