John: 2024 was a big year for apps, but it was also different from most. More often than not, app innovation is driven by new Apple APIs; that wasn’t the case this year. Instead, it was other trends that shaped the apps we love.

Artificial intelligence played a big role, with some apps adopting it in clever ways to reduce user friction while other developers reacted to it by adopting a more human-centric, creative approach. The rapidly evolving social media landscape played a part, too, with new ways to communicate and manage our timelines emerging.

However, the biggest driver of change in the world of apps this year was government regulation led by the European Commission. The full effects of the Digital Markets Act and the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust action against Apple have yet to play out, but nothing since the introduction of the App Store has shaken up the status quo like governments in the EU, U.S., and elsewhere did in 2024.

Not all regulatory effects were what developers wanted – or even positive – but as 2024 winds down, it’s undeniable that apps that weren’t possible before regulation are now available worldwide. Plus, developers in certain parts of the world have more options than before, which we at MacStories are happy to see as fans of apps and their makers. Let’s hope the opening up of the App Store continues and spreads geographically in 2025 and beyond.

Change lingers in the air, which makes me excited for the apps that 2025 will bring, but before we shut off the lights on 2024, it’s time to pause as we do each year to reflect on the many apps we tried in the year gone by and recognize the best among them.

Like last year, the MacStories team picked the best apps in seven categories:

Best New App
Best App Update
Best New Feature
Best Watch App
Best Mac App
Best Design
App of the Year

Club MacStories members were part of the selection process, too, picking the winner of the MacStories Selects Readers’ Choice Award. And as we’ve done the past few years, we named a Lifetime Achievement Award winner that has stood the test of time and had an outsized impact on the world of apps. This year’s winner, which joins past winners Pixelmator, PCalc, and Drafts, is the subject of a special story Niléane wrote for the occasion.

As usual, Federico and I also recorded a special episode of AppStories covering all the winners and runners-up. It’s a terrific way to learn more about this year’s apps. Plus, it’s on our YouTube channel this year, giving you a chance to actually see the awards as we cover them.

You can also listen to the episode below.

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And with that, it’s my pleasure to unveil the 2024 MacStories Selects Awards.

[table_of_contents]

Best New App

Croissant

John: The splintering of social media began long before 2024, but it accelerated this year. For better or worse, the iPhone is inextricably linked to social media – especially Twitter, which grew up in tandem with the device. Twitter’s decline has been well-documented as the service has shed waves of users, advertisers, and employees. Today, its successor, X, is unrecognizable compared to Twitter’s heyday.

What’s been different in 2024 is the rise of Twitter alternatives. The process began in earnest last year, but as Threads opened up to more of the world and added features, Bluesky gained traction among a wider audience, and Mastodon continued to dominate the tech sphere, social media became hard. Sure, you could pick one service and run with it, and many people did. However, I know that a lot of the MacStories audience didn’t just pick one; instead, we nerds split our time and attention between two and, often, three services.

That’s where Croissant comes into the picture. It’s the kind of focused utility that we love at MacStories. It doesn’t try to consolidate your social feeds, connect you with ...