33 of 2016’s Must-Have Apps to Make Your Life Easier

UPDATED: June 23, 2023
PUBLISHED: December 30, 2016

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier1. 30/30

(Free)

Thirty minutes to answer emails, 45 minutes to write that speech and 45 minutes to finalize the budget. Ready, set, go. The 30/30 app will help you organize your to-do list and keep you on task.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier2. 7 Minute Workout

(Free)

It’s not easy to make time for the gym, but seven minutes is doable. Break a sweat without leaving your room with 12 high-intensity exercises for 30 seconds each, with 10 seconds of rest between them.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier3. Balanced

(Free, iOS only)

Input an activity and how often you want to do it—work out four times a week—and then track your progress. Whatever your goals are, Balanced will hold you accountable for accomplishing them.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier4. Bloom*

(FREE)

Plant seeds of productivity so you’ll bloom in 2016. This app (for iOS only) sends you “blooms” (reminders) for anything from eating healthier to reminding you to call your parents.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier5. BrightNest

(Free)

Want to save more money around the house? Make your home greener, cleaner, prettier? Enter your personal goals for your abode into this app, and it’ll provide you with customized tips to accomplish your objectives, helping you schedule tasks and sending reminders to do them.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier6. Control4

(Free)

Dim the lights, turn up the AC and play some Sinatra, all from your smartphone. With an annual subscription, this app connects to your Wi-Fi network and allows you to manage your home no matter where you are.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier7. Cozi Family Organizer

(Free)

Digitize the family calendar on the fridge with this app. Cozi catalogs all of your family’s activities and color-codes them into one master calendar. Plus, it delivers weekly emails to your family with a rundown of the week’s events.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier8. Daily Yoga

(Free)

Unwind and build some muscle with this app—loaded with more than 50 yoga sessions and videos to help you master each pose. You’ll be a yogi in no time.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier9. Day One

($4.99, iOS only)

Digitalize your daily journal with Day One. Take a moment every day to type out your thoughts and feelings. This app also allows you to upload photos and search for entries by location and date.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier10. Deep Calm

(Free, iOS only)

Throw out your melatonin pills and use this app to help you sleep instead. Deep Calm will help you relax with natural sounds and soothing melodies. Let the sounds play all night or set the timer to stop playing after a while.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier11. Fitocracy

(Free)

Use this app to track your workouts, learn new ones and receive advice from trainers. Invite your friends to use Fitocracy and challenge each other to get in shape.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier12. Freedom

($7/month)

If social media distractions keep you from getting work done, this is the app for you. Using a limited virtual private network profile, Freedom will block content on your device while you work. You can even lock your phone to keep from cheating.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier13. Gogobot

(Free)

Sometimes the best thing you can do to stay fresh is explore. Enter your interests—history, food, design—and Gogobot will provide you a personalized list of places to go and things to do.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier14. Gratitude Journal

($2.99)

What are you thankful for? Stay positive by keeping a log of the things you’re grateful for. Available for iOS only, this app will also send motivational quotes that will inspire you.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier15. Grocery IQ

(Free)

Build your grocery list with this app, and you’ll never forget to pick something up again. Grocery IQ also allows you to search for coupons and keeps track of items you purchase frequently to make lists from your history.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier16. Habitica

(Free)

Gamify your life with Habitica. Input your productivity goals into this app; the more you achieve the more levels of the game you beat. As you accomplish more of your objectives, you’ll unlock features such as armor, pets, skills and quests.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier17. Habit List

($3.99)

To accomplish more you need to break bad habits and create new positive ones. This app helps track your progress toward reaching your goals and provides reminders so you stay on track.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier18. Headspace

(Free)

Increase your mindfulness, focus, positivity and even sleep quality all with one app. Headspace teaches you how to practice meditation in only 10 minutes a day
and even tracks your progress so you can watch yourself improve.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier19. irunurun

(Free)

Do you remember being graded on a 100-point scale in high school? Enter a habit you want to track with this app, start the week at a zero and then work up to 100 as you complete actions to reach your target. You don’t want to fail, do you?

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier20. iSentry

(Free)

Connect this app (available for iOS only) to your computer’s webcam, and you’ll receive a notification anytime the camera detects motion inside the room. It’s a free home security system!

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier21. Kitchen Stories

(Free)

This app is a cookbook in your pocket. It comes loaded with easy-to-make recipes, including how-to videos and step-by-step photos to assist you. With new recipes every week, your palate will never be bored.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier22. Lumosity Mobile

(FREE)

Why not play a game on your phone that will challenge your brain? Designed by neuroscientists, this app is loaded with games designed to improve your memory and attention.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier23. Office Yoga–Fitness AT Work

($2.99)

Learn yoga exercises from the comfort of your desk. These stretches aim to relieve the pains and strains that come from sitting at your desk from 9 to 5, which in turn will increase your productivity.)

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier24. Pigment

(Free)

Adult coloring books are great stress relievers. Use your smartphone as a coloring book with Pigment, so you can relax while you’re on the go.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier25. Pocket

(Free)

You’re working on a report when an interesting article pops up on your newsfeed. Use Pocket to save it for later. You’ll be more efficient, and you won’t miss out on that viral hit.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier26. Rise Alarm Clock

($1.99, iOS only)

Getting out of bed is easy when you wake up to pleasant sounds such as the ambient noise of the woods, a custom melody or your favorite song. Additionally, you can use this app to make falling asleep easier by creating a bedtime playlist.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier27. Samepage

(Free)

Make sure everyone is in the loop with Samepage. This app allows you and your co-workers to create and share files, collaborate on content and manage tasks, all from your smartphone.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier28. SimpleMind+

(Free)

Lost those notes and doodles from your brainstorming meeting? With this app you can create “Mind Maps” on your phone or tablet to help you organize your thoughts, save them and email them to your colleagues.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier29. Stress Doctor

($4.99, iOS only)

Go from the verge of a nervous breakdown to fully present in five minutes with this app. Stress Doctor’s breathing technique will help you decrease anxiety and increase focus. Record your breathing sessions and watch your progress.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier30. SuperBetter

(Free)

Build resilience and stay optimistic in the face of adversity with SuperBetter. This app is loaded with tasks to increase your psychological strengths such as giving yourself a positive affirmation.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier31. Weekdone

(Free)

This app is your status report made easy. All of your employees enter their progress, plans and problems; Weekdone compiles the info into a report and sends it out as an easy-to-read email.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier32. WinStreak

(Free)

Would you rather see your day as a win or a loss? Enter three goals into WinStreak every day, and each night record whether you accomplished them. Push yourself to see how many days you can go undefeated.

33 of the Best Apps of 2016 to Make Your Life Easier33. Worry Watch

($1.99, for iOS only)

Most of our worries are irrational. Track what’s bothering you with this app, and you’ll receive helpful charts on the patterns of your anxiety. Now you can tackle your problems head-on.

This article originally appeared in the January to December 2016 issues of SUCCESS magazine.

Jesus Jimenez is a staff writer for Dallas Morning News. He eats, breathes and sleeps Texas Rangers baseball. He also enjoys running, traveling and buying cool socks.