If you're looking to get the most from your Android or iPhone, you'll need to find the right apps, ones that will help you organize your life, navigate the world, and, sometimes, just help you pass the time.
But finding the best apps is easier said than done. Both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store feature millions of apps, including tens of thousands that do little more than take up valuable storage on your device.
As experts in the telecom space since 2008, we've watched the evolution of both smartphones and their apps. We've done the dirty work of sifting through all that the app stores have to offer, collecting the best new apps for Android and iPhone every month. Now we've gathered them here so you can explore the best options to improve your phone, with 25 recommended apps across 10 categories: entertainment, finance, food and cooking, gaming, health and fitness, parenting, photography, shopping, technology, and travel.
We're updating this guide as we find more great apps, so be sure to check back regularly. In the meantime, read on to find the best Android and iPhone apps for 2024.
How we picked the best apps for 2024
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Easy to use
Great apps simplify your phone. We selected the tools that don't require a complicated instructional manual. -
Affordability
The internet is filled with expensive price tags, but we're not buying what they're selling. We leaned into inexpensive, quality apps. Extra points if they're free! -
Hands-on testing
We played around with these before recommending them, ensuring they're worth your download.
If you're interested in learning more about how we evaluate and test apps, you can read our detailed methodology for reviewing apps.
Best Entertainment Apps
Apple Sports
An all-in-one sports destination
Free from Apple
This is a simple and straightforward app, giving you the pertinent information from the games that matter most to you—you're able to choose which leagues and teams you follow from a selection that includes all the major professional sports and some college options. Do we want more? Sure, although the lack of noise is one of the more appealing things about the app. Still, we'd be interested to see video highlights, season stats, and more sports/leagues integrated into the app. There's also a glaring absence of a widget for the app. It'd be great to have scores right there on your Home Screen—don't be surprised if one is available soon.
Image: Angelo Ilumba
As for privacy, well it is an Apple-built app. While none of the big tech companies is exactly perfect when it comes to data privacy, Apple is widely considered pretty rock-solid.
Best of March 2024
Recommended by Angelo Ilumba
Callsheet
Revolutionize your movie and TV show exploration
Free trial from Apple, subscription available
Read our full review
Callsheet is a breath of fresh air in the world of movie and TV show databases, offering a sleek, modern interface that cuts through the noise to deliver the information you're actually looking for. From detailed cast lists to fascinating trivia, everything you want to know about your favorite films and series is just a tap away, without the frustration of navigating through ads or unnecessary prompts.
Image: Angelo Ilumba
Callsheet isn't just about looking better; it's about functioning better. It leverages The Movie Database to bring you comprehensive and accurate data, but with several clever enhancements over IMDb. You can personalize the app with a customizable "quick access" button for your favorite resources, toggle on and off information to avoid spoilers, and even see where to stream your picks across countries, thanks to integration with JustWatch.
The app also respects your viewing habits and preferences. Whether you want to pin your current watches for quick access or adjust settings to hide potential spoilers, Callsheet has thought of it all. This attention to detail extends to its subscription model. Callsheet is ad-free, powered by user subscriptions that are reasonably priced and tiered, not just for access but for those who wish to support the app further.
Best of April 2024
Recommended by Angelo Ilumba
Pigment Adult Coloring Book
Tap and paint your way to zen
Free from Apple, subscriptions options after trial
As a kid, nothing was more entertaining and calming to me than sitting at my Nana’s dining room table with a stack of coloring books and some crayons worn to nubs, letting my creativity fly. As an adult with far less free time (and storage space!), I love the idea of packing away the colored pencils and zoning out to the next best thing—a coloring book on my iPhone.
Enter Pigment, the balm to soothe my over-stimulated psyche. Originally released in early 2023, Pigment has hit its stride over the last year thanks to frequent tweaks and updates that have expanded its book library to over 10,000 pages to color, plus the ability to upload your own images to play with. The app offers a free 7-day trial, followed by weekly, monthly, or annual subscription options starting at $4.99/week.
What about pigment for Android phones?
Pigment was initially supported on Android upon its release, but the app’s developer, Pixite, has since removed its app from the Google Play store within the last few months. If and when Pigment’s Android app returns, we’ll update this page to let you know!
The image library offers categories such as Elements, Culture, Sports, Flowers and Plants, Food, and more—there’s sure to be something that piques anyone’s interest. Within each category are themed books—for example, the “Culture” category includes “A Pirate’s Life” and “Ancient Egpyt,” while “Foods” features books called “Delicious Treat”s and, my particular favorite, “Caffeinated.”
