If you have an iPhone or iPad in your hands, you already know that the real trick isn't just in the hardware, but in the apps you install and use every dayWith a huge catalog in the App Store, the tricky part isn't finding apps, but separating the wheat from the chaff and keeping what really deserves a spot on your home screen.
In this guide I propose a very complete overview of the best programs and software for iOS which you can enjoy on both iPhone and iPad: from productivity, creativity, AI, and reading, to music, video, personal finance, sports, transportation, and development. The idea is to give you a good arsenal of essential apps at your fingertips, mixing undisputed classics with newer offerings and other lesser-known gems.
Learning and language apps: make the most of your downtime
To make the most of those idle moments on the subway, in the supermarket queue, or on the sofa, there are some apps that turn your mobile phone or tablet into a small pocket academy, without needing to complicate your life.
Duolingo It's undoubtedly the queen of language learning as if you were playing a game. The app is organized into short modules, almost like micro-lessons, and combines vocabulary, grammar, listening, and reading comprehension exercises with a healthy dose of gamification: streaks, leagues, rewards, and challenges. Thanks to this format, you can Review English, French, or any language you want in just a few minuteswithout becoming tedious. Furthermore, they have expanded the content with math and music courses, maintaining the same philosophy of short and dynamic lessons.
If you're looking for a comprehensive educational approach for young children, khan academy kids It offers a very generous collection of activities for children between 2 and 8 years old: interactive stories, logic games, reading and basic math exercises, and even activities focused on social-emotional skills such as empathy and emotion management. All the content is age-appropriate and organized by level, so you can using the iPad as an educational support at home or in the classroom without worrying about ads or aggressive marketing.
On a more general note, the official app of TED It gives you access to thousands of talks on technology, science, design, psychology, and entrepreneurship. From your iPhone or iPad you can Watch these conferences streaming or download them You can watch them offline, set up subtitles in dozens of languages, and discover themed playlists with ideas and experiences from leading experts in their fields. It's a very convenient way to learn about almost anything while you cook, travel, or relax on the sofa.
Productivity, notes, and organization: all under control on iPhone and iPad
If you want your iPhone and iPad to work for you, not the other way around, you need a good arsenal of productivity apps. organize tasks, notes, projects and documents without everything becoming chaos.
Notion It has become the Swiss Army knife of organization. With a single app, you can create text pages, to-do lists, databases, internal wikis, calendars, Kanban boards, and much more. One of its key features is that it lets you build your own productivity systemFrom a personal dashboard with your goals to a project manager for work, including a system for academic notes or a database of books, movies, and courses. It also syncs everything between iPhone, iPad, and computer, and integrates with external services and templates created by other users.
If you prefer something more straightforward for to-do lists, stuff 3 It's one of the most polished productivity managers in the Apple ecosystem. It's designed so you can capture tasks on the fly, group them into projects, add dates and remindersand organize them by area (personal, work, studies, etc.). Its greatest strength is its very clean design and gentle learning curve, making it perfect for those looking for something powerful without being overwhelmed by a thousand options.
For those who organize their lives more by blocks of time and routines than by lists, Tiimo It proposes a much more visual approach. It allows you to plan your day using color-coded time blocksicons and even an AI-powered "co-planner" that helps you prioritize what comes first and what you can leave for later. It's especially useful for people who need clear routines and gentle reminders, such as users with ADHD or people who get overwhelmed by endless lists.
On the other hand, Agenda It combines a notepad and calendar into a single tool. It's designed so you can take notes linked to specific dates or calendar events, allowing you to... ask what you were thinking or deciding In a specific meeting, on a project, or before an important appointment. You can mark certain notes as priorities with the "In the agenda" option to always have them at hand and group them by projects or categories.
If your priority is to write in a focused way, iA Writer It features a minimalist interface and a total focus on text. It's designed for writing articles, reports, scripts, or any long-form content. Markdown format and focus mode by phrase or paragraphminimizing distractions. It's ideal on the iPad if you work with a physical keyboard, as you can focus on writing without visual elements breaking your flow.
