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Best Homework And Assignments Apps For iPad / iPhone

As a student, I never feared the ever-mounting workload nor did the challenge to become the most adorable student ever pushed me back to the wall. The only thing that killed me—more often than not—was tracking assignments, as I would often miss out a few of them. Alas, I didn’t have a powerful tablet like iPad and intelligently crafted apps in those days! I’m really glad to see the best iPad and iPhone apps that make managing and tracking homework and assignments a painless experience.

1. Documents by Readdle

Do you find it a bit tedious to manage a lot of files and important documents? No longer spend a lot of time in keeping your files in sync with your high demand by making the most the best file manager for iOS—Documents.

The app works with multiple cloud services like Apple’s iCloud, Microsoft’s OneDrive Dropbox and Box to ensure you have desired efficiency to manage your docs. Using several powerful tools, you can edit documents, annotate PDFs, browse photos, and read e-books. Oh yes, you can also watch videos and play your favorite music.

Price: Free Download

2. Power Planner

Power Planner boasts online sync for students. This feature enables students to access their homework from anywhere. Even if your kids go for a sleepover at friends’ homes, they can download their assignments and files.

A smart app allows your kids to manage semesters, enter classes with time schedules and room locations, add assignments and exams, get automatic reminders of upcoming homework, etc.

If you go for a premium version of this app, kids can add more than five grades per class.

Price: Free (In-app Purchases) Download

3. Socratic Math & Homework Help

Ranked as the 8th best app in education category and achieved 5 stars out of almost 10K ratings, “Socratic Math & Homework Help” doesn’t any introduction, doesn’t it? What I have found really admirable in this app is the ability to be a fantastic guide to help kids solve homework and Math.

Your child just needs to snap the photo of a Math equation to get the quick answer. Thanks to the step-by-step guide, he will be able to easily understand the trick to solve the problems. Better still, the app supports multiple subjects including Math (Algebra, Calculus, Statistics, Graphing, etc.), Science, Chemistry, History, English, Economics, etc.

4. Pocket Schedule Planner

Tracking down classes and assignments is a piece of cake with Pocket Schedule Planner! The app boasts a neat user-interface and easy-to-use features that bring about the essential convenience in getting the task done without any stress at all.

Based on your need, you can comfortably organize your entire courses and monitor them with ease. To take the hassle out of the equation, you can sort all of your assignments into a separate section. Additionally, it also allows you to manage the detailed info of your guider so that nothing goes for a miss.

5. myHomework Student Planner

“myHomework” is one of the most appreciable back-to-school apps for iOS. With this app, you can effortlessly keep an eye on your classes, homework, assignments, and tests. There is a smart calendar display to let you instantly find out the required information.

The support for the time, block and period based schedules offer you more flexibility to get on top of your task. Homework reminders never let you forget important things. If you ever feel constrained, you can upgrade to the premium version ($4.99) of the app to unlock all the features.

6. OmniFocus 3

OmniFocus has always been one of my favorite task manager apps for both iOS and macOS. Though it’s not specifically designed for students, it can be immensely pivotal in helping them manage their tasks and assignments. The app lets you easily enter in a task and assign a due date. With notification reminders, it keeps you in charge.

As it’s location-aware, you will be able to assign a location to a specific task and be reminded of it whenever you reach that location.

7. The Homework App

This one is what you should pick to manage your entire homework with complete peace of mind! You can easily add your tasks and complete them in time. To ensure you don’t miss out on any important assignments, you will also be able to keep track of them.

It lets you add subtasks to keep your homework fully organized. With custom reminders, you will remain alert to things that you have to do. There is an in-app calendar to help you quickly check out your tasks daily, monthly and yearly basis. Lastly, this education app supports only two languages like English and Korean.

8. iStudiez Pro Legendary Planner

Time to ramp up your productivity! iStudiez Pro can get the best out of you by letting you complete your projects more efficiently. The app features a smart built-in planner that allows you to easily enter all types of schedules. You can add holiday periods and cancel separate classes in case of outstanding events.

You will also be able to organize your assignments by date or by course or by priority or sort them into pending and completed. It allows you to view your third-party calendar events as well. Another notable feature of this app is the compatibility with several languages like English, Arabic, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German and more.

9. Class Manager– My Homework App

Manage all your classes, assignment, sessions, and many other things using the intuitive interface of the app. You can also tag your homework with the specific class that will make it easier to organize things. Besides, you can sort your homework by the due date, further making things easily accessible when you want.

You can also set reminders for homework, assignments, and classes. To again make things simpler, there are different views for homework, assignment, classes, and other things. Overall, the app has all the features you may need to keep your education in sync. Give it a try.

That’s all, folks!

What’s your pick?

Now that you have explored the top apps for education, Let us know which one have you chosen for your kid. And also tell us your feedback about the apps mentioned above.

Take a peek at these posts as well:

• Best Calendar Apps for iPhone and iPad
• Best Task Manager Apps for iPhone and iPad
• Education Apps for iPhone and iPad
• Best iPad Pro Drawing Apps

The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.

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The 6 Best Homework Apps to Help Students (and Parents)

These apps won't do all the work for them

• New York Institute of Technology
• The Ultimate Guide to Parental Controls

Getting homework done can be difficult. While the information might make sense in the classroom , some students don't retain that knowledge. When your child needs extra help, there are apps to help with homework. These solutions help both students and parents succeed.

The apps in this article are free to download, and some may include in-app purchases .

Easy to use with over 30 languages to learn.

ESL courses to strengthen English skills.

The interface can be clunky at times.

It has a limited vocabulary.

This popular language-learning app sits at the top of both the iOS and Android app stores as an excellent solution to strengthen foreign language skills. Whether your child wants to learn outside of their curriculum or wishes to practice what they learned in class, Duolingo is an excellent addition to any digital device.

With over thirty languages to choose, your child can practice German, Italian, Spanish, French, or dozens of other languages. If your student is currently enrolled in ESL courses, they can strengthen their English skills from the bottom-up.

Unlike other language learning solutions that focus on memorizing vocabulary, Duolingo uses a combination of reading, writing, and speaking exercises to create a more natural learning experience.

Download For :

It's great for helping math students who fall behind.

The built-in calculator allows for smart, on-the-fly calculations and 2D graph plotting.

It's somewhat limited depth. Wrong answers don't provide much room for learning why an answer is incorrect.

Mathematics can be one of the most challenging courses for students, with complicated steps that are quickly forgotten after a long school day. Especially challenging is that many parents struggle to help their children with subject matter that they haven't been acquainted with for years. Photomath is an excellent solution for struggling mathematicians.

Children can scan complex or simple math problems, learning how to solve them with step-by-step instructions. A built-in calculator improves the experience, allowing for smart, on-the-fly calculations and 2D graph plotting abilities. Linear equations, logarithms, trigonometry, functions, and basic algebraic expressions are only a few of Photomath's vast capabilities.

Great music learning app with tools for learning and practicing guitar, bass, piano, and more.

Voice-overs and instructional design lack the human touch that helps when learning an instrument.

One school subject that is sadly overlooked is music. Music is an area of study that has been proven to increase a child's language and reasoning skills, fine-tune their motor skills, and decrease stress levels. So, if your child is trying to learn a musical instrument and struggling, consider investing in Yousician. This app allows students to practice guitar, bass, piano, or ukulele.

Students can practice their instruments along with the charts and diagrams that display on the screen. They'll receive real-time feedback when they miss a note or fall out of tune. Included step-by-step video tutorials are available to show your child how to be proficient in a specific skill set. Practicing an instrument has never seemed so natural. With different genres of music available, your child can quickly sort out their favorites.

Khan Academy

A range of subjects, from kindergarten mathematics to advanced placement physics.

More than 150,000 interactive exercises.

There's not much room for creativity, collaboration, or alternative teaching styles.

Ready to increase your knowledge in math, science, computing, history, economics, and more? Whether as an educational tool for your child, or an extra app for a parent to enjoy in their free time, everyone can use Khan Academy to unlock a world of education. Children can practice anything from kindergarten mathematics to advanced placement physics. Quickly access a collection of portable courses on-the-go or on your computer.

The Khan Academy app offers over 150,000 interactive exercises to strengthen old or new skills. Additionally, you can download content for offline study so that you have access to it no matter where you are. Parents wishing to learn something new can jump into advanced high school courses or enjoy courses on entrepreneurship and career-building. Khan Academy offers solutions for all ages and skill ranges.

Quizlet Flashcards

A digital flashcard mobile platform that's suitable for all ages.

The focus on memorization is ideal for studying.

The ad-supported platform may be distracting.

User-generated content means some content may be inaccurate.

Do you remember studying for exams and creating piles of flashcards to memorize facts and details? While flashcards can be an excellent method for analyzing new material, they use a large amount of paper that is eventually thrown in the trash. Learn new topics while also saving trees with the Quizlet Flashcards application. Study from existing flashcard sets or create your own.

Quizlet digital flashcards allow students of all ages to practice and excel at various topics using their smartphones. In addition to basic flashcards, Quizlet offers multiple modes to encourage different methods of memorization. If your child attends the same class as another student using Quizlet, the two can share flashcards. Those who use the app to study foreign languages can hear keywords spoken to them in over 18 languages.

PowerSchool

Allows parents and guardians to keep tabs on their child's education.

Access classroom handouts, attendance records, school bulletins, and more.

The complicated interface makes for a rather steep learning curve.

Here's an app that both children and parents can enjoy: PowerSchool Mobile. Many school districts use the PowerSchool system to manage grades and reports. If your child's school is a participant, you can use the mobile app to keep a close eye on your child's educational progress. Depending on how a teacher chooses to use the tool in their classroom, you may also have access to handouts, attendance records, school bulletins, and more.

While not every school offers support for the PowerSchool Mobile application, it is worth checking with your child's teacher to see if the option is available. Sorry kids, but it isn't possible to hide report cards with the PowerSchool app. Parents can manage what push and email notifications they receive from the child's school. You'll become more involved and aware of your child's school performance with this simple mobile app.

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Top 20 Best iPad Apps for Students [2024]

Today, iPads are incredibly capable devices that can handle most types of schoolwork for college and grad students alike. Yes, it’s true. Depending on your field of study, you might be able to get by with just an iPad alone — no need for a laptop at all!

Of course, an iPad on its own (even if you have the best iPad for schoolwork ) is unlikely to be able to do everything a student needs to make it through their program. Whether you’re in undergraduate or graduate school, you’ll need some of the best iPad apps for students to help make your life easier all around.

The best iPad apps for students in 2024 include a wide variety of applications meant for all sorts of purposes. The vast majority of these apps are productivity-focused, and if not, they’re still helpful to schoolwork somehow.

So, what exactly are the best apps for iPad if you’re a student who wants to use your tablet for coursework?

Read on to learn some of our top recommendations for apps you should install on your iPad as a college or graduate student. We included free and paid options too, so let’s get right to it!

Table of Contents

What Makes an iPad App for Students Special?

There isn’t anything inherently special about iPad apps for college students. In fact, many of the apps below are useful not just for college students but for students of any level — and for professionals and casual users alike.

That said, there are apps that are simply more useful for students overall. These apps include some of the top iPad apps for education and productivity.

If you’re wondering how we decided on which iPad education apps to include on our list of recommendations below, these are the factors we considered:

• We looked at whether the apps are affordable . Most college and graduate students may have trouble fitting several paid/premium apps into their budgets, which is why we looked for the most affordable options where possible. If we could find free apps, we included them as well. Additionally, we ensured that many of the apps included have a free forever tier that allow students to use them without paying for anything (albeit with limited functionality).
• We included apps that are incredibly useful for performing schoolwork-related tasks. That includes various types of productivity apps like word processors, calculators, Pomodoro timers, and more. The best iPad apps for college students are those that allow students to complete their assignments, projects, readings, etc. Some apps like Zoom are even great for attending online classes.

The apps included below are useful for more than just schoolwork. We also included apps that allow you to create art or other graphics, make notes, journal, track your finances, and more. To help you select apps more easily, we divided the apps below into two sections – premium and free.

Best iPad Apps for Students: Premium

Key Information

• Price : $3.99 one-time purchase to unlock on all iOS devices; separate purchase necessary for other platforms
• Platforms : iOS/iPadOS, Android, Google Chrome browser extension
• Publisher : Seekrtech
• Best for : Focus and Pomodoro timing, time management and tracking
• Download link : Forest

Forest is one of the best apps for college students on iPad. It’s extremely cheap and is available through a one-time purchase, which means no expensive subscriptions that balloon up the price. There are some minor microtransactions within the app itself, but none of them are absolutely necessary for you to use Forest.

