Stylist's 100 greatest apps

Life


Stylist's 100 greatest apps

By Stylist Team

Updated 8 years ago

We asked nine industry experts: Philippa Warr, Wired writer (music); leading food PR Andre Dang (food); Anna Zachariassen, director of Thrive Media (news); beauty blogger Adrienne Lauren (beauty apps); Tom Hall, editor of lonelyplanet.com (travel); Rosanna Falconer, head of digital for Matthew Williamson (fashion); Kelly Schwarze, associate editor of geeksugar. com (photos); Jane Douglas, editor of outsidexbox.com (games); and Renee Schmidt, CEO of shebytes.com (services) for the 100 apps that will change your life. Click on an image in the gallery for links to download each one.

Who Sampled

£1.99, iTunes

iPad & iPhone For those horribly frustrating “What does this remind me of?” moments. Type in the song name and it tells you what’s been sampled.


Beat Bang

Free, iTunes

An electro-music exploration app. Groups albums via the music’s tempo, so you can pick the tracks to suit your mood.


Songkick

Free, iTunes

Never miss your favourite band playing live; this app scans your music library then keeps you informed of the artists’ touring plans.


FourChords

Free, iTunes

Unleash your inner rock star by translating a whole battalion of popular songs into just four simple-to-master guitar chords.


8tracks Radio

Free, iTunes

Playlists handcrafted by music fans: like having access to the world’s mix tapes. Tap in a genre and store your favourite mixes.


Stagepass

£0.69, iTunes

You’re broke, but pining for a night out; StagePass gives your music three dimensional sound. Close your eyes and you’re by the stage. Almost.


Spotify

Free, iTunes

A musical must for streaming infinite amounts of music. Pick your favourite artist or get Spotify to surprise you.


Shazam

Free, iTunes

Identify, find, watch and download any song that’splaying in your vicinity. Just tap the screen and find out who you’re listening to.


Discovr Music

£1.49, iTunes

The world’s music as an interactive map – one artist is linked to others in a similar genre, allowing you to discover music you don’t yet know but will likely love.


Bloom.fm

Free, iTunes

Bloom.fm is a free mobile music streaming service with access to a music library of over 16 million tracks.


Pocket Hipster

Free, pockethipster.com

If you’re bored of your music, this app will introduce you to new indie bands by way of cartoon hipsters recommending new acts while insulting your current playlists.


Stampfeet

Free, iTunes

While loyalty cards are great, carrying them around can require acrobatic feats of memory. This app stores them all for you.


Platter

Free, iTunes

Tell this app what’s in your cupboard and it will come up with hundreds of meal options uploaded by them Platter community.


BarChick

Free, iTunes

Never be stuck for a drink again. Bar listings based on price, theme and distance in London, Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen and many other cities


Kitchen Calculator

£2.49, iTunes

If you get a lot of recipes from blogs and non-UK websites, you will inevitably need this to convert various units.


Foodspotting

Free, iTunes

This app allows you to find the best dishes in the city, from lamb to crème brûlée, rather than going by the restaurant’s reputation.


Hungryhouse

Free, iTunes

If you are searching for a decent takeaway, this app flags up restaurants in the area. You can order and pay online too.


The Perf ect Egg Timer

69p, iTunes

Measure your egg size, set the timer, and enjoy perfectly soft-boiled eggs. Genius.


Good Food One-Pot Recipes

£1.99, iTunes

Sometimes, only the easiest recipes will do. There are 170 recipes to try including Spanish stew and chicken pilaf.


Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

£2.99, iTunes

Easy instructions for amazing cakes. Plus clap to move the pages so you don’t mess up your phone.


Simply Good Fish

Free, iTunes

Navigating the fish cooking seas can be hazardous but this app from chef Peter Sidwell contains 19 cook-along videos and a portion calculator.