For those who prefer to take notes by hand, GoodNotes y Notability They are two heavyweights. GoodNotes offers digital notebooks where you can write with the Apple Pencil as if it were a real notepad, but with advantages such as searching your handwriting, handwriting recognition to convert it into editable text, paper templates (grid, dotted, music sheets, etc.), and support for annotate PDFs or presentationsNotability, in addition to written notes, stands out for allowing you record audio synchronized with what you typeso that you can then tap anywhere on the note and hear what was being said at that moment in class or at a meeting.
Cloud storage, automation, and document management
In your day-to-day life, it's essential to have your files readily available and properly backed up, as well as having some tools that help you Save time by automating repetitive tasks.
Dropbox It remains a leader in cloud storage. With its iPhone and iPad app, you can sync folders with your computer and access your documents, photos, and videos from anywhere. Preview over 175 file types Without installing extra software, you can share links with anyone, even if they don't have an account. It also allows you to scan documents, tickets, or invoices with your camera and save them as neatly cropped PDFs.
In the field of PDFs, Adobe Acrobat Reader It's the classic reader and annotator. It allows you to open documents, highlight text, add comments, sign by hand (ideal with Apple Pencil on iPad), and fill out basic forms. For more advanced tasks, PDF element It offers the ability to directly edit the text and images of a PDF, rearrange pages, combine documents, or create new PDFs from scans, making it a Swiss Army knife for working with contracts, notes, or manuals.
To go a step further and connect services with each other, there is IFTTTThis app lets you create automations like "if this happens, do that" across hundreds of services: social networks, cloud storage, home automation, email, etc. For example, you can Automatically save photos you tag on Instagram to DropboxTurn on smart lights when you get home or post the same content to multiple networks at once. All with simple recipes that, once set up, run automatically.
If you work with a lot of files and want to keep everything well organized, it's worth complementing these apps with a robust password manager to maintain security. That's where solutions like 1Password come in, which we'll discuss later.
Security and passwords: protect your digital life
With more and more accounts and services on your phone, relying on the same old password is a recipe for disaster. Having a good password manager on iOS is practically essential if you want to stay secure. use strong passwords without having to memorize them all.
1Password It lets you store passwords, cards, confidential documents, and secure notes in an end-to-end encrypted vault. From your iPhone or iPad, you can autocomplete logins in apps and web pages Using Face ID or Touch ID, generate long, unique passwords for each service, organize your passwords into different vaults (personal, work, family, etc.), and share certain access with others in a controlled manner. It can also function as a two-factor authenticator, replacing other time-based code apps.
Using these types of tools makes even more sense if you manage bank accounts, investment platforms, mobile payment services, or if you program iOS apps and handle certificates and development keys that you can't afford to lose.
Artificial intelligence: assistants, translation, and mind maps
Artificial intelligence has ceased to be a futuristic concept and has become a reality. an everyday tool on the iPhone and iPad. From conversational assistants From advanced translators to mind map generators, the catalog is extensive.
ChatGPTOpenAI's official app, , lets you talk to an AI model that can help you write texts, summarize long documents, brainstorm ideas, generate code, prepare classes, or even create and edit images according to your instructions (in the more advanced paid plans). You can use it for free with certain limitations or subscribe to ChatGPT Plus to access more powerful models like o1. The interesting thing about iOS is that the history syncs between devices, so you can start something on the iPad and continue it on the iPhone.
GeminiGoogle's offering integrates with services like Gmail and Google Calendar, allowing users to do things like summarize long emails, review your calendar, extract data from spreadsheets or generate documents connected to your Google content. It also has image editing and text generation capabilities, and is presented as the natural complement if you already use the Google ecosystem extensively.
