12 Of The Best Apps Every iPad User Should Have Installed
Jack Goodwillie
You likely already use your iPad for taking notes and watching movies. But there's a lot more it's great at, especially with these apps.
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SlashGear
Since its inception in 2010, the iPad has evolved from a piece of Apple innovation to a necessary piece of hardware for all kinds of people. In the hands of small business owners, the iPad can be a valuable tool to help facilitate business and efficiency. For students, it can be a great note-taking tool and, in some cases, take the place of laptops. For homebodies, the iPad can serve as a one-stop entertainment center that can host all the latest and greatest streaming apps as well as a host of optimized games that can take the mobile gaming experience to the next level.

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As the iPad's footprint on the electronics community has grown, so too has the App Store. Apple's home for all things applications has blossomed into a vast catalog that caters to a wide variety of different interests and needs. As of August 2023, there are more than 1.6 million applications currently housed on the App Store. Amidst this abundance, discerning the best apps for a slew of varied functions can be overwhelming. That said, the cream has generally risen to the top of the App Store with true game-changing apps redefining characteristics such as creativity, efficiency, and fun factor.

Here are 12 of the best apps every iPad user should have installed on their device.

Small business owners and those who work primarily for themselves will likely use an iPad or tablet to facilitate business. Those who do should get familiar with Mint: Budget & Expense Manager. In an era where financial literacy and responsible money management are crucial, Mint empowers iPad owners with the tools and insights they need to take control of their finances. The app is developed by Intuit, the same company behind TurboTax and QuickBooks, and offers a deep set of tools to help users create budgets, monitor expenses, track investments, and achieve their financial goals. Another feature of the app allows users to set a wide variety of alerts, doubling as a way for users to raise their financial literacy.

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Though it's free to use, Mint offers a paid version that will run users $4.99 per month. And while it's also available for download on the Google Play Store, premium subscriptions are currently only available for iPadOS users. The paid version offers users access to advanced spending graphs in addition to an ad-free experience. Users can also view their credit scores at any time and track changes without their scores being negatively affected. Ultimately, those in search of a free budgeting app to organize their finances in one place should download Mint.

Aspiring artists and iPad owners generally just looking to have fun in an art application that takes advantage of the iPad's touchscreen should give Procreate some serious consideration. The app succeeds in not catering too heavily to any one subsection of its user base. The app's streamlined user interface ensures aspiring artists can focus on their work without being overwhelmed by complex menus or settings. Meanwhile, the app is not short on a deep collection of features artists of all skill levels can take advantage of. Other notable features include realistic textures and the ability to make time-lapse recordings within the app.

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Procreate provides users with a wide array of brushes, ranging from traditional pencil and pen styles to innovative digital brushes, all of which can be customized to suit the user's personal preferences. Procreate uses a layer system similar to popular programs such as Adobe Photoshop. The Photoshop similarities do not end there, as Procreate also supports the PSD file format, allowing for seamless integration with Photoshop for those who like to work on both their iPad and desktop.

Perhaps best of all, Procreate boasts an active user community, giving users access to tutorials, resources, and the ability to groupthink alongside other Procreate users and artists. While Procreate is not free, there are no subscription fees associated with it, as it takes a one-time purchase of $9.99 to gain access to all this artistry app has to offer.

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Apps such as TikTok and Vine before it have fundamentally changed the way people see social media. Social media posts are no longer limited to photos, videos, blog posts, and quick thoughts and now extend to bite-sized videos that have the potential to hold people's interest for hours on end. While TikTok has an editor built into it, those looking to develop short-form video content for other platforms and want to get more out of their iPad should download CapCut. Ironically enough, CapCut makes use of the same editing interface TikTok does, as its developer, ByteDance, also developed TikTok. As a result, the editing capabilities of CapCut will allow users to produce videos with a similar speed and ease.

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CapCut offers users a variety of video editing tools, such as trimming, splitting, cutting, and merging clips. Users can also add external elements such as text, stickers, and filters to further enhance their creations. You can record voiceovers within the app, and CapCut makes it easy to add audio files to videos as well. When the video is ready to be processed, CapCut users can export their creations in various resolutions and file types, allowing for optimization in accordance with the platform it is to be shared. Because all of CapCut's features are free to use and nothing is hidden behind a paywall, there is little reason for iPad users to not have it downloaded and handy.

Streaming, while perhaps more niche than social media, is another type of media rapidly on the rise. Streamlabs is designed to facilitate streaming for many different purposes on many different platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live. However, the app is particularly useful to streamers thanks to a bevy of optimized features. The app offers a wide range of customizable overlays, such as alerts, chat boxes, and donation widgets designed to increase engagement. Users can connect their streaming accounts seamlessly and go live with just a few taps, and once that is done, starting and stopping streams, moderating chats, and monitoring viewer engagement can easily be done in the main interface.

