My Top Apps of 2017

These are short reviews of the apps that I used the most in 2017. I’ll make note of the apps that have been replaced by another app in the same category, apps that I’m using less, apps that I no longer use, and apps that I’m starting to use more.

This year, and in the coming year, I’m focused on consolidating apps. For example, instead of using 3 note apps like I was previously, I’m only using one now.

Apps that I use the most

• Fantastical – Calendar app of choice on iPhone for 3+ years now. Use it a ton on my Mac.
• Outlook – For the day job, the email app that I use for quick notifications and work calendar events. Keeps it sandboxed from the rest of my phone.
• Camera – the built in iOS app.
• Simple – best bank there is. I’m trying out Seed for business banking too.
• Wallet – including Apple Pay via iMessage, the virtual Apple Pay debit card, and using it for companies’ reward programs. Built in iOS app.
• Audible – favorite way to read. Using this daily.
• Instagram – posting more again.
• Inbox – still use this daily. I use classic gmail on Desktop and this app for all my mobile devices.
• Facebook + Messenger
• Swarm – checking in. Helps build my minimal journal.
• Safari
• Slack
• Twitterrific – Really loving the true black theme for iPhone X. It really blends in with the device. In order to be consistent, I’m using Twitterrific for Mac too.
• Way of Life – routines app.
• Paprika – collect and organize my favorite recipes.
• Lose It! – health app, used since 2009.
• Spotify – the only service that I use for Music streaming.
• Headspace – guided meditation for mindfulness.
• Todoist – todo lists, project management, etc. Replaced Trello for me, so far.
• Bear – the best note app I’ve used so far. It has simple tagging, great search, a beautiful UI, and syncs effortlessly between all my devices.

Apps that I’ve been using less

• Trello – use it less at work, and less at home.
• Snapchat – Social media fatigue.
• Apple Music – Cancelled my Apple Music subscription after it nearly destroyed my purchased iTunes library. Took forever to clean up. Went all in on Spotify for streaming.
• Robinhood – no fee stock trading. Just have been trading less this year.
• Castro – Beware. Stores data, including favorites, locally and not to iCloud. I’m still trying to find a Podcast app that I love.
• Alexa – Once you set the Echo up, you don’t use the app much.

Apps that I no longer use

• Apple News – constant notifications, or visibility as a widget had me checking the news too much. In order to cut down on the noise, I uninstalled the app.
• Google Chrome – for iOS.
• Tweetbot – No longer using on Mac as well.
• Simplenote – After 10 years of using Simplenote, I migrated all my old notes to Bear.
• Evernote – After 10 years of using Evernote, I migrated all my Notebooks to Bear.

Apps that I have my eye on

• Yoink – for iOS. Have been using the Mac version and love it.
• Feedly – trying out this feed reader to see if it will cut down on the noise. Have used Feedbin primarily in the past.

Previous Years: 2016, 2015, 2014