If you aren’t sure what Forest is, it’s a focus app that also works well as a time tracker and Pomodoro timer. You can set however long you want your focus hours to be, starting from ten minutes and going at five-minute increments all the way to one hundred and twenty minutes.

Forest allows you to label your focus time so you can look at reports, later on, to see where you spent your time. Additionally, successfully completed focus time allows you to plant your flowers and trees and fill up your forest. Growing a plant also nets you some coins, which you can then use to purchase more plants in the store or to plant a real tree in real life!

If focusing is an issue for you, Deep Focus will allow you to block certain apps unrelated to your task so you can minimize distractions.

• Simple and easy to use
• Earn coins to plant real trees
• Collect various types of trees and plant as desired
• Track time with tags
• Block out other apps to help keep your focus
• Some trees require separate real-money purchases
• Requires you to purchase again on other platforms

• Free version with limitations
• $4.99 one-time purchase for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch
• Separate $4.99 one-time purchase on macOS
• Platforms : macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch
• Publisher : Xwavesoft
• Best for : Tracking time, Pomodoro timing, simple task management
• Download link : BeFocused  | BeFocused Pro

BeFocused is another school app for iPad users. Although not exclusively for school, this Pomodoro timer and focusing app allows you to stay on task for a set amount of time with breaks in between. You can also block certain apps to minimize distractions.

One of the best things about BeFocused is its Pro version syncs with Focus Matrix, which means you can more easily track your time, manage your tasks, and more. There are plenty of settings within the Pro app that allows you to fiddle with timing, alerts, and more.

On its own, BeFocused isn’t the best at managing tasks. But when synced with Focus Matrix, this app is able to do much more. The only thing we’d say could use some improvement is the fact that you have to purchase it separately for your Mac and iPad, if you want it on both machines.

• Syncs with Focus Matrix on macOS and iOS for easier time tracking and task management
• Set your own Pomodoro session timing
• Use included sound alerts to be alerted of sessions finishing
• Requires you to purchase the macOS version separately
• Not the best at task management on its own

• Price : One-time purchase of $12.99
• Platforms : iPad only (there is an iPhone version called Procreate Pocket  available for $5.99)
• Publisher : Savage Interactive
• Best for : Creating art, animation, graphics, calligraphy, etc.
• Download link : Procreate

Although not exclusively for the pro version of the iPad, Procreate is arguably one of the very best iPad Pro apps for students. This app is amazing for creating art, making graphics, painting, sketching, and more. It has a robust set of tools (with the possibility for more) and allows you to work seamlessly with the Apple Pencil.

Procreate is always topping the list of the best iPad apps overall, but we certainly believe that it’s also one of the best iPad pro apps for students around.

• One of the very best art-related apps on the iPad
• Works seamlessly with the Apple Pencil (1 and 2)
• Regularly updated with new features, so it never feels stale
• Create animations within the app
• Allows you to export your files easily and without a hassle
• Resource-intensive
• May not be able to handle as many layers or as large a canvas depending on the iPad model
• Somewhat steep learning curve

GoodNotes 5

• Limited free forever tier (up to three notebooks only)
• One-time purchase of $7.99 on iPadOS
• Platforms : iPadOS (will also work on certain versions of macOS with no additional purchase), Android, Windows, and ChromeOS
• Publisher : GoodNotes Limited
• Best for : Note-taking, journaling, PDF annotation, studying , etc.
• Download link : GoodNotes 5

GoodNotes 5 is one of the top iPad apps for schools, thanks to how useful it is for notetaking, PDF annotation, organization, and more. GoodNotes 5 is chock full of features that allows users to handwrite their notes and organize them properly. It works seamlessly with the Apple Pencil, but also allows you to use other styluses if you prefer.

This app is quite affordable, only $7.99 as a one-time purchase. You can use all the features with this singular purchase, though if you want additional templates, elements, stickers, assets, and more, you’ll likely end up paying quite a bit more by purchasing third-party content.

• Tons  of third-party content available on websites like Etsy, but you need to purchase them separately
• Use stickers, elements, templates etc. to personalize your notes
• Create notebooks and organize them in folders
• Amazing for note-taking with handwriting
• Truly affordable
• Can be quite glitchy sometimes
• Could be a bit better in terms of the pen options

Focus Matrix

• Limited free forever version
• About $10 one-time purchase on iOS/iPadOS, requires a separate purchase on macOS (about the same price)
• Platforms : iOS/iPadOS, macOS
• Best for : Task management and prioritization
• Download link : Focus Matrix

Focus Matrix uses the Eisenhower Matrix to help you organize your tasks and to-dos as perfectly as possible. On its own, Focus Matrix is easy and simple to use, so you don’t have to deal with a steep learning curve. The only issue is the interface isn’t the best, so if you’re looking for something pretty, then you might not find it here. And, like BeFocused Pro, you need to buy Focus Matrix on your iPad and your Mac if you want to sync between the two. Fortunately, it’s affordable, sitting at around a $10 one-time purchase.

There are many better planner apps for students , but if you want something simple that won’t break the bank, it’s hard to overlook Focus Matrix as a solid option.

• Syncs with BeFocused (Pro) to make task management and prioritization a bit easier to do overall
• Uses the Eisenhower Matrix to make task prioritization a breeze
• Syncs with your Calendar so you can see when your tasks are due
• Requires separate purchases for macOS and iOS
• Not the best-looking design and interface

• Free forever tier
• Canva Pro (single user) – $12.99 per month or $119.90 per year
• Canva for Teams is also available if you have 2+ users
• Platforms : Web, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
• Publisher : Canva
• Best for : Creating graphics, presentations, posters, flyers, etc.
• Download link : Canva

You’ve probably already heard about Canva before, but if you haven’t — Canva is a web-based design app that allows you to create all sorts of graphics, designs, documents, and assets. It’s available not just on the web, but also on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, so you can install the app on your preferred system. Your account also syncs on your devices, so you get to work on your design on whichever device you have handy.

Canva also comes with a massive amount of assets, templates, elements, and more. However, you’ll need to pay for Canva Pro to be able to take advantage of these copyright-free elements.

• Has a free forever tier, albeit somewhat limited
• Incredibly versatile — create graphics, prints, documents, presentations, and more
• Use on practically any platform
• If you have a paid account, you have access to an incredible amount of content to use in your designs
• Much of the content (templates, assets, elements) is locked behind the Canva Pro paywall

Microsoft Office 365

• Use Office Online for free on the web
• Personal plan:  $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year (single user)
• Family plan : $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (up to six users)
• Platforms : Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
• Publisher : Microsoft
• Best for : Various productivity tasks
• Download link : Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft 365, formerly Microsoft Office, is the golden standard when it comes to productivity apps. It’s not just for students, either — this software suite is used in homes and offices worldwide. Microsoft 365 is available on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows, allowing you to use your apps on any device you choose. Unfortunately, 365 requires a subscription to use, and it can get quite pricey. Luckily, you can use one account on up to five devices.

A family subscription also allows up to six users to use Microsoft 365 on up to five devices each.

• The golden standard when it comes to productivity suites
• One subscription gives you access to all the Microsoft 365 apps, including Microsoft OneNote
• One account allows use on up to five devices
• Receives regular updates
• Get up to 10% off for students
• Your subscription grants you 1TB of cloud storage via OneDrive
• If you already have a different cloud storage service, OneDrive is redundant

• Price : One-time purchase of $9.99 for the below devices
• Platforms : iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
• Publisher : TLA Systems Ltd.
• Best for : Mathematic and scientific calculations
• Download link : PCalc

There’s not much to say about PCalc other than the fact that it does literally everything you need in a calculator. It’s quite an odd decision by Apple, but the iPads do not come with a built-in calculator app. There are many free options available, but you’ll need to contend with apps, so PCalc is a good purchase for only $10.

• Works as perfectly as you need it
• Has all the functions necessary for your math/science work
• Not the cheapest

• Price : 100% free
• Platforms : Web, iOS, iPadOS, Android
• Publisher : Intuit
• Best for : Budgeting and financial tracking
• Download link : Mint

Even students need to be able to track their expenses and budget their money. If you need a little assistance in the finance department, Mint is a fantastic option for you. Mint by Intuit is 100% free to use in its entirety. You’ll need to link your financial accounts, however, so you might want to look at a different option if linking accounts is uncomfortable for you.

• 100% free to use
• Easy and simple to use
• Pull all of your financial information from your accounts and track them all in one place
• Requires you to link your accounts, which may not be comfortable for everyone
• Lacks some financial institutions

Evernote  + Penultimate

• Free forever plan (limited) or
• Personal : $8.99 per month or $6.66 per month paid yearly
• Professional : $10.99 per month or $9.17 per month paid yearly
• Evernote for Teams also available
• Get 40% off Professional for Students
• Platforms : Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows
• Publisher : Evernote Corporation (though Evernote was recently acquired by Bending Spoons)
• Best for : Taking notes, brainstorming, some task management, organization
• Download link : Evernote  | Penultimate

Evernote has been around for the better part of two decades since its initial release in 2004. From its first release, this app has grown to become incredibly popular and a favorite for many. You can use Evernote for free with some limitations, such as only being able to sync on two devices. But with a relatively affordable subscription, you get an incredibly robust note-taking app that has Optical Character Recognition features that allow you to search through images and PDFs to find what you are looking for.

Evernote doesn’t handle handwritten notes in the best way possible, which indeed can be quite the drawback. However, you can use Penultimate, the companion handwriting app, and sync your handwritten notes into your Evernote account if you wish.

• One of the very best notetaking apps available for the iPad (and other platforms)
• Has legendary OCR (optical character recognition) features that allows Evernote to index images and makes it possible to search via the text on pictures and PDFs
• Create various types of notes
• Free forever tier allows use on two devices (plus limited features)
• Sync across all your devices with a premium account
• Syncs with Penultimate, the handwriting/notetaking app on iPad
• Not the best for handwritten notes
• Currently kind of in limbo as it was recently acquired by company Bending Spoons
• Could have more organization features

• Free forever plan
• More information is available here
• Platforms : iOS, iPadOS, Android, Windows, macOS
• Publisher : Zoom Video Communications
• Best for : Video conferencing, attending classes, etc.
• Download link : Zoom

At this point, who doesn’t know about Zoom?

Zoom is an incredibly useful video conferencing tool that allows you to keep in touch with people, attend your classes and lectures, and collaborate with others. It’s free to use as well, with some minor limitations.

• Ubiquitious and used by practically everyone
• Simple to learn and use
• Available on practically every platform
• Has a generous free forever plan
• Can sometimes be very resource-intensive
• May sometimes crash on some devices and systems

Zoho Notebook

• Free forever plan with limited features or
• $1.99/month paid monthly or $19.99 per year
• There is a deal for $49.99 for three years
• Platforms : Web, iOS/iPadOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux
• Publisher : Zoho Corporation
• Best for : Notetaking, task management, some types of journaling, organization, etc.
• Download link : Zoho Notebook

Although it’s not quite as popular as GoodNotes 5, Evernote, or Microsoft OneNote, Zoho Notebook is another fantastic option if you’re looking for a note-taking app that can do it all (almost). Like Evernote, Zoho Notebook doesn’t handle handwritten notes too well. However, this app makes up for its shortcomings by allowing you to create notebooks containing all sorts of notes including audio notes, task lists, and more.

Another great thing about Zoho Notebook is it can sync across various platforms — and it’s truly quite affordable, especially if you sign up for three years in advance!

• Unique features that allow you to create various types of notes
• OCR function allows searching text on images and PDFs
• Very affordable premium subscriptions
• Also allows for task management (sends notifications and reminders)
• Not the most convenient for handwriting notes

• Limited free forever plan
• Quizlet Plus costs around $48 yearly — no month-to-month subscription available
• Platforms : Web, Android, iOS
• Publisher : Quizlet Inc
• Best for : Studying with flashcards, memorization
• Download link : Quizlet

For what it is, Quizlet is pricey. However, we chose to include it anyway, as it can be incredibly helpful for those who need a little extra help with studying and memorization.

