Quick Answer: The 10 Best Productivity Apps For iPhone and iPad

Forest is a fantastic app for iOS devices that rewards you for not opening other apps or reading messages for a set amount of time. When you need to focus on a task, you simply select the number of minutes you want to stay away from your phone by dragging your finger around the circle icon on the app’s homescreen. When you’re ready, tap Plant and watch a digital tree grow until the timer runs out.

If you open another app before the timer’s finished counting down, your tree dies and its carcass materializes in your digital garden, creating a negative association with the effects of procrastination. If you manage to stay away from other apps for the set time, you’ll receive a notification and be immediately rewarded with a new, healthy, tree. You’ll also get a few digital coins you can save up to purchase other types of tree species.

Forest is incredibly simple but it’s just as addictive and weirdly rewarding to use, especially when you begin earning enough coins to unlock more interesting trees like the ginkgo and cherry blossom varieties. Perfect for those who find themselves checking Instagram and Facebook every 10 minutes when they should be working.

Microsoft To-Do is a task management app that’s available on iOS, Android, and Windows 10 devices. At first glance, To-Do looks like a basic list tool but it features a good number of impressive features under the hood that let you add additional details to each list item, set reminders, add due dates and times, and track the progress of each task through the use of sub-tasks.

Something more tech-savvy individuals will appreciate is the use of smart lists that automatically populate with task items marked for certain days or ranked by levels of importance. These can be a bit confusing though and most users will find themselves simply making and managing their own basic list of tasks which they can check off one-by-one.

The most-impressive feature of Microsoft To-Do is how it syncs all information between other versions of the app which means that you can create lists on your Windows 10 computer, edit them on your iPad, and later check them off on your iPhone.

If you find yourself wasting a lot of time at home, in the office, and at the shops looking through your wallet or purse for the correct membership card, the iOS Stocard app is exactly what you need.

This free app uses the iPhone’s camera to scan your cards and create digital copies of them within the app in less than a second. These digital versions can then be used in place of your plastic and cardboard physical ones next time you need them simply by opening the app and tapping on the relevant card.

Stocard automatically increases the screen brightness to make the digital barcodes easier to read by barcode scanners on location and the app can also be used to find your membership numbers quickly when you’re doing online shopping or booking.

SwiftKey is a special keyboard designed for iOS devices that works on both iPhone and iPad and is designed to improve productivity by increasing your typing speed.

The SwiftKey keyboard improves upon the traditional smartphone keyboards by letting you type words by quickly swiping your finger from one letter to the next. It kind of works like a high speed game of connect the dot but with letters and an algorithm that can detect what you’re trying to type.

This time-saving app also contains a cloud clipart feature that lets you store several texts into the app for pasting into future conversations any time you need. This feature in particular is ideal for social media managers who often need to use the same hahstags or @ mentions over and over again.

Continue on PC is a brilliant productivity app created by Microsoft that lets you quickly and easily open the web page you’re currently looking at on your iPhone or iPad on your Windows 10 device.

This app is completely free and, once downloaded and installed, automatically adds a new option to the iOS share menu that sends whatever page you’re viewing to whichever Windows 10 device you have selected.

If you tap your device’s name during the share process, your device will immediately open Microsoft Edge and load the page. If you tap Continue later, your Windows 10 PC or tablet will give you a reminder to open the page the next time you turn it on. With Continue on PC installed on your iOS device, you won’t have to email yourself links ever again.

Trello is one of the most-popular collaboration apps for teams and with good reason. Most of its features are completely free to use, it makes it very easy to add team members and work on projects, and its streamlined design means that you’ll never have to spend too long trying to find a specific task.

In Trello, tasks are represented as cards that can be edited and moved within a matter of seconds. Details can be added, due dates assigned, and custom color tags can be added to help define certain projects over others.

For power users, Trello features solid integrations with other services such as Skyscanner, Google Drive, and Slack that add even more functionality and the app also features a good amount of customizability when means you’ll be able to get it to look the way you want.

Cortana is Microsoft’s own virtual assistant and it’s available to download and install on Apple’s iPad and iPhone in the form of a free app from the App Store. The iOS Cortana app can be used to create reminders and events and even to perform web searches and all tasks can be initiated either by typing in a command or by speaking as you would with Siri after pushing the microphone icon.

This app version of Cortana doesn’t feature native integration with the iOS operating system like Siri so it can’t be used to open apps or make phonecalls on an iPhone. It can, however, sync all of its data to Windows 10 PCs and tablets that use the same Microsoft account which makes it an ideal productivity tool for those that find themselves on a computer all day for work.

The Cortana app also features support for iOS’ widget feature which means that Cortana shortcuts for the mic, creating events, and reminders are all available with a single swipe.

Google Maps is an app that everyone needs to be using more, especially those that are looking for a way to save time in their hectic daily lifestyle.

This free app by Google features all of the basic map features you’d expect but also boasts what is arguably the most-robust travel solution available. Do you have separate apps for train and bus schedules and do you frequently switch between apps to work out which route is the fastest and cheapest? Google Maps streamlines all of this chaos by displaying not only walking, driving, and public transport options in its search results but also Uber and Lyft prices and times as well.

Google Maps will make you a lot more productive by finding you best route available and saving you time during the search process. Need to find more than the best route? Google Maps also features a robust business search complete with user reviews, photos, and contact information. This app is a must-have for those that hate wasting time.

FlowTimer is productivity app for iPhone and iPad that boasts a streamlined design and back-to-basics approach to time management. Instead of the typical long checklist of items that need to be micromanaged, FlowTimer uses a continuous timer animation that plays through pre-determined blocks dedicated to a 25 minute work session, a 5 minute short break, and a 15 minute long break.

As each session ends, a chime sounds, followed by the immediate beginning of the next session. This set schedule encourages you to focus on your current task during the work phases while simultaneously preventing you from spending too much time relaxing. Overall, it’s a pretty ingenious way to ensure the user maintains a good work/life balance.

In addition to the main timer feature, FlowTimer also contains a simple to-do list feature for free. There are also a variety customization options and advanced features that can be unlocked by upgrading to the premium version for $4.99 but this isn’t necessary to get the most out of this productivity app.