Instapaper

£2.49, iPhone & iPad; £1.93, Android, iTunes

The online version of a cuttings folder. Click the ‘read later’ button and collect articles to browse at your leisure


Summly

Free, iTunes

Summly provides easily accessible news snippets so you feel better informed in minutes.‘Share’ function puts your favourite stories on Twitter.


Gossip Junkie

£1.49, iTunes

For your daily fix of everything you know you shouldn’t want to know about, but really do, from the best gossip sites. The guilty pleasure app!


Zite Personalized Magazine

Free, iTunes

This mag creates news feeds based on your specific interests. Needs latest Apple software.


iReddit

Free, iTunes

Shake your phone to find the most interesting content on the web. Great if you like interacting and commenting.


The Poke

£1.99, iTunes

Spoof news stories meet weird cat videos – a fun and humorous way to alleviate the tedium of the daily grind


Circa News

Free, iTunes

Simplicity is key - news stories condensed into essential facts, quotes and photos. Keep up with the world wherever you are.


Pocket

Free, iTunes

Find something interesting on the web? Put it in your Pocket. Then, access it from all your devices, without Wifi.


Pulse

Free, iTunes

Design conscious news junkies will love this. Find articles you like and Pulse creates a beautiful story-bar filled with your content.


News360

Free, iTunes

By analysing your searches, this clever app literally learns what you do and don’t like, then finds content tailored to you.


OPI

Free, iTunes

Match your skintone to the app’s virtual hand, then try on hundreds of varnish shades before buying to eliminate pointless impulse purchases


Bangstyle

Free, iTunes

Browse through thousands of hair styles uploaded by stylists. Great for ideas if you’re looking for a new cut or colour.


Beautylish

Free, iTunes

Master a four-strand braid, perfect foundation contouring and learn nail art techniques with this app’s step-by-step videos.


Makeup Alley

Free, iTunes

Research any beauty product with this handy app. Browse under filters such as ‘best value’ and read very honest reviews.


Virtual Makeover

Free, iTunes

Upload a photo and test tonnes of hair and make-up colours, shapes and styles.


SpaFinder

Free, iTunes

Desperate for a manicure on your weekend getaway, but don’t know where to go? By using GPS this app finds spas in your area.


The Color Genius by L’Oréal

Free, iTunes

Upload your outfit, then choose to ‘match’, ‘blend’ or ‘clash’ your make-up for bespoke beauty looks.


TWO Magazine, by Pixiwoo

Free, iTunes

Top make-up artists Sam and Nic Chapman’s beauty magazine contains exclusive videos and interviews.


Natural Beauty Recipe

Free, Google Play

If your skin is revolting against chemicals, this app provides recipes for 100% natural homemade skin and body-care products.


mySkin: Skincare Advice

Free, iTunes

Complete a survey on your skin and watch bespoke recommendations stack up; essential ammo before facing the beauty counters.


ColorMirror by YSL

Free, iTunes

Upload your own photo and try out all the seasonal and classic colours, while perfecting your techniques thanks to make-up maestro Lloyd Simmonds.


Trip It

Free, iTunes

This gathers all your travel details in one place, syncing with your calendar. Forward all confirmation emails and it sorts the details.


Hotel Tonight

Free, iTunes

Last-minute hotel booking with incredible discounts. It is American though, so smaller UK destinations aren’t included.


Flight Track

£2.99, iPad & iPhone; £3.20, Android, iTunes

Real time status updates on gate numbers, delays and cancellations. You can also follow flights on zoomable maps.


Tr avelzoo

Free, iTunes

Like Groupon, but for travel. Get remarkable offers both in the UK and abroad and book in a few easy steps.


XE Currency

Free, iTunes

A currency converter that works out precisely how much that hand-carved African mask is really going to cost you.


iTranslate

Free, iTunes

Translates over 60 languages, from speech and text, giving several results so you don’t mix meanings.


iTorch

Free, iTunes

This is a life-saver, whether you’re searching a festival field for your tent or on a late-night mission to the village store.