• Easy to learn and use
• Create your own flashcard sets and use them; similarly, you can use others’ flashcards
• Great support for a wide range of languages
• Lots of study mode variety
• Has gotten more and more expensive over the years
• No month-to-month subscription option

AnkiMobile Flashcards

• Price : One-time purchase of $24.99 for iPad/iPhone
• Platforms : Anki Web, iPad/iPhone
• Publisher : Ankitects Pty Ltd
• Best for : Studying with flashcards, memorization, etc.
• Download link : AnkiMobile Flashcards

Anki is far more affordable than Quizlet, but you do get a much less sophisticated app in return. Nevertheless, if you need to study and want some extra help, AnkiMobile Flashcards is one to consider!

• One-time purchase means you save money in the long term
• Works well for what it is
• Expensive for what it is
• Interface and design looks dated and needs improvement

Best iPad Apps for Students: FREE

Apple notes.

• Price : FREE
• Platforms : All Apple devices
• Publisher : Apple
• Best for : Taking notes and studying
• Download link : Included with your iPad

Apple Notes is one of the best apps you need to have on your iPad thanks to its features and ease of use. It’s entirely free, allowing you to take advantage without any additional cost.

• Absolutely free
• Comes on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac and syncs across all your devices as long as you’re logged in to the same iCloud account
• Create typed or handwritten notes
• Could be easier and better to organize

Apple Freeform

• Platforms : Compatible iPads and Macs
• Best for : Brainstorming, mindmapping, notetaking on an infinite canvas, handwritten notes, etc.
• Download link : Included with compatible iPads

Freeform is the newer kid on the block, allowing users to do all sorts of things on an infinite canvas. Although it’s only available on select iPads and Macs, this app lets you brainstorm, take notes, and collaborate without ever running out of space.

It’s still new, so you can expect some flaws, bugs, and kinks to smooth out. But considering it’s free, it’s certainly worth looking into if you want to create mindmaps or brainstorm projects!

• Infinite canvas allows you to create massive mindmaps
• Fantastic for brainstorming
• Allows a certain level of collaboration
• Has a robust set of tools that makes it easier to be productive
• Only works on certain Apple devices

Google Productivity Suite

• Free forever or
• With a premium plan to Workspace
• Platforms : Web, ChromeOS, Android, iOS
• Publisher : Google LLC
• Best for : Various types of productivity tasks
• Download link : Google Docs  | Google Sheets  | Google Slides

Only slightly behind Microsoft 365’s popularity is the Google productivity suite. The suite comprises apps like Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, and it’s all available for free . These apps all integrate into the Google ecosystem seamlessly, though they require the internet to sync and save your files.

One thing worth mentioning is that although there are apps on mobile, you’ll need to use the web version if you’re on a desktop. You can also use the web version through the browser on your iPad, if that’s something you wish to do.

• Absolutely free to use
• Use on the web or on your phone or iPad
• Has third-party apps and extensions to improve functionality
• Has certain limitations
• Mobile apps aren’t the most convenient to use
• No apps for desktop
• Google Drive is known for getting a ton of external spam if your email account was included in a data breach

Google Keep

• Platforms : Web, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, Chrome browser extension
• Best for : Note-taking, task management, web clipping, handwritten notes and sketching, brainstorming, etc.
• Download link : Google Keep

Google Keep is much like Zoho Notebook in that it offers many of the same functionalities. With Google Keep, you can take notes, create checklists, doodle and sketch, take web clippings, and more — and you can do it all entirely for free!

• Tagging function makes it easy to organize and find past notes
• OCR function allows you to extract text from PDFs and images
• Works seamlessly with other Google apps
• Limited note colors available
• Could have a better organization system
• No markdown or rich text support
• No apps for desktops

Google Drive

• 15GB for free, then
• 200GB for $2.99 / month
• 2TB for $9.99 / month
• 5TB for$24.99 / month
• Platforms : Windows, macOS, Android, iOS/iPadOS, web
• Best for : Cloud storage and syncing
• Download link : Google Drive

If you’re deeply embedded into the Google ecosystem, then Google Drive might be the cloud storage service of choice for you. iCloud is great and all, but sometimes you just need something different to keep track of all your important files, photos, and more.

• Available on practically all platforms
• Affordable cloud storage options
• Works seamlessly with all other Google products
• Prone to receiving tons  of spam with Google seemingly not doing anything about it
• Occasionally runs into issues on some systems (taking too much memory or lagging)

Microsoft OneNote

• Free forever plan with limited features, or
• $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year for a single user through the personal plan
• $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year for up to six users through the family plan
• Platforms : Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
• Publisher : Microsoft Corporation
• Best for : Notetaking, PDF annotation, studying, etc.
• Download link : Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is available entirely for free, albeit with limited functionalities. If you want more features, you’ll need to get a Microsoft 365 subscription. That said, such a subscription will provide plenty of value, giving you access to the rest of Microsoft’s productivity suite.

OneNote is one of the best and most popular notetaking apps available today — even if it’s not perfect. Some prefer OneNote entirely over other apps like GoodNotes 5 or Evernote.

• Has a free forever version that could be more than enough for many users
• Comes with your Microsoft 365 plan so you get a ton of apps, perks, and features for one subscription
• Works really well with styluses and handwritten notes
• Could have better organization features
• Not exactly as full-featured as other apps like Evernote and GoodNotes 5

Frequently Asked Questions

What apps should a college student have on ipad.

There are countless iPad apps for students that you might just find useful for your tablet. The apps you use are entirely down to your personal preference, but you may want to install a few of the free options. For example, Google’s suite of products are a good starting point. You can also use GoodNotes 5, Evernote, Canva, Forest, and more for free. Fortunately, many of the best apps listed above do offer free tiers so you may not have to pay anything at all!

What can I use my iPad for as a student?

A decade ago, you might’ve had trouble using your iPad efficiently for more than entertainment and light productivity tasks like checking your email. Today, iPads have improved so much, and developers have published so many great apps that using an iPad as your exclusive school device is entirely possible (depending on your field of study). Countless students use their iPads for things like note-taking, reading and annotating books and PDFs, research, emailing, creating presentations, writing papers, and more.

With the thousands upon thousands of apps available on the Apple app store, it can truly be challenging and even overwhelming to find the right ones to suit your needs. If you’re looking for the best iPad apps for students to install on your iPad for your studies, our list of recommendations above might just help.

Remember, if you’re on a tight budget, there are plenty of apps that are either 100% free or offer a free forever tier that allows use despite some limitations. There are also many fantastic apps that are cheap and purchasable with a one-time fee rather than a subscription!

Are you still shopping around? If you aren’t fully sold on an iPad for your schoolwork, check out our recommendations for the best tablets for schoolwork .

• The Best Note-Taking App for Students [Top 8]
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Chriselle Sy

Chriselle has been a passionate professional content writer for over 10 years. She writes educational content for The Grad Cafe, Productivity Spot, The College Monk, and other digital publications.  When she isn't busy writing, she spends her time streaming video games and learning new skills.

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Best iPad apps for school in 2023

The Apple iPad is a great tool for students at all grade levels, and these are the most helpful apps available.

Key Takeaways

• Notability is a versatile note-taking app for iPad that offers features like handwriting recognition and synced recordings, making it essential for college classes.
• Goodnotes 6 is a great digital notebook and PDF viewer that excels in file organization and customization, making it the best choice for text editing and studying.
• Google Calendar is a useful app for time management and assignment tracking, allowing you to enter class times and tasks, color code them, and sync them across devices.

With school starting up again for high school and college students, it's time to start thinking about what back-to-school tech can aid your studies. The iPad is one of the best tablets for students thanks to its great user interface and the fantastic Apple Pencil, among other features. However, just going out and buying an iPad doesn't automatically make you a better student. There are key apps and services that can take your studies to the next level, if you know where to find them.

So, what can you do with an iPad in high school or college? These days, iPads are capable enough to be laptop replacements for some students, thanks to the maturity of iPadOS as an operating system. With an iPad, you can complete assignments, take notes, and even enjoy some downtime with games and videos. Even though the desktop-class browser on models like the iPad Air can hold its own against desktop clients, iPads work best with apps. As a recent graduate, I've compiled eight iPad apps that I couldn't have gotten through college without, and they might just help you too.

1 Notability

A must-have notes app for high school and college.

You'll need a note-taking app for your iPad in school, and the best one we've found for the iPad is Notability. It's a versatile app that makes use of the Apple Pencil, with features like palm rejection and handwriting recognition available. If you're someone who likes to draw in their notebooks, you'll be happy to know that Notability can help you with that as well, automatically snapping shapes or lines into place perfectly. You have the option to create new documents using a community-designed template, edit existing documents, or scan PDFs with your iPad's camera. Yes, that means you can draw right over your physical textbook.

But there's one Notability feature that is essential to any college class: synced recordings. This lets you record a class or lecture right from the Notability app, and the audio is synced to your handwritten or typed notes. When it's time to review, tapping a word or drawing will play the audio that was recorded at the exact moment you made your notes. This is a killer feature that comes in handy when you're doing homework or studying for a test, and you can't decipher your notes. Part of the Notability app is free, but some features are behind a $3 per month or $15 per year paywall. It's definitely a worthy investment to help you ace your classes.

Notability on the App Store

2 Goodnotes 6

A versatile digital notebook and pdf viewer.

The question of which one is better depends on personal preference, but there's no doubt that either Notability or Goodnotes 6 is the best note-taking app on iPadOS. The latter excels as a file organizer and a PDF viewer, so if you care about that functionality, you should choose Goodnotes 6. While Notability does have a file and folder system, it is relegated to the app's sidebar and isn't very user-friendly. However, Goodnotes lets you fully customize folders and files, and you can organize them however you want. This is great for high school and college, where you'll want to sort files based on the class or school year they're needed for.

I think Notability is the better app for handwriting and drawing, but Goodnotes 6 is way better as a text editor. The user-interface looks like something out of the Microsoft 365 suite, and that's a compliment. You can have drawings and text in the same document, but the controls in the toolbar conveniently switch to match the type of input you're creating. Plus, when it's time to study, Goodnotes 6 has an artificial intelligence study tool that will create practice questions based on your notes. There are some other AI-based tools available too, like spellcheck for your handwritten notes. It's a free app to download, but you'll want to get the $10 per year subscription to unlock all the best features.

Goodnotes 6 on the App Store

3 Google Calendar

Great for time management and assignment tracking.

After trying a handful of planning apps, the best one to use is Google Calendar. While you might see how Google Calendar would be great for life planning, you'd be right to point out that it isn't tailored for school use. However, there are a few features that work great for planning your schedule. You can enter your class times as recurring events for the school year and semester and set reminders beforehand, so you'll never be late. Plus, you can enter the classroom number or building as the location of the event, which can save you from heading to the wrong room.

When it comes to tracking assignments, you can add upcoming projects and tests as tasks in your calendar. Then, you can color code each task to match the color of the class you're taking. After a bit of setup time at the beginning of the semester, you can easily see everything you've got coming up in either day, week, or month views. Marking tasks as completed strikes a line through them, so you get that feeling of accomplishment when you finish something. Since Google Calendar is connected to your Google account, your calendar will sync with any device that you are signed in to.

Google Calendar on the App Store

A great way to save big on college textbooks

Outside of tuition, textbooks are one of the biggest education expenses you'll likely incur. You'll probably need at least one per class, and they can cost hundreds of dollars to buy from the bookstore. Instead, look to the Kindle Store on Amazon. In a lot of cases, you can rent or buy the e-book version of a textbook for a fraction of the cost it would be to get your hands on a hard copy. The Kindle App itself is free, so you can access textbooks you've snagged at a discount straight from your iPad. Plus, by going this route, you can make your backpack much lighter since you won't be carrying heavy textbooks.

If you're an avid reader, you can also access your full Kindle library straight from your iPad with this app. There are over 1,000 books included with Amazon Prime, and even more are available with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. If you like audiobooks, there's built-in Audible narration for select titles. So, whether you're trying to save big on textbooks or just trying to relax with a book, the Kindle app for iPad is a must for school.

Kindle on the App Store

The best way to study terms and languages

Notes are great for taking in new information, but you'll want a separate app to study your material. Quizlet is the best way to do this, and it's the most advanced flashcard app available for the iPad. Quizlet now boasts a ton of new AI features, with one called Magic Notes that can automatically turn your notes into flashcards. However, this app is best used the old-fashioned way, as just the process of typing out flashcards in a study set can help improve your memory. After you make a digital flashcard set, there are different ways to learn the information, including game-style activities that make cramming feel fun.

