The Best Vision Pro Apps for Actually Getting Work Done

Let me get this out of the way: using Vision Pro for work isn’t for everyone. It’s heavy, it’s expensive, and some days I just want my MacBook and a cup of coffee. But on the days where I need deep focus, multiple screens, and zero distractions? Nothing else comes close.

I’ve been working in Vision Pro two to four days a week since mid-2024. Tried every productivity app I could find. Most of them are iPad apps running in a floating window, which is technically “working in VR” but doesn’t feel like it. The apps below actually take advantage of spatial computing.

Mac Virtual Display — The Foundation

This isn’t a third-party app. It’s built into visionOS. But it’s the reason Vision Pro works as a productivity tool at all.

Connect your Mac and you get a giant virtual screen floating wherever you want it. The resolution is sharp enough for code. I run it alongside native visionOS windows — Slack on one side, my Mac display in the center, Notes floating below. It’s the multi-monitor setup I always wanted without buying monitors.

The catch: it’s still limited to a single Mac virtual display. You can’t have two or three Mac screens. Apple, if you’re reading this — please. One limitation that bugs me is latency. It’s slight, maybe 10-15ms, but if you’re doing precision work like photo editing, you’ll notice it.

Fantastical

The best calendar app on Vision Pro, and it isn’t close. Fantastical’s spatial version shows your week in this gorgeous floating layout. You can pull days apart, zoom into time blocks, and drag events around with your hands.

What makes it work for productivity specifically is the natural language input. Look at a time slot, tap, type “Meeting with Sarah at 3pm Thursday” and it just figures it out. Apple’s built-in Calendar is fine. Fantastical is better in every way that matters when you’re juggling a busy schedule.

Things 3

I manage my entire task system in Things 3. The visionOS app is clean, fast, and feels native. Inbox, Today, Upcoming — the same structure you know from the Mac and iPhone versions, but in a floating window that stays pinned wherever I put it.

Honestly, there’s nothing revolutionary about it in spatial. It’s just a really good task manager that works well in the headset. Sometimes that’s enough.

Craft

For writing and documents, Craft is my pick. The visionOS version is genuinely good — not just an iPad port. Documents look crisp, the editing experience is smooth, and you can have multiple documents open in separate windows arranged around you.

I write first drafts in Craft on Vision Pro and it’s become my favorite writing environment. Something about being surrounded by nothing but your words — no desktop clutter, no notification badges, no browser tabs calling to you — makes deep writing sessions flow.

Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Teams)

I mean, you probably need these for work whether you like them or not. The visionOS versions are decent. Word and Excel work fine in floating windows. Teams does video calls where your Persona (Apple’s digital avatar of your face) represents you.

The Persona thing is weird. I won’t sugarcoat it. It looks like you but also doesn’t, and people on the other end of the call can tell something’s off. But it works for internal team meetings where nobody cares. Client-facing calls? I take the headset off.

Actually, wait — looking at it again, Microsoft has improved Persona integration in Teams over the past few months. It’s less uncanny valley than it was at launch. Still not perfect.

Slack

Slack on Vision Pro is basically the iPad app. It works. You can pin it next to your workspace. Messages come through, you can reply, you can hop into huddles. Not much else to say.

The one nice thing is that Slack as a floating window means you can glance at it without switching apps or looking at a different physical monitor. It’s just… there, in your peripheral vision. That’s the whole spatial computing pitch, right?

What About Notion?

Notion doesn’t have a native visionOS app. You can run it through Safari, which works okay but feels clunky. It’s a gap in the ecosystem. If you’re a Notion power user, this might be a dealbreaker. I switched my note-taking to Craft partly because of this.

The Setup That Actually Works

Here’s my layout after months of tweaking:

• Mac Virtual Display (centered, slightly above eye level, sized to about 55 inches equivalent)
• Slack (pinned to the left, small window, angled toward me)
• Things 3 (pinned to the lower right)
• Music (I keep Apple Music playing in a tiny window far to the left — ambient stuff, no lyrics)

I close everything else. The temptation is to have 15 windows floating everywhere. Don’t. It’s just as distracting as 15 browser tabs. Keep it minimal.

How Long Can You Actually Work in It?

Two to three hours comfortably. After that, the weight on my face starts bothering me and I need a break. I’ve pushed to four hours a few times and regretted it — neck soreness for the rest of the day.

The battery pack lasts about two hours. I keep it plugged into a USB-C cable running to a charger at my desk, so battery life isn’t the issue. Comfort is.

Is Vision Pro a replacement for a traditional desk setup? No. Not yet. Is it the best “focus mode” device I’ve ever used? Damn right it is.