You can choose your favorite color palettes and customize them further using a color wheel and slider, resulting in infinite colors to match your aesthetic. Make it easy on yourself with the tap-to-fill mode, or play around with advanced features like Freehand. With over 30 brush types, including Fuzzy Fur, Glitter, and Blender, you can really let your creativity fly. Add texture and patterns to your pictures with options like Aluminum, Fabric, Wood, and Swirl.
Need a little inspiration? Check out the community gallery to see what others have done with the picture you’re interested in. In fact, turn it into a social affair by following other community members and using hashtags to label your art, making it visible within the larger gallery. Want to show off your artwork to friends and family? From the My Work tab, simply pick your masterpiece and share it. You can even print your images, either directly to a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled printer or to another device you can then print from.
The physical user experience on an iPhone can be a smidge clunky at times, which is why I knocked off half a star—because of the small real estate on the screen, you’re constantly having to pinch, pan, zoom, and rotate to color things in. That said, I have a much better experience on my iPad, and Pigment also supports Apple Pencil for honing in the finer details.
Additionally, the color payoff on deeper hues doesn’t match perfectly with the color displayed in the palette. For example, I customized a basic purple to be super dark and rich, like an eggplant… but when I tapped to add it to my picture, the color was much more muted and pastel. Womp womp.
Best of March 2024
Recommended by Lauren Hannula
Poolsuite FM
Your personal summer DJ
Free from Apple
Read our full review
Imagine blending the retro charm of a 1990s Macintosh computer with the refreshing ambiance of a poolside martini, all set to the backdrop of the perfect summer playlist. Enter Poolsuite FM, an iOS radio app that perfectly captures the unique blend of nostalgia and relaxation. Whether you’re at work or sunbathing in Tahiti, Poolsuite FM will bathe you in chill.
Image: Alissa Bird
While Millennials may be most charmed by the pixelated, tile-based graphics reminiscent of the Oregon Trail era, I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t appreciate Poolsuite FM’s retro allure. Everything from the classic Game Boy font to the 1,000-track unlock feature gives the app a 1990s gameplay feel. You can even change the display color by choosing from various Themes with cheeky names like Saved by the Shell, Green New Deal, and PoolBoy 3210 (an AOL screen name throwback).
It would be one thing if Poolsuite were simply an aesthetic goldmine, but with an array of commercial-free dance-pop radio stations, Friday Nite Heat being my favorite, it’s easy to find the perfect playlist for a summer pool party or to alleviate your office blues. You can even organize all your favorite tracks into one station.
Image: Alissa Bird
For a dose of nostalgic vibes and great music, look no further than Poolsuite FM. Download this app before your friends do and get cool cred where credit is due. And be sure to check out Poolsuite FM for desktop for even more delightful features.
Best of May 2024
Recommended by Alissa Bird
Radiooooo
The antidote to Spotify monotony
If you're like me, you're always on the hunt for unfamiliar music. Spotify and Apple might seem like infinite libraries primed for exploration, though those apps' recommendations often leave a lot to be desired, with algorithms that pin your tastes down to a highly specific demographic. The typical experience ends up feeling less like listening to an inspired D.J. and more like setting your old iPod on shuffle.
Image: Kevin Kearney
Radiooooo offers a much-needed alternative. As the name implies, it's closer to Pandora than Spotify, but with an important distinction: the app allows you to travel to different decades and hear what radio would've sounded like at the time. Select a country from the global map, pick an era, and then choose the broad style you're feeling. Not a fan of mainstream radio? Not to worry. We love the "Weird" setting, which yields tons of unexpected sounds.
Image: Kevin Kearney
The app offers more opportunities for rabbit holes, too, with Islands dedicated to themes, artists, and labels and highly curated channels that change week to week. A premium membership allows you to access more Islands and the Taxi feature, which allows you to access multiple countries and decades at the same time. While we wish there was more of these features available in the free version, we've still found a lot to love without paying, including about a dozen new favorite tracks.
Best of March 2024
Recommended by Kevin Kearney
Radio Garden
Explore the world through radio
If you’ve ever found yourself endlessly scrolling through your music app or tuning into the same old radio stations, you’re probably looking for a way to shake things up. That’s where Radio Garden comes in. Instead of limiting you to local or genre-specific stations, Radio Garden lets you explore live radio from across the globe with a simple spin of a digital globe.