If you want to be able to choose between several AI models, Perplexity It offers a different approach: from a single app, you can launch your questions using models from Google, OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, and others, adjusting the engine to each query. One of its greatest strengths is that clearly reference the sources which it uses to provide answers, linking directly to relevant websites and articles so you can expand your knowledge or verify data.
In the field of translation, DeepL It has gained a reputation for being one of the most accurate systems, especially with natural texts and colloquial expressions. Its iOS app allows Quickly translate phrases, documents, emails, or messages It supports 26 languages with a quality that often surpasses many competitors. It also offers pronunciation and nuance suggestions to help you find the most appropriate turn of phrase depending on the context.
To work on ideas visually, GetMind It focuses on creating AI-powered mind maps. You can add images, PDFs, audio, and other files; let the app do the rest. Generate summaries and structures Using this material, you can then interact with an integrated chatbot that answers questions about the content. It's useful for students, professionals, or anyone who prefers to see information presented graphically, although unlocking its full potential requires a paid subscription.
Design, illustration and visual creativity on iPad
The iPad, especially with Apple Pencil, is practically a digital canvas. If you enjoy drawing, designing, editing photos, or creating visual presentations, the range of creative apps is vast and of very high quality.
Procreate (in its various versions, including Procreate Dreams) is one of the absolute benchmarks for digital illustration and painting. It combines a very fast rendering engine with a massive collection of customizable brushes, layer system, perspective guides and advanced tools like QuickShape, which helps you create perfect shapes from your strokes. Many professional artists use Procreate on the iPad Pro as their primary work tool.
ProcreateDreams It takes things a step further for those who want to animate their illustrations. It offers a touch-friendly timeline, fluid controls for managing keyframes, layers, and effects, and the ability to create complex animations based on intuitive gesturesAlthough the learning curve may be somewhat steeper, it opens up a world of possibilities for illustrators who want to bring their drawings to life.
In the field of 3D and augmented reality, JigSpace It allows you to create and view three-dimensional presentations that are projected onto the real world using the iPad's camera. It includes a library of 3D objects and materials that can be broken down It's layered or sectioned, which is very practical for explaining products, machinery, anatomy, or any complex concept. You can share your creations with a link, and it's compatible with devices like Apple Vision Pro.
If you're looking for something lighter for sketching, Charcoal It opts for extreme simplicity: three canvas sizes, a very minimal toolbar, a color picker, and very natural Apple Pencil response. It doesn't have sophisticated layers or a hundred thousand brushes, but it's perfect for those who want Open the app and start drawing without thinking in settings. There is also a paid version with extended features for users who get hooked.
For photo editing, Pixelmator It brings much of the power of its desktop version to the iPad: working with layers, masks, fine retouching tools, remove background from an imageColor correction, filters, and compatibility with different formats. Along with other photography apps like VSCOcam, which focuses more on filters and quick adjustments with professional-looking results, the iPad can become a highly capable photographic workstation for content creators.
In accessible graphic design, Canva It stands out for its "for all audiences" approach. From its app you can create posters, presentations, stories and social media posts, logos, cards, and virtually any visual piece, starting from Thousands of free templates created by professionalsIt is especially useful for those who are not proficient with tools like Photoshop or Illustrator, but want to achieve impressive results in a short amount of time.
Reading, writing, and content management
There are few things the iPad does as well as serving as versatile readerArticles, books, comics, technical documentation or academic notes, everything fits on the tablet.
Pocket It's perfect for saving articles you find in your browser, on social media, or in newsletters, and reading them later with a clean, distraction-free layout. You can tag content, archive it, and synchronize it across devicesso you can save something on your computer and read it at your leisure on your iPad whenever it suits you.
Feedly e inoreader They keep the spirit of classic RSS readers alive. They allow you to subscribe to your favorite news outlets, blogs, and channels, group them by category, mark news as read, and save the ones that interest you. They are a great alternative for Stay up-to-date without relying on social media algorithmsbecause you decide exactly which sources you want to follow.