The best part of Quizlet is that you can work together with current and past students to help each other study. Most sets are public, and Quizlet says there are over 700 million flashcard sets available on the platform. Chances are if you're using terms from a textbook, there's already a study set made for your chapter. This can save you time in various ways, from finding existing study sets to autofilling definitions that are already stored on Quizlet. If you need to study for something in school, Quizlet should be the first app you launch when you reach for your iPad.

Quizlet on the App Store

6 Google Drive

A workspace great for collaboration and group projects.

Regardless of what your favorite word processor is, there will certainly be a time in school when you need to use Google Workspace. The platform is unmatched in terms of collaboration, as you and your team can work on the same documents at the same time. More importantly, you'll be able to view these changes in real-time and leave comments with your collaborators right in the document. As such, Google Drive and the apps it includes are must-haves for group projects and team exercises in school.

Another great use for Google Drive is for editing. Instead of simply changing content in a document, spreadsheet, or presentation, you can "suggest" edits. When you're in suggesting mode, edits you make will appear in a different colored font, and someone will need to accept the edits before changes are finalized. This is perfect for editing other people's work since both parties can clearly see the changes proposed before they're actually made. Of the apps on this list, Google Drive is the least optimized for iPadOS. However, if you find yourself struggling with the iPad app, loading Google Workspace apps in Safari will launch the unabridged desktop client automatically.

Google Drive on the App Store

7 Microsoft 365

Many schools use microsoft 365, and the whole suite is on ipad.

School systems will either use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 as their email and productivity hubs, but the latter is more common at the collegiate level. Though Microsoft 365 can be a pricey subscription if it's purchased separately, it's often included with tuition. With the single Microsoft 365 app, you can open any Microsoft file on your iPad without missing a beat. There are a ton of reasons you might need to do this in school, from reading syllabuses to reviewing lecture PowerPoints.

Microsoft 365 offers some iPad-specific features that make it a must-have for students with a subscription. For example, there's a scan feature in Excel that can transform your handwritten notes into a digital spreadsheet. The Microsoft 365 app for iPad also features Apple Pencil support in a few ways, and you can easily annotate documents with your stylus. Overall, the Microsoft 365 experience on iPad is comparable to that of a desktop computer, which is high praise for the company's productivity suite.

Microsoft 365 on the App Store

8 Chegg Study

Great for finding the answers to tricky homework problems.

If you're taking a higher-level math or science class, you'll probably want to download the Chegg app. The service provides expert solutions to textbook questions that will either be used as homework questions or practice for a test. Plus, there are experts on the platform that can directly respond to student questions and learning videos available. Chegg doesn't replace actually doing your homework, but it can help you when you find yourself stuck and confused with a deadline fast approaching.

Similar to Quizlet, the Chegg app is successful because it has a lot of supported textbooks. All you have to do is enter the name and edition of your textbook in the app to find a full list of problems and solutions. Unlike just using Google to find the answer, the Chegg app actually shows you how to find the answer with periodic steps. If the problem you're struggling with isn't saved to Chegg, you can open the camera to scan the problem and search for a solution that way. It can be a pain to pay the $16 per month subscription to Chegg Study, but there's truly no app or service like it to help you study.

Chegg Study on the App Store

9 MyScript Calculator

A fun calculator that makes use of the ipad and apple pencil.

A calculator is a necessary download because even in 2023, the iPad still doesn't ship with an official calculator app. While you could choose one of the hundreds of calculator apps on the App Store, one that differentiates itself is the MyScript Calculator. Essentially, this app functions as a blank notebook that you can write on with your finger or Apple Pencil. As you write math problems or equations, the app recognizes your handwriting and completes the operation for you.

While you might be skeptical about how well this works, we've tried it, and this app is a capable calculator for school. If you make a mistake, scribbling the number out with your Apple Pencil serves as an eraser. Best of all, the problems you've completed are saved in the app's history, so you can go back and see your past computations. If you're looking for a clever calculator that is specifically designed for the iPad, the MyScript Calculator is the way to go.

MyScript Calculator on the App Store

Plenty of more apps where those came from

Depending on your program of study, there might be specific and more niche apps that help you out. For example, there are a ton of health and science apps for medical students. If you're studying law, there are apps that will help you ace the LSATs and complete your undergraduate degree. However, the eight picks on this list should be useful to all students, as they're simply designed to enhance productivity and efficiency.

Some of these services and apps are completely free, while others come with a one-time or subscription fee. But, the paid options on this list are only recommended because they really do add that much value to your learning experience. All the apps will work with recent iPad models, but if you still need a tablet for school, the iPad Air 5 is a great choice. It's right in the middle of the iPad lineup and features a desktop-class chip, a modern design language, and second-generation Apple Pencil support.

Apple iPad Air (2022)

The 2022 5th-generation iPad Air is powered by the Apple M1 processor, it supports 5G for the first time, and it comes in an array of beautiful colors.

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Best Homework Planner Apps

Productivity is the main goal of homework planner apps. With these best homework apps, students can keep track of homework and will learn valuable time-management and organizational skills on a daily basis. 

A homework planner app is a digital student planner that lets you easily track your classes, homework, tests and projects. It can sometimes be difficult to plan time to revise or get homework finished. How many times have you found yourself still staring at your textbook around midnight (or later!) even when you started your homework hours earlier? Homework apps helps students to stay organized with their homework, send homework reminders and keep track of homework all the time.

Even when you’ve made a plan, keeping yourself organised and motivated can be tough. But planning ahead and organising your work can help you feel more in control and able to get things done. These homework planner apps can help you keep organized and keep track of test dates, quizzes, homework assignments, and final exams. 

Here are the best homework planner apps that helps students manage their homework schedule, reminders and improve time management skills.

1. myHomework Student Planner

(Android, iPhone, iPad)

myHomework Student Planner is a simple, free homework planner for students. Students use the app to enter individual homework assignments and track deadlines by class or calendar date. It allows you to keep track of your classes, homework, tests, and assignments. This homework app, while still simplistic, offers support for your class schedule, homework schedule, receive homework reminders, and view upcoming assignments. While the reference to homework might make you think this is more for school students, it’s actually a perfect app for all levels, from high school to university.

For elementary-age students, parents and teachers will need to set up the classes and adjust specific settings to personalize kids' schedule and then monitor for accuracy. Middle school, High school, and College students may find this to be a helpful app to organize assignments, projects and plan studying schedules. 

Featured in major magazines with the like of USA Today, Yahoo News, and Time Magazine, MyHomework is one of the best homework planner apps with a simple user interface. You can find the myHomework app on the iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows 8, Kindle Fire and the Web.

Devices: iOS, Android, Windows, Web

Cost: Free with ads

2. Show My Homework

Show My Homework is a popular homework organizer and reminder app that will help you to stay on top of your homework for all classes in one place. You can also set reminders to do homework tasks so that you won’t miss it before the deadline. 

This homework organizer app is part of a school-wide service that can make the setting, administering and monitoring of homework much easier. Schools subscribe to the service that can then be accessed on mobile devices and computers by staff, students, and parents. Schools using this homework app overcome the problems with homework journals. It is no longer possible for a child to lose the record of all of their set homework. Seeing the homework tasks might prompt an idea for parents to make children's learning more enjoyable. 

Devices:  iOS, Android, Windows, Web

Cost:  Free with in-app purchases

3. iStudiez Pro

iStudiez Pro helps students to keep track of their homework and assignments. Whatever is the way you are used to manage your homework, you will find it all in iStudiez Pro. Whether you want to organize your assignments by date or by course or by priority or sort them into pending and completed, you have all options at your hand.

Their assignments can be seen in the Week pane of the app for easier planning of their working load. Students can check when their assignments are due and how much time they have before they should turn them in. Today View feature lets you see just the assignments and events planned for the next 24 hours, so you can take each day one step at a time. iStudiez Pro even sends you notifications and reminders for upcoming classes and assignments. It is one of the most effective homework planner app which help students to manage their homework and keep a track of their grades. 

Devices:  iOS, Android

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4. My Study Life - School Planner

My Study Life is one of the best homework planner for students, teachers and lecturers designed to make your study life easier to manage. My Study Life - School Planner takes a student's class list, assignments, test dates, and to-do list items and organizes them all into one very easy-to-use app. 

My Study Life allows you to store your classes, homework and exams in the cloud making it available on any device, wherever you are. It also offers a calendar view that shows your classes and assignments simultaneously.

If they can make it a habit, students will love staying on top of assignments and test dates with this handy, pocket-sized personal assistant. If students use My Study Life - School Planner with consistency, it has the potential to build time-management skills. 

Cost:  Free

5. Class Timetable

Class Timetable is one of the simplest yet best homework planner apps that allows you to keep track of homework and assignments. Class Timetable is a beautiful, simple way to view your schedule, featuring a calendar display and multi-week support. Class Timetable is color coded and supports a color coded week view when you rotate your device to landscape view. Class Timetable is available on the App Store and supports iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Devices:  iOS

6. The Homework App

(iPhone, iPad)

This free homework planner app allows you to add, view and complete all of your homework in a very easy way with an in-app calendar which shows you your tasks on a daily, monthly & yearly basis and sends you notifications & reminders. 

The Homework App allows you to break your homework up into subtasks. For a basic assignment, this might not seem like a big deal. But when you’re working on a project that takes weeks and maybe even has graded milestones, this is an appreciated feature.

Its premium subscription options which are available for 1 month, 6 months and 12 months, allow you to use the app without ads, add subtasks to manage your tasks with multiple steps, color code your homework, take and attach photos, add details about your instructor and even get help for your homework. 

Cost:  Free with in-app purchases

Chegg Study is among the best homework apps free to use across the globe. This best student homework app helps students get personalized support for every course-from school homework to exams. The app is used by millions of students to study their courses inside out. Additionally, the app offers an extensive library of millions of fully explained solutions for various subjects including Math, Business, Science, Engineering, and more. 

They have over 60 million fully solved homework questions and you can learn about problems, solutions, and concepts with the help of new video walkthroughs. Another best thing about this app is you can submit a photo of any homework question to Chegg study experts. They will provide you with answers in as little as 30 mins. 

Todait is a useful study planner app that allow you to set a timer for a study session or any other project you’re working on. It  lets you schedule specific tasks based on criteria like a specific number of problems to solve, a certain range of pages you have to read, or a number of terms to memorize. You can make schedules based on days, weeks and months etc. Todait also allows you to set the alarms, track the progress and get the real time feedback from the app.

The above list are just some of the homework planner apps that make it incredibly easy to keep track of assignments, classes, homework, tests, and more. Everyone has their own methodology for tracking such dates and it’s really up to you to find the best homework app that fits your needs. 

Which homework app does your student use? Did we miss one? You can also read our best homework helper apps  if you need assistance with your homework.

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The 5 Best Homework Planner Apps For Students

We’ve listed the best homework planner apps for Android and iOS that will help you manage and track your homework, tasks, assignments, and classes with very easy-to-use personal calendars, widgets, reminders, and many other helpful features.

Before we move on to our first homework planner app, I’d like to remind you that while you can download and use note taking apps with the same purpose, these apps we’re about to introduce you only focus on homework and school planning.

You can also check out The Best Educational Apps article to increase your skills in such fields such as science, art, and engineering. If you want to improve yourself in a specific field such as chemistry and coding, don’t forget to take a look at the list at the bottom of our article!

My Study Life – School Planner

Let’s begin with My Study Life, one of the best study planner apps for Android and iOS with over 1 million app installs. As well as students, it is also widely used by teachers and lecturers.

My Study Life makes it quite simple to organize homework, exams, and classes and store them in the cloud to access them on any device of yours. With this very easy-to-use school planner app, you can track your tasks including your homework and assignments with notifications and reminders, store your exams and revision tasks, and manage your classes with lifesaver timetables and various tools. 

And My Study Life is completely free!

Also Read: The best free scanner apps for iPhone

myHomework Student Planner

Let’s continue with myHomework, our second best student planner app suggestion for Android and iOS users. It’s been downloaded over 1 million times since its release in 2016.

The beautiful design and simple interface of myHomework Student Planner makes it very easy to track your homework, tests, assignments and classes whenever and wherever you want. It also offers upcoming homework widgets and due date reminders that make it even easier to keep up with your lessons. 

This free homework planner app also offers a premium subscription which provides access to all the add-free premium themes, enhanced app widgets, external calendars, the ability to file attachments and import homework, and many other advanced features. 