Radio Garden isn’t your typical radio app filled with playlists or trending hits. It’s more like a gateway to the sounds of the world. From indie rock in Melbourne to jazz in Paris or news talk in Lagos, you can instantly tune into what people are listening to anywhere on Earth. The app’s unique globe interface makes discovering new stations as easy as point and click. It's like taking a trip without ever leaving your home.
Image: Angelo Illumba
Navigating the app is straightforward. Just spin the globe, zoom in, and select a station to start listening. You can also save your favorite stations to return to later or share them with friends. While it doesn’t offer the deep feature set of some other apps, Radio Garden’s strength is its simplicity and the sheer breadth of options available for global exploration.
If you’re looking for an app that offers something different—an easy way to tap into the world’s cultural and musical landscapes—Radio Garden is worth trying. Sure, you won’t find every station or genre imaginable, but for those who love discovering new places and sounds, it’s a gem.
Best of September 2024
Recommended by Angelo Ilumba
Best Finance Apps
Splid
Organize the expenses for your next trip
The Splid app allows you to track shared bills and costs, making it stress-free to settle up with friends and family.
Family vacations are filled with plenty of tricky situations, but chief among them is splitting the bill. Nothing makes me cringe like the neverending questions that can follow a bill. Who owes what? Who wants to throw down a card? What’s your Venmo? For this summer’s family trip, I decided to simplify things by downloading Splid, a free app that manages shared expenses in an unfussy, easy-to-use interface.
Image: Kevin Kearney
You can create trips, invite participants, then add expenses as they pile up throughout the course of your vacation. Splid keeps a running tab of what’s owed and to whom, following the directives you provide for each expense. At the end of the trip, every participant will know exactly how much they owe and can Venmo accordingly. If you want to get more granular (and more formal), the app will also generate a PDF or Excel spreadsheet that breaks down every cent.
Image: Kevin Kearney
Other apps like Splid integrate with bank accounts or speak directly to Venmo, but I intentionally avoided downloading them due to their security practices. I’m generally leery of sharing my financial information with third parties—frankly, I don’t think the novelty of bill splitting is important enough to risk a data leak.
Splid isn’t complicated—that’s the point. It did exactly what I needed it to by removing both the math and the anxiety from a family vacation.
Best of September 2024
Recommended by Kevin Kearney
Best Food &
Cooking Apps
Mixel
Great drink recipes, cool style
Mixel is a great app for cocktail lovers, offering a wide range of recipes and features to help you become a mixology expert. Mixel ensures you never run out of drink ideas with over 2,600 drink recipes, step-by-step instructions, and a personalized recommendation system.
Image: Angelo Illumba
Mixel provides an extensive library of cocktail recipes, each with detailed instructions and ingredient lists. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned bartender, you’ll find recipes that suit your skill level and taste preferences. The app’s clean and intuitive interface, designed with a charming pixelated aesthetic reminiscent of old video games, makes browsing through categories like classics, seasonal drinks, and trending cocktails easy. Mixel even adjusts the recipes depending on how many glasses you want to pour.
Image: Angelo Illumba
Mixel also allows you to input the ingredients you have at home, generating an extensive list of possible drinks you can make. This ensures that you can always find a recipe that you can make without having to go to the store. When you find a recipe that you like, you can favorite it to always have it easily accessible in the app.
The free version of Mixel is more than enough to make it a great app, but Mixel Premium takes it up a notch. The premium version allows you to share and collaborate on recipes, post comments and reviews, sync unlimited notes and pictures with recipes, and access all 2,600+ recipes. It costs $1.99/month or $11.99/year.
Best of July 2024
Recommended by Angelo Ilumba
Paprika
No recipe is out of reach
Free from Apple and Google
Read our full review
Nothing against Grandma’s famous meatloaf, but many of us now look to the internet for cooking inspiration. That said, the World Wide Web is the Wild West of recipes. Long-winded food blogs, subscription paywalls, and endless options can make it difficult to sort and save the recipes you want. Enter Paprika: the one-stop recipe browser and organizer. From storing your favorite recipes to scaling ingredients, this handy app will simplify your cooking game, I promise.
Paprika automatically trims the fat by parsing a recipe down to its essential parts: the ingredients and the directions. No more scrolling past the monologue (no offense, writers) or “jumping to recipe.” Paprika knows what we need. Plus, you can use the Scale & Convert feature to customize to your desired serving size.
Image: Alissa Bird
And for those worried about Grandma’s famous meatloaf, there’s no need to part with the sentimental. Simply save your own recipes by tapping the + button at the top right corner of your Paprika home screen and transcribe to your heart's content.
