Tools
Smartphones are, at their core, tools. Because of this, many developers have created tons of tools for them that work really well. The genre is actually quite diverse. There are tons of tools and utility apps out there. Here is a list of the best tools and utility apps to help you do more things.
Skandy is an app for detecting cheating, whether by plagiarism or using generative AI. Teachers can use the app to see evidence of plagiarism and the probability of the text using AI-generated content. Skandy is available on the web or through free downloadable apps on iOS and Android. New users have complimentary credits that they spend to analyse each document and can add to them by buying various bundles. On the web app, users purchase credits, while on the iOS and Android apps, subscription options are also available.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
AI Lesson Planner helps teachers spend more time teaching and less time lesson planning. This app is compatible with iPhone iOS 13.0 or later, iPod touch iOS 13.0 or later, Mac macOS 11.0 or later and Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. The age of typical users is 17+. Although there is not a free trial, this app has a very low cost of $1.99 for full access and has no ads.
Devices: iPhone, iPad
scite is an award-winning platform for discovering and evaluating scientific articles via Smart Citations.
Devices: Web
Achievable teaches adults and teens to study in a streamlined manner by increasing memory retention. Achievable does this by tracking your pace of learning and providing reviews of previously learned content to avoid forgetting information or remembering information incorrectly by utilizing AI. Device compatibility includes iOS and Android web browsers. The age of typical users is 13+ and is a great tool for studying for many academic and professional exams. There is a free trial to view the first few chapters of any test prep course that allows one to get a better idea of their content and how to navigate the site before a subscription is purchased.
Devices: Web
Teachers typically spend more time preparing and planning than engaging with their students. The recent advances in artificial technology can help switch this around, and CourseBox.AI is one of the earliest to offer an AI-driven solution to reducing teachers' workloads. Coursebox is an AI-driven learning management system (LMS) that will design courses from your typed-in prompts, documents or videos in a few seconds and reflect your requirements. Design new courses to support your classroom teaching, offer professional development to colleagues, and provide responsive material to meet kid's needs.
Devices: Web
ScreenCoach is a screen time management app that uses a task and reward system to help parents balance their kids' use of digital devices. The platform has a task reward system and incorporates a pocket money/allowance management system. ScreenCoach's features include tools common in other app types, such as chore apps, pocket money managers, and screen control apps. A subscription to ScreenCoach will let parents manage tasks and rewards related to screen time on mobile devices and computers. An optional hardware solution can extend control to streaming television services and game consoles. Your first month of ScreenCoach subscription is charged at a nominal rate to let you assess the platform. The app-only service works with mobile devices and computers.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
PDF Expert is an app available on iPhones, iPads, and Macs as part of a single subscription. It provides powerful tools to edit, convert, and read PDFs. The features will be especially useful to older students and teachers. You can test PDF Expert's features with a free seven-day trial before continuing with a subscription. PDF Expert offer a 50% discount for students and teachers.
Devices: iPhone, iPad
MotyMate promotes family harmony, wellness, and getting things done! Part chore app, part journaling app, and part virtual pet app, MotyMate motivates, informs, and rewards kids for completing positive tasks and chores. At the time of this review, MotyMate was iOS-only, but it invites Android users to register their interest to find out when that version is ready. You can download and use MotyMate for free. It comes with a seven-day free trial and retains a core set of usable features even if you choose not to continue your subscription.
Devices: iPhone, iPad
iScanner grants free access to Educators iScanner team wants to help educators take to the new hybrid system of teaching like a duck to water. We are thrilled to announce the iScanner for Educators program—our new initiative to grant free access to iScanner PRO to professional educators and support staff. At the moment, the programme only works for educational institutions within the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and France. All you need to do is hit the JOIN button and activate your promo code that will be emailed to you.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
The Percentage Calculator app makes calculating percentages easy and quick. The app covers fourteen different calculations and scenarios involving percentages. The Percentage Calculator app is free on iOS and Android devices, supported by ads, and some of its features are disabled. You can subscribe to the app for a low monthly rate or purchase a lifetime license to remove the ads and fully unlock the app's percentage calculators.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
Line Graph Maker Pro is a dedicated line graph maker. Its design is perfect for phone use, and its focused feature set makes visualising your data as a line graph easy. Students will find it great as a first tool for presenting data, and teachers will find it a time saver for creating lesson resources and presentation materials. Line Graph Maker Pro is only available on Android devices. There is a non-pro version of the app which displays third-party advertisements. This review focuses on Line Graph Maker Pro, which is available for a low price and does not display any advertisements.
Devices: Android
TingMe has been built from the ground up to provide kids with a much safer social media experience than mainstream platforms like FaceBook and TikTok while replicating the key functionality. The app uses parent verification and biometric locks to ensure users are who they say they are. Only those under 14 can use the app. TingMe's apps are free to download on iOS and Android. After a free trial, a low-price subscription covers up to three kids. There are no advertisements, in-app purchases, or selling of your kids' data.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
iSharing: GPS Location Tracker is a location-tracking app that updates family group members with each member's current and historic locations. It has many convenient features, such as geofencing, driving reports, chat, and Street View. The app has support for 24 languages including: English, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin. Every family member needs to download the free iSharing app. There is a seven-day free trial available for iSharing: GPS Location Tracker. You can extend this by subscribing. Only one family member must pay for the subscription and invite other family members. If you do not renew the subscription, the app still provides limited features.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
Finale To Do Pro is a task manager and habit tracker which will help organise personal tasks, professional jobs, and studying demands. It also allows you to develop better and more productive habits. Finale To Do Pro is a dedicated Apple app which works seamlessly across iPhones, iPads, and Macs. You can download a surprisingly fully-featured version of the app for free and use it for as long as you like. A lifetime license adds some extra features for a reasonable price. This review of Finale To Do focuses on the fully unlocked version of the app, Finale To Do Pro. Promo Code: FTD1MF for one month free trial during annual subscription.