Also Read: The Best Alarm Apps for iPhone

School Planner

Our next app is School Planner by Andrea Dal Cin which is among the best study planner apps for Android with over 5 million downloads on Google Play Store. It’s not available on the App Store. If you’re an iOS user, you can move on to the next best homework planner app. 

The School Planner app enables users to easily add their homework and tests to their personal agenda, create timetables and plan their schedule, manage their tasks and events with helpful tools and built-in calendar, place highly helpful widgets on their home screens, receive reminders and notifications, record their lectures and back up on their Google Drive accounts. Its fast interface will help you make the most of your time.

The Homework App – Your School Schedule & Planner

Let’s move on to The Homework App which is only available on the App Store. This free homework planner app allows you to add, view, and complete all of your homework in a very easy way with an in-app calendar that shows you your tasks on a daily, monthly & yearly basis and sends you notifications & reminders. 

Its premium subscription options which are available for 1 month, 6 months and 12 months, allow you to use the app without ads, add subtasks to manage your tasks with multiple steps, color code your homework, take and attach photos, add details about your instructor and even get help for your homework. 

Also Read: The Best Apps for Students

B4Grad: Homework Planner App

Our last homework planner app is B4Grad. Just like The Homework App, it is only available on Apple’s App Store. 

B4Grad is an interactive app that uses machine learning to help you easily organize your school life, track your classes, get productive and never procrastinate on your homework again. Its beautiful, friendly, and customizable interface will give you a premium user experience.  

You can download and start using B4Grad for free. However, in order to get the most out of this best student planner app, you’re recommended to get its premium subscription.

In today’s blog post, we talked about the best homework apps for Android and iOS users. As promised at the beginning of the article, below you can find the list of articles we have created for students who want to improve themselves in certain fields.

Best Apps for Self Improvement in Specific Fields

+ The Best Chemistry Apps

+ The Best Math Solver Apps for Android and iPhone

+ The Best Apps to Learn Coding

+ The Best Apps to Learn Mandarin Chinese

+ The Best Language Learning Apps

+ The Best Science Apps for iPhone and Android

+ The Best Music Learning Apps

Related posts:

• 11 Useful Apps for Students
• 8 Free Study Apps for Students
• The 11 Best Apps for Students
• 14 Education Apps for Students
• The 9 Best Route Planner Apps

Written by Maya Robertson

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Privacy Overview

Schoolwork User Guide

for Students

What is Schoolwork?

Schoolwork is an app that helps you and your teachers take advantage of the creative power of iPad, letting you explore and express new ideas. Schoolwork helps you easily view your class assignments, navigate to assigned app activities, collaborate with your teachers and other students, submit your work, turn in assessments, and see your progress.

Assignments, assessments, and reminders from your teachers automatically appear in Schoolwork on your iPad. To help you keep track of everything you need to do, you can use the Schoolwork sidebar to view assignments and assessments across all your classes (Due Next and Done) or within a specific class (class view). Tapping Due Next or Done in the sidebar displays all your assignments and assessments. Class views display the assignments and assessments associated with the selected class.

Your teachers can share content with you (PDFs, files, photos, videos, documents, links, exit tickets, activities within apps), even when you’re out of the classroom. Your teachers can easily view how you’re doing on an assignment and review assessment work you turn in, then personalize instruction based on your needs.

View all your classes in one place and quickly see which assignments and assessments are due next.

Work on assigned activities and submit work to teachers. You can submit work from the Schoolwork app or Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and GarageBand activities from within the app. Additionally, you can use the Share button in the app where you did your work and choose Schoolwork as the share destination (for example, after creating a video in Clips).

Collaborate with teachers and other students on assignment activities (for example, editing an essay in Pages for iPadOS). Depending on how teachers choose to share a collaborative file, you can edit the file and view feedback from your teachers and other students while actively working on the file.

View activity details to see if your teachers requested a revision, unlocked a specific activity to give you more time, or returned your work.

View progress on assigned activities. You can use Schoolwork to see overall progress in your class and progress with each assignment and activity.

Demonstrate understanding of a concept, topic, or lesson by completing and turning in an assessment.

Note: To use Schoolwork, you must have a school account. If you need help with your account, talk to your teacher.

View assignments and assessments

Assignments provide a way for your teachers to share information or homework activities with you. Completing and turning in an assessment allows you to demonstrate understanding of a concept, topic, or lesson. After your teacher sends an assignment or assessment, you can use the Schoolwork sidebar to view them all at once, or by class.

When your teacher sends a new assignment or assessment, or asks you to try an activity again.

Every day at 4:00 p.m. local time on your device with a summary of work due the next day.

Every Monday at 4:00 p.m. local time on your device with a summary of all past due assignments and assessments.

Tap the notification to open the details view. If the notification refers to more than one assignment or assessment, tap the notification to open Schoolwork, then tap an assignment or assessment.

View all assignments and assessments

To view all your active assignments and assessments, tap Due Next.

To view all your submitted, completed, and turned in assignments and assessments, tap Done.

View assignments and assessments by class

Start and submit an activity

Activities are tasks your teacher sends to you as part of an assignment. For example, your teacher might send you and your entire class an assignment with instructions to watch an attached movie, submit an essay, or complete a task in an app that provides student progress.

Tap Due Next, then tap an assignment.

Tap a class, then tap an assignment.

Tap Start, Open, or Add.

Schoolwork opens the activity right where your teacher wants you to start working.

Work on your activity.

If your teacher assigns you an exit ticket activity to determine how well you understand a concept, topic, or lesson in an assignment, tap Start, read and answer each question, then tap Submit.

For an exit ticket activity, if your teacher allows you to include multimedia in your open response answer, do one of the following:

To add a new photo or video, tap Camera, then use the camera to create a new photo or video.

To add an existing photo or video, tap Photos Library, search for or navigate to a photo or video, then tap the photo or video.

To add an existing photo or video file, tap Files, search for or navigate to a photo or video file, then tap the file.

To add new audio, tap Record Audio, then use the controls to create a new message.

To add an existing audio file, tap Files, search for or navigate to an audio file, then tap the file.

To rename an audio file, double-tap the name, then enter a new name.

Return to Schoolwork, then tap Mark Done.

Progress-reporting apps can automatically mark an activity done . In this case, when you complete the activity in the progress-reporting app, Schoolwork displays a message confirming the progress-reporting app is marking the activity done .

As you finish an activity, Schoolwork submits your work to your teacher. If you change your mind and decide you are not done with an activity, tap Mark Not Done. When you finish all activities in an assignment, Schoolwork moves the assignment to Done.

You need an Internet connection to submit work. If your Internet connection is interrupted, you can continue working but can’t submit your work. Once a connection is re-established, you can submit your work.

If your school turned on the Student Progress feature and you use your school account to work on activities in a progress-reporting app your teacher sent in an assignment, all available progress data is shared with you and the teachers in your class. Schoolwork displays the data from the progress-reporting app as you work on the activity in the app (for example, time spent on the activity, the percentage completed, quiz scores, hints used, or points earned). The data available depends on the type of activity as defined by the app developer. Every activity that supports progress reporting displays time spent data in Schoolwork. See About privacy and security for Apple products in education

Schoolwork only reports progress for work that your teachers assign in Schoolwork. If you work on an activity before your teacher assigns it, Schoolwork will not report your progress data. For example, if your teacher sends you an activity to read Chapter 1 in a book and you read Chapter 2 as well, Schoolwork only reports your progress for Chapter 1. If your teacher later assigns you to read Chapter 2, any progress you already made on Chapter 2 would not be reported. You can mark Chapter 2 done , but no progress data will be reported unless you read Chapter 2 again.

For document, link, timed app, and exit ticket activities, Schoolwork automatically displays information (time spent, number of questions answered) as you complete the activity.

Submit your work in Schoolwork

Submitting your work allows you to demonstrate learning to your teacher, and is as easy as handing in a piece of paper. You can submit work for any assignment where your teacher explicitly requested a hand-in activity.

If the assignment contains a due date and you submit your work after the due date, Schoolwork indicates that your work is late.

Tap Due Next, then tap an assignment with a hand-in activity.

Tap a class, then tap an assignment with a hand-in activity.

Tap the hand-in activity tab, tap Add, then do one of the following:

To submit a file, tap Files, search for a file or navigate to a file, then choose a file to submit.

To submit an existing photo or video, tap Photos Library, search for a photo or video or navigate to a photo or video, then choose a photo or video to submit.

To submit a new photo or video, tap Camera, then use the camera to create a new photo or video to submit.

To submit a scanned document, tap Scan Documents, then scan a physical paper document and submit it as a PDF file.

To submit a link to a webpage, tap Webpage, enter a link for your work, then tap Add.

To submit a bookmark, tap Bookmarks, tap an added bookmark or tap a bookmark folder, then tap an added bookmark.

Schoolwork automatically marks your work done when your file or page finishes uploading.

After you submit your work, you can no longer make changes. To make changes, edit your original copy, then resubmit your work in Schoolwork . Keep in mind your teacher can still edit your work to provide feedback and guidance, then you can review the edits and resubmit the work again if necessary.

You need an Internet connection to submit work to a hand-in activity. If your Internet connection is interrupted, you can continue working but can’t submit your work. Once a connection is re-established, you can submit your work to the hand-in activity.

You can also submit your work using Split View or Slide Over to drag your work from one app and drop it to an assignment in the Schoolwork app.

Submit and unsubmit a shared file from an iWork app

If your teacher shared a collaborative file in your assignment, you can work on the file and easily submit your work from within the iWork app.

Open the file your teacher shared in an assignment.

Schoolwork supports submitting a collaborative file from Pages, Numbers, and Keynote files.

Confirm all your work is complete, then tap Submit.

Confirm you are submitting to the class you want, then tap Submit.

Schoolwork automatically marks your work done when your file finishes uploading and you can no longer make changes to the file. If you need to update the file again, unsubmit the file.

To unsubmit a file you submitted to an assignment, open the file, then tap Unsubmit.

Read the confirmation message, then tap Unsubmit.

When you unsubmit your work, Schoolwork automatically returns the activity to the Submit state in the iPadOS app and you can update and edit the file again.

Note: You need an Internet connection to submit work. If your Internet connection is interrupted, you can continue working but can’t submit your work. Once a connection is re-established, you can submit your work.

Submit requested work from another iPadOS app

If your teacher assigned you a hand-in activity, you can create your work in another app and, if the Share with Schoolwork feature is turned on, you can easily submit your work within the app.

Open an iPadOS app that supports the Share with Schoolwork feature.

Open the work you want to submit.

Confirm all your work is complete, then tap the Share button.

For iWork apps, confirm Send Copy is selected in the pop-up pane.

In the first section of share options, tap Schoolwork (swipe left for more options if necessary).

In the pop-up pane, do one of the following:

Tap the assignment where you want to submit your work.

Tap By Class, choose your class, then tap the assignment where you want to submit your work.

Schoolwork automatically marks your work as done when your file finishes uploading.

After your work is sent to Schoolwork, tap Done.

Note: You need an Internet connection to submit work to a hand-in activity. If your Internet connection is interrupted, you can continue working but can’t submit your work. Once a connection is re-established, you can submit your work to the hand-in activity.

Submit your work while multitasking

Working with more than one app at the same time, known as multitasking, you can easily submit your work to Schoolwork. Using Split View or Slide Over multitasking types, you can open two apps and submit your work by dragging it from one app and dropping it to an assignment in the Schoolwork app. You can submit work for any assignment where your teacher explicitly requested a hand-in activity.

Use multitasking on your iPad to do the following:

Open the iPadOS app where your work is saved, then confirm all your work is complete.

Open the Schoolwork app, tap the class where you want to submit your work, tap the assignment, then tap the activity.

Touch and hold the work you want to submit until it lifts up.

Drag your work to the assignment in Schoolwork and drop it.

Be sure to drop your work on the requested work you want to submit or replace.

Resubmit your work in Schoolwork

After you submit your work, you can no longer make changes to the file. However, you can edit your original file and replace it in Schoolwork until your teacher locks or marks the assignment complete.

If the assignment contains a due date and you resubmit your work after the due date, Schoolwork indicates that your work is late.

Tap Due Next or Done, then tap an assignment with a hand-in activity you want to replace.

Tap the hand-in activity tab, tap Replace, then do one of the following:

To replace your work with a file, tap Files, search for a file or navigate to a file, then choose a file to submit.

To replace your work with an existing photo or video, tap Photos Library, search for a photo or video or navigate to a photo or video, then choose a photo or video to submit.

