This Post: 20 Insanely Useful Apps for Students / Post updated October 2022
When you’re a middle, high school or college student, you need all the help you can get to help you stay focused, study smarter, keep track of all your assignments and make life just a little easier.
From cool apps to help you get and stay organized to top-rated apps to help fight those distractions when you’re studying, we’ve rounded up the best (and most insanely useful) apps for students. Here are our top 20 picks to help you survive and thrive in middle school, high school and college.
Homework Helpers
Quizlet
If you’re wondering how your classmates are studying, think Quizlet. Used by two-thirds of high school students and more than half of college students, Quizlet offers simple flashcards, games and learning tools that help you study pretty much anything, anywhere. If you need to learn a new language, study for your Biology test or prepare for the MCAT, Quizlet has you covered! (Basic Quizlet student account is free.)
Evernote
Evernote is an easy-to-use app that makes it simple to jot down notes in class, make to-do lists, brainstorm ideas, take pictures of pages or sketches, organize notes and information, and share it all with your classmates or collaborate as a group. Whether it’s a big group project or keeping track of deadlines you don’t want to miss, Evernote helps you stay organized so nothing falls through the cracks. (Basic Evernote plan is free.)
iHomework2
High school and college can be overwhelming. In fact, most students agree that managing homework and keeping up with all your assignments can sometimes be challenging. But with iHomework, it’s easy. The app helps you keep track of all your assignments, deadlines and tasks, and plan them out so you never find yourself cramming at the last minute. You can also manage your courses and log your grades so you always have a clear picture of your academic standing. (Available on the App Store for .99)
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha has all the answers. Simply type in a math problem, a question or formula and Wolfram Alpha will give you the answer you’re looking for, and show you exactly how it got there. Whether you need help in math, science, engineering, health or nutrition, this app makes learning, studying and discovering new information as easy as a click of a button. (Available on the App Store for $2.99)
Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors offers 66 mobile apps for students in a wide variety of subjects including AP Art History, Advanced Geometry, AP Biology, AP English Literature, and AP Physics, to name a few. The apps offer practice tests, quizzes, flashcards and diagnostic tests in a variety of academic and standardized test subjects. These apps are a great resource for teens who need to prepare for an upcoming exam or AP placement test. (Download on the App Store or Google Play free)
Scanner Pro
No more running to the library to scan textbook pages or documents. Now you can turn your iPhone or iPad into a portable scanner. Simply scan any paper document and Scanner Pro will save it as a clean, high-quality PDF – great for saving and storing those piles of class notes, school assignments or any other documents. (Available on the App Store for $3.99)
Productivity Apps
OffTime
Studying in high school and college can be challenging. There always seems to be a mountain of distractions keeping you from staying on task. OffTime helps you disconnect from your phone and avoid distractions when you need to focus.
The cool part is, you can block certain websites, apps, phone calls or text messages for any length of time so you won’t be interrupted or distracted. The app also tracks your phone usage so you’ll always know how you’re spending (or wasting) the majority of your time. (Available on the App Store for $2.99 or Google Play for free)
Todoist
There are a million different ways to keep track of all the things you have to get done. But sticky notes and scribbles in a notebook only go so far. That’s where Todoist comes in! You’ll be able to keep track of all your tasks across every device you use, regardless of platform. It’s that easy—even if you don’t want to pay a dime for the service.