Devices: iPhone, iPad
Gauthmath is a math solver app that helps students and teachers check the answers to math problems from any source. Take a photograph of a problem; the app's AI will solve it and present a step-by-step guide. Should the AI be unable to help, you can pass the problem on to a live tutor for a solution and guidance. Gauthmath is available for iOS and Android devices, as well as having a comprehensive desktop version. A feature-limited advertisement-supported version is available with subscription options for removing the ads, adding features, and improving the responsiveness of the service. There is a free three-day trial of Gauthmath Premium, which is the version we used in this app review.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
AirDroid is a parental control app for enhancing kids' online safety and keeping an eye on their whereabouts in the real world. Once installed, parents can see their kid's location, block apps and games, monitor device usage and much more. Parents can use iOS and Android devices to monitor kids' Android phones and tablets with AirDroid. The apps are all free to download. In the case of the parental apps, you access them through the respective app stores. For kids' devices, you must get the app directly from the app publisher. AirDroid is a subscription app which has a seven-day free trial.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
Famisafe is a parental control app to help you monitor, protect, and limit your kids' use of mobile and desktop devices. You can control your kids' overall use of their devices, monitor or block certain content or searches, and find your kids' location. Famisafe works on multiple family devices as part of a single subscription. You can test the whole platform with a free three-day trial. Famisafe's features also work for schools, and it has a dedicated subscription model for use by educational institutions.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) provides a place where teachers can share the resources they have made through an efficient online marketplace. The resources cover every subject and come in various formats. You can be a buyer, a seller, or both. Individual buyers on Teachers Pay Teachers pay for each resource they want and do not have to meet ongoing costs. Sellers do not have to pay any recurrent fees either, except for a commission from each sale, although they can pay for a yearly premium account which provides extra tools and lowers the commission rate. Buyers can browse and wishlist the content of TPT through their web browser or an iOS app, although they must complete any purchases on the website. Sellers can use the iOS and Android apps to view a cut-down version of the web-based dashboard.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad Web
Mydys app is designed to support the reading of any written material. It takes a picture of the reading material and then allows you to customise how you would like to read it. It has a free version which allows for 30 credits a month, you are able to upgrade this to 600 credits or 10 000 credits at an additional cost. MYdys is perfect for people who are dyslexic or find reading a challenge. It works on IOS 12.0 or later or Mac 11.0 or later.
Devices: iPhone, iPad
NoteDex helps students and teachers plan, revise, take notes and study by providing tools inspired by physical index cards and flashcards. Rich text formatting tools, images, and tables ensure your cards support your intentions. Multi-format support (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and web app) and optional stylus utilisation grant flexibility and ease of use. NoteDex supports collaboration making it suitable for teachers and college-aged students. After a fully-featured seven-day trial, you can choose from an ongoing subscription or a lifetime licence to continue using the app. Anything you create during the trial will remain accessible for viewing whether you subscribe or not.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad , Windows
Cisdem PDF extends your control over the PDFs you receive and create. It provides tools to combine, scan, and convert PDFs with other popular file formats. It includes a batch converter for more efficiently dealing with multiple files. Cisdem PDF is a downloadable Mac and Windows app that works on every Windows version going back to Windows 7. This review of Cisdem PDF used it installed on a Windows 11 PC.
Devices: Web
Edit, annotate, organise, read and convert PDFs on any device with UPDF. This app has versions for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC to ensure you can work with and access essential documents wherever you are. Choose from a recurring subscription or lifetime plan and get 10GB of storage to back up and easily access your files on desktop computers and mobile devices.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad , Windows
Magrid is an educational app that encourages users to develop their understanding and manipulation of different mathematical skills. The app is aimed at primary school children and has an extensive library of games and challenges to practice and master numerical skills including, spatial perception, sequencing, counting, number naming, mental rotation, and pattern recognition. User’s benefit from the multitude of task formats, ensuring they can learn through a medium that suits them. The app can be used in all settings to extend learning beyond the classroom. Games become more challenging as more are completed to respond to the user’s developing skills and continuation of challenge to keep the app engaging and fresh. There is a basic free trial where examples of games can be completed and the premise of the app understood, after this there is different subscription options to get the best from the app depending on the length of access required. The ease of navigation and the ability to complete challenges without text caters for an extensive demographic without limitation for specific languages or literacy ability. Users can experiment with different tasks, developing their curiosity and self-direct their learning.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
Dolphin EasyReader gives its users easy access to printed content, including newspapers, magazines and books. It is designed to make reading accessible to anybody who might find it challenging to access the printed word. The features support those who find reading difficult due to dyslexia, visual impairment, neurodivergence, etc. Dolphin EasyReader is compatible with many commonly used text formats. It can also link with many popular libraries and newspaper services worldwide. There is a Dolphin EasyReader app for PC, Mac, iOS, Android, and Kindle. Dolphin EasyReader is a free app with premium personal or education versions that offer extra features such as device synchronisation and extra features. The library services you use may also require a separate subscription.
Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad , Windows