To replace your work with new photo or video, tap Camera, then use the camera to create a new photo or video to submit.

To replace your work with a scanned document, tap Scan Documents, then scan a physical paper document and submit it as a PDF file.

To replace a link to a webpage, tap Webpage, enter a new link for your work, then tap Add.

To replace a bookmark, tap Bookmarks, tap a new added bookmark or tap a bookmark folder, then tap a new added bookmark.

When you resubmit your work, Schoolwork removes the previously submitted file or link from the Schoolwork folder.

You can also resubmit your work using Split View or Slide Over to drag your work from one app and drop it to an assignment in the Schoolwork app.

View your progress on an assignment and activity

Assignments provide a way for your teachers to share information or homework activities with you, then see how you’re progressing on the activities. If your school turned on the Student Progress feature and you use your school account to work on activities your teacher sent in an assignment, all available progress data is also shared with you and the teachers in your class.

Tap Due Next or Done, then tap an assignment.

Schoolwork displays your overall progress data, submitted before or after the due date.

Tap an activity tab to view progress data for a specific activity.

Tap the progress data for an individual activity.

Schoolwork displays your detailed activity progress data, submitted before or after the due date.

Using your assignment details view and student pop-up pane, you can see how you’re doing on your activities and decide if you need to reach out to your teachers for extra challenges or attention.

When you view progress in the assignment details view, if progress reporting is not turned on, Schoolwork displays your progress as Not Applicable (N/A) for any progress-reporting app activities and includes a message in your student pop-up pane.

Progress data doesn’t appear right away. Schoolwork takes time to process data before displaying it in the class view, assignment details view, and student pop-up pane.

Start and turn in an assessment

Assessments are a way for you to demonstrate understanding of a concept, topic, or lesson. For example, your teacher might send you or your entire class an assessment asking you to show your knowledge and problem-solving skills by completing a mathematics worksheet.

If the assessment contains a due date and you turn in your work after the due date, Schoolwork indicates that your work is late.

Tap Due Next, then tap an assessment.

Tap a class, then tap an assessment.

Schoolwork opens the assessment splash screen displaying details and instructions.

Do one of the following:

To start an assessment without a time limit, tap Start.

To start an assessment with a time limit, tap Start Timer.

Work on your assessment.

If your teacher assigned you an open book assessment, you can use use Markup tools to add text, shapes, signatures, stickers, and image descriptions to your assessment.

If your teacher specified a time limit for the assessment, you will see a countdown timer in the navigation bar.

The countdown timer starts as soon as you begin a timed assessment, and continues even if you close Schoolwork. Schoolwork displays a reminder when you’re halfway through the time limit, and when you have five minutes left to turn in your work.

Complete your assessment, then tap Turn In.

When you turn in your assessment, Schoolwork sends your work to your teacher. Schoolwork includes the date and time you turned in your assessment, and the amount of time you spent on it.

If your teacher assigned you a closed book assessment, your iPad is locked into Schoolwork. You can’t leave Schoolwork until you turn in your assessment.

You can only turn in an assessment one time. After you turn in your work, you wont be able to make any changes.

If your iPad is offline (not connected to the internet) when you turn in your assessment, Schoolwork saves your work but doesn’t send it to your teacher. Schoolwork continues to display the assessment in Due Next (Connect to Turn In) until you connect to the internet. Once a connection is re-established, Schoolwork automatically sends your work to your teacher.

View your returned assessment

Depending on the information your teacher returns, you can view your assessment score or your full assessment details.

Tap Done, then tap Review for an assessment your teacher returned.

View your assessment information.

If your teacher returned only your score, Schoolwork displays your assessment score, percentage, your teacher’s name, and the date your teacher returned your assessment.

Message your teachers

If your school allows you to use FaceTime and Messages, you can send a message to your teachers, right from an assignment.

Before you can send a message, confirm you and your teachers are signed in to Messages. The option to send a message to your teachers in Schoolwork is only available on devices provided by your school and using your school account.

Schoolwork opens a new message and adds your teachers’ school account in the To field.

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Best iPad for students 2024

Preparing for student life can be exciting and stressful. To make things easier, it’s good to know that you’ve got the right tech to help you write your essays, take notes in lessons, and kick back with Netflix and games when the work is done. The iPad has evolved in recent years to something that can now act as a laptop replacement for many students, with accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil making it one of the most versatile devices you can buy. 

Choosing the best iPad can be tricky, as Apple currently offers a wide range of models with different prices and features, including the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air models updated in May 2024. Read iPad Air (M2) vs iPad Pro (M4) to find out how they compare.

Can students get discounts on iPads?

Students can save money on all sorts of Apple products by shopping at Apple’s education store in their country. Apple offers money off new iPad purchases to students in higher education all year round. In a separate article, you can read all about how to get an Apple Student Discount .

Plus, if you’re a student and you buy an iPad (or a Mac) from Apple, you might be able to get a free gift such as a pair of AirPods or vouchers while the company’s “Back To Uni” event is running. (This usually runs from June to September in the U.S. and Canada, and from July to October in the U.K. and January to March in Australia, New Zealand and other southern hemisphere locations).

Click on the following links for the Education stores in the countries where most of our readers reside:

• Apple’s U.S. Education Store
• Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the U.K. you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).
• Apple’s Canada Education Store
• Apple’s Australian Education Store

Another bonus if you’re a student: you can get Apple Music for half price with free Apple TV+ included.

How much can students save on an iPad?

Students can save as much as $100 in the U.S., £100 in the U.K., $170 in Australia, and $150 in Canada if they buy from the education store.

How to get an iPad student discount

Apple offers a student discount via its country-specific education stores. To recap:

• Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).

Depending on your location you may only need to sign up with details of your student status and course and prove your identity. Some countries have less stringent checks than others. In the U.K. you need to be registered with UNiDAYS in order to even see the student prices. We explain how to do this in our article How to get an Apple student discount .

To qualify for a discount you also need to meet Apple’s conditions. You either need to be a student in higher education, or a teacher at a teaching institution. The only way to get a discount for a child still at school is to be home educating them or to be a teacher yourself.

If you can’t get a student discount that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get money off a new iPad though. Read our round-up of the best iPad deals. You will also find links to the best deals for each iPad below.

Best iPad for students

11-inch ipad air (2024, m2): best all-rounder.

• M2 processor
• 128GB of storage in base model
• Lots of color options
• It's not cheap

The 11-inch iPad Air (M2), with its 11-inch display, modern design, low weight (462g), great cameras, and hugely powerful processor, is a great choice for students.

Unfortunately, it’s a bit on the pricey side for a tablet, with the current prices starting at $599/£599, but this does now include 128GB of storage, which is double that of the baseline iPad Air (2022, M1) it replaces. This makes it the perfect combination of power, storage and features, for a price that isn’t unreasonable, and one we can heartily recommend for those starting out on their studies.  

The biggest feature of the 2024 model is the inclusion of the M2 processor. This is the same chip that powered the previous generation of iPad Pro models, not to mention several of the new Macs. In an iPad Air, it makes the device fly. 

The camera is a 12MP Wide lens (also like on the iPad Pro), which can record video up to 4K/60fps, and as with other iPads on this list, the front-facing camera is a 12MP Ultra-Wide that allows for Center Stage and is now sensibly positioned on the longer side of the chassis to allow landscape views.

Essentially, the 2024 iPad Air is a 2022 iPad Pro for a cheaper price. The only major feature it’s missing is the 120Hz ProMotion screen refresh rate, but that’s hardly something most people will even notice. 

There are plenty of colors to choose from, and if you want to complete the Apple flavoured package then the 11-inch iPad Air supports the Magic Keyboard ($299/£299), Apple Pencil Pro ($129/£129) and Apple Pencil Pencil USB-C ($79/£79).

If you prefer a larger display, then there is also the 13-inch iPad Air (M2) that comes with all the same specs and features, and starts at $799/£799.

We highly recommend the 11-inch iPad Air (M2) for students who need premium performance and the best iPad you can buy without the Pro name.

How much can students save on the iPad Air?

MSRP: $599 / £599 / AU$999 / CA$799 Student: $549 / £549 / AU$919 / CA$729

Students save: $50 / £50 / AU$80 / CA$70

Get the best deal on a new iPad Air .

iPad (10th gen, 2022): Best Balance of Price and Power

• Air-style design
• 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display
• Price reduced in May 2024
• 64GB storage on base model
• Requires dongle to power Apple Pencil (gen 1)

Thanks to a recent price cut, and the retirement of the iPad 10.2-inch (9th gen), the iPad 10.9-inch (10th gen) model that arrived in October 2022 is now the cheapest iPad available from Apple. But that doesn’t mean it’s a budget device, as it features the same design approach as the iPad mini and iPad Air. This means you don’t have the traditional Home button, which has been replaced with swipe gestures and the Touch ID sensor repositioned in the power button on the top edge. This makes room for a larger display than on its predecessor, and ensures that the Home button is now officially a thing of the past.

On this iPad, the a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, unlike on the mini, Air or Pro models, is unlaminated. This means there’s a slight air gap between the glass and the digitizer beneath. You probably won’t notice it at all, but if you intend to use the Apple Pencil for notes (gen 1 and USB-C are supported) then you may experience slight delays in the tracking.

One welcome addition (that arrived with this model, and is now a feature of the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air) is that the front-facing camera is located on the longer end of the panel, meaning it offers a true landscape view that’s centrally located. This is much better suited to FaceTime and other video calling apps. That new landscape 12MP Ultra Wide camera has a f/2.4 aperture that delivers a 122-degree view; it’s also compatible with the Center Stage feature that keeps you in the center of the frame even if you move about while on video calls. Apple bestows this iPad with a 12MP f/1.8 rear camera so you can get some great shots and shoot video 4K video at 60fps. If your course requires any kind of video content, then either the front or back optics of the iPad (10th gen) should prove more than sufficient, plus you can call home and look good doing so.

An A14 Bionic processor is at the heart of the new iPad, which is the same chip that powered the iPhone 12 (including the Pros). So there’s more than enough power for word processing, note-taking, coding, and most other education apps, not to mention gaming and entertainment duties. The switch from a Lightning port to USB-C also opens up the ability to use various peripherals and even power an external display if you want the iPad to become more like a fully-fledged computer.

Apple kits out the baseline model with 64GB, which feels a bit of a sore point in 2024. With this in mind, we’d recommend you opt for the 256GB version if you want to download plenty of movies and games or store all or your photos and videos on the device itself. Although this does push the price from $349/£349 (64GB) to $499/£499 (256GB). The extra space will serve you better in the long run, but if you don’t want to blow that extra cash, then there’s always the option of expanding your iCloud storage so that you can keep stuff safe in the cloud instead.

There are four colors to choose from (Blue, Yellow, Silver, and Pink) so you should be able to find one that suits your personality, and for extra functionality, you could invest in the new two-piece Magic Keyboard Folio, although the $249/£249 price tag does seem very high. Of course, a standard Bluetooth keyboard will get you the same results for a lot less money. As mentioned above, the new iPad supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, but as the charging port is now USB-C you’ll need an adaptor from Apple if you’ve already bought the Pencil. Otherwise, the dongle is now included in the box when you buy a new Apple Pencil (1st gen). Of course, there’s also the compatible Apple Pencil (USB-C) which gets around the dongle madness.

As you can see, there are a few caveats, but with its modern design, solid processor, and larger display, the 10.9-inch iPad (10th gen) is a great all-rounder that would prove a wise investment for those heading off to pursue their studies.

For more information, you can read our iPad 10.9-inch (10th gen) guide.

We expect to see an 11th-generation iPad at some point in 2024, more here: What you need to know about the 2024 iPad.

How much can students save on the 10th gen iPad?

MSRP: $349 / £349 / AU$599 / CA$499 Students; $329 / £329 / AU$559 / CA$469

Students save: $20 / £20 / AU$40 / CA$30

iPad mini (6th gen, 2021): Best for Note-Taking and Reading

• Small and light
• Centre Stage for FaceTime calls
• 64GB storage may be too limiting

If the most important factor to you is portability there’s one iPad in particular that you might want to consider.

The iPad mini, last updated in September 2021 with an A15 Bionic and a brand-new design, is the smallest and lightest iPad you can buy, weighing in at 293g. Of course, the low weight is a result of the iPad itself being smaller, thanks to the 8.3-inch display (which is bigger than it used to be since Apple got rid of the Home button and relocated Touch ID to the power button on the top edge). The result is a compact but powerful device that doesn’t feel too small. We think this screen size is perfect for reading books or taking notes (especially with an Apple Pencil), so it may well be ideal if that’s how you intend to use your iPad.

