Software

This is the software I rely on and recommend to others.
I try to use cross-platform tools to keep my workflow consistent across devices.

Music Streaming

I haven't found a perfect solution for music streaming yet.
Here's why:

Spotify

Spotify has a large music library and a simple, functional cross-platform client, as well as a web client.

However, organizing music is frustrating.
Users are limited to creating simple playlists, with no advanced tools for managing or filtering music effectively.

There is also no way to play your own, self-bought music via Spotify. While you can add your own music files, they cannot be played on any other device using the same Spotify account.

Due to the lack of advanced features, and because there are better alternatives, I do not recommend Spotify.

Apple Music

Apple Music's library seems comparable to Spotify's, with similar pricing.

One of its best features is the global Library, where all the music you enjoy gets stored.
You can then create "Dynamic Playlists," where you set rules (e.g., genre: jazz and bpm: below 90) to auto-generate and update playlists from your global Library.

Another huge advantage is the ability to upload your own, self-bought music, which Apple stores in its cloud, allowing you to stream it from any device.

There is also an option for "lossless streaming," making Apple Music one of the best places to listen to high-quality audio.

Unfortunately, the Apple Music client (which in itself isn't the best) is only available on macOS and Windows as of 2024-12-18.
And while the Apple Music API is open and third-party clients like Cider provide Linux support, the API doesn't include Dynamic Playlists or lossless streaming.
Even Apple's own web client, which uses the same API, lacks this functionality.

Therefore, I do not recommend Apple Music as a cross-platform alternative.
However, I prefer it over Spotify.

YouTube Music

YouTube Music, like most Google services, is best avoided.

The music library is inconsistent in quality, poorly (read: not at all) organized, and often defaults to low-quality video versions of music, wasting bandwidth for subpar audio quality while also tracking your entire browser history. On the plus side, it has a lot of otherwise unavailable (read: "illegal") content.

Pricing is on par with Spotify and Apple Music, but YouTube Music is bundled with "YouTube Premium" (which, by the way, still includes ads!) giving it some extra value.

The redeeming factor is that it's usable "for free".
With an ad blocker, or even better, a third-party client like th-ch's YouTube Music client, you can access the entire library without ads.

But like Spotify, it has no Dynamic Playlists, and managing playlists is even more frustrating than with Spotify.
I'd recommend it simply because it's "free."

Gaming

Gaming today always involves some sort of launcher. For example, Steam is a very well known launcher, but there are also Epic Games and Good Old Games (GOG).

These launchers aren't always great, but luckily, sometimes there are half-decent alternatives!

See the Games page for my rants about specific games.

Steam

Steam itself is okay.
The biggest issue I have with Steam is its slowness, which can be somewhat mitigated by enabling "Low Performance Mode" and "Low Bandwidth Mode" in the Library tab under Steam settings.

I recommend the official Steam client, whick is available on most platforms (even if some versions are a bit hacky).

Epic Games, GOG, and Amazon Prime Games

I don't buy games on Epic Games or Amazon Prime Games, and only occasionally on GOG.
However, I do receive free games from all of them.

But I prefer not to have each launcher installed on my system.
Instead, I recommend the cross-platform Heroic Games Launcher.

Other

There's Rockstar, Ubisoft, EA, Blizzard, etc., and they all have their own launchers.
I don't install any of them independently. I only use them if they come bundled with a game on Steam, where the launcher starts automatically while playing that specific game.