On this page, you will find the
best iPad apps for all your needs. We’ve taken the effort to categorize the apps and picked only those we believe to be the best ones and which will most likely be useful to you.
Use these quick links to jump to each section:
Movies
iMovie
Don't just consume - create! Includes all new magical 'trailer' style productions
Download
| Review
4 on Demand
Catch up on all the latest from Channel 4 (UK only).
Download
Netflix
The best movie streaming and rental service out there - UK service is streaming only
Download
| Review
TED Talks
Truly inspiration talks with the power to change the world.
Download
| Review
Sky News
Innovative way to stream the latest news reports. (UK-only, requires Sky iD or Sky Go subscription)
Download
BBC iPlayer
Free HD catch-up streaming from BBC (UK only).
Download
ABC Player
Catch-up for the US channel ABC (US-only).
Download
Air Video
Stream movies stored on your PC or Mac in any format.
Download
| Review
Plex
iOS client for the PC and Mac Plex Media Server.
Download
| Review
ShowYou
Innovative video browser with tons of free content, pulls from various channels and social sources.
Download
HBO Go
Stream HBO content if you're alreadya subscriber. (US-only).
Download
| Review
OPlayer HD
Stream and save almost every type of video (AVI, RMVB, MKV) to your iPad.
Download
Audio
Garageband
Apple's own superb music making software, now on iPad with full suite of interactive and intuitive instruments.
Download
| Review
Pandora Radio
Streaming radio as it was meant to be done (US-only).
Download
Soundhound
Live music identification through the microphone, and lyrics for you to sing along!
Download
| Review
LoopSeque Lite
Easy, free, and simple sequencer that makes music accessible.
Download
| Review
Spotify
A great experience for Spotify users; the iPad app really adds a lot, with offline play also available.
Download
| Review
NPR
Even if you're not based in America, NPR talk shows are well produced and always interesting.
Download
| Review
Browsers and Internet
StumbleUpon
The ultimate time waster for browsing random websites.
Download
| Review
EBay
A great way to view this popular auction site, with clear visuals and notifications of auctions ending soon.
Download
AppShopper
Keep up to date with new free apps and price drops / app sales with this useful app.
Download
Instapaper
Save website pages to read offline anytime.
Download
| Review
Alien Blue for iPad
The best way to browse Reddit, ever. Don't touch the website again
Download
| Review
Reddit TV
Videos from Reddit, on continuous playback. Like live TV, but good.
Download
| Review
Trillian
All your IM accounts in one handy little app; also on PC and Mac
Download
Google Chrome
Great alternative to Safari. Syncs bookmarks, and allows remote access to open tabs on your desktop and other devices.
Download
| Review
Drawing
Paper
Simple name, but very slick app. Different brushes available through in-app purchase.
Download
| Review
Bamboo Paper
Another competent handwriting note app - free version limited to 20 books with 100 pages - give it a go
Download
| Review
Adobe Ideas
Gorgeous vector-based auto-smoothing drawing tool from the makers of Photoshop.
Download
| Review
Draw for iPad
Fabulously simple and feels just like a drawing pad with pencils, perfect for kids.
Download
| Review
Sketchbook Pro
The ultimate drawing app for professional artists, with a wide variety of brushes. Results can be stunning, but make sure you have an iPad 3rd gen or better.
Download
| Review
Photography
iPhoto
Apple's own definitive photo editor app, now on the iPad.
Download
| Review
Photoshop
Photoshop on the iPad does exactly what you'd expect it to. Fully featured photo editing!
Download
Guardian Eyewitness
A stunning new image everyday that showcases photography talent and events the world over. A visual smorgasbord.
Download
| Review
Photobucket for iPad
Great way to browse and upload to the Photobucket service, focusing on the photos as it should.
Download
FlickrStackr
Simply the best way to browse Flickr on your iPad, period.
Download
| Review
SnapSeed
Editing, filters, even tilt-shift. Very positive reviews.
