The best productivity apps on the App Store

When it comes to productivity, everyone has a different opinion. As a matter of fact, productivity is subjective. You can read as many articles as you want: there will always be that one productivity tip that works for most but doesn’t really fit your needs. The same can be said about productivity apps. With so many different tools available on the App Store, it’s important to identify what exactly you are looking for. For example, you may be great at tracking your habits, but you have a really hard time staying focused. Or perhaps you’re searching for a more efficient way to schedule meetings with your teammates.

In this article, we are breaking down the best productivity apps for each of your different needs. From task managers to daily planners, here is our selection of tools that can help **you save time and get things done faster.

Best productivity apps by type

Below is what we think are the best productivity apps that can be downloaded on the App Store. We’ve decided to split them according to the different needs that users may have:

• Daily Planners;

• Task Managers;

• Habit Trackers;

• Meditation apps;

• Text-To-Speech apps.

Daily Planners

Everybody has obligations, both at work and in our personal lives. Having a long list of tasks to take care of can be stressful and overwhelming. It may happen that you'll occasionally remember something you should be doing and become anxious as a result. Making a list of everything you need to do enables you to plan and, most importantly, prevents panic. That’s when Daily Planners come in handy. These apps allow you to plan your day, week or month and stick to a schedule. For instance, you can create daily routines by splitting up your activities into morning, afternoon and evening.

The Daily Planners we feel like recommending the most are Structured and Fabulous, both awarded with the “Editors’ Choice” badge by Apple.

Task Managers

We couldn’t talk about productivity apps without dedicating a chapter to task managers! These tools foster teamwork and collaboration, such as time-tracking and timesheet management. They give you an overview of how different tasks and processes are being performed by different teams. They are great tools for project managers, helping them to spot any opportunities to optimize their team’s daily work routines.

Our top suggestion for this category would be Asana and Trello, the most used task managers by companies all over the world. However, also Notion is worth a mention. Although it happens to be more of a workspace rather than a task manager, it’s being increasingly used by companies and freelancers to keep track of activities and progress.

Habit Trackers

Habit Trackers can look like a to-do list, but they're actually quite different. Only recurring tasks can be added to a habit tracker, while occasional ones should be left aside. The idea is to commit to do something frequently, then monitor how often you actually follow through. Once you start a streak, you're psychologically motivated to continue it until the behavior becomes automatic.

Our favorite habit trackers are Forest and Flora. They both rely on the Pomodoro technique: it helps improve productivity by breaking down work into smaller intervals, typically in the range of 25-30 minutes, each separated by mini breaks of just a few minutes. Moreover, both apps have a “green thumb”: by maintaining their focus, users can contribute to plant trees. Literally. The longer a user can keep their focus, the more real trees will be planted. Now that’s a true motivation boost!

Meditation apps

You weren’t probably expecting to find Meditation tools in a list of productivity apps. However, research shows that certain types of music and sound can really help you focus. There are also several indirect advantages of using Meditation apps to boost productivity. For instance, getting to relax and sleep better is great for your brain to take a rest and be more productive the following day. Moreover, an increased self-awareness that can help you identify and achieve your goals, as well as focusing on the present moment rather than constantly reflecting on the past or worrying about the future.

The apps that we feel like recommending here are Headspace and Calm, without a doubt. Often selected by Apple’s Editorial Team, they’re the most complete tools that can introduce you to mindfulness and meditation techniques.

Text-To-Speech apps (speech synthesizers)

Speech synthesizers are softwares powered by an AI technology called text-to-speech (TTS). They can convert any written text into audio by processing any type of files (.PDF, .txt, .html, sometimes even .jpg pictures) and read their text out loud with natural sounding voices. Voice synthesizers can save you a lot of time. The allow you to listen on the go and get more done at once. Probably the most interesting feature that could help you boost your productivity is setting your own reading speed. If you’re in a hurry, you can simply increase the speed and read as fast as you prefer. According to some research, speech synthesizers can speed up reading by up to 30%, allowing users to multitask by listening to text.

Our top suggestion for this category would definitely be Speak4Me, which offers all the aforementioned features. Other very nice TTS apps out there are NaturalReader, Narrator’s Voice, Speechify and Voice Aloud Reader.