Best of April 2024
Recommended by Alissa Bird
Seed to Spoon
Grow a garden to improve your health
Free from Apple and Google with an optional paid subscription
Read our full review
Seed to Spoon is an all-encompassing app that helps you plan your garden. You can pick from thousands of different plants, see live weather reports, and educate yourself on common pests that threaten your plants. There’s also a built-in calendar for everything you plant, so you’ll have a good idea of when your seeds will sprout and when they’ll be ready for harvesting.
Seed to Spoon has been around for a few years, but it recently released a new AI-driven feature called “Growbot” that’s revamped the app. Growbot is an AI chatbot that can answer questions and provide customized garden advice.
Image: Max McCaskill
For most average gardeners, the app and its functionality are perfect. It’s easy to use, offers free features, and doesn’t use a ton of storage space. On the other hand, some of its best features are locked behind the premium subscription of $4.99/month. Using just a free subscription, you’re limited to 10 different kinds of plants in your garden tracker and three questions a day from Growbot. Master gardeners who plant more than 10 types of plants or new gardeners who have a lot of questions might be best served by a paid subscription.
Best of April 2024
Recommended by Max McCaskill
Too Good To Go
Score delicious eats on the cheap
I had heard plenty of good things about this app before downloading it—that it reduces food waste, is cheap, and provides a fun novelty that allows you to support local businesses. That may all sound like classic tech company utopianism, but the model actually accomplishes these goals, even if it's on a local level: Too Good To Go allows nearby eateries to sell leftover food that would otherwise be left to waste at extreme discounts. I figured I’d give it a shot.
Image: Kevin Kearney
The process is rather easy: you type in your address and then filter for participating businesses within a particular radius. Around me, it’s mostly bakeries and pizzerias, though I typed in bigger cities where I’ve lived, and they had more variety, with grocers and proper restaurants also getting in on the fun. I selected the Surprise Box from a nearby chic bakery for my trial run. Usually, croissants from this place can go for over $5, but the Box itself was $5.99 and would include a sampling of that day’s treats. I paid through the app and was given a pickup window. When I showed up at the bakery, the cashier had my box waiting. Inside was a half-dozen cookies, a croissant, and a slice of cheesecake. It was not bad for the price…especially because it allowed me to finally taste the over-priced treats my neighbors had been discussing.
Image: Kevin Kearney
I used the app again a few days later at a different bakery, snagging the last remaining Surprise Box from another local bakery. I was caught off-guard this time: the app informed me that I only had 10 minutes to pick up my order. I hadn’t realized the turnaround would be so tight; I had a meeting scheduled for the next hour and knew the bakery would be closed by then. That’s not necessarily a flaw of the app, but it is a warning to users to read the fine print before placing an order. At the end of the day, though, I didn’t really mind losing out on my $5—when I order another cut-rate Surprise Box from that same bakery, it’ll all work out to normal market price.
Best of July 2024
Recommended by Kevin Kearney
World of Mouth
Food picks from food people
I don't know you, but considering you're here reading a list of mobile app recommendations, I'm willing to bet that you have used Yelp to help you figure out where to eat. The problem with Yelp is that it can sometimes be daunting to wade through what might be fake raving reviews or poor reviews from people who might have simply been in a bad mood rather than having actually received poor service.
Enter World of Mouth. Word of Mouth is like Yelp without all the toxicity; it's real food reviews for real food people. This app isn't a comprehensive collection of user-driven restaurant reviews (though they do let members make recommendations). It is a curated list of recommendations from food experts including restauranteurs, chefs, food journalists, TV personalities, and more. World of Mouth is where you turn when you want to eat what the food people eat.
Image: Angelo Illumba
Let's level-set expectations here. World of Mouth's draw over something like Yelp or Google reviews is that it isn't just a gathering of user reviews. It stands out because of the expert picks. That said, it's just not going to have a ton of selections like a Yelp. In fact, if you are outside a major city, you'll be lucky to find more than one or two expert recommendations in your vicinity. However, if you are in a metropolitan area, you'll likely find a great list of expert-recommended restaurants.
Image: Angelo Illumba
World of Mouth is very easy to use. You can search cities across the world, filter results to show expert recommendations, and find a great meal. Looking for a specific expert's picks? Go ahead and type in their name to see what they might recommend. You can save restaurants for future reference and even keep a diary of the places you visit.
And in case you need something to listen to on your way to the restaurant, check out the World of Mouth podcast, which you can access directly on the app.
