10 Essential iPhone Apps You Should Download Right Now
The iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones in the world. Part of what makes them so appealing is the "walled garden" approach Apple has taken with its app ecosystem. Many of the best apps available are only accessible on iPhone, and not just the apps developed by Apple. Third-party developers have made some truly incredible tools that will take your iPhone experience to the next level.
We have compiled the best iOS apps you can get right now, and they range from calendar and note-taking apps to fitness and creativity apps. All of these apps are handy to most users and are worth taking a look at. If you want to further improve your iPhone, look at our picks for MagSafe accessories that are actually worth the money. If you're looking for some help with finances, we also have some recommendations for the best money-saving apps on iPhone.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, and now the generative text AI is finally available on iOS. The way it works is pretty simple. Users put in a prompt, and ChatGPT will near instantly generate a response. You can ask ChatGPT questions, bounce ideas off of it, or even have it generate an email template.
There are practically no limits to what you can have ChatGPT generate, but don't overestimate its abilities. The AI still frequently gets information wrong because it isn't "thinking" in the way many think it is. It's effectively a highly advanced predictive text model. You won't want to rely on it exclusively to help you write blog posts or handle all your emails for clients. But it can be a useful tool to get the creative juices flowing or just have some fun.
At this time, ChatGPT is more of a novelty than a practical tool, but that doesn't make it any less cool.
Carrot Weather
Carrot Weather is the most interesting weather app you will ever encounter. For one, it's extremely powerful, providing accurate weather data, information about the moon phases, and even the UV index. Premium members also get data from multiple weather sources, giving you the most accurate information possible.
What makes Carrot Weather unique though is all of its non-weather features. Carrot has a scalable "personality" that will adjust the way it conveys information. The assistant can even be downright degrading and swear at you, if you want it to. There are also a lot of activities in the app to give you something else to do while you're enjoying the weather.
The highest tier of Premium features costs $40/year, and that gives you access to Carrot Weather's widget. Locking that behind a paywall is a bit annoying, but it doesn't change the fact that Carrot Weather is the best weather app for iOS.
Bear
Bear is one of the best writing apps for iOS, and it's definitely among the most affordable. Bear would probably be better described as a notes app since it doesn't keep documents in the traditional sense. Instead, users open a series of notes which can all be interconnected through tags and links. It can quickly become a mess, but at the same time, it can be highly organized if you set it up right.
What sets Bear apart is its deep customization. Paying for the premium subscription (just $15/year) lets users customize the app's colors and even the app icon. Bear uses markdown, which can take some getting used to. When you're done writing in Bear, you can export the notes to .docx, PDF, and even ePub files.
Bear's minimalist design also makes it a great option for users wanting a distraction-free writing experience. Bear Pro also lets users sync notes between iPhone, iPad, and Mac, making it a great all-around solution for Apple users.
Overcast
Overcast is hands down the best podcast app for iOS, and it has been for a long time. Users can browse through available podcasts or add their own by pasting in the URL. Overcast also has a lot of robust features that allow to you customize your listening experience. It's also built and operated by a single developer, so you aren't downloading yet another corporate product designed to harvest data. Overcast has no third-party analytics or tracking.
What really makes Overcast stand out though is its listening tools. Smart Speed allows you to listen to podcasts without distorting the voices. Voice Boost equalizes the voices so everyone speaks at the same volume thanks to the app's remastering engine. Overcast also allows users to create and organize playlists, a feature notably absent from other major podcast apps (including Apple Podcasts).
There isn't any reason why you shouldn't be using Overcast if you listen to podcasts on your iPhone.
Nike Training Club
If you're wanting to exercise but don't want yet another subscription service, the Nike Training Club app is for you. Nike made all of the workouts on its app free a few years ago, and now you have tons of on-demand video workouts at your fingertips.
The app offers everything from yoga and meditation to intense HIIT workouts. There are a few workout programs, but they are pretty sparse. That's disappointing if you're looking for a full-fledged regiment, but for a quick workout to follow, this is a great app.
