From calendar apps to to-do-list apps, project management apps to note-taking apps, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite apps for your home and workplace.
SaneBox
SaneBox isn't an email app. Instead, it's a service that works with your existing email app (such as Gmail, Outlook or Apple's Mail) and organizes your emails for you. It sorts them into different folders based on if the sender is somebody you communicate with often, if you cc'd or bcc'd on an email, if it's a newsletter, or if it's likely spam mail. The service is also packed with features to help you stay productive, such as snooze, reminder, easy-blocking and a 'do not disturb' mode.
Price: $7/month
Todoist
Todoist has been around for years and it's still one of the best to-do list apps you'll find. It works across all your devices, no matter if you're working on a Mac or PC, iPhone or Android, and is feature-packed to help you stay organized and on top of your tasks. Even its free version allows you to work on projects with up to five people — you can assign people tasks, send reminders if not completed on time, and even notes for commentary. It even has an offline mode in case you're working off the grid.
Price: Free (or $36/year for premium)
RescueTime
RescueTime is a time management tool that works in the background of your smartphone or computer. It automatically tracks the time you spend using various websites and apps, which you can classify as being productive or not, and then lets you set reminders and goals. You can also do things like block distracting websites to help build better habits. At the end of the week it will send you a weekly report to see how you performed. There's a two-week free trial.
Price: $6.50/month
Evernote
Evernote is tried-and-true and it just seems to get better with age. While businesses will no doubt appreciate the app’s paid packages, which enable elaborate work chats and dedicated file storage, the free version still works wonders for the self-employed and for small operations. Evernote’s real magic sits in its infinite flexibility. You can organize, annotate, hashtag, or collect your thoughts and clippings from the Web in any way imaginable — whatever makes the most sense for you. To boot, it syncs across desktop and mobile platforms, enabling you to make changes wherever you are.
Price: Free ($7.99/month for premium version)
SignEasy
There’s something magical about being able to sign a 40-page contract using you the screen on your phone. SignEasy is a polished signing app that makes importing, signing and saving completed documents to the cloud a cinch. For businesses that collect John Hancocks on the regular — law firms, real estate offices, etc. — the $20/month Business account fee ain’t half bad.
Price: $8/month for personal use
Dropbox
Dropbox is a hugely popular cloud-storage service that's a great option for anybody who wants to back-up their important files, photos and documents from their smartphone or computer. It has a tight and seamless integration across Windows and macOS, and offers easy-to-use apps for Android and iOS; basically it'll work for you. You get 2GB for free — which should give you a good idea if it’s the right option for you — and paid plans start at $10/month for 2TB of online space.
Price: Free for 2GB ($10/month for 2TB)
Slack
If your teams aren’t communicating on Slack, you’re probably doing it wrong. Slack deserves all of the hype heaped upon it. It’s a beautifully built chat tool that allows teams to segment themselves by hashtag, easily search archived conversations and never miss a moment with customizable alerts and support for both mobile and desktop.
Price: Free (for small teams)
Asana
Asana is one of the most popular productivity apps for teams working on larger projects. It combines all lines of communication into one place that everybody can see. You can create tasks for specific people, write notes or instructions for each task, and set deadlines. It also works across at platforms, iOS or Android, PC or Mac. The best part is that Asana is free for teams of 15 people or less. If you're a business with more than 15 people, you'll have to pay a small monthly fee.
Price: Free (for small teams)
Fantastical
Fantastical is a powerful and wonderfully-designed calendar app that's optimized for the Mac. (In fact, Apple awarded it "Mac App of the Year" in 2020.) It's bread-and-butter is its intuitive controls and its intelligent AI, which is smart enough to pull information from a wide-variety of Apple and third-party apps. Additionally, it works really well across all your other Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The app is free, but you'll have to pay a $5/ monthly fee for some more premium features, such as customizable task templates and integrations with conference calling apps like Zoom or Google Hangouts.
Price: Free ($5/month for a Premium subscription)
Newton Mail
Newton Mail is a premium email mail that’s designed for power users and businesses. It was first email apps to have features like snoozing, read receipts and scheduling, back in 2016, and has developed a strong and loyal subscriber base. In fact, Newton Mail was scheduled for termination in April 2020, but two super fans stepped in, bought the company, and now improving the app with new features (such as Dark mode) and bug fixes. Today, it works seamlessly across Mac and Windows 10 devices, and it's still one of our favorite email apps out there.
Price: $50/year