Best of August 2024
Recommended by Angelo Ilumba
Best Gaming Apps
NYT Strands
A word search for the Worldle-obsessed
Free on iPhone and Android (for now)
Read our full review
Move over, Wordle and Connections, there’s a new linguistic sheriff in town. The New York Times has debuted Strands, its version of a word search game with a twist, and my personal favorite new distraction. I immediately go to this game first thing in the morning while I’m enjoying my cup ‘o’ Joe.
The object of Strands is to find hidden words, which can zig and zag all throughout the letter field. Each word is connected to its fellows by a theme (much like in Connections), but NYT doesn’t just hand that theme over to you. You get a hint at the top that broadly alludes to it, which is sometimes helpful and sometimes beat-your-head-against-your-desk vague.
Strands is currently in beta, meaning anyone can access and play it without a NYT Games subscription. Though not technically a downloadable app—yet—you can save Strands to your device’s homescreen and treat it like one. Here’s mine, for example, nestled comfortably in my Games folder on my iPhone like a real app:
Image: Lauren Hannula
If the game proves as addictive as its predecessors, it’s sure to be roped into NYT’s Games app (iPhone, Android), which costs $6/month (you can also upgrade to an All-Access subscription for $25/month, which includes NYT’s digital newspaper, Wirecutter, NYT Cooking, and The Athletic). So play it for free-nintey-nine while you still can… and maybe you’ll learn a word or two along the way.
Best of April 2024
Recommended by Lauren Hannula
Best Health
& Fitness Apps
Noisli
Craft your perfect background soundscape
$2.99 on Apple
For as long as my professional life has had me stationed at a desk in front of a computer, I've relied on some form of background noise to maintain my focus and keep the creative juices flowing. That's where Noisli steps in as a game changer.
Noisli isn't just another white noise generator; it's a robust tool that lets you blend and customize a variety of high-quality sounds to create your ideal working or relaxing atmosphere. Whether it's the calming rush of a waterfall, the gentle hum of a fan, or the ambient chatter of a coffee shop, this app allows you to mix these sounds to your liking. The user interface is straightforward, making it easy to combine sounds and adjust their intensities to match your mood or task. The app also features a timer, which is particularly useful for those who practice time management techniques like Pomodoro.
Image: Angelo Ilumba
For just $2.99, Noisli offers a complete suite of features without the need for a subscription, providing great value. It includes a wide array of sounds and the ability to save custom mixes, making it a must-have for anyone seeking to enhance their auditory environment. Whether you're trying to drown out distractions or create a peaceful environment for meditation, Noisli provides the flexibility to craft your perfect soundscape.
Best of May 2024
Recommended by Angelo Ilumba
Roots
Manage your screen time for a healthier mind.
Free from Apple. Optional subscription for premium features.
I have a confession to make: I’m a doomscroller. It’s a bad habit I developed from years of using social media. In an effort to regain some control of my mental health and screen time, I went searching for an app that could help. That’s when I came across Roots.
Roots is designed to work with Apple’s Screen Time feature (sorry, Androids). It incorporates the data to give you up-to-date information on your usage statistics, like the amount of time you’ve used your phone and how many times you’ve picked up your device.
Image: Max McCaskill
The app has you set goals when you begin. These goals revolve around what you would rather be doing with your time, such as being more productive, reading, or spending time outside. You’ll also set time limits on specific apps that steal your attention. Personally, my biggest issues were with Reddit and X. Once you hit those time limits, if you try to open the app, you’ll get a gentle reminder that it’s time to take a break from those apps.
Image: Max McCaskill
None of these are new features when it comes to screen time apps. That said, Roots presents the information in a way that is easier to digest than iOS’s native Screen Time or other third-party apps I’ve seen. I especially appreciate a feature called “Digital Dopamine” which was released in June of 2024. Roots understands that not all apps are created equal and weighs app usage differently. Spending an hour doomscrolling Facebook is not the same as spending one hour reading on your Kindle app. Instead of just showing you how much time you spend on an app, Roots shows you what apps are actually draining your time and having an impact on your mental health.
Roots is free to download. It offers a free version with limited capabilities, but you can get the full experience by purchasing an annual premium subscription for $59.99/year ($5/month) or a monthly plan for $9.99/month. There is also a free trial to see if you like the app. In my experience, the app works well and genuinely makes you feel like you’re reaching goals by limiting your screen time. It does require access to the Screen Time data in your device’s settings, but those permissions can be turned off at any point.
If you’re looking for a way to set goals for limiting your screen time, Root is certainly worth a look.
