The best Android apps available right now

There are a ton of amazing must-have Android apps out there. However, there are a few that stand out above the rest. Many users will have personal preferences, but some apps better juggle functionality, ease of use, and power user appeal than others. Without further delay, here are the best Android apps for phones and tablets currently available.

The best Android apps

Most people should be familiar with most of these apps. They are the best, and the best usually aren’t anonymous. That is, after all, what makes them the best. You can also check out our picks for the best new Android apps of the recent month and a list of Android widgets we particularly enjoy.

1Weather

An excellent weather app for pluviophiles and casuals alike.

• Price: Free / Ad-free version unlock for $1.99
• Developer: OneLouder Apps

1Weather is arguably the best weather app out there, and that’s something considering just how competitive this segment is. It features a simple, paginated design that shows you the current weather, forecast for up to 12 weeks, a radar, and other fun stats. You’ll also get a fairly decent set of lightly customizable widgets and the standard stuff like severe weather notifications and a radar so you can see the storms approaching. There is also a video element with two or three-minute weather updates for your region. The UI is logical and reasonably easy to navigate as well. The radar occasionally hangs while loading, but it’s usually not too big of a deal.

Regarding good premium Android apps, 1Weather isn’t a bad choice either. The free version has every feature with some mild, inoffensive advertising, but a single $1.99 in-app purchase removes advertising. When you open the app, most will also enjoy the range of weather fun facts.

Bitwarden

A free, secure password manager that’s full of features.

• Price: Free / Optional premium plans from $10 annually
• Developer: Bitwarden

It isn’t easy jumping around password managers to find one that works for you. We can put a solid word in for Bitwarden. This platform offers unlimited password storage — on your storage bank or their servers — with two-factor authentication and keyphrase generation support. Bitwarden Send is also a feature worth mentioning. It allows the secure sending of essential details to another user.

Bitwarden, at its core, is free to use. However, you can add to its functionality by opting for premium tiers. One caters to families of up to six users.

ChatGPT

OpenAI’s powerful generative AI service is a must-have digital multitool.

• Price: Free / Optional premium ChatGPT Plus plan from $20 monthly
• Developer: OpenAI

Plenty of AI apps are currently available, including Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. But one tool that’s leading the pack is ChatGPT. The app allows easy, direct access to OpenAI’s tool and offers a clean UI, a voice mode, and relatively swift responses. You can accomplish various tasks with ChatGPT, from drafting emails and generating recipes or a workout regime framework to designing timetables and beyond. It’s a powerful tool if you master its prompts. Its base form is free, and the new GPT-4o model adds plenty of additional smarts to an already impressive offering.

Google Drive

Store all your phone’s valuables in Google’s cloud storage service.

• Price: Free / Basic subscription from $1.99 monthly
• Developer: Google

Google Drive is a cloud storage solution available on Android. Upon signing up, new users get 15GB for free permanently, easily making it one of the best free Android apps around. You can, of course, buy more if needed. What makes Google Drive so special is the suite of Android apps attached to it. They include Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Photos, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Keep. It covers so many bases and is so cheap that it’s impossible not to recommend it to just about anybody.

Some of the features of these apps include live collaboration, deep sharing features, and compatibility with Microsoft Office documents. It’s easy to use, you get 15GB of free storage for your documents, and the cross-platform support is pretty good. You can find more cloud storage and office apps if you want something different.

Google Keep

A quick-fire note-taking app that works across platforms.

• Price: Free
• Developers: Google

Google Keep doesn’t get enough credit in the Android world. The note-taking, list-making, and audio-memo app is all you need to keep your thoughts in line and accessible. Taking inspiration from sticky notes, Keep lets you create multiple notes you can organize and access from multiple platforms. Own a smartwatch? Create a keep of groceries you need and access them from your wrist while shopping.

There are more feature-packed noting and ideation apps out there, with Notion and Evernote coming to mind. However, you can’t beat Keep’s convenience on Android.

Google Maps and Waze

The best mapping apps for Android, bar none.

• Price: Free
• Developers: Google / Waze

Google Maps virtually owns the navigation apps scene and remains one of the best Android apps ever. It gets frequent, almost weekly updates that only add to its incredibly generous list of existing features. Aside from the basics, Google Maps gives you access to places of interest, traffic data, directions to things like rest stops or gas stations, and you can download maps for offline use.

