Choosing the right productivity apps can be daunting and expensive as you are trying out a variety of apps. Here are a few apps in various categories that work on the web, iOS and Android and are either completely free or have a strong free plan with a lot of useful features.
Project Management
Notion
Notion is so customizable that it can be configured to suit almost all of your productivity and life needs. I did an entire review of Notion here so I won’t go too in depth about the features in this article. But the main thing that makes Notion worth trying is that their personal plan, which is now free for anyone, has all of the core features needed for personal use, so you get a lot of value for your money. Also there is a strong community of Notion users online, which means there are tons of resources to help you optimize your use of this app.
Trello
If you are really into kanban boards and prefer that to be your main source of organization, then I would recommend Trello, an app which has creating Kanban boards as its core feature. Due to this I think Trello offers a lot of built in features for Kanban boards, whereas with an app like Notion you would have to add the desired features for your cards (such as tags).
Calendar
Google Calendar
One of the most used and recommended productivity apps, Google Calendar has pretty much all of the features you need for a well maintained digital calendar. My favorite feature of this app is how well it syncs with other platforms like iCalendar making it easier to view your calendar on multiple devices.
Task Management
Microsoft To-Do
The best part about this app is that it is completely free, so if you are someone who hates apps that keep promoting their premium plan this app is for you. Microsoft To-Do is a great app as it has a clean interface and each task has features such as labels and tags which are often in the premium plan of several other to-do list applications. This app would also be a great choice if you primarily use Outlook as your email client, as the two sync well nicely.
Todoist
While most of Todoist’s features are seen in its premium plans (which I haven’t used), the free plan has quite a few valuable features you can use. I like how Todoist has a lot of integrations and extensions allowing you to connect Todoist to your Gmail, Google Calendar, Notification Center/Today view on iOS devices and many more.
Cloud Storage
Google Drive
This app has the most amount of free storage (15 GB) among cloud storage platforms and anything created with native google apps (docs, sheets and slides) do not count towards your storage limit . I have been using my google drive account since 8th grade and have used just over 8 GB now, so the 15 GB should last at least a couple of years before you have to upgrade.
Quick Capture
Google Keep
If you use sticky notes on your computer, the Google Keep offers a good online alternative. Using the sticky note structure you can use this app to make to-do lists, write reminders or save links and images from the web and you can access them on any device.
Genius Scan
You will probably need to digitize paper documents at some point and Genius Scan is a really good option as the free plan allows you to scan an unlimited amount of documents. However you do need to ensure that you are taking your scans in a well lit area against a clear background, but this can probably be said of most scanning apps.
I hope you found a new app to try out!