Some apps we use once and never visit again. Others become addicting rabbit holes where time disappears. Every now and again, we find a few good apps that stick with us through the good and the bad. They’re the staple apps often found on Home screens, free of folders to confine them, because they’re used too often for the extra tap. These are five of those awesome (& free!) apps that you’ll use often, if not every day.
Mint
Mint is my favorite budgeting app. It syncs with your bank account, cards, and investments to bring you real-time updates on your day-to-day spending. It makes it easy to track your spending and create budgets. The app will also send you bill reminders and alert you if you go over budget on specific expenses.
Evernote
Evernote is widely agreed upon as the most useful of note-taking apps. Write notes, make checklists, attach files, and stay organized with Evernote. You can even use Evernote for teams and share files amongst co-workers. Discuss ideas within the app, create agendas, and form an action plan. I’m the type of person who randomly thinks of article ideas or lines of poetry; having Evernote allows me quickly jot them down and return later.
Google Drive
I love having access to all my Google spreadsheets, slides, and docs from my iPhone. It makes it particularly convenient when I’ve taken notes on my computer and randomly need to find them on my phone. We at iPhone LIfe do a lot of sharing Google Docs, so it’s nice to check documents recently shared with me even if I’m not at my work computer.
My Fitness Pal
I’ve tried a few different health apps for tracking food and exercise but none have caught and kept my attention like My Fitness Pal. Perhaps it’s the huge database of food that makes it easy to track daily habits or the built-in community of fellow Fitness Pals that makes me love it so much. But I think the overall simplicity of the app while providing all the features you need is why it’s been the best Health and Fitness app four years in a row.
Shazam
For those times when I hear a random song, I keep Shazam on my Home screen for frantic music identification. Not only does Shazam identify the song playing, but it provides lyrics and options to download the song. Follow the artists you love and even see which songs they’re shazaming. You can even start an Apple Music radio station based on the tracks you’ve shazamed.