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Streamlabs is perhaps best known for its compatibility with other apps. Third-party video editing software and audio mixing tools can be taken advantage of to get the most out of Streamlabs. Additionally, iPad users can take advantage of the iPad's high-end cameras to stream directly off their devices if they wish. While Streamlabs is free to use, it will take a premium subscription for users to gain access to all the app has to offer. It can also be a pricey option for some at $150 per year, but given the utility it provides, it might just pay for itself. Content creators who want to connect with their audience, build a community, and enhance their live streaming presence should look at Streamlabs before trying other streaming apps.

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The iPad makes for a great note-taking aid for students considering its touchscreen functionality and the quality of its screen. The device also makes for a great note-taking aid for green-oriented individuals, as it eliminates the waste of paper. Enter Notability — a note-taking app designed specifically for iPadOS devices. Its functionality extends beyond simple note-taking, however, as the app also allows for sketching and annotation. The app's treasure trove of features makes it a clear upgrade on standard note-taking apps, but Notability stands out from the pack for the specific package of features it entails.

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One of the hallmark features of Notability is multimedia note-taking, which allows users to incorporate many different types of content, such as handwriting, sketches, images, audio recordings, and more, into a single note to go with their notes and annotations. Notability's compatibility with the Apple Pencil will additionally provide iPad owners with an authentic note-taking experience. The app is free to download, but once downloaded requires users to choose a subscription plan to use the app. Notability will run consumers $2.99 per month or $14.99 per year for access on all devices, but its versatility on multiple levels makes it a must-buy for those who find themselves taking notes of any kind multiple times per week.

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Grammarly is an app that comes in many forms, but given the iPad's functionality with note-taking and email, it is a necessary addition to your growing app library. Those who use their iPad to communicate regularly will find Grammarly particularly useful, as the app is designed to serve as an automatic spell checker for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The app runs in the background and automatically suggests spell-checking changes as the user writes messages and emails. Those who use their iPads for work will never have to worry about accidentally sending a typo-laden email again.

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Grammarly is completely free to use, but the app does afford users a host of premium features hidden behind a $30 per-month paywall that can be condensed to $144 per year. For their money, Grammarly Premium users will receive suggestions for tone and word choice, sentence rewrites, and citations that are particularly helpful for students writing a paper for a class. Whether or not Grammarly's premium package is worth it will depend on the needs of the consumer. However, the app's writing assistance ensures clear, effective communication in various scenarios, giving it plenty of value in the context of the sea of iPad apps available for download.

For many, the apps of Google Workspace have taken the place of traditional programs that provide similar functions because of the app's cloud capabilities. For instance, one might prefer Google Docs to Microsoft Word for the ability to automatically save text documents in Google Cloud Storage, eliminating the need to move such files using external storage. Users of the app can even output their text files in file formats friendly with Microsoft Word, such as ".doc" and ".docx," providing them with the versatility to work on essays, articles, and other projects from anywhere at any time. Since many likely already use Google Workspace in desktop form, there is plenty of reason to download the app for use on the iPad.

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Another plus for Google Workspace is its ability to host real-time collaboration. Since all of the data lives in the cloud, multiple people can work on the same document, spreadsheet, or project at the same time and even see the edits being made in real-time, preventing one another from stepping on each other's toes. The versatility of apps included in Google Workspace is also a plus. While "Docs" can be a substitute for Microsoft Word in most cases, "Sheets" can serve the same purpose as Microsoft Excel. Likewise, "Slides" can substitute for Microsoft Powerpoint, and so on.

The only thing users may have to worry about paying for is extra storage in Google Drive, but Google's yearly fees are reasonable, with plans starting at just $1.99 per month for 100GB, while users can pay for up to 30TB of cloud storage in a given account if they need it.

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For those who use both their iPad and desktop computer to facilitate work in their professional life, TeamViewer has plenty of utility. The app is designed to facilitate access to several devices remotely, giving one the power to, for example, control aspects of their desktop computer from their phone or tablet. Those who need to access desktop files on the go can now do so without needing to log in to a special VPN or get set up on a company share drive. TeamViewer's compatibility with different devices ultimately drives its value, as users can download and use it with their various devices without worrying about whether one device will agree with another.

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From there, the various uses of TeamViewer are seemingly endless. Tech-conscious users can get their families set up on TeamViewer to help them troubleshoot any common issues that may arise. Businesses can take advantage of the app to make hybrid remote setups and telecommuting situations more optimized than ever before. TeamViewer can also be used as a remote control of sorts to print files from anywhere in the office, and the screen-sharing capability of the app also makes it ideal for remote presentations. For all that it provides, TeamViewer is not cheap, with plans starting at nearly $25 per month. However, the app offers a free trial, so users should check it out first to see everything it has to offer before taking the plunge.

