25 Best Apps of 2024: Apps You Need in the New Year

The App store on every device is always flooded with countless attempts at innovation and entertainment. It can be challenging to find the best of the best and what’s worth keeping. Here are some of our team’s recommendations in each app category. These best apps of 2024 could change your phone and real-life habits in equal measure.

Health and Wellness

What were the best apps in 2024 to make you happier and healthier?

Runna

Ever dreamed of training for a marathon? Runna is like a personal trainer for your running journey. It tracks your progress, suggests training plans and makes you faster.

Doctor On Demand

The age of telehealth is now, and that’s what Doctor On Demand promises. This is a medical care app that accepts tons of insurance. Experts can help answer questions about mental health, prescriptions and more with a few clicks.

Oko

Oko is an innovation in artificial intelligence (AI). It enhances your walking by boosting confidence in your navigation skills. It also helps people who are blind, giving clear directions when crosswalks are safe and what landmarks are nearby.

Smoke Free

If you want to stop smoking, this is the best app for that. Scientific studies have proven Smoke Free is the best software for quitting, providing you motivational analytics and data on your cravings.

Yuka

You never know what you’re putting into your body because ingredients are confusing. If you want to know the healthfulness of cosmetics and food, simply scan it with Yuka. It will tell you the impact on you so you can know if it’s worth spending your money on.

Waterllama

Of all the water trackers and reminders out there, Waterllama showed it’s one of the best apps of 2024. With how busy life can get, we could all stand for an extra water reminder or two throughout the day.

Gaming 

These games were the highlight of the app store, giving tons of hours of entertainment to players worldwide.

AFK Journey

This is part of the AFK Arena series. AFK Journey is a role-playing game where you play a mage. It is free-to-play and has tons of content.

The WereCleaner

Want to laugh while playing a werewolf that cleans messes? That’s what The WereCleaner is all about. You never thought you needed it, but the game is wholesome with a mixture of stealth.

Bluey: Let’s Play

The worldwide phenomenon straight from Australia is Bluey: Let’s Play. It’s the perfect game for giving to kids who constantly steal your phone. 

Delta

If you’re a retro gaming enjoyer, Delta is the best gaming emulator you can get on your phone. It is an expansion of the famous GBA4iOS, and it has a sizable catalogue of Nintendo games.

Balatro+

Balatro was recognized as one of the best games of the year, and this is the app version — Balatro+. Play cards like you’ve never played them before in this deceptively addictive and accessible game.

Hoyoverse Games

The Hoyoverse is a collection of gacha games that are increasing in popularity. They are also constantly expanding the worlds. The games include Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, among others.

Lifestyle and Productivity

What’s a healthy balance of apps if it doesn’t include promises of making your life more efficient? These are the best of the best.

Tripsy

Don’t waste time and money hiring travel agents, and download an app instead. Tripsy is a travel companion where you can put all your bookings and itineraries in a single location. 

Clear

Clear makes it easier to get through security using advanced identification technologies. If you’re ever stressed about reaching your destination on time, this will get you to your gate in record pace.

OmniFocus 4

In the vast world of task managers, OmniFocus 4 is one of the best 2024 brought productivity enjoyers. It syncs information across all devices in one of the most dynamic environments out there.

Fantastical

If you love Google Calendar, you’ll love Fantastical. It is just a better Google Calendar because it adds notetaking, task organization, customization and more.

BetterSleep

Life is too stressful not to have an app to help you sleep. BetterSleep has sleep sounds, analytics, meditations, stories and more to calm you down after a long and stressful day.

Brite

Nix the chunky paper planner and use Brite instead. Consolidate your task management apps into a single space — calendar, tasks, notes, timers, habit trackers and more. 

Todoist

If you’re a constant to-do list writer, download this app right now. It’s been out for a long time, but Todoist got some traction in 2024 as people realized it was a straightforward yet customizable environment to organize ideas.

Utilities

Sometimes, you need an app purely out of necessity, work or communications. These are the best apps in 2024 that do just that.

Kino

If you want a better camera without spending the money on a new phone, download Kino to create high-fidelity recordings.

Lumy

This is the best sun and moon tracker, especially for Apple Watch. Lumy is great for people who want to keep tabs on the sky but it also helps photographers find the best outdoor lighting possible.

DuckDuckGo AI Chat

AI is an inevitability and will only get bigger and better in 2025. DuckDuckGo AI Chat is one of the best generative AI assistants to put on your phone.

Eater

It takes ages to discover and map out a path to your next favorite restaurant. Design a great evening of grub out with Eater, which makes it simple to find the best food and drink.

OpenVibe

OpenVibe allows you to post on numerous social media apps at once, including Bluesky, Mastodon and Nostr.

CapCut

Everyone needs video editing skills in 2025. Many jobs demand it, and if you make online content, even if casually on TikTok, you’ll need some help. CapCut is one of the most accessible and easy to learn.

Best Apps of 2024

No need to sift through countless apps to trial and test to see what works for you. These are some of the most downloaded and trusted across the internet. Give them a shot, and you will quickly discover why they have the renown they do — so much so, people are leaving them installed on their phones into the New Year.