Unlike our list of free app suggestions, we actually test every app in our Top 5 list before recommending them. This ensures that we’re confident in the quality of the apps we suggest.
We know you hate ads, so we’ve included key details about each app to help you decide whether to download it. This includes whether an account is needed and how ad-heavy the app is. You can also preview the app’s user interface through our screenshots. Now, let’s dive into this week’s top apps!
Penly: Digital Planner & Notes (Android)
Penly is a paid app ideal for note-taking, PDF editing, and even journaling. Use your virtual keyboard or a Bluetooth stylus for input. The app offers extensive customization, from pen color to imported fonts. You can also quickly convert handwritten notes to text—great for students and professionals.
The app features a digital planner with hyperlinked, undated monthly, weekly, and daily pages, making it reusable. While it’s perfect for those who love to be organized, it might be too complex for users seeking simpler solutions. If that’s you, consider the Post-it app we’ve also recommended.
- Price: $4.99 / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: None / Account required: No
Now, one word about PDF. You can import virtually any PDF files into the app, from where you can then navigate them via the existing hyperlinks. Want to edit those imported files and save the changes? You can do so by exporting the edited file as an editable Penly file or as PDF. Bear in mind that the export process is not always 100% accurate, as large PDFs tend to run into complications when exported.
Post-it (Android and iOS)
Everyone knows of Post-it notes, whether you are a student or a working adult. It has become a noun that is synonymous with bits of paper that can be stuck on walls, refrigerator doors, monitors, book pages—your creativity’s the limit! In fact, you might be wondering with so many Post-it app clones out there, is there any reason for the 3M Company, the inventor of the Post-it note, to come up with their own app?
I think what’s good about this app is how you can get started right away without being IT literate. It is really dummy-proof. A huge plus sign is located at the bottom, where tapping it will let you choose between starting a brand new Post-it note or capturing multiple Post-it notes using your phone’s camera.
Should you choose to start a new Post-it note, you can select from a myriad colors, size, text formatting, and stationery types. You can choose to type your notes for a cleaner outcome, or use your finger and scribble something down, it is your choice. As a team
- Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: None / Account required: No
Oh yes, this app also doubles up as a front for 3M’s physical store, allowing you to place orders for Post-it notes of different shapes, sizes, and quantities. Selecting the type that you want (it will also show the available colors), a list of online retailers that carry the stock will appear. Click on that and you will be transported away from the app to place your order and complete the transaction.
I simply love this absolutely free app with no irritating pop-up advertisements! You can get cracking right away without any need for tutorials.
Statista (Android and iOS)
Want to be the most knowledgeable person in the room? They say that knowledge is power, but personally, I would think applied knowledge is power instead. With Statista, you will be able to have a semblance of power among your social circles as you use this app to engage with unique, data-driven insights so that you can have a deeper understanding of important topics worldwide each day.
- Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: None/ Account required: None
Searching for statistics by yourself is never an easy task, and there is always misleading information available online. This app ensures you will get legitimate information, and is mostly useful as an entertainment tool whenever you want to flit around as a social butterfly. Daily infographics will let you have an overview of information, while being able to enjoy fun facts, quizzes, and receive notifications suited to your preferred topics.
These statistics can be saved for later reference via a single tap. You can also organize them into collections, making it a snap to check them out in the future. This is definitely more beneficial than endlessly scrolling through your social media feed, as there is always useful information that you can pick up for later use.
AllTrails: Hike, Bike & Run (Android & iOS)
Do you love heading out on trails in the great outdoors? Since you carry your phone with you just about everywhere, why not use an app to help you navigate better? AllTrails is free to download for a 7-day trial.
If you like it, you can fork out $35.99 for the AllTrails+ or $59.99 for the AllTrails Pro subscription which offers additional features such as offline maps, alerts for wrong turns, 3D flyover previews, locating trails by distance from you, and most importantly, no more ads!
- Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes ($35.99 for AllTrails+, $59.99 for AllTrails Pro) / Account required: Yes
AllTrails is most effective when you enable location services. The app offers a variety of guides and displays a list of popular nearby trails on its main page. If you’re adventurous, check out community recommendations to find worthwhile trails. Each trail comes with key details like length, elevation gain, and estimated time—though your completion time will vary based on your fitness level.
It is more than just exploring hiking trails, as other activities include mountain biking, trail running, simple walking, bird watching, camping, and even backpacking!
If there is one thing that bugged me, it was the map image carousel which I felt was a waste of time. I had to wait for it to scroll through each image, making it a tedious and time-consuming affair. Some who are more sensitive might even find themselves to be a bit dizzy. It might look cool visually, but it interferes with the overall user experience.
Clue (Android and iOS)
Ever played the old board game Cluedo before? This is a brand-new remake for 2023, where it offers a fresh take on a crime-solving classic. The premise is this—someone has already died, and it is up to you to solve the murder mystery from a pool of suspects, identify the murder weapon, and pick the right room where the dastardly deed occurred.
Before you can come to a conclusion, you will need to gather crucial evidence and interrogate the suspects. Through this, you can then figure out their motives and confirm their alibis, if any. While the original rules still work, there is a new investigation format for seasoned veterans to try out. This is visually more appealing since everything is shown in fully animated 3D graphics!
- Price: $4.99 / Ads: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: Yes
While I am not too thrilled because the game contains ads even though you have to pay for it, it still offers an engaging gaming experience wherever you are. There aren’t too many games that require you to do a lot of thinking these days, as many of them are just mindless time killers, so I am willing to recommend this to you simply because it gets you thinking and there is no board to set up. Just load the game, and go!
Apart from the single player mode, there is an offline multiplayer co-op mode which will surely keep your little ones engaged on long road trips.
That’s it for now. Did any apps catch your eye in our Top 5 list? If you have an app or game to recommend, leave a comment, and we’ll check it out.