And don’t let the diminutive form fool you: the A15 Bionic chip is the same as that found in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so there’s no shortage of power on tap. Connectivity is top-notch too, with support for Wi-Fi 6 and LTE 5G networks available, depending on the model you choose. 

The front-facing camera is an Ultra-Wide lens, so it can track you and keep you in the center of the frame on video calls thanks to Center Stage, while the 12MP Wide camera on the back can capture great photos and videos that could be used in presentations or for media-based assignments. 

There are two storage options available (64GB and 256GB) and, as with the 10.9in (10th gen) iPad, we’d recommend the larger of the two as it allows you to store more apps, music, movies, photos, and videos. 

One disadvantage is that the mini only works with Bluetooth keyboards, rather than Apple’s range of iPad-specific keyboard, but whether that’s a significant disadvantage is debatable. It will definitely save you money.

Prices start at $499/£499 for the 64GB model, with the 256GB option raising the cost to $649/£649. The good news is that in May 2024 Apple reduced the price of the mini outside the U.S., having increased it a couple of years back.   

We hope to see a new iPad mini at some point in 2024, more here: iPad mini 7, what’s next?

How much can students save on the iPad mini?

MSRP: $499 / £499 / AU$829 / CA$679 Students: $449 / £449 / AU$749 / CA $609

Get the best deal on a new iPad mini .

11-inch iPad Pro (2024): Best for Power and Performance

• M4 Processor
• OLED display
• Stupidly light and thin
• Probably overkill for students

The Pro iPads are the pinnacle of Apple’s tablet range, and as such they feel like the power and price are probably overkill for your average student. That being said, if you want the best, then this is where you’ll find it.

The 11-inch iPad Pro (M4), was introduced in May 2024, boasting incredibly light and thin construction, but with a stupid amount of power inside. In an unprecedented step, Apple introduced the new M4 processor in the iPad before the Mac, making the 11-inch iPad Pro and 13-inch iPad Pro the most up-to-date devices in the Apple catalog.

The question really, is do you need all that grunt? If you’re after an iPad for taking notes, writing essays, watching Netflix, playing some games and using it for video calls home, then the iPad Air is a better balance of power and price. But, for those with money burning a hole in their pockets, and those planning to do a lot of gaming when they should be studying, the 11-inch iPad Pro comes with a new Ultra Retina XDR OLED display that has two layers (Apple calls this Tandem OLED) to produce the brightest panel they’re ever made, kicking out up to 1600 nits. It’s also ProMotion, with an ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

Cameras are 12Mp sensors, with the rear unit a Wide lens that can record video up to 4K/60fps, plus ProRes capabilities which would be of interest to video content creators. The front-facing lens also has the TrueDepth array, allowing Face ID, which remains a Pro-only features on iPads. You get Centre Stage for video calls, and the placement of the camera on the longer edge means you get landscape view.

The two size variants offer the same capabilities, with 256GB of storage the baseline, and prices starting at $999/£999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299/£1,299 for the 13-inch variant.

As we’ve said, the iPad Pros are probably too much for your typical student, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t excellent products for those who can afford them and take advantage of all the power on offer.

How much can students save on the 11-inch iPad Pro?

MSRP: $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 / CA$1,399 Students: $899 / £899 / AU$1,529 / CA$1,249

Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$170 / CA$150

Get the best deal on a new iPad Pro .

iPad 10.2in (9th gen, 2021): Best Bargain Hunt iPad

• Centre Stage support for FaceTime
• Compatible with any Bluetooth keyboard
• No longer in production
• 64GB storage may be too little

Since we expect that students are likely to be looking to save money where they can, we’d suggest that the 10.2in iPad (9th gen) is the closest you can get to a bargain iPad. True, it is no longer in production, being discontinued in 2024 by Apple, but there should still be stock available from third-party sellers out there, and refurbished models could make the ticket price even lower.

If you want an iPad to cover the basics, it offers enough performance and features to make it an excellent choice for many students. The final 2021 model featured the more than adequate A13 that previously powered the iPhone 11 range, plus the FaceTime cameras has an Ultra-Wide lens and support for Center Stage, making video calls home a lot better looking than on previous iPads.

It can happily run the Microsoft Office apps for iPad if that is what you want to use, but there are free productivity apps from Apple and others that will make note-taking and working on assignments a doddle. Add a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and you have a very workable laptop that should cope with most coursework demands. Support for Apple Pencil (gen 1) means you can annotate documents, sketch, and of course practice your handwriting. 

The iPad 10.2-inch is still a great pick if you can find one and your demands aren’t too onerous. It will handle academic life with ease, and provide plenty of entertainment when lessons are over. One word of caution, though. The base model comes with only 64GB of storage, which in this day and age seems pretty mean. With that in mind, we’d recommend opting for the 256GB version as it would be more practical, albeit more expensive.

As a rough guide, here’s the prices for the iPad (9th Gen) when it was still available from Apple – $329 / £369 / AU$549 / CA$449.

Get the best deal on a new 10.2-inch iPad

Should students buy an iPad or a laptop?

Before you go ahead and buy your iPad you may want to consider its suitability for your purpose.

As a student you probably have a few requirements:

• Great apps for things like note-taking, recording lectures and revision
• Light enough to carry around all day
• Keyboard and stylus support
• Suitable for making video calls home

You might be wondering whether a tablet or a laptop would be better for those needs, and if you lean towards the latter, take a look at our guide to the best Macs for students .

We think, however, that an iPad is a great choice. It runs many of the apps you’ll find on a laptop, including Office apps like Word and PowerPoint and the Apple equivalents, and in some cases, an iPad is actually more powerful than a laptop thanks to the super-fast processors Apple uses.

Another benefit is that you can have all the books you need for your course on your iPad and carry them with you to lectures and tutorials. You could even photograph pages from books in the library and use optical character recognition to save the text to your iPad.

Not only do you not need to lug all your books around with you, but an iPad is also far lighter than even the lightest laptop, so you won’t get backache from carrying it to lectures and the library.

With battery life of 10 hours–plenty for a day on campus–you aren’t going to need to find a space beside a plug socket in order to get through a day at uni.

Think that having an iPad will mean you have to type on an on-screen keyboard. No! You could sync any Bluetooth keyboard or plug in one of Apple’s own iPad keyboards and effectively turn your iPad into a laptop. There’s also the Apple Pencil, which could come in useful if you wanted to jot down some notes on your iPad screen in a lecture. See Best stylus for iPad.

And when you’ve finished studying there are loads of games, and apps for video calling your parents.

Still not sure? We have more information comparing a MacBook laptop and an iPad .

Are iPads good for students?

The next question you might want some reassurance on is whether the iPad is the best option for a student. There are a lot of other tablets available, many of which are cheaper than an iPad. So you might be thinking of saving some money.

We think if you do so you will regret it. There are many reasons why Apple’s iPads are so popular:

• The App Store is heaving with great apps designed specifically for the iPad.
• Many of those apps will be ideal for students: note-taking apps, apps for converting handwriting to text, apps for recording lectures, timetable management, and of course video calling (so you can stay in touch with mum and dad).
• There is an ecosystem of great accessories designed to work with the iPad.
• Apple’s iPadOS is stable and easy to use, especially if you already have an iPhone.
• If you’ve got a Mac you can use an iPad as a second screen, provided you’re running Big Sur or later. 

Further reading

That’s all of our student-related buying advice, but if you’re buying for someone younger, check out our guide to the best iPad for Kids .

Author: Karen Haslam , Managing Editor

Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well product recommendations and buying advice on Macworld.com.

Recent stories by Karen Haslam:

• Everything you need to know about the 2024 M2 iPad Air
• Best iPad Air deals this month
• Best iPad Pro deals right now

The 10 Best Study Planning Apps for All Students

These study planner apps for Android and iPhone help you get organized in school by tracking your assignments, tests, and other coursework.

As a student, you're responsible for keeping track of test dates, quizzes, homework assignments, and final exams. On top of that, maybe you partake in after-school activities and sports. This makes it even harder for you to keep track of due dates and tests.

If you feel that you're sinking into a pile of assignments, you need to add some organization to your life. These are some of the best study planner apps for Android and iOS that can help you set times to study and remind you of upcoming exams, so you're not caught off-guard.

Chipper is one of the most popular and best study planners for students. Using Chipper can greatly improve your time-management skills.

This study planning app comes equipped with several tools dedicated to students . Simply add all the courses that you're currently taking, and organize them by time and date in the built-in schedule.

Chipper also allows you to add tests, homework due dates, papers, labs, and quizzes to your calendar to help you stay on top of your coursework. On top of that, you can set reminders that Chipper will send as notifications, so you never miss a deadline. And when you're ready to study, open the Study tab to set a timer for your session.

That means you don't need to download a Pomodoro timer app for such. But if you do, here are the best Pomodoro timer apps .

This app rewards you with earnings in the form of imaginary cash as you complete tasks. You don't actually receive any of these earnings in real life, but it's a good incentive to keep you moving forward.

Download: Chipper for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Classify

Use Classify to build an easy-to-read schedule for your homework assignments, projects, quizzes, and other activities. Because it has a clear and simple interface and a lot of useful features, it is a unique study tracker app.

Classify helps you organize your school life by adding everything important in one place. It also provides templates for tasks, homework assignments, and events. For example, you can attach a PDF when you add an assignment, and you can set priorities for tasks.

Simply add this semester's courses, along with assignments and their due dates. Classify will let you know when your assignments are due and give you helpful reminders about upcoming deadlines, making it a great study planner app for students. Additionally, it has a Pomodoro functionality built-in if you fancy using the Pomodoro technique .

Download: Classify for iOS | Android (Free)

3. My Study Life

My Study Life is yet another great study planner app you should try today. With My Study Life, you can easily add tasks, classes, and exams to a weekly schedule template for students. When you add your classes, you can input detailed information about them such as the room number, module, time, and even the teacher.

If you struggle to remember holidays or class rotations, you can input that information in My Study Life as well. Your dashboard displays all your upcoming assignments, exams, and classes. This way, you'll never forget about that assignment that's due tomorrow.

Download: My Study Life for iOS | Android (Free)

4. Power Planner

Power Planner is a clean and simple study schedule app that's perfect for middle school, high school, and even college students.

As one of the most useful apps for every student , it helps you remember class times, keep track of tests, and can assist you with staying on top of your assignments.

Power Planner integrates with Google Calendar to make your life even easier. Better yet, you can also estimate your GPA by inputting assignment and test grades.

However, if you want to add more than one semester and five grades per class, you'll have to spend a few dollars on the premium version.

Download: Power Planner for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. Lessons School Planner

Lessons School Planner is a study tracking app that is built with simplicity in mind ensuring your energy is focused on increasing productivity and getting work done instead of organization. It can be likened to a simple to-do list tool but for students. When you download the app, you can start by creating a custom lesson plan, or importing one if you have it already on another device.

The app has lessons added already, but you can customize them depending on your needs. It makes organization easier by using a number system to organize lessons.

Tapping on a subject on your daily lesson plan allows you to add activities related to it, like an upcoming assignment submission deadline, exam, test, project, presentation, and more. These activities can then be viewed on a dedicated page. The app also allows you to set reminders for your tasks, ensuring that you don't miss out on anything important.

Download: Lessons for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Study Bunny: Focus Timer

Study Bunny is a less conventional study tracker app, but it makes studying a lot more fun. For starters, it introduces you to an adorable cartoon bunny that acts as your study partner.

You can use the app to time study sessions, create awesome to-do lists , make flashcards, and keep track of your progress.

When you start studying, you'll earn coins that you can use to treat the bunny. You can buy items to feed and customize your pal, which will help motivate you to finish a long study session.

Download: Study Bunny: Focus Timer for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

Vaia (formerly StudySmarter) is a helpful study-planning app that lets you collaborate with other students from around the world.

To help you save time, the app allows for shareable flashcards. This means that you can search for and use flashcards that other users have already made which makes learning easier. As a study planner app for students, Vaia is also featured in our list of the best flash card apps .

In addition to that handy feature, Vaia lets you upload and annotate documents, as well as create study groups with students from other universities. And when you want to check your progress, you can use the app's built-in charts to visualize your study time and see if you're meeting your weekly goals.