Download
Photogene
Even edits RAW; various efferects, edit functions and collages.
Download
| Review
Web Albums
The best Picasa manager, uploaded and editor on the iPad.
Download
| Review
Pixlr-o-matic
Tons of filters and effects; Instagram on steroids.
Download
Tiltshift Generator for iPad
Use the iPad camera, then apply a variety of tilt shift effects. Awesome.
Download
| Review
Halftone
Add a comic strip effect to your photos complete with speech bubbles.
Download
| Review
Finance
BudgetBook
A beautiful way to simply and easily track your finances.
Download
Mint.com
For US readers, Mint.com is the gold standard in online budgeting; the iPad app is no compromise.
Download
| Review
News / Reading
BBC News
The only news worth reading, globally.
Download
Reeder
Hands-down best Google feed-reader on the iPad, so simple yet feature packed.
Download
| Review
Mobile RSS HD Free
A free alternative to Reeder worth considering.
Download
Flipboard
A personalized experience that grabs news from feeds and social connections, and displays it beautifully.
Download
| Review
Zite
Another personalized news reader that learns your preferences the more you use it.
Download
| Review
TapTu
Similar to FlipBoard in style, but highly customizable news streams.
Download
| Review
Comics
Comic store and reader, unique guided interface shows you panel by panel action
Download
| Review
Stanza
Most reliable multi-format eBook reader on the iPad yet.
Download
Kindle
A must-have for Kindle owners, but otherwise lacklustre.
Download
| Review
iBooks
An essential for all iPad owners. Store your MakeUseOf PDF guides in this app easily!
Download
| Review
Zinio
Subscribe to your favourite magazines with Zinio. Check out Magzter as well, though differences are minimal - both are great apps.
Download
| Review
Magzter
Subscribe to your favourite magazines with Magzter. Free content also easy to find.
Download
| Review
Educational / Reference
Qwiki
Like a sci-fi movie - search for anything, and it will read a description to you, including images if it finds some. Wikipedia on steroids.
Download
iTunes U
Free courses on a huge variety of subjects from leading universities. Incredible collection.
Download
| Review
Productivity
Notes Plus
A little expensive, but the best handwriting recognition and note taking app for the iPad around.
Download
Goodnotes
Handwriting and PDF markup with innovative handwriting zoom function
Download
Evernote
The de-facto standard for note-taking and organisation. Hundreds of amazing features too numerous to list.
Download
Wunderlist
A simple, free to-do list app that syncs with the desktop and web.
Download
Plaintext
Plain text editor that does what it says on the can. Can edit directly from Dropbox.
Download
| Review
Pages
Apple's own feature rich word processing and desktop publishing app.
Download
| Review
Dropbox
Easy and secure access to your Dropbox, on your iPad.
Download
| Review
Dragon Dictation
Top quality speech recognition from the industry leaders, at a price you cannot beat.
Download
| Review
Nebulous Notes
Simple text writer that edits straight from your Dropbox.
Download
Everclip
Intercepts everything you copy - text and images - and collates it before sending to Evernote
Download
Google Drive
Access and edit documents stored on Google's cloud storage.
Download
Remote Control / Remote Access
AirDisplay
Turn your iPad into a secondary display for your PC - amazing!
Download
| Review
Connect My Mac
Simple remote control of your Mac, free.
Download
| Review
Parallels Mobile
Free for registered desktop users, this lets you access your virtual machines anywhere.
Download
TeamViewer HD
The choice of technical support professionals everywhere due to ease of use on both ends of the connection.
Download
| Review
Splashtop Remote Desktop
Performance so good you can stream graphically intense games from your PC, no problem.
Download
| Review
Mocha VNC Lite
Free, cross-platform standard client for open-source VNC-based connections. Reliable, but slow.
Download
Social
IM+
Messaging app for basically every platform around. Essential!
Download
| Review
Twitter
The official Twitter client for the iPad does it best.
Download
| Review
Pinterest
If you're a Pinterest fan, there's absolutely no question that you need this app; it's beautiful.