Best of July 2024
Recommended by Max McCaskill
Yuka
Avoid the dirty dozen and more
Whether or not you're a health nut, avoiding additives, preservatives, and forever chemicals is a smart idea. Yuka is a simple and intuitive tool for checking the quality of the cosmetic and food products you love most. Simply open the app and scan the barcode of any product, be it fruit snacks, juice, or your deodorant, for a health rating and other helpful metrics, including the nutritional value, the risk level of certain additives, and how those additives might harm your body.
Image: Alissa Bird
Our favorite feature is the recommendation section, which features healthier substitutions for low-rated products. (Going clean doesn’t mean giving it all up.) Yuka also saves your past scans for later reference and allows you to favorite items you like most. You can even browse their Top Products section for the cleanest body wash in town or guilt-free candy substitutions. The only downside (dare I call it that) is getting too scan-happy and dumping your partner's hazardous hair gel without asking. Or is that just me?.
Best of March 2024
Recommended by Alissa Bird
Best Parenting Apps
BabyQuip
Gear for your kids when you're away from home
Free from Apple and Google
Read our full review
I hadn't heard of this app until my friends, who have a 4-month-old, visited this past week. They arrived from the airport without all of the gear I'd expected. Where was the stroller? What about the crib? Were they planning on just...winging it?
Instead, they'd planned ahead by downloading BabyQuip, which is like Airbnb for infant and toddler essentials. With a few swipes, they ordered a stroller, a crib, and some blackout curtains (!) from a local vendor who'd been vetted by BabyQuip. A few days later, after they'd left for the airport, I texted the vendor, who came to grab the items. Everything else was handed via the app.
Image: Kevin Kearney
There are some small downsides. For one, the prices are expensive, especially considering most parents are on tight budgets. I'm hoping that as the app grows in popularity the prices might decline, though the latter might need to happen before the former. The second thing that could be improved is the method of communication: once you book a vendor, you correspond with them via private text, which can complicate things if plans go awry. BabyQuip would be wise to bring all communication within the app, as models like Airbnb and Uber have done, in order to avoid some of these potential problems.
Best of April 2024
Recommended by Kevin Kearney
Best Photo Apps
FixMyPics
Harness the power of AI to restore your family photos
Free from Apple and Google subscription options after trial
If you’re looking for a way to breathe new life into your old family photos, FixMyPics is a great option. It’s an AI-driven app that can repair damage, sharpen images, and even colorize black-and-white images. FixMyPics was originally released in late 2021 and had thousands of downloads, but user results and reviews were not great. The app’s AI features were upgraded in late 2023 leading to much better image quality. Since then, downloads and positive reviews have skyrocketed.
FixMyPics offers multiple options for restoring your photos. Each offers extra features where you can further tweak the AI adjustments. It can be as simple as just removing a bit of blur from your image to as extreme as creating a new AI-generated background. In my experience testing the app, as long as you started with a high-quality image or scan (not a picture of a picture), the results were great.
Would you get a better result by paying for a professional touchup using Photoshop? Yes. But that can be expensive and take a lot of time. Plus, it’s just not needed for most photos. FixMyPics can give you a great result in under 10 seconds for free.
The app uses encryption to protect your photos and doesn’t share your data with third parties. FixMyPics is free to download and offers a free three-day trial. If you have a small number of pictures, that’s plenty of time to do your editing. If you decide you want access to the app for longer, basic monthly subscriptions start at $2.49/month. You can also choose weekly or annual subscriptions depending on your needs. Nobody likes to pay for apps, but that’s still a cheaper price than most other AI-driven photo apps.
Best of March 2024
Recommended by Max McCaskill
Best Shopping Apps
Discogs
Clean out (or build out) your record collection
My mother-in-law is involved in a years-long deep clean, which is a nice way of saying she's trying to remove all of the junk from her house. In the process, she’d like to make a few bucks. This month’s project? The second-floor closet that’s packed wall-to-wall with vinyl records. She didn’t have a big enough lot for a used record store to buy and she’s been frustrated in the past with selling on eBay. I recommended the most obvious place, the go-to online record store: Discogs.
Image: Kevin Kearney
Discogs has been online for over two decades, but the app has only been around for a few years. For the most part, it’s a more mobile-friendly version of the site, though the app does offer a few additions that have simplified my mother-in-law’s process. The most notable is the camera feature, which scans a record’s barcode and then identifies the artist, title, and all other relevant information for the release. This streamlines the listing of items, allowing you to find all of the relevant information for a release, including its market price, in a few seconds. While I wish that the app would auto-populate these fields (hopefully, that will be the case with future updates), it's not terribly difficult to transpose the information from the app into the fields.