The Nike Training Club also tracks your activity and has achievements to work toward. While the full workout plans are limited, there are dozens of workouts to browse through, so it's a handy tool for people just starting or as a supplement to a full routine. The best part is it's free, which instantly makes it more appealing than some of its competitors.
Fantastical Calendar
Fantastical Calendar is the best calendar app for iOS because it's far more than just a calendar. Fantastical is a calendar, scheduling app, to-do list, and rudimentary weather app. You can look at this app and get a true snapshot of your day, including the forecast for the day. The DayTicker view gives you a clean and easy-to-read look at your day, and the Tasks page can sync with Google Tasks or Todoist.
Flexbits (the developer) also has a premium subscription that offers even more functionality. For $57/year, users can sync their calendars between devices, set up calls with Zoom, and subscribe to calendars that keep them updated on sporting events, TV shows, and more. Users can also create templates for events to make scheduling that much faster.
However, even the free version of the app is leaps and bounds better than the standard Calendar app. If you're looking for a calendar app to keep all your information together, Fantastical is the best choice right now.
Procreate Pocket
Some apps are just worth paying for, and that's definitely the case for Procreate Pocket. The Procreate app for iPad is wildly popular among digital artists, and now users can finally get the same power on their iPhones. The app obviously isn't quite as good as the larger iPad app, especially since you can't use the Apple Pencil. However, Procreate Pocket is still an incredibly powerful and intuitive art app for whipping up quick sketches or making adjustments on the fly.
Procreate Pocket has hundreds of brushes, advanced layer settings, and vector text for dynamic and interesting graphic design. Drawing Assist and QuickShape help you get clean lines and smooth shapes every time, so you can get great results even on your iPhone. All of this is powered by Valkyrie, a powerful 64-bit color engine.
Procreate Pocket is a one-time purchase of $6, and for the sheer amount of features you get for that price, it's well worth the money.
Notion
Notion is a robust note-taking app that can be incredibly powerful for anyone willing to use it. At first, it seems like a simple notes app akin to Evernote, but as users learn the more complex features, it can transform into a powerful database for all of your personal or professional data.
Notion allows users to take notes, create documents, manage projects, and upload images and videos. Notion allows personal users to use all of its features for free, with no upload limits. For teams, Notion is also surprisingly affordable, and it can replace practically all other project management options. There's a reason this app has taken off in the Second Brain community.
Notion's biggest drawback is just how overwhelming it is. It is an incredibly flexible app, but that flexibility comes with inaccessibility. Notion doesn't give its users guardrails, so it's hard to learn how the program really works. Luckily, there is a huge community of Notion users now, so it's pretty easy to get started and get some basic templates up and running.
LumaFusion
LumaFusion is the best video editor for iOS. While other iPhone apps are limited and offer only basic video editing, LumaFusion is a full-fledged, non-linear editor. This is a great option for YouTubers on the go who need to edit a video on the road or run their whole channel from their phone.
LumaFusion has everything you would want in a video editing app, including six video/audio tracks, six additional audio tracks, magnetic timelines, and layer effects for green screens and luma keying. LumaFusion for iOS also has a new multi-cam studio, letting you easily cut between angles in a multi-camera setup to quickly create a finished project.
LumaFusion is a one-time purchase of $30. That might seem like a steep price, but when you consider the robust features you're getting, it's actually quite affordable. You can even set up an external display with a lightning-to-HDMI cable. For fast and flexible video editing on the go, LumaFusion is the best option on iOS.
Spark Mail
There are a lot of great email clients on iOS, but none of them compare to Spark Mail by Readdle. Spark lets users import their inboxes from multiple accounts and uses a smart filtering system to make sure only the most important ones land in your main inbox. From there, users can pin the most important emails so they don't lose them, and they can adjust the filtering to adjust what comes through to the inbox.
Spark Mail has also introduced AI to make responding to emails fast and simple. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the number of emails you get and need help responding to or filtering them, Spark is the best option for you.
The app is free to use, but to unlock all the premium features you need to pay $60/year. That might seem steep, but if you're a professional, that is well worth the price for such a robust and powerful email client.