Forest
Put your phone down, stay focused and plant a tree, all at the same time. It may sound silly, but Forest is actually a crazy popular app that helps students (or anyone, for that matter) focus on what’s important. Whenever you want to focus on a particular task you simply “plant a seed in the forest.” If you navigate away from the app within the next 30 minutes, the tree will wither and die. The goal is to build a beautiful forest in which each tree represents focused time. The best part is the Forest team partners with a real tree-planting organization to plant real trees on earth. (Available for $1.99 on the App Store or free on Android)
Trello
Trello makes it easy to organize any project you’re working on through fully customizable boards, which makes it great for group school projects. Separate your lists into tasks and check them off your to-do list when they’re completed to keep you organized and on track. (Free)
CoachMe
CoachMe is the app to have if you want to set a goal and keep it! The app helps you form a new habit, track it and get support from an online community who, like you, is trying to establish better habits. So, if you want to create a better study habit, get in shape or learn a new skill, CoachMe will help you stay on track and give you the added confidence you need to reach your goal. (Free)
Health and Fitness Apps
Nike Training Club
When you’re a student managing homework, sports, a job, your social life and everything else you have going on in your life, staying fit and healthy can be nothing short of a challenge. To keep your health on track download one of the coolest fitness apps around – Nike Training Club
The app offers more than 100 workouts so you’ll never get bored with the same old training schedule. Plus, you can customize your workouts based on intensity and duration, and every workout is mapped out so you can focus on what’s important – your workout. (Available on the App Store and Google Play for free.)
MyFitnessPal
If you’re looking for a fabulous app to get a grip on your health, eating right, and calorie consumption, MyFitnessPal is the app for you. It has the largest database of foods for name-brand foods and homemade meals and it offers calorie information for foods from literally all over the world. (Now you’ll know exactly how many calories are in that junk food you’ve been eating.) Whether you’re trying to lose weight, tone up, lower your BMI, or simply invest in your overall health, MyFitnessPal is the app to get you there. (Free with optional in-app purchases)
Strong
Take your fitness to a whole new level by joining more than 1 million users worldwide who use the Strong app to track their gym workouts. The app provides hundreds of built-in workout routines for legs, chest, triceps, back, and biceps, or a full-body workout. What’s cool is that you can do all the workouts with step-by-step instructions or follow along with a video that shows how the exercise(s) should be done. Plus, you can chart your workouts, so you can easily keep track of your progress. (Available on the App Store and Google Play for free)
7 Minutes
This app is perfect for every on-the-go student who doesn’t have a ton of time to hit the gym. It offers a no-fuss approach to fitness with simple 7-minute workouts you can do practically anywhere without special equipment. Each workout consists of 12 high-intensity exercises in cycles of 30 seconds followed by a 10-second rest. Exercises range from jumping jacks and push-ups to planks and lunges – all designed to get your whole body moving. (Free with optional in-app purchases)
Extra Apps to Make Life Easier (And Safer)
Chegg
We all know how expensive textbooks are. But before you go spending all your hard-earned money on textbooks, download the Chegg app and save big when you buy or rent textbooks. Plus, when you’re finished with the book, Chegg makes it easy to sell your book on their app. (Free)
Venmo
Venmo is seriously the best digital wallet app for high school and college students. The app makes it easy to securely send money and make purchases without having to worry about carrying around cash. So, whether it’s splitting the cost of rent between your college roommates, sharing the cost of an Uber or going dutch at your favorite lunch spot, you can pay your friends or family through your Venmo account using money you have in your account or easily link it to your bank account or debit card. (Free)
Dashlane
With Dashlane, you’ll never forget a password ever again. The app lets you safely store all your passwords in one spot, generate unique passwords for all your accounts and safely store all of them in the app’s digital wallet. The free version allows you to store up to 50 passwords on one device. (Free for the basic version)
Circle of 6
The Circle of 6 app was originally designed for college students to promote personal safety while on and off campus, but this app has become popular across the board with families, parents, friends, or virtually anyone looking to foster security. The app allows you to send your circle of six friends an instant call for help with the touch of a button. The GPS tracker marks your location on friends’ devices ensuring friends will always be able to find you in an emergency. (Available on the App Store and Google Play free)
Uber
If there’s one must-have app for high school and college kids, it’s Uber. Whether you’re heading home from a college party on a Friday night, Ubering to your internship, or sharing an Uber with friends to a concert downtown, Uber will get you there. The app is free to download and super easy to use. Just tap in your location and where you want to go and a driver will show up at your door in minutes. Before you take Uber, read these safety tips. (Free)
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