Image: Kevin Kearney
If you’re interested in stocking up on records (or cassettes, CDs, 8-tracks, and pretty much any physical audio form you can imagine) rather than shipping them out, the app is just as helpful. You can create a Wantlist of titles and set notifications for their availability (or, as I like to do, when they drop in price) and discover other records being traded by similar users. If you’re getting tired of the Spotify algorithm and have always admired your friends with milk crates of LPs, Discogs is the best way to start building your own collection.
Best of May 2024
Recommended by Kevin Kearney
Best Technology Apps
Speed Test: High Speed Internet
Measure your internet and data speeds.
The HighSpeedInternet Speed Test app provides accurate data about your internet connection, letting you know if you're receiving the service you deserve.
As a telecom expert, I spend a ton of time measuring internet speeds. Whether testing new cell phone plans or determining which internet service providers (ISPs) offer the best connectivity, one of the most important tools I use is an internet speed testing app. For the past few months, I’ve had a great experience using the Speed Test app from HighSpeedInternet.com.
Image: Max McCaskill
The app works so well because it’s simple. There are not a bunch of ads slowing anything down and it shows me visuals of how well the speed test process is going. There’s also a handy video speed test that tells you the highest-level streaming quality you can get. Finally, the app tracks the history of all your speed test results. This is a handy feature if you’re trying to compare results between different times of day or even among carriers.
Image: Max McCaskill
The Speed Test app is completely free. It does track some of your data—like your current ISP or phone carrier network—but you don’t have to create an account to use the app. It currently holds a 4.7 out of 5 rating on the iOS store with over 11,000 ratings. The Google Play Store gives it a 4.6 out of 5 with other 100,000 downloads. Overall, Speed Test by HighSpeedInternet is easy to use and a great choice if you’re interested in measuring your internet speeds.
Best of September 2024
Recommended by Max McCaskill
Best Travel Apps
BringFido
Find pet-friendly places with ease
Traveling with pets can be a challenge, but BringFido makes it easier by helping you find pet-friendly hotels, restaurants, and more. This app is an essential tool for any pet owner who loves to venture out with their furry companions.
Image: Angelo Illumba
BringFido offers a comprehensive database of pet-friendly locations around the world. Whether you're planning a road trip, a vacation, or just a day out, BringFido helps you locate places where your pet is welcome. The app covers a wide range of categories, including hotels, restaurants, services, and even events. You can filter your search results by ratings, price, and whether or not the location charges pet fees, making it easy to find the perfect spot for you and your pal.
Image: Angelo Illumba
One of the most useful aspects of BringFido is its community-driven reviews and ratings. Pet owners share their experiences and provide valuable insights into each location's pet-friendliness. This helps you avoid any unpleasant surprises and ensures that your pet will be welcomed and well-treated. Happen to find a pet-friendly location on your own? You can add it to BringFido and help other pet owners in the community.
Best of June 2024
Recommended by Angelo Ilumba
Hipcamp
Airbnb for private campsites
Camping is my favorite summer pastime. For years, it was a cheap and easy alternative to beach houses and hotels. I had a tent and some basic gear, and booking a site in a local park was a breeze, even when I did it last minute. All that’s changed in the past few years, though. Traditional campgrounds are now sold out months in advance. Even when I manage to snag a spot, I can’t help but notice a cruel irony: camping at these crowded locations rarely provides the quiet and solitude I’d been seeking. Luckily, I found Hipcamp, which has been a trusty alternative to the state and federal options, especially on popular holiday weekends when I’m looking to get away from the crowds.
Image: Kevin Kearney
Hipcamp lists campsites, cabins, yurts, and a variety of other non-traditional dwellings found on private land. Like Airbnb, you can search by date and location, and filter for specific amenities and attractions. Looking to glamp near a hot spring in Joshua Tree? Want to sleep in the mountains but still have access to a bathroom? The app makes it easy to design your ideal outdoor experience, all with just a few taps.
If you need more than just some pretty pictures, every listing features starred ratings from past campers. Usually I don’t put too much stock in internet ratings, but I’ve found these to be invaluable—close readers will learn which campsites to avoid, the best way to contact the host, and whether or not a campground is as safe and welcoming as its listing suggests.
Image: Kevin Kearney
I used the app this past weekend for a camping trip to help ring in the summer. I booked the trip a week in advance, selecting the most remote site on the campus, and shared the information with the friends who were joining me. Before I packed up the car, I messaged the campground host through the app’s messenger, letting them know my estimated time of arrival. It was a hassle-free trip on the whole, thanks in no small part to the easy-to-use app.
