9 best apps to increase productivity

Time is not on our side. In fact, it’s always working against us. We all have deadlines to make, things to do, and various other activities to plan. Why do it alone? In this list we’ll check out some great Android apps to help increase your productivity.

aCalendar Android Calendar

[Price: Free / $3.99]
First up is an application called aCalendar. It’s a calendar app that can replace the stock one you have on your device currently. It comes with a slightly outdated design but with a number of colors and functions to help you stay organized.

One highly functional calendar app.

PROS

• Uses Google Calendar backend and sync.
• Many color options for events to help tell them apart.
• Unique features like NFC and barcode sharing.
• No ads even on the free version.
• Paid version comes with features that are worth the $3.99

CONS

• Design is a tad outdated.
• Some features have shifted from free to paid and that made people mad.
• Occasional bug here and there

8.0

Overall, the design won’t win any awards but it’s highly functional and clean which can really help keep a day from looking cluttered.

Cal Calendar

[Price: Free]
If you need something both functional and beautiful then Cal Calendar is a good option. It features a large day view to help you stay on top of your day and some really good functionality baked in. It’s totally free and even comes with a to-do list companion app called Any.do Talk List.

Some a little bit different.

PROS

• Great design that features large day view and colorful images to enjoy.
• Integration with Any.do Task List helps keep track of tasks.
• Supports most calendar functions.
• Free with no advertisements.

CONS

• Integration with Any.do Task List could be better.
• Some bugs that hinder performance on some devices.
• Minimal event addition may be too minimal for some.

8.0

Cal Calendar on its own is a great app but with the task list app you can get your calendar and task lists all in one experience!

Evernote

[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Evernote is on any productivity app list worth its salt and for good reason. It’s simply one of the best. With its cross platform integration and in-depth note taking capabilities, you can use this app for anything. The sky and your creativity are the limit.

The world's best note taking app.

PROS

• In-depth note management and formatting lets you use this for practically anything.
• Cross platform for all major desktop and mobile operating systems.
• With the premium you can sync your notebooks offline for viewing.
• Use this to make task lists, to-do lists, grocery lists, or notes for practically any reason.

CONS

• We have a hard time recommending a $5/month subscription for a note taking app.
• May be too complicated for some people.
• Comes on some devices as bloatware.

8.5

If you don’t have Evernote, you should get it.

Google Drive

[Price: Free / $10/month]
Next up is one of the essential apps in all of Android and that is Google Drive. It’s a cloud storage platform that gives you 15GB for free and unlimited storage for $10/month. It also comes with a host of office tools such as Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides to create, edit, and manage documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Everyone with a Google account should already have this.

PROS

• 15GB of free storage or $10/month for unlimited storage are both awesome deals.
• Docs, Sheets, and Slides allow for a full (and free) office suite within Google Drive.
• Store any kind of file and share it with anyone.
• Real time collaboration lets you work on one document simultaneously instead of passing it around all day long.
• Integration with Gmail is great.

CONS

• Doesn't play nice with some file types.
• Office tools aren't as powerful as some desktop alternatives.
• $120/month even for unlimited storage is a lot for non-business people.

9.0

It’s free to try and 15GB is a lot of space if you’re just storing documents. Why not try it out?

IFTTT

[Price: Free]
IFTTT is a fun little application that can make using your phone just that much easier. You can use it to make various connections between apps that allow you to auto save things, auto open things, and pretty much do what you need when you need to do it. It takes a little time to learn but it’s pretty fun once you do.

Why do it yourself when you can make your phone do it?

PROS

• Easier to use than Tasker.
• You have a virtually limitless number of ways to make your do what you want without your input.
• Has a myriad of business and personal uses.
• Recipes (app connections) are easy to find online.
• Free!

CONS

• Not as powerful as Tasker.
• While there are a lot of business uses it's a little difficult to think. Use Google to find recipes to help brainstorm!

8.5

It’s always fun to make your phone do stuff automatically. If you’re down for a little more mental punishment you can always learn how to use Tasker too!

Microsoft Office

[Price: Free]
If you’re already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem you can just as easily jump on board the Microsoft train on Android. With Microsoft Office you get the standard PowerPoint, Excel, and Word functionality in mobile format. You can also download the OneDrive app which is Microsoft’s cloud storage app and OneNote, Microsoft’s (admittedly buggy) note taking app. Using it you can sync files effortlessly between PC and Android.

Google Drive's only real competitor.

PROS

• Full office suite + cloud storage with 7GB totally free.
• Reasonable prices for more storage (although not as reasonable as Google Drive).
• Effortless syncing from PC to mobile and vice versa.
• Excellent for use with Microsoft Office on PC.

CONS

• OneNote isn't very good sadly.
• OneDrive works pretty well but functionality could be improved.
• Some people have had issues with bugs.

8.0

Some people will like Google Drive better. Some people will like Microsoft’s solutions better. Neither of them are wrong. Or maybe they’re both wrong?

RescueTime

[Price: Free]
RescueTime is a nifty application that helps you determine what you’re spending your time on. If you’ve ever wondered where your day went, RescueTime will essentially tell you where it actually went by keeping an eye on what you do on your phone and then putting it in graph form so you can see what you’re wasting your time doing.

Find out where your time went.

PROS

• Keeps track of what apps and services you use so you can see what you're spending time on.
• Once you identify where you're wasting time, you can cut back on it and help yourself be more productive.
• RescueTime is free.
• Control what the app tracks and what it doesn't track.

CONS

• Will probably bug people who are concerned about privacy.
• A Samsung TalkBack bug prevents the app from working correctly on some Samsung devices.
• Design is really meh.

8.5

If you need to increase productivity, a good way is to find out what you’re doing instead of being productive. Right?

Time Recording – Timesheet app

[Price: Free]
If you’re looking for something a little more traditional then Time Recording can be a great app to try. You can use it to keep track of where you are, for how long, and how much money you made doing it. You can use this to create invoices or work orders as need be.

It gets the job done just like you.

PROS

• Create things like invoices and work orders.
• Export to Excel or HTML format.
• Task management features built in.
• Note taking features built in.
• Widgets should you need them.

CONS

• A few limitations like the lowest measure of time allowed is one minute.
• Design is cluttered and slightly outdated.
• A little complicated to configure for new users.

8.0

One of the few apps of its kind out there and great for you blue collar folks!

Wunderlist – To-do and Tasks

[Price: Free / $4.99/month]
Last on our list is Wunderlist. This is a very clean and easy to use task management list that also has cross platform support and is free to use. It allows for collaboration and task sharing and even has some light theming options to make it more pleasant to look at.

One of the best there is.

PROS

• Create, share, and collaborate on tasks.
• Light theming options to customize your look.
• Free version is surprisingly powerful.
• Mobile and web versions available for cross platform use.

CONS

• Most of the best features require the $4.99/month subscription.
• Subscription price a little steep for non business consumers.

7.5

It’s one of the best and most versatile task lists out there and you get quite a bit from the free version.

Wrap up

If there are any great apps to help boost productivity that we missed, let us know in the comments below!

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