If you add to that the Waze experience, which includes tons of its own features, you won’t need another navigation app. Ever. Google also owns and operates Waze, so we list them together. Both navigation apps work on Android Auto and usually work better than car navigation systems. Of course, we have more GPS and navigation apps if you need them.

Google and Google Assistant

Google’s two gateways to the content that’s important to you.

• Price: Free
• Developer: Google

This is one seriously powerful app. It also works on most Android devices. You download the app and then enable it. From there, you can ask whatever you want. It also supports a variety of commands. You can control smart home products, ask just about any question, and it can even do simple math problems for you. It’s included with various products, such as Google Home speakers.

There is also a second Google Assistant app for those who want a quick launch icon on the home screen. The hardware stuff costs money, but Google Assistant is free. There are other decent personal assistant apps, like Amazon Alexa, if you want to go beyond Google.

Google Voice

Get a second phone number from Google (if you’re in the US).

• Price: Free for personal use in the US / Business plans from $10 monthly
• Developer: Google

Google Voice is a must-have app for separating personal and professional phone lines. It’s essentially Google’s VoIP service that offers users a second number that can be used without the need for an additional SIM card or eSIM profile. Google Voice can be used via the Android app but can also be accessed through a web browser.

Google Voice’s main flaw is its lack of widespread availability. It’s accessible across 14 countries, including the US and Canada, but it might not be the universal solution you want. Thankfully, there are plenty of free call apps if you live elsewhere. Google Voice is also free in the States, but businesses must pay a monthly sum.

Microsoft SwiftKey

Microsoft’s excellent Android keyboard gets even better with Bing Chat integration.

• Price: Free
• Developer: SwiftKey

Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard is among the most powerful and customizable third-party keyboards available. It hit the market several years ago with a predictive engine unlike any other keyboard, and the app has grown a lot over the years. It’s a free download with free themes, so you don’t have to pay a dime. More importantly, it gained Copilot integration, allowing for automatic message composition, an emoji generator, and the usual smart GPT-4 powered fare.

Other features include a dedicated number row, SwiftKey Flow, which allows for gesture typing, multiple language support, cross-device syncing of your library, and much more. It’s about as good as it gets in the keyboard space.

Mozilla Firefox

The best mobile browser for Android with extensive add-on support.

• Price: Free
• Developer: Mozilla

Firefox is my choice of desktop browser, and it has become one of the best Android browsers in recent years, too. It wasn’t always as polished as it is now, with Google Chrome largely trumping it on performance and integration with Android. However, recent versions of Mozilla Firefox have added more value to the browser, including a swathe of extensions, customizations, and zippy performance.

Of course, there’s no reason to use one browser on your phone or tablet, and I still use Google Chrome for specific tasks. Even Firefox Focus, a companion browser made with privacy and quick search in mind, is worth including in your kit. However, Firefox is the best option as a primary browser for day-to-day tasks and beyond.

Nova Launcher

The long-running king of Android launchers.

• Price: Free / Unlock Prime version for $4.99
• Developer: Nova Launcher

Initially, we weren’t going to put any launchers on this list, but Nova Launcher extends beyond what normal launchers are. It’s been around for years and consistently updated; thus, it’s always been an excellent launcher replacement option. It has many features, including the ability to back up and restore your home screen set-ups, icon theming for all your Android apps, tons of customization elements for the home screen and app drawer, and more. An analytics company purchased it, but no bad changes have been made.

You can even make it look like the Pixel Launcher if you want to. If you go premium, you can tack on gesture controls, unread count badges for apps, and icon swipe actions. Those looking for something simpler may want to try Lawnchair Launcher or Hyperion Launcher. Of course, we have a list of the best Android launchers with even more options. We also have a tutorial for Nova Launcher if you want to learn more.

Pocket Casts

A great podcast management app for keen listeners.

• Price: Free / Plus tier from $39.99 annually
• Developer: Automattic

Pocket Casts is one of the most popular podcast apps. It received some ire years ago for moving to a subscription model. However, changes since then have made the app more or less usable by anyone, even without a subscription. The app houses a ton of podcasts, good sharing options, and you can set things like auto download and playback speed. The UI is clean, easy to read, and easy to navigate. There isn’t much Pocket Casts does wrong.

