Top iPhone and iPad apps for productivity (March 2018 edition)

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  • Handwriting calculator

    Handwriting calculator

    If you're the sort of person who likes jotting calculations out on the back of an envelope, you'll love MyScript Calculator. Rather than relying on a keyboard, you write out your calculations on an interactive display. You can easily change, erase, and update the equations you write.

    And you're not limited to easy stuff either -- you can do some pretty indepth stuff using this calculator:

    • Basic operations: +, -, ×, ÷, /,:
    • Powers, roots, exponentials: 7², √, ∛, e³
    • Miscellaneous operations: %, |5|, 3!
    • Brackets: ( )
    • Trigonometry: sin, cos, tan, cot, cosh, sinh, tanh, coth Inverse trigonometry: asin, acos, atan, acot, arcsin, arccos, arctan, arccot, acosh, asinh, atanh, acoth, arcosh, arsinh, artanh, arcoth
    • Logarithms: ln, log
    • Constants: π, e, phi

    I have to admit that initially I was skeptical, but after a few minutes of using this, it's now my go-to app for the sort of stuff that I'd have previously scribbled out on an old bit of paper.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Graphing calculator

    Graphing calculator

    If it's a graphing calculator you're after, then look no further than Quick Graph. Not only is this app free (there's an in-app purchase to unlock advanced features), but it's very powerful and versatile.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Calculator

    Calculator

    Lots of calculator apps to choose from, but once of my long-term favorites is PCalc Lite, which even comes with an awesome Apple Watch app.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Mail

    Mail

    If you're a Gmail user, then I recommend Inbox by Gmail. However, if you use a different email service -- or you use several -- then I suggest you take a look at Microsoft Outlook, which is one of the best (if not the best) mail apps for iOS out there

    But there are plenty of other apps you could choose from.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Secure email

    Secure email

    If you want an app that can encrypt your email, then take a look at iPGMail. This is an app that implements the OpenPGP standard (RFC 4880, RFC 6637) and allows the user to create and manage both public and private (RSA, DSA, ECDSA) PGP keys and send and receive PGP encrypted messages.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Browsing

    Browsing

    For me, my browser of choice is Google Chrome. But others might prefer Firefox, or something completely different such as Puffin. At the end of the day, they are all web browsers, and which you prefer is largely down to personal preference.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Secure browsing

    Secure browsing

    If you're looking for a browser that offers more security features and functions such as parental controls, the F-Secure's SAFE is a good choice. It's particularly good if you carry out banking via the browser on your iPhone because it verifies the safety of the site you are visiting.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Messages

    Messages

    There are a lot of alternatives that spring to mind (such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.), and which you choose really depends on what you family, friends, and work colleagues' use. But if I'm going to replace Messages with anything, I'd go for Signal, because if it's good enough for Edward Snowden, it's good enough for me.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • If super-secure messaging isn't your thing

    If super-secure messaging isn't your thing

    If super-secure messaging isn't your thing, then a very popular and highly-regarded messaging app is GroupMe, which, as the name suggests, is good for group messaging.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Camera

    Camera

    I've tried dozens of camera apps for iOS and tend to switch between Camera+ (which offers tons of control and has an awesome slow shutter feature) and Manual, which is the closest to having a DSLR with me when I only got my iPhone, and both are great, easy-to-use replacements for the built-in app.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Pro photography app

    Pro photography app

    If you want a pro camera app with built-in features such as noise reduction and super low-light performance, then ProCamera is well worth taking a look at. At $4.99, it's one of the more expensive apps, but for photography under demanding conditions, it really excels.

    If you're into night photography, then an app I highly recommend is NightCap Pro. This app features unique astronomy modes capture the stars, meteors showers, aurora, and to create your own star trail timelapse photographs.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Reminders

    Reminders

    Who doesn't need reminding about tasks? While I think that which reminders app people get along with best is a matter of personal preference, I suggest those looking to replace the built-in Reminders app take a look at Todoist (which is great for people who like to collaborate) or Wunderlist (which offers a number of professional features as part of the Pro subscription).

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Reminders with desktop synchromization

    Reminders with desktop synchromization

    If you want a Reminders replacement that features desktop synchronization, then Any.do is a great alternative. This means your reminders follow you no matter what platform you are using!

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Calendar

    Calendar

    Let me tell you that there are a lot of calendar apps in the Apple App Store, and finding the right one can be tricky and time-consuming.

    Three that I've found to be particularly good are, in no particular order, Fantastical 2 (which comes with a great Apple Watch app), Tiny Calendar (which has some of the best layouts I've seen), and miCal (which has some really nice features such as built-in weather and a birthday manager).

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • If you're more of a 'Getting Things Done' person

    If you're more of a 'Getting Things Done' person

    If you're more of a 'Getting Things Done' person than an straight-out calendar person, then Things 3 might be a better choice for you.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Clock

    Clock

    I like the Start app, not only because it's an easy-to-use alarm, timer, and stopwatch app, but also because it can be used to trigger certain apps (which include Facebook, Fantastical, Instagram, Music, Pandora, Path, Reeder, Rdio, Safari, Sparrow, Spotify, and Tweetbot) when the timer reaches zero.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Alarm clock

    Alarm clock

    If you want to turn your iPhone into a full-on alarm clock with built-in weather forecast and cool graphics, then you need Alarm Clock Pro. Here you'll find no end of features to make sure you wake up in the morning.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Notes

    Notes

    Without a doubt the winner here is Evernote, because it integrates with your workflow so well no matter what platform you are on. However, hardcore Microsoft Office users might want to give OneNote a go.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Notes with collaboration

    Notes with collaboration

    If you want a simple replacement for Notes, but want to have the ability to collaborate and store data outside of iCloud, then SimpleNotes is well worth a try.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Weather

    Weather

    Three good replacements for the Weather app spring to mind. The best is undoubtedly Dark Sky, but that's going to cost you. For those who'd rather have a free app, The Weather Channel app or Weather Underground are also excellent.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Weather, without needing a meteorology degree

    Weather, without needing a meteorology degree

    If you just want something that offers a little more than the stock Weather app, and you like pretty photographs, then Yahoo Weather is the app for you. This is one of the most beautifully designed apps out there, and it even comes with an Apple Watch app.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Maps

    Maps

    While there are a number of good in-car navigation apps out there, when it comes to general mapping, the best alternative for the stock iOS Maps app is Google Maps.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Topographic maps

    Topographic maps

    If roadmaps aren't your thing and you want to go off-road, then take a look at Topo Maps+, which gives you access to USGS maps.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Stocks

    Stocks

    If the Stocks app isn't doing it for you, then an app like Stock TickerPicker might give you access to the information you need.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Hardcore stocks app

    Hardcore stocks app

    If you're looking for streaming live quotes, pre-market/after-hour quotes, portfolio monitoring, advanced full-screen chart, push notification-based alerts, economic news, event/earnings calendar, and market signal scans, then Stock Tracker is the app you need.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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Graphing calculator

If it's a graphing calculator you're after, then look no further than Quick Graph. Not only is this app free (there's an in-app purchase to unlock advanced features), but it's very powerful and versatile.

Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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