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ChatGPT has taken the world by storm in 2023, offering new AI solutions to a wide variety of different tasks. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT can assist those seeking detailed answers to specific questions without needing to comb through articles and research papers over multiple tabs to find a starting point. With ChatGPT, users can find a starting point and work their way backward through independent research. ChatGPT can also help with creative writing solutions and problem-solving, in addition to serving as a way for users to practice a second language without being intimidated by trying it out with strangers for the first time.

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The app's presence on the iPad can complement existing applications, adding versatility, entertainment, and efficiency to basic tasks. Of course, the app's functions can be reached on the web from any device, but the iPadOS app is significantly more optimized, and users will likely not want to return to the web client after checking out the app. Users can interact with the app via voice, utilize haptic feedback within the app and even view their chat history when offline, a luxury not afforded on the web. ChatGPT is free for all to use, but those looking to remain on the cutting edge of AI innovation (and gain access to OpenAI's GPT-4 model) need to pay a premium subscription price of $19.99 per month.

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Photomath stands out as one of the best educational tools at the disposal of an iPad user. Per the app's website, Photomath was created by a father in search of an easier, more efficient way to help his children with their math homework. For him, explaining math concepts in a relatable way his children would understand proved challenging, opening the door for an app like Photomath to be created to assist its users with learning math outside the classroom. The app's function is in the title — iPad users can take a photo of a math problem or equation, and the app will provide instructions for ways the equation can be solved. The app can also read and recognize handwriting,

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As useful as the app can be, it will be up to parents to police its usage as it could be used as a shortcut to solving math problems and completing homework without kids actually "learning" new math concepts and methods. While Photomath is free-to-use, users can also take advantage of a premium subscription branded Photomath Plus. The app's premium subscription offers a one-week trial with monthly plans starting at $9.99 and yearly plans starting at $59.99. Those invested in the app as a learning aid should consider subscribing, as the premium subscription offers detailed step-by-step instructions for problem-solving, custom visual aids, and "deep-dive solutions for hundreds of textbooks."

There is no limit on the value of learning a second or third language. For iPad owners, Duolingo is a great choice for those looking to learn or refine their non-dominant language. At its core, Duolingo employs a slew of interactive exercises, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing, to engage learners in a dynamic and immersive language-learning experience. The interface is extremely user-friendly, and while this is a key characteristic of most popular apps, Duolingo takes the phrase "user-friendly" to the next level and makes use of the iPad's capabilities to make learning new languages fun and easy (or at least as easy as it can be).

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Assuming users of the application are native English speakers, Duolingo offers courses in 37 different languages that do not include fictional languages also offered, such as Klingon from the "Star Trek" series and High Valyrian from the "Game of Thrones." Another plus for Duolingo is the free-to-use nature of the app. Users can subscribe to "Super Duolingo" for $7.99 per month, which removes ads and gives users unlimited usage (free users will have to pause their lesson if they get too many questions wrong). A $47.99 price tag for those looking for a yearly subscription is competitive with other language-learning applications, but even still, users can learn as many languages as they want without paying for a premium subscription. This makes the app incredibly valuable for most iPad owners.

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Though the idea of using Microsoft software on Apple hardware might be incomprehensible to some, it is not unprecedented. The Xbox 360 did, after all, have compatibility with Apple's line of iPods. Nevertheless, cloud streaming has taken gaming to a new level. Given the quality of the iPad's screen, the device is an ideal candidate for cloud gaming apps, with Xbox Game Pass being chief among them. Other cloud gaming apps to consider might be Amazon Luna, Nvidia's GeForce Now, and Boosteroid.

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None of them have iPadOS apps though, owing to Apple restrictions, which means all of these are technically web apps. You've to use them via Safari. For Xbox Cloud Gaming, head to Xbox.com/play, Amazon.com/Luna for Amazon Luna, play.GeForceNow.com for GeForce Now, and cloud.Boosteroid.com for Boosteroid. Once you've arrived at the app of your choice, hit the Share button in Safari and tap on Add to Home Screen. This way, you can quickly access it going forward.

Cloud gaming makes it possible for gamers to play their favorite games over the internet without the need for dedicated gaming hardware or local game installations. While technology is not for everyone, it does open up a world of possibilities. Instead of playing games off traditional hardware, cloud gaming shifts the processing and rendering tasks to powerful remote servers that handle the tasks.

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Those looking to game over the cloud will need a strong internet connection for the best possible experience, but it allows for devices like the iPad to accommodate almost any game. Best of all, gaming over the cloud means saving hundreds of gigabytes, so those who plan to use their iPad for business purposes can also use it as a gaming device without having to commit valuable storage to it as a gaming device.