Download
| Review
StumbleUpon!
Recently redesigned; StumbleUpon is a great way to find new websites and content, voted for by users.
Download
Skype for iPad
Take advantage of that Facetime camera with free video chat over Wifi and 3G
Download
| Review
Vtok
Another free video caller, the one works with GTalk.
Download
MyPad
The best combined Facebook and Twitter client, with both games and chat chat too.
Download
Friendcaster
Innovative friend-stream mode gives you live updates in a photoframe style.
Download
| Review
AIM
The swiss-army of social apps: chat on multiple networks, checkin with FourSquare, and status updates all over. Phew!
Download
GetGlue
Social check-in for movies, tv and books. Collect badges and discover new content.
Download
| Review
Travel
FlightTrack Pro
Fly a lot? Use this to track your flights and keep informed with helpful notifications.
Download
Google Search
For iPad 2 and better, Google Goggles can help you identify places and buildings.
Download
| Review
Google Earth
Zoom to your current location and see what's around, with user photos.
Download
| Review
Ask a Nomad
Get advice from locals and travellers about any part of the world.
Download
| Review
London Cycle Deluxe
Map of London's cycle hire scheme with stations and live updates. UK-only.
Download
Yell
Comprehensive local directory from Yellow Pages, UK-only.
Download
UrbanSpoon
Find somewhere great to eat with this no-nonsense app.
Download
Thrillist
Hand-picked restaurant and bar reviews for London and various US cities. Innovative carousel interface.
Download
Health
WebMD
Complete medical reference on your iPad, for free.
Download
| Review
iPeriod Free
Period and fertility tracker with community site access.
Download
Pampers Hello Baby Pregnancy Calendar
Track your baby's development from week 4 to 40.
Download
Fitness HD
Details 700 exercises to target those troublesome areas exactly.
Download
Games
Real Racing 3
Stunning graphics, beautiful cars. Race against friends at your leisure thanks to time-shifted multiplayer feature
Download
| Review
JetPack Joyride
Mindless fun with simple controls, yet incredibly addictive
Download
| Review
Quote Unquote
Fun word puzzles, yet suprisingly addictive and not too difficult
Download
Flight Control HD
An addictive game that sees you landing aircraft in an ever increasingly packed airspace.
Download
Harbor Master HD
Similar to Flight Control, but free, and with boats.
Download
Hunters: Episode One HD
Top-down turn-based action/RPG. If you liked X-Com you'll love this.
Download
Hunters 2
Superb sequel to this turn based roleplay top-down strategy shooter
Download
| Review
Pocket Legends
Free to play massively multiplayer online RPG for when you fancy a break from World of Warcraft.
Download
Fruit Ninja
Slicing fruit has never been more satisfying. Multiplayer too!
Download
| Review
Angry Bird Rio HD Free
Catapult birds at the pigs and try to topple their house. What doesn't sound fantastic about this game?
Download
Air Hockey Gold
The reason touch interfaces were made! To play Air Hockey!
Download
| Review
Plants vs Zombies
Be prepared to lose a week to this game - it's that good.
Download
| Review
Peggle
This game sees you release a flurry of metal balls to hit all the pegs. Supremely satisfying.
Download
| Review
Geometry Wars: Touch
The hit console game feels just as great on the iPad
Download
Labyrinth 2 HD Lite
Tilt and rotate your way out of the maze. Great for kids and adults alike, and free.
Download
| Review
Cut the Rope
Cut the rope to deliver candy to the little monster. Not as easy as it sounds!
Download
| Review
Words With Friends
Multiplayer/social scrabble, basically
Download
| Review
Atari's Greatest Hits
Retro gaming at it's best. In-app purchases.
Download
World of Goo HD
Iconic game of structure building with goo. Better than it sounds.
Download
| Review
SNOOD for iPad
Casual puzzle game, rated very highly. Similar to puzzle bobble.