OnTheFly

Free, iTunes

Find the flights you need, at the best prices. It also has history and itineraries sections where you can repeat previous journeys.


Kayak

Free, iTunes

Your online travel agent – finds you flights, hotels and car hire, notifies you when prices change and even offers a packing list.


Airbnb

Free, iTunes

Avoid bland hotels and stay in beautiful lofts, apartments with roof terraces and other cool pads in 192 countries.


Style.com

Free, iTunes

The essential fashion reference tool; read up on reviews, browse collections and get lost in archives stretching back to autumn/winter 2000.


Luxup

Free, iTunes

Personal passes to exceptional experiences from luxury brands. Buy on the Luxup site and use your app instore to collect.


Stylebook

£2.49, iTunes

Upload pictures of your clothes and create outfits you lack the inspiration for at 7am in the morning. Think Cher from Clueless’ wardrobe organiser.


Chic Feed

Free, iTunes

This app does one thing, very well. Get your street-style fix with photo feeds from The Sartorialist, Face Hunter and more…


Go Try It On

Free, iTunes

Debating a dress in a changing room? Take a pic, submit to the Go Try It On community, and let them help. A crowd-sourced fashion consultation.


Pic Jointer

Free, iTunes

Jigsaw together multiple photos. It’s taken off among fashion insiders as you can show one look in all its glory, with close-up detail.


Moodboard

£6.99, iPad only, iTunes

A favourite among the fashion creatives; collate and crop any images that inspire you – from the web or your photo library – onto virtual boards that you can write on and print out.


Viddy

Free, iTunes

Not strictly a fashion app, but these mini-videos, uploaded by personalities such as Diane Von Furstenberg, show an intimate glimpse behind-the-scenes.


Snapette

Free, iTunes

Need a new pair of designer heels and need them fast? Snappette will tell what’s available in your local area via photos uploaded by fellow shoppers.


Net-a-Porter

Free, iTunes

This app sets the bar for online fashion retailers, with Fashion Fix editorialising the collections. Easy to use and dangerously easy to shop…


Camera+

69p, iTunes

For serious control of your phone’s photos, this provides almost professional-level editing tools – so that every snap looks SLR standard.


Snapseed

Free, iTunes

Apple’s iPad App of the Year 2011 transforms dreary snaps into colourful masterpieces with an easy image correcting tool.


Snapjoy

Free, iTunes

A gorgeous way to store photos online. Import snaps straight from Instagram or your hard drive and keep them in a day-by-day timeline.


Diptic

(69p) iPhone & iPad; (63p) Android, iTunes

With 165 layouts to select, you can place a number of photos in the same frame. Filters allow you to customise the images.


Magic Hour

£1.49, iTunes

A filter market, where you can download the latest photo filters for free. User-generated filters are being added all the time.


LensLight

69p, iTunes

Recreate the sun-saturated ‘bokeh’ light of an island holiday or even cheat that old, cheap camera look with the Lightleak option.


DMD Panorama

69p, iPhone & iPad; Free, Android, iTunes

Create stunning, immersive 3D panorama shots. Blends the joins seamlessly and quickly an


PhotoSync

£1.49, iTunes

A photo life-changer. Wirelessly transfer images from your iPhone or iPad to your desktop or even to an online Dropbox account.


Kinotopic

Free, iTunes

As addictive as Instagram, but better by allowing one area of your photograph – a child’s wave for instance – to remain animated.


Cinemagram

Free, iTunes

Cinemagrams are superior to GIFs; they’re a blend of image and movement. Speed up or reverse your videos for clever effects.


Uber

Free, iTunes

If flailing your arms won’t hail you a cab, Uber will find you a private driver – in a luxury car – super quick. London only.


Tube Exits

69p, iTunes

This slice of genius tells you which carriage you should get on and which exit to take. Never walk endlessly around Green Park Tube again.


