Not just apps from Apple, but third-party apps from developers who have remained committed to providing high-quality tools for iPad users. Below, you’ll find just a handful of iPad apps that make using the tablet for school and work-related tasks possible.
Flexibits moved its apps over to a subscription model, with a yearly cost of $40, but it now includes two of the company’s apps: Fantastical and Cardhop. The former is a calendar app that is truly a joy to use, and Cardhop takes a similar approach to help you manage your contacts.
Fantastical is one of the best calendar apps available for the iPad. It combines your tasks and calendar entries into one app, and it’s easy to use thanks to features like being able to create a new entry just by typing a single line of text. For example, if you enter “Meeting with David next Thursday at 3” the appointment will be created without any further effort on your part.
You can use either app for free with some features reserved for a premium account.
Pros:
Two apps in one Combine tasks and calendar entries into one app
Cons:
The best features are reserved for a premium account
After years of using Apple’s Mail app, I’ve finally made the switch to Readle’s Spark mail app across all of my devices. With features like the ability to schedule when an email is sent, email templates, or snooze emails for action at a later time it’s been invaluable for me. But for business and enterprise users, there are more valuable features like the ability to create a team and work on composing emails together, with each person participating from their own devices. There are various pricing tiers, based on how much you plan on using the Teams feature. If you have a small team, you likely won’t have to sign up for a subscription. Pros:
Various pricing tiers Schedule or snooze an email
Cons:
You may have to store your email account passwords on Spark’s servers which isn’t ideal
1Password creates unique passwords for your online accounts, stores them all, and enters them automatically for you in apps and websites. It comes with a 30-day free trial, after which you can sign up for a monthly subscription. Pros:
Convenient and secure access to your passwords Supports almost all operating systems and browsers
Cons:
Can be overwhelming to use and navigate at first
I’ve tried many writing apps over the years, and I always come back to iA Writer. It’s a simple, straightforward text editor that supports the Markdown syntax. You don’t have to use Markdown to write, but it makes it easier to export your documents for Word or even in HTML. You can sync your work through iA Writer’s built-in support for third-party storage services. Pros:
Easy to use Support for Markdown language
Cons:
Could use more organizing tools
PDF Expert is more than just a PDF reader. This single app lets you edit PDF files, including images and text, along with annotating and marking up a document. I use it to sign documents, fill out forms, and open ZIP files (seriously, it’s the most reliable app for opening ZIP files I’ve used on the iPad). If you deal with a lot of PDF files, then PDF Expert is the way to go. It’s free to download and use for basic tasks, but you’ll need a Pro subscription ($49.99 a year) if you want to edit PDFs and sign documents. Here’s a breakdown of features unlocked by the subscription. Pros:
Free version Edit PDF files
Cons:
Expensive subscription
PDF Expert also has a free app version for basic tasks.