Download
| Review
San Juan
Well made digital version of this accessible famous card game sequel to Puerto Rico
Download
Carcassonne
Best boardgame conversion yet for the iPad, with fantastic multipler options.
Download
Catan HD
The gateway game for many board gamers, this will open a new world to you.
Download
Magic 2013
If you're a Magic the Gathering Fan, likely you'll want to play this.
Download
| Review
Diner Dash
Mindless clicking, but people seem to rate it. Give it a go - free download
Download
Draw Something Free
Draw something, and your random internet partner must guess what it is. The evolution of Pictionary!
Download
| Review
Other
Accuweather Free for iPad
Gorgeous weather app, free - enough said.
Download
Auto Trader
A great way to find your next motor - UK only.
Download
Living Social
Daily deals, with an average rating 4.5 stars it's a must-have for many.
Download
| Review
Find my Friends
Keep track of family and friends location (assuming they have iOS devices)
Download
| Review
Meme Generator by Memecrunch
Download, make memes, shares memes, become famous. Maybe not the last one.
Download
AppShopper
Easy way to keep an eye of app deals and price drops in the app store. Essential if you love installing random apps everyday.
Download
| Review
Paprika Recipe Manager
Clip and save recipes from popular sites; organise them all together in this handy little app.
Download
| Review
Disclaimer: All iPad applications listed here were thoroughly reviewed. MakeUseOf is not responsible for any damage and/or data loss
that might result from use of any of the above mentioned applications.
Hide 12 Comments
Will any “iPhone” or “iPad” app will work on an “iPod Touch” as well?
Dan,
apps that work on the iPhone may work on the iPod Touch. But iPad apps rarely work on the iPhone or the iPod. So the answer is maybe there are some iPhone or iPad apps that will work on the iPod Touch.
Not even all apps will work on all OS versions. There are older generations of iPod which cannot run 4.2 and there are many apps which require 4.2 or higher. Some even require 5.0 these days, so if you are sitting on a jailbreak that you don’t want to lose and haven’t updated your OS then there are likely several apps you can’t use.
As far as cross device compatibility, it was already stated that iPad apps only work on iPads. You can pretty much get any iPod app to work on an iPad as long as you are ok with the resolution problems. There are a couple apps in Cydia which overcome those, so that makes it nice. iPod apps take up less memory, so you can fit more of them on your device and get the exact same experience as you would with the higher file sized iPad versions. Again, you just need a jailbreak.
Why not something more inspirational and seasonal? It’s Christmas… Here’s the link to a very beautiful nostalgic advent calendar app which brings you already into the mood for Christmas. You should check that one out:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/christmas-town-oversize-advent/id573247443?mt=8
Pretty good list. I would suggest taking a look at GoodReader a great app for PDF review and markup. Thanks.
You should check the Ipad app for soccer coaches Igrade for soccer: Awarded “New and Noteworthy” by Apple, iGrade for Soccer is part of the renowned iGrade suite of applications, already most recommended by Teachers. iGrade for Soccer has a unique player scoring module to help precisely evaluate performances based on facts and have concrete evidence of the Coach decisions.
Get it at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/igrade-soccer/id382179504?mt=8
Hello
They are plenty of apps to take notes on your ipad but very few are really productivity apps able to generate structured reports. Writing down meeting minutes or meeting reports is a painful process which is time consuming.
iTakeNotes has been released on the appstore recently: the principle is to formalize notes during the meeting and get a meeting report as soon as the meeting is over in pdf and in .txt if you want to review the format. They provide audio recording and camera so as not to lose any data during the meeting. The app exists in english and french and a spanish version is on its way, it is a very productive tool for those who spent desperate time formalizing their meeting notes.
I highly recommend!
Any chance of getting Dubai Guide into your travel app recommendations: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dubai-guide-2012/id520409042?mt=8
qwiki is not avalible from the UK app store
Thanks for the heads-up, Jamie!
Pleasantly enjoyed your list. I finally have an iPad and this was the first place I looked. Thanks!!
i just wish they no longer have the US/UK only policy