Sleep Cycle

69p, iTunes

An alarm clock that recognises when you’re at the right point in your sleep cycle to be woken up, but you have to keep it next to you on the mattress.


Clock.in

64p, Google Play

Perfect for women working from home or freelancing. Download timesheets for personal records or send them to your clients.


Find My iPhone

Free, iTunes

Lock your phone remotely via another pre-registered device and activate the GPS tracker to locate it. Can remotely wipe data too.


Pocket Yoga

£1.99, iPhone, £1.89, Android, iTunes

A yoga teacher in the palm of your hand. A collection of 150 different poses and 27 routines – stay fit on the go.


Evernote

Free, iTunes

The best note-taking app. Collect pics, written notes and voice recordings and keep your important documents in one place


ConXfer

£2.99, iPhone & iPad; 61p Android, iTunes

Transmit your business card from your device and scan and store other people’s cards in your contacts in an instant.


Fertility Friend

Free, iTunes

A colour-coded calendar to record your monthly cycle. There’s a temperature tracker and alarm to remind you to enter data.


St John Ambulance First Aid

Free, iTunes

Stay calm in an emergency: step-by-step info to care for burns, stroke and more.


Huduyou mobile

Free, iTunes

Don’t close your eyes and point at the directory. Enter what you need into this app – a plumber for instance – and see which local service provider your friends recommend.


Cloud Smart Meter

Free, iTunes

For the business-minded – this analytics tool provides timely, actionable insights that are critical for any organisation in the cloud.


iOnRoad

£2.99, iTunes

Mount your phone on your dashboard and let it guide you around or tell you how close you are to the car in front.


Quora

Free, iTunes

Like ask.com, only better. Dream up even the most bizarre questions and Quora will deliver.


HERE Maps

Free, iTunes

If you’re finding the latest Apple maps as frustrating as the rest of us, try Nokia’s offering. Unglamorous, but useful.


Next Bus London

£1.99, iTunes

If a bus it isn’t going to turn up for 15 minutes, you’d rather know. Select your bus stop on the interactive map and find out how soon your bus will arrive.


Jorte Calendar

Free, iTunes

An intelligent personal organiser. Plenty of innovative features such as quick note-taking and clever ways to set up reminders.


CarbonTrack

Free, iTunes

Engineered to help you and your business make the important steps towards caring for the environment.


SkyView

£1.49, iTunes

It’s not often we get to see the stars stuck in the middle of light-polluted cities, but when the chance arises, it’s nice to know what’s up there. This app helps you do just that.


Ted

Ted, iTunes

See some of the greatest minds on the planet give fascinating talks on random subjects. There’s no better commute material known to man.


Letterpress

Free, iTunes

Like Boggle and Risk combined together. It looks lovely, too. But you have to register with Apple’s social gaming network Game Center first.


Dream of Pixels

£1.99, iTunes

If you’ve played Tetris, (who hasn’t) you’ll get the hang of this immediately – a dreamy, upside-down remix of that classic block puzzler.


Groove Coaster Zero

Free, iTunes

Got rhythm? Give it a workout – keep the beat to catchy tunes for high scores. But you need volume so wear earphones.


Pocket Plane

Free, iTunes

Build your own airline by planning routes, purchasing airports and picking stylish liveries. Perfect for a coffee break.


Little Things Forever

£1.99, iTunes

Fan of Where’s Wally? Give this distraction a whirl. Find hidden things set to lovely music.


The Walking Dead

Free, iTunes

Protect the most adorable little girl ever through an original story set in the world of The Walking Dead.


Rayman Jungle Run

£1.99, iTunes

A beautiful, one-touch game in which you make the cheeky Rayman run and hop around a variety of obstacles. Top-quality fun!


To the City of the Clouds

£1.49, iTunes

An interactive novel in which you choose your own, occasionally sexy, adventure in a lost city. Like a book, but better.


Topics

Share this article

undefined

By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy

Thank you!

You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.