The subscription is mostly optional and includes cross-platform support, more themes, 10GB of cloud storage to store podcasts, and more. We used to be quite against subscriptions, but since most podcast players now do it, I can use this without the subscription without much issue. Podcast Addict and CastBox are other excellent options in this space, and we have a list of even more great podcast apps.

Poweramp

An offline music player for Android with a dizzying array of options.

• Price: Free trial / Full version unlock from $7.99
• Developer: Poweramp Software Design

There are other great music player apps, but the top slot is arguably Poweramp’s title to lose. Poweramp also has an equalizer app (Google Play link) if you want more control.

Solid Explorer

An Android file manager that thrives on clean design and customization.

• Price: Free trial / Unlock for $5.99
• Developer: NeatBytes

File browsing is something everyone inevitably has (or wants) to do, so you might as well do it with a capable, fantastic file browser. Solid Explorer is as good as it gets in the file explorer apps realm. It features Material Design, archiving support, support for the most popular cloud services, and even some more power-user stuff like FTP, SFPT, WebDAV, and SMB/CIFS support.

It looks great, is incredibly stable, and works well. There is a 14-day free trial with a $2.99 price tag. Other file browsers have more features, but few blend together looks, ease of use, and features like Solid Explorer does. If this doesn’t work for you, there are other outstanding file browsers.

Tasker and IFTTT

Automate your entire digital life with these two powerful services.

• Prices: $3.49 and Free / Optional Pro plan from $34.99 annually
• Developers: joaomgcd / IFTTT

Tasker and IFTTT are two of the most powerful Android apps. They are automation apps where you can create various triggers to perform actions when specific things happen. For instance, you can use IFTTT or Tasker to turn on your Philips Hue lights automatically at night and off in the morning. Generally speaking, Tasker is the power-user option and has a much steeper learning curve than IFTTT. IFTTT is not only easier to use, but there is a boatload of fun things you can do with it. 

Tasker is free on Google Play Pass. IFTT is free for most stuff, but there is a subscription if you want a few extras. There are some other great Android tools and utility apps, but none of them can step up to Tasker and IFTTT.

Textra

The colorful Google Messages alternative for multi-device messaging sync.

• Price: Free / Optional Pro unlock for $6.99
• Developer: Delicious

Messages by Google (Google Play) is another great option; it can even stream your texts to your computer (via web browser). We also have a full list of excellent SMS apps if these don’t work for you.

TickTick

Efficiently juggle your tasks, reminders, and calendar events within one smart app.

• Price: Free / Premium plan from $35.99 annually
• Developer: Appest

You get all of the features for free, albeit in a somewhat limited capacity, such as two reminders per task (premium makes that infinite). Our only major gripe is the lack of Wear OS support, which we hope the developers will eventually add. Some other excellent options in the space include Todoist and Microsoft To-Do.

YouTube and YouTube Music

Access hours of video and music with Google’s premier content apps.

• Price: Free / Premium subscription from $13.99
• Developer: Google

We don’t typically recommend streaming services to people. After all, everybody has their own preferences, and plenty of great options exist. However, we really like the combination of YouTube Music and YouTube, especially for those on large-screen devices like Android tablets. For one price, you get unlimited music from YouTube Music with more than enough tracks to compete with Spotify and Apple Music. However, you also get ad-free YouTube, background video play, and offline downloads.

Other music streaming services are usually better, but ad-free YouTube without the need for sideloading is excellent. Audiophiles may want to check out Hi-Fi options like TIDAL or Deezer.

Zedge

Find oodles of content and customizations to spruce up your smartphone.

• Price: Free / Optional premium content
• Developer: Zedge

Last but certainly not least on our list is Zedge. This is a wallpaper, ringtones, notification tones, and alarm tones app that gives you an unbelievable number of options to customize the most basic parts of your device. On top of having an exhaustive collection of things, Zedge also promotes various items during holiday seasons, making it easy to theme your phone up for Christmas, Halloween, and other holidays.

It’s not 100% perfect. It does have the occasional bug and some of the worst advertising practices of any mobile app. Zedge Premium is a new initiative to provide premium content at a reasonable price. You watch ads or fill out surveys to earn Zedge credits as well. There are other great ringtone apps and great wallpaper apps. However, Zedge is the only one that reliably does both well, and its library is massive.

If you’re not into the idea of wallpaper apps, we understand. We’ve compiled an extensive collection of the best Android wallpapers around, so be sure to check it out.

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If we missed any of the best Android apps, tell us about them in the comments below.