Disclaimer: None of these apps has paid me to promote them. I am just sharing my favorite apps to help other college students succeed! I actively use every single one of these apps and love them, so that is why I am writing about them.
Like many other people my age, I am feeling constantly overwhelmed. Last year, in an effort to help save myself some stress, I went on a mission to find apps that make my life easier and better. Through extensive trial and error, I found apps that help me mentally, physically and academically. Today, I will be sharing these apps with you all so that hopefully your life can be made easier, too.
Opal
My journey to finding these apps started by examining my life and thinking about what I truly needed to change. The first, most glaringly obvious one was the amount of time I spend on my phone, specifically social media. I tried to delete the apps but felt like I was always missing invites from friends and wasn’t as tuned into their lives. Also, many of my campus organizations communicate through social apps. Cold turkey was not sustainable for me. Enter Opal.
I recommend Opal to literally everyone who has screen time problems. It is an app that allows you to set your own tech limits. That means different apps can have different amounts of allotted screen time. Or, if you’re like me, you can block all of your social media — or other distracting apps — for certain times every day. Opal is cool because it gives you the option to bypass your screen time limits, but it makes you wait and reflect before you do so. It is a great practice in delayed gratification. Social media is something that many people open on impulse but end up sucked into hours of scrolling. Opal’s built-in mindfulness really helped me evaluate my reasons for opening a distracting app. Through Opal, you can create a screen time schedule that blocks and unblocks apps of your choosing each day.
While there is a premium version, Opal is free to use. Seriously, give it a try.
Goodnotes
I don’t think I could live without Goodnotes. This app has changed my academic life. I got so sick and tired of carrying around a five-subject notebook and folders to collect all lecture materials and notes in. Goodnotes became the only notebook I needed. I downloaded it on my iPad, Mac and phone and am able to access it from every device that has my iCloud on it.
Through Goodnotes, I am able to take notes on lectures and readings, import and annotate my class slideshows and export notes and documents into PDFs. Goodnotes has so many different pen types, colors, highlighters and features. With this app, I no longer need to carry around my pencil pouch and highlighters. It is super convenient and has helped transform the type of student I am.
On top of that, you are able to import premade journals and notebooks. I have an entire planner for 2026-2027 on my Goodnotes. I am able to track my mood, habits, to-dos and so much more. With the free version of Goodnotes, you are able to create three separate notebooks. I have one for school, one for my planner and the last one as a language planner for learning French. I highly recommend giving it a try if you enjoy handwriting notes instead of typing and you own an iPad or tablet that is compatible with this app.
Gas Buddy
As a broke college student, I am usually looking for every way possible to pinch pennies. Gas Buddy has been an absolute lifesaver in this area. This app essentially helps you find the cheapest gas near you. By opening the app, you are met with a list or map of gas stations near you along with their prices. Living in a college town, sometimes gas prices are higher in my area. Gas Buddy lets you look in surrounding areas for the cheapest gas options.
I find this app especially useful when I am traveling home or taking long road trips. In unfamiliar areas, many people resort to choosing the first gas station that they see. With Gas Buddy, you can find cheaper gas stations without having to drive around looking for prices.
Plant Nanny
Plant Nanny is an absolute must for anyone wanting to improve their health. Along with my screen time changes, I noticed that I need to drink more water throughout the day. Plant Nanny essentially gamifies drinking water.
You are given the most adorable little plant with the cutest little face and you are responsible for keeping it alive. The only way to keep it alive and help it grow is to drink water and track it through the app! Through Plant Nanny, you are able to set your own drinking goals in whatever metric you prefer. You can also enable notifications to remind you to drink and keep your new plant friend alive.
This app has made drinking water so much more fun. I always want to level up my plants and unlock new ones. Definitely give this app a try if you want to start drinking more water. Best of all, it’s free!
Gratitude Plus
Last, but certainly not least, is Gratitude Plus. This app has really helped change the way that I view life, as cheesy as that sounds. I have learned that leading my life with gratitude is the best way to stay out of my own head. Being grateful, even for small things, has helped my mental health, physical health and academic performance. I think that being able to find good things in bad times is a skill that is necessary to remain optimistic and this app has really helped me strengthen my gratitude muscles.
Through Gratitude Plus, you are able to choose from its selection of mindfulness and gratitude-based prompts and answer them either publicly or privately. In your post, you are able to add photos and audio. If you want to make sure that you complete an entry every day, you can enable notifications and Gratitude Plus will remind you to reflect and write. I love this app because you can also create gratitude groups and send them to others. In these groups, you are all able to post your entries and react to each other’s posts. I think this is a great way to communicate with your friends and family while practicing mindfulness. This app is free to use. There is a premium version with more writing prompts and more features, but the free version is great. If you are looking to improve your mental health, definitely give this app a try.
My Thoughts
Everyone’s journey to find themselves and make their lives easier looks a little different. For me, it includes these helpful apps. I understand that these apps may not work for everyone, and I respect that! I think there are so many amazing apps and resources out there that can help make people’s lives easier. I encourage you to find what works for you!