Who is MKBHD?
19 million YouTube subscribers. The most trusted voice in consumer tech. When Marques Brownlee says a phone is bad, companies actually respond to his videos with official statements.
Started reviewing tech in 2009 from his bedroom at age 15. Back when YouTube tech reviews meant grainy webcam footage and terrible lighting. By 2025, MKBHD runs a full production studio with multiple employees, RED cameras, and production quality that rivals actual TV shows.
What makes Marques different is the obsessive attention to quality. Videos can take weeks to produce. Every shot gets lit perfectly. Every product gets thoroughly tested, not just unboxed and surface-level reviewed. That standard is why tech companies send him products months before launch.
He also hosts the Waveform podcast with Andrew Manganelli and David Imel. Co-founded Panels, an airport lounge access app. Plays ultimate frisbee professionally. The productivity stack has to support all of this without falling apart.
Everything below comes from Waveform podcast episodes, Studio Channel videos, and his social posts where he's shared the MKBHD tools he uses. Interesting note: his stack is way simpler than you'd expect from someone reviewing productivity apps constantly.
How MKBHD Manages Everything
TickTick is the brain of MKBHD's operation. Video ideas, review schedules, team tasks, personal stuff - everything lives in TickTick. He's mentioned it multiple times on Waveform when talking about productivity.
The calendar view is clutch for seeing what products need reviewing when. Launch dates matter in tech - missing the iPhone review window means millions of lost views. TickTick's calendar integration keeps everything visible at a glance.
Built-in pomodoro timer gets used during long editing sessions. When you're color grading footage for 12 hours straight, those forced breaks prevent burnout. The habit tracker reminds him to work out, which is actually important when you're also playing ultimate frisbee professionally.
Why TickTick instead of Todoist or Things? Honestly, probably because he reviewed it years ago and it stuck. Sometimes the best productivity system is just the one you're already using and know inside out.
Supercharging macOS Workflow
Raycast replaced both Spotlight and Alfred on Marques's Mac. It's basically a command bar for everything - launching apps, searching files, managing clipboard history, running scripts.
His favorite feature: window management commands. Running a ridiculous multi-monitor setup with 4K displays means organizing windows gets annoying fast. Raycast shortcuts snap windows to specific positions instantly without mouse dragging.
Clipboard history is stupidly useful when you're copying specs from multiple review units to compare them. Instead of switching between browser tabs constantly, just pull up Raycast's clipboard manager and grab what you need.
In a Waveform episode, Marques mentioned Raycast probably saves him 30 minutes daily just on faster navigation and app switching. When you're as detail-oriented as he is, those seconds add up across hundreds of micro-tasks.
The extensions ecosystem is growing too. Calculator, GitHub integration, calendar views - all accessible from one keyboard shortcut. It's like Alfred but with better design and more features out of the box.
Airport Lounges on Lock
MKBHD travels constantly. Product launches in California, tech conferences in Vegas, ultimate frisbee tournaments, studio tours overseas. Airport life is just part of the job.
Panels is the app he co-founded to solve his own airport problem. Instead of juggling Priority Pass, multiple airline lounges, and credit card benefits, Panels gives access to hundreds of lounges worldwide through one subscription.
The founder using his own product daily is always a good sign. He's not just slapping his name on something - Panels actually solves a real pain point from someone who flies 50+ times a year.
For someone managing a production schedule as tight as his, having a quiet place to work between flights matters. Airport lounges mean WiFi, power, and space to actually get stuff done instead of sitting on the floor by the gate.
Yeah, it's not exactly a productivity app in the traditional sense. But when travel is a constant part of your workflow, tools that make airports suck less become productivity tools by default.
Frequently Asked Questions About MKBHD's Stack
What task app does MKBHD use?
TickTick handles everything - video schedules, review deadlines, team coordination, personal tasks. He uses the calendar view extensively to see product launch dates and what needs reviewing when. The built-in pomodoro timer helps during long editing sessions. Pretty straightforward choice for someone who reviews productivity apps constantly but just wants something that works.
What productivity tools does MKBHD recommend?
The MKBHD productivity apps list is surprisingly minimal - TickTick for tasks, Raycast for Mac automation, and Panels for airport lounges. That's basically it. He's reviewed hundreds of productivity apps over the years but only actually uses 3 himself. When the tech reviewer only keeps 3 tools in rotation, that tells you something about what actually matters versus what just looks cool.
Does MKBHD use Raycast or Alfred?
Raycast. Switched from Alfred and hasn't looked back. The window management commands are clutch for his multi-monitor setup. Clipboard history, app launching, file search - all faster than native Spotlight. Mentioned on Waveform it saves him about 30 minutes daily just on navigation speed. Those seconds add up when you're as detail-focused as Marques.
What is Panels app that MKBHD founded?
Airport lounge access app he co-founded. Gives access to hundreds of lounges worldwide without juggling multiple credit card memberships or Priority Pass. When you fly 50+ times a year for product launches and conferences, having a quiet place to work between flights matters. The founder actually using his own product daily is always a good sign.
How does MKBHD stay organized?
TickTick for task and project management, Raycast for fast navigation, and honestly that's about it for software. His organization comes more from team systems and production workflows than from juggling 15 different apps. The video production schedule is tight enough that missing deadlines means millions of lost views. Simple tools used consistently beat complex systems that break down.
What makes MKBHD's tech stack different?
The MKBHD tech stack is almost aggressively simple for someone who reviews tech professionally. Just 3 core apps doing specific jobs. No productivity system overload. No switching tools every few months. TickTick, Raycast, Panels - that's it. The minimalism makes sense when your actual work is producing the highest quality tech reviews on YouTube, not optimizing which task manager has the best widget design.