Best of June 2024
Recommended by Kevin Kearney
Nowy: AI Travel Social Planner
Supercharge your trip planning with the power of AI
Free from Apple and coming soon to Google
One of my favorite things in the world is traveling. Unfortunately, one of my least favorite things is planning to travel. Looking at logistics, adding up prices, and timing out itineraries stresses me out. I was recently in the process of planning for a trip later this year, so I decided to try and find a free app that could help.
Image: Max McCaskill
I came across Nowy, which harnesses the power of AI to create a customized vacation at your desired location. The app offers options that tweak the way it creates your trip. You can add specific dates, your budget, and the number of adults and children going. That way, the app can prioritize activities during certain times of the year and may exclude options not appropriate for children. You can also select “destination preferences,” such as historical sites, foodie venues, and museums. There’s even an option to pick an overall vibe for your trip that might keep you off the beaten path or on a fast-paced adventure.
After you input all your information, the app takes a few seconds to create a trip. The results are extremely detailed. It’ll recommend specific hotels and day trips that were picked to meet your budget and trip requests. Even better, you can book directly from the app, so there’s an extra layer of convenience. I will note that Nowy doesn’t include flight options, so you’ll still have to figure out that kind of information yourself.
Image: Max McCaskill
I was impressed with Nowy. It was easy to operate and offered plenty of useful features. I was planning a trip to Peru and had already done two days of research before I tried the app. It only took Nowy 30 seconds to create an itinerary that was very close to mine and even included some day trips I hadn’t come across. That said, I think Nowy works best as an ideas generator. Some of the destinations it included on back-to-back days were hundreds of miles away from each other. It might be possible to make that work, but you’d be extremely pressed for time and one delay could ruin your trip. Most travelers will be served best by using the trip it generates as a starting point for their own research and going from there. Just having a few ideas can save you hours of planning. Even better, if you realize you do like the trip it generates, remember you can simply book it all in minutes directly from the Nowy app.
Best of May 2024
Recommended by Max McCaskill
Skratch: Where I've Been
Track your travel and plan your next trip
Free from Apple and Google. Optional subscription for premium features.
One of the best parts of traveling is sharing your experiences by showing where you’ve been. That’s where Skratch comes in. It’s an app that allows you to build a personal virtual global map that tracks your travels and provides a place to upload your memories. These maps can then be shared with others or serve as a great way to reminisce about your trips.
Skratch fills out your map based on the location data in your photos, or you can do it manually. It can also track your location to automatically update your map with new stats as a current trip progresses. The app also offers fun statistics, like the number of countries you’ve visited and how much of the world you’ve seen. It can even get more granular with data about specific cities or regions if you pay for an $8.99 power-up.
Image: Max McCaskill
This app has been around for a few years now and I’ve used it before, but there have been some recent developments that pushed me to try it again. The app is now moving into helping people plan future trips by offering event suggestions, showing visa requirements, and even allowing them to purchase international eSIMs for phone service while abroad. The app sells plans from Maya Mobile that cover dozens of countries around the world. You can customize the length of your plan in days and the size of your data allotment. All of this makes it incredibly easy to knock out some of the most difficult parts of trip planning right from the app.
Image: Max McCaskill
Overall, Skratch also feels secure with your data. While it can track your location if you allow it to, it doesn’t link that information with your profile. Additionally, it doesn’t share any of your personal data with Maya Mobile if you choose to purchase an eSIM. The app is easy to use and has a clean display that makes it easy to share your maps, review your memories, and navigate your statistics. I think if you give it a shot it’ll likely become one of your new favorite travel apps.
Best of August 2024
Recommended by Max McCaskill
How WhistleOut reviews apps
WhistleOut determines the best apps for Android and iPhone based on the following criteria:
- Easy to use: We search for apps that enhance the user experience, improving the power of your phone and making your life less complicated. The apps we recommend are intuitive, allowing users to put them to use as soon as they open them.
- Affordability: We're not interested in adding one more monthly subscription to your credit card bill. We select apps that charge minimal download fees and tend to favor apps that don't charge anything.
- Hands-on testing: Our writers download and test every app we recommend, running basic tests for user experience, functionality, and utility.
Our mobile experts scour the app stores every month, looking for the best new apps for Android and iPhone. Before recommending an app, we use the app for at least one full workday, testing its basic functionality and evaluating whether or not it delivers on its promises. From there, we weigh the app's pros and cons then determine whether or not it's a worthwhile download for basic cell phone users.
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