For books, the app Kindle Bring the Amazon e-reader experience to your iPad, with syncing of your library, notes, highlights, and reading progress across devices. If you have a Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime subscription, you'll have access to... a good assortment of titles included at no extra cost and read them comfortably on the tablet's large screen.
If you're more into comics, ComicTrack It helps you organize and keep track of your favorite series, both in physical and digital format, while Reading List – Book Tracker It does the same with your books, allowing you to record what you read, what you have read, and what you want to read, even scanning barcodes to quickly add titles.
In the area of writing, in addition to iA Writer and the note-taking apps already mentioned, apps like Bear o Evernote They remain benchmarks. Bear is ideal for notes organized by tags, with Markdown support and a polished interface; Evernote, on the other hand, is geared towards those who need a central repository of notes, web captures, scanned documents, and files, accessible from almost any platform.
Music, video and entertainment: your iPhone and iPad as a media center
When it's time to disconnect, the iOS ecosystem becomes a brutal entertainment center, both for listening to music and for watching series, movies or even managing your physical collection.
Bandcamp It functions as a hybrid between a music store and a social network. It allows you to follow artists, listen to their work, buy albums (digital or physical), and discover new bands, with a special focus on independent artists and small labelsIn addition, it offers initiatives like Bandcamp Friday, where 100% of what you pay goes to the artist, making it a very ethical platform to support music.
Qobuz It presents itself as a music streaming alternative focused on audio quality and fairer treatment of artists. It offers a high-resolution catalog, avoids bombarding users with aggressive recommendation algorithms, and proposes an experience closer to... strolling through a record storeYou choose genres, explore and discover at your own pace, without the system constantly pushing you towards what's most popular.
If you like to keep track of your physical collection, discogs It's essential. It's a gigantic database with practically all editions of all albums The ultimate online marketplace where you can catalog your vinyl records and CDs, browse rare editions, read reviews from other collectors, and buy or sell directly. It's ideal for determining if that record you have in your hands is a gem or a mediocre reissue.
To manage your music streaming activity, MarvisPro y Stats.fm They provide extra layers. Marvis Pro works like Advanced interface for Apple MusicWith incredible customization, Last.fm integration, convenient one-handed control, and listening statistics, Stats.fm, linked to Spotify or Apple Music, generates detailed reports on the songs, artists, and albums you listen to most, the times you typically listen to music, and when you discovered a particular artist.
On video, plex e Infuse They turn iPhones and iPads into all-terrain players. Plex lets you set up your own streaming server on a computer or NAS and access your movies, series, and music from any device, with cover art, synopses, subtitles, and automatic organization. Infuse, meanwhile, stands out as a local and network player for virtually any video format, integrating subtitles, metadata, and AirPlay without you having to struggle with conversions.
To find out what to see and where to see it, JustWatch y TV Time They're your allies. JustWatch tells you which platforms a specific series or movie is available on, whether it's included in your subscription or if you have to rent it, and shows you recent releases on the services you subscribe toTV Time lets you keep track of which series and movies you watch, bookmark episodes, write comments (without getting spoilers for future episodes) and see other users' opinions.
And if you're more into movies than TV series, Letterboxd It's the perfect social network: you can rate movies, write reviews, create themed lists, see what your friends are watching, and discover new gems thanks to a very active community that recommends and comments nonstop.
Social media, news, and media reading
It's not all going to be passive entertainment; there are also apps that help you to Stay informed and socialize without losing control.
Bluesky It's an alternative to traditional microblogging social networks, designed to focus on a healthier community. It features filters to reduce inappropriate content without resorting to excessive censorship and is based on a open protocol that allows the creation of connected serversWhile maintaining independence and interoperability, it's a good option if you're looking for a healthier experience than other massive networks.
