My Top 5 Favorite Apps (and they’re all free)

I decided to create a short list of some of the apps that I use daily or almost daily. I skipped anything social media related (sorry Twitter, Instagram, and such) because those are always a hit, and instead went for the quirky, yet cool apps (or the app version of high school me).

1. Duolingo – If you have ever been interested in learning French, Italian, Spanish, or a host of other languages, this is a flat-out fantastic app to get. It’s been rated time and again as a great app to develop new language skills and build a vocabulary the same way a child would. This app has an easy-to-follow layout, multiple ways of learning a language (by reading, writing, and speaking it), and makes it into a game (of sorts).

You have three hearts at the top of the screen for each lesson, allowing you to make up to three mistakes per lesson. You can have it send you daily practice reminders, set a daily goal, or compete against your friends. The app works by translating websites, and creates answers based off the averages of what people believe the sites say (so you are also helping translate the internet). Once you have finished a section and moved on to others, it will start having you brush up on past lessons so that you are continually refreshing your skills (definitely not something I did in high school French class).

Furthermore, the app now has great add-ons like idioms and flirting, which further helps you learn the language better (and brush up on your bad pick up lines). The best part, is that you really feel like you retain the information and it is a completely different experience than the way languages are taught in school (at least in my experience).

2. NPR News – picking a news channel can be very tricky if you are someone who wants honest reporting and an unbiased news source (or at least as unbiased as possible). NPR is known throughout the world for their outstanding coverage of both world and local events, and they bring all this to you in one handy app. You can browse local, national, or world news, search articles, and listen to your favorite NPR stations (and favorite them too). The app also has a special station for when breaking news occurs.

Although this app can sometimes be glitchy (the radio can cut out when buffering on the android system), it is by far my most reliable source of news.

3. Bank of America (or any other mobile banking app) – I think one of my most favorite technological advances in the last ten years has been the advent of online/mobile banking. I am one of those people that ALWAYS checks how much I have in the bank, how much I’m spending, and how much should be coming in. I love that I can track all of these things on my phone, however I am careful not to use it in an area with an open wi-fi connection.

And now that pretty much every mobile banking app has a check deposit feature, you may hardly ever need to set foot in an actual bank again! There’s also new banking companies, like Simple, who function completely through the Internet, and usually offer far better rewards and services than the major players here in the US.

4. Mint – Continuing on the finances theme, this is probably the app that saves me the greatest amount of money. Mint can view all your monetary accounts (banks, student loans, credit cards, utilities, etc.) and figure out what you should be spending each month based on your income and other expenses. You can set monthly savings goals, adjust and track budgets, and view your monthly spending habits in graph form.

It also has the option of sending you alerts if you are reaching the end of a budget limit, if you’ve overspent in a budget category, or you have bills that will be due soon. Best of all (in a weird way), these reminders are slightly passive-aggressive, making you (at least me) feel kinda guilty about overspending, which, in theory, should help you spend less the following month.

5. Imgur – Life is hard. Sometimes all you need is a good laugh to make everything feel OK again. This is where Imgur comes in. Imgur is perhaps the best source of funny GIFs, pictures, internet jokes, memes, and every nerd joke ever created. It also has touching stories (usually with happy endings), news stories that might not be seen on tv, and really cool science discoveries. Basically, think of everything any nerd or geek could possibly love, create a simple layout, and allow for some of the funniest comments this side of Reddit, and bam, you have Imgur. Plus, their layout is a black background with white font that reduces eye strain when you’re on the site late at night. Just beware, this site can easily suck up your time, I have easily wasted hours looking at this site when I thought only thirty minutes had passed. Oh well. Time. Well. Spent.

So how about you? What are your favorite apps?