For those who value federation and privacy, Mastodon It remains one of the best options, and clients like ice cubes They take full advantage of the iOS experience: a clean interface, multiple timelines, lists for organizing users, customization of colors and icons, and support for quotes and advanced interactions. All with the advantage that You're not tied to a single giant serverbut you can choose an instance or even set up your own.
In news reading, in addition to the RSS readers already mentioned, Pulse News It offers a highly visual approach: it creates a kind of mosaic of headlines and images From multiple sources you select, automatically updating so you can see what's happening at a glance. Tapping an article displays the full content, including videos and options to share or save for later.
Of course, we cannot forget Wikipediawhose official iOS app provides easy access to millions of articles with a very comfortable reading mode and features such as bookmarks, featured sections and easy navigation between related entries.
Maps, transport and urban mobility
With an iPhone in your pocket and an iPad in your backpack, getting around the city or planning trips is easier than ever if you choose your map and transport apps wisely.
Google Maps It's a classic in its own right: besides guiding you by car, on foot, by bike or by public transport, it offers a massive database of businesses, restaurants, hotels and points of interestwith reviews, photos, schedules and options such as sharing your location in real time, reviewing your history of visited places, remembering where you parked or creating custom maps with your favorite places.
Moovit It enhances the experience for those who rely on public transport. It allows users to calculate routes combining metro, bus, train, tram, and walking sections, with timetables, transfers, and alerts. One of its most useful features is that shows the approximate cost of the journeysso you can compare options not only by time, but also by price.
To plan longer trips, Kayak It's a classic ally. It integrates a flight search engine for different airlines, filters to find the most convenient combination in price and schedulesand a hotel search engine with thousands of options categorized by services and ratings. All of this is accessible through an interface that greatly simplifies comparison, preventing you from having to jump from website to website.
Personal finance and money management
Managing your personal finances from your iPhone or iPad is much easier with a few well-chosen apps that allow you to See at a glance where your money is going. and how you can optimize it.
Fintonic It consolidates your bank accounts, cards, and other products like loans or insurance into a single app. Once your institutions are linked, it takes care of everything. categorize your expenses It automatically alerts you to fees, duplicate charges, overdrafts, or unusual transactions, and provides a forecast of how the month will go. It also includes Finscore, a system that analyzes your finances and suggests ways to save more.
YNAB (You Need A Budget) It proposes a much more active budgeting approach. It doesn't just show you what you spend, but invites you to give a “mission” to every euro that comes in (savings, leisure, housing, debt, etc.), allowing you to track your spending in real time and adjust your categories when life doesn't go according to plan. It's a powerful tool for those who truly want to get out of debt or build a solid financial cushion.
In the health and sports section, although it's not finance, you're also investing in yourself, and there are apps that fit very well into this self-care category, as we'll see below.
Sport, health and well-being: take care of your body and mind
Turning your iPhone and iPad into personal trainers and wellness tools is easier than it seems if you choose the right apps. Move around more and live a little more peacefully.
Strava It has reigned supreme for years among runners, cyclists, and hikers. It allows you to record your workouts with GPS, view pace, altitude, calories, analyze segments, and share your achievements with a very active community of athletesIt also offers popular routes based on other users' activities, synchronization with multiple devices, and advanced AI-powered analytics features to get the most out of your data.
EndomondoAlthough it was one of the pioneers in GPS-based workout monitoring, its prominence has diminished compared to more recent alternatives, but it's worth remembering because it paved the way: tracking average and maximum speed, accumulated altitude, calories burned, voice prompts during exercise, and optimized battery consumption when using GPS. Many of these ideas have been adopted by current apps.
To train at home without complex equipment, LazyFit: Home Planner It offers guided video routines designed to fit your available time and fitness level. Without needing to go to the gym, you can follow strength, cardio and flexibility circuits from the classroom with clear explanations.
On a more general health level, BodyState It presents itself as an AI-based energy monitor that analyzes your data from the Apple Health app (sleep, activity, heart rate, etc.) to show you How is your “internal battery”?With simple graphics, it helps you decide if you're in a good position to push yourself with training or if it might be better to take it easier that day.
For the mental aspect, I meditate It stands out as a completely free meditation app, with no ads or in-app purchases, created by a non-profit organization. It includes guided sessions for reduce stress, improve sleep, and practice mindfulnessorganized by different levels and durations to fit into your routine. It's a very honest way to introduce meditation into your life without subscriptions.
And if what you need is to concentrate, Forest and related tools like Focus Friend or Find Focus use the Pomodoro Technique and game elements to encourage you to spend time without looking at your phoneIn Forest, for example, you plant a virtual tree that grows as long as you don't touch your phone: if you leave the app prematurely, the tree dies. It sounds simple, but it's surprisingly effective for studying or working.
Messaging, calls, and everyday use
In the field of communication, there is little to explain, but there are some details that make a difference when using your iPhone and iPad comfortably and in a coordinated way.
The arrival of WhatsApp for iPad The native version has been long awaited: now you can Sync your chats with your iPhone and use the app in full screenIt includes all the usual messaging, calling, and video calling features. For family or work video calls, the iPad's larger screen is clearly more convenient.
Telegram It remains the most versatile messaging alternative, with chats, channels, powerful groups, bots, and the ability to use it as personal cloud to send yourself files, voice notes and reminders which you'll then have available on all your devices. For power users and large communities, its flexibility is unmatched.
There are also classic utilities such as apps that search for public WiFi networks or Yellow Pages-type applications, which function as business, shop and service directories in your area, replacing the old telephone directory with a much more practical and geolocated model.
iOS app development and programming
If instead of just installing apps you want to go the other way and create your own, the iOS ecosystem offers highly mature tools and a particularly profitable market.
To begin, it's worth understanding why programming for iOS is so appealing. Although Android dominates in global market share, the App Store generates much higher revenue to Google Play. A significant part of this difference is explained by the fact that iOS is very strong in high-purchasing-power countries like the United States or Japan, where the willingness to pay for apps, subscriptions, and in-app purchases is greater.
To create native applications, the key language is SwiftDesigned by Apple as a modern replacement for Objective-C, Swift is multi-paradigm, memory-safe, and optimized for working with Apple's APIs. While combining Swift with Objective-C was once common, today you can... Develop complete apps using only Swift.
The other pillar is the iOS SDKThe SDK is the development kit that includes everything you need to program, test, debug, and optimize your apps. Within this SDK, the following stand out: XcodeXcode is the official development environment for macOS, integrating a code editor, debugger, project manager, and visual tools for creating interfaces (the former Interface Builder is now part of Xcode). It also includes the iOS Simulatorwhich allows you to run your apps on simulations of different devices without having to physically own each model.
To publish your apps on the App Store You need to sign up for the Apple Developer Program, an annual paid service that gives you access to additional tools, the ability to distribute your apps, analyze their performance, review usage and monetization statistics, and test preview versions of iOS and other platforms before they are released to the general public.
As a simple example, a first project in Xcode could be an app with a blank view where you add a UILabel and a button. You declare the label as a property and an action method in the view controller, connect both elements using the connection inspector, and when the button is pressed, You change the label text from the codeFrom there, you can further complicate the interface with more controls, navigation between screens, data persistence, and calls to external APIs.
For those starting from scratch, it makes a lot of sense to begin with general programming training (for example, a junior full-stack bootcamp) and then specialize with training focused on mobile app development For iOS and Android. In less than a year, by combining a solid foundation in fundamentals with specific practice in Swift, Xcode, and iOS design patterns, you can build a highly sought-after profile in today's job market.
With this whole range of apps and tools, your iPhone and your iPad They can become something much more powerful than a simple device for social media or messaging: they are capable of centralizing your productivity, your studies, your health, your leisure, and even your future career as a developer, provided that Select a few key apps that suit you and really make the most of them in your daily life..