Download: Vaia for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. myHomework Student Planner

The myHomework Student Planner app is a straightforward way to keep tabs on your studies. To get started, you simply have to input your class schedule and any upcoming assignments.

myHomework Student Planner will then generate a color-coded class schedule, as well as a calendar that organizes your upcoming classes, assignments, and tests. Besides that, it also creates a clean list of homework assignments, which makes it much easier to remember important due dates.

Download: myHomework Student Planner for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

9. Smart Timetable

To get started on Smart Timetable, add your classes as events with how often you want to study for them. When it's time to hunker down, Smart Timetable will send a notification to your phone as a reminder.

The app allows you to input additional information about each class including the type, building and room number, and instructor, and you can even upload class notes. Each day the app's home page has the day's classes, and you can swipe left to view upcoming classes in the follow-up days.

There's also a task tab where you can add your upcoming assignments and tick them off once you're done.

Download: Smart Timetable for Android (Free, subscription available)

10. School Planner

The School Planner app has a ton of versatility when it comes to schedule options. You can input your classes into the app by using the available easy-to-use default templates.

Templates include everything you need to stay on top of your classes, including day, time, teacher, subject, frequency, and room. You also have the ability to add any upcoming events, whether it's a simple reminder, an upcoming exam, or a homework submission deadline.

All the upcoming tasks will show up on the app's home page in a sleek Overview page with a snapshot of any upcoming events in the next seven days, what's on your schedule today, tomorrow, and a detailed outlook of the upcoming week. School Planner's interface and organization make it one of the best study scheduling apps around.

The experience isn't limited to class times and assignments; you can also add grades, teachers, recordings, and days you were absent. Hit the hamburger icon in the top left to get an idea of how much the app offers.

Download: School Planner for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

Stay on Track With the Best Study Planner Apps for Students

Who needs a messy assignment book when you have a study planner app? Instead of jotting down due dates on your calendar, take them with you on your smartphone.

Moreover, having an app at your fingertips can serve as a reminder to start studying or to complete an important assignment. Better yet, it's much easier to read and visualize when you use a template in an app.

The standard iPad is best for school and education

Keyboard options, mouse options, apple pencil, using an external monitor, lots of common programs have been optimized for ipad, but compatibility can still be an issue, the bottom line, how to make the most of your ipad for school.

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

• Students and teachers have embraced digital learning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Apple's iPad is better equipped than ever to handle the classroom, but you can do even more to prepare it for school.
• For more tablet recommendations, check out our guides to the best tablets and the best iPads . 

Schools across America have embraced digital learning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with students and teachers turning to laptops and tablets as their portals into the classroom.

Laptops have long been a must-have back-to-school item for college students leaving home for the first time, but tablets, like Apple's iPad or Microsoft's Surface, also make quality classroom companions.

With expanded support for mouse and keyboard devices, the iPad has become increasingly effective as a portable workstation, and the gap is closing between apps built for macOS and what's available in the App Store.

Laptops and netbooks are still superior in terms of multitasking and the overall utility they provide as work tools, but the iPad offers unique flexibility with its top-notch display, touch controls, easy to use software, two quality webcams, and access to Apple's highly touted app ecosystem.

Apple's cheapest MacBook starts at $999, while the cheapest iPad is $329. Using your iPad for class offers a more affordable way to work within Apple's app ecosystem, a benefit that Android tablets can't match at the moment.

Android tablets include features for setting up a workstation, but it's probably better to opt for a Chromebook than an Android tablet for school. Chromebooks are compatible with many of the same Android apps and offer more consistent working value than a tablet, with prices starting below $200.

Whether you're looking to give your iPad to a child for school, or just don't want to buy and manage another device alongside your tablet, it doesn't take much to turn your iPad into a quality workstation. But before that, it's important to lay out the iPad's native benefits and drawbacks that are ahead of you regardless of the additional gear you buy.

• More portable and accessible than a laptop or Chromebook
• Long battery life
• 5G and 4G LTE options for mobile internet connection
• Easy to install apps can streamline your workflow and work is easily shared with macOS computers
• Incompatible with some common USB devices
• Multitasking with different apps is more difficult than using a computer
• Support for external displays is less than ideal
• Cost for extra internal storage space drives price higher than a laptop and can't be increased after purchase

Personally, I wouldn't recommend buying a new iPad in place of a laptop or Chromebook for school, simply based on the price of Apple's tablets compared to a basic computer. However, schools have been adopting Apple's iPad system into their curriculum at an increasing rate for years to varying results , so I have some ideas for how to make the best of its three iterations.

The cheapest iPad ($329) does offer lots of potential and is most commonly used in schools, thanks to its fast processing, easy to use software, and built-in webcams. The iPad Air offers a slightly larger screen and slimmer form factor but none of the Air's features warrant paying $270 more if you plan on using your iPad primarily for work.

The iPad Pro's USB-C connector and Magic Keyboard support are appealing features for a work setup, but once you start spending on peripherals the final cost is nearly the same as Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro ($1,299) despite the iPad being significantly less powerful.

Read more: Apple's newest iPad Pro has all of the makings of a great computer, but it's still not ready to replace my laptop

Additional iPad storage space can quickly drive up the tablet's price, so you might be better off investing that money in extra iCloud storage or a USB dongle so you can connect thumb drives, or connect other USB devices.

If you plan to use your iPad to write essays and other assignments, it's important to invest in a quality keyboard. While Bluetooth keyboards are available for as cheap as $15, you'll want to invest in something with a strong enough build quality to survive a lot of travel.

Keyboard cases are another option if you plan to use your iPad primarily as a workstation, but can grow cumbersome if you frequently use the iPad as a casual reading device or video display. Just remember, only newer iPads can connect directly to Smart Keyboard and Magic Keyboard cases using a magnetic connection, so be sure to check if your model is compatible.

iPadOS has an option for "Full Keyboard Control" that makes it easier to navigate between different apps without using the touchscreen or a mouse. Like macOS, the iPad has it's own set of special shortcuts to help make keyboard control as simple as possible; you can find a short list on Apple's website.

You can check out our full Bluetooth keyboard buying guide to find one that best fits your needs and budget. Personally I use the Logitech Craft because it has a full number pad, FN media keys, and it can save up to three Bluetooth profiles. This means you can use the Craft with different devices without having to constantly put the keyboard in pairing mode. If you're planning to travel with your keyboard, you may prefer a more portable choice like the Arteck HB030B Universal.

You can connect a mouse to your iPad via Bluetooth or with a USB to Lightning dongle. Rather than the traditional mouse arrow of a Mac device, the iPad cursor shows a circular touch zone on the screen. The mouse shouldn't require any setup to use, but there are a few settings to control the scrolling speed and buttons on your mouse. You can still use touch controls interchangeably with your mouse as well.

Just about any mouse will do, though my preference goes to the Logitech Triathlon for its ability to quickly swap Bluetooth profiles for use with different devices; the MX Master is a rechargeable Logitech mouse that's a bit more expensive. You can see more mouse recommendations in our buying guide.

iPadOS include support for the Apple Pencil , a digital stylus that can be used to draw, edit, and take notes within iPadOS apps. Apple Pencil is an incredibly flexible tool for artists and useful for general productivity, but the pencil probably won't add much to your workflow during class or when using your iPad for writing reports, essays, and emails for school.

Apple Pencil is only compatible with newer iPads so be sure to see if your model is compatible before picking one up.

You can use an Apple Lightning to Digital AV Adapter ($49) or use AirPlay to connect your iPad to an external monitor. However, the iPad is only capable of mirroring its native screen, so you can't expand your iPad workspace with an extra monitor. That also means that your iPad won't automatically fill displays with a 16:9 ratio, even when outputting with an HDMI cable.

Setting up an external display might be nice if you've got an extra monitor around, but buying another screen specifically for use with your iPad isn't a sound investment. If you already have a MacBook, you can use your iPad as a wireless second screen using a new feature called Sidecar that Apple introduced in 2019.

With mouse and keyboard support, a built-in webcam, a special version of Safari, and a host of other features, the iPad is well equipped for most tasks, but your success using the tablet for school may come down to the websites and programs your school uses, and whether the iPad is compatible.

The upcoming iPadOS 15 update will improve iPad's multitasking features, making it easier for users to organize their home screen as a work station and split the display between multiple apps. Google's G Suite, Adobe Photoshop, and many other commonly used computer applications have also been optimized for iPad, but not every school is using the latest technology.

Parents planning to give their child an iPad for school should be sure to complete a thorough check of the device's parental control settings to ensure that only age-appropriate apps are available – not to mention the iPad's compatibility with your student's school's systems and policies.

Apple's time management app, Screen Time, can also monitor and limit time with specific apps on the iPad — a useful tool for kids and adults alike.

As a school workstation, Apple's iPad doesn't offer too many advantages over the wide selection of laptops and Chromebooks on the market. But with the right add-ons, the iPad does have the versatility to stand-in for a laptop in the classroom while bringing all the benefits of Apple's popular app ecosystem and quality hardware.

Subscribe to our newsletter. You can purchase syndication rights to this story here. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

Watch: Watch Apple's October 2018 event in 8 minutes

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The 5 best Pomodoro timer apps in 2024

The Pomodoro Technique is one of the most deceptively simple and effective productivity tools I've ever used. It stops you from procrastinating or getting distracted, so you can just get things done—and all it takes is enough commitment to start a timer.

While any timer (or timer app) will work for the Pomodoro Technique, a dedicated Pomodoro app can make the already simple technique even simpler by automatically alternating between work and break periods, tracking how many different periods you've completed, and generally just smoothing out the hassle of winding up a manual timer or constantly checking the clock. So, let's look at the best Pomodoro timers.

The 5 best Pomodoro timer apps

What is the pomodoro technique.

The Pomodoro Technique sounds too basic to work, but it's surprisingly effective. Here's what you do: You set a timer for 25 minutes, work until it's up, then take a five-minute break—and repeat the whole process three more times. After that, you take a 15- to 30-minute break, depending on how you feel. And that's one full Pomodoro cycle.

I've used the Pomodoro Technique (or variations on it that we'll look at later) for close to 15 years. While it didn't single-handedly get me through my college degrees, it helped me get better grades with less effort. As a professional writer, I use it daily to get work done without dawdling. I'm using it right now to update this article.

What makes the Pomodoro Technique so effective is how easy it is to implement. The work blocks are just 25 minutes long. That's long enough that you can stay engaged and make real progress, without feeling like it's a grind, while the five-minute breaks, which never feel far off, give you a chance to freely check Instagram or look at some emails without overly disrupting your workflow. I'm just four minutes into my current work block, but I know I only have to wait 21 more minutes until my next cup of coffee. Even I can keep typing that long.

But perhaps best of all, because you only have to work for 25 minutes, even when you don't feel like it, you can normally convince yourself to start a timer, do one work session, and see how you get on. By the time you're halfway through that first block, you'll normally have found your groove and be willing to keep going.

Francesco Cirillo developed the Pomodoro Technique in the 1980s when he was in college in Italy and struggling to study. He kept getting distracted and losing focus (and he didn't even have Instagram or TikTok), so he went looking for a way to keep his mind on track. Inspiration came from a small tomato-shaped kitchen timer. Cirillo started by setting it for 10 minutes and trying to just work for the 10 minutes until the timer rang. And it helped—he was instantly more productive, at least when the timer was running.

Over the past few decades, the technique has become more popular. The basic process is normally described as something like this:

Decide what you're going to do. Pick a task that you think should take roughly 25 minutes to accomplish. Bigger tasks will need to be split into smaller chunks. For example, for me, each section of this article is getting assigned one or two 25-minute chunks, depending on how long it is and how much of the information I need to update.

When the timer rings, you've done one Pomodoro. Take a five-minute break to clear your head. You can stretch, get coffee, or check social media. Basically, any of the things you're not allowed to do when you're working are now fair game. Use the timer to keep yourself honest.

After a total of four Pomodoros, take a longer break. Somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes is normally right; it depends on how you feel. Grab lunch, read a book, or go for a quick walk.

Start another Pomodoro cycle. Keep going until your work or study session is done. Most people will be able to accomplish two full cycles, but three or four are possible if you have a lot to get done.

Marvel at how productive you've been.

So, if the formality of the Pomodoro Technique turns you off, don't worry. Cirillo discovered it with trial and error. I suggest you find the time blocks that work best for you the same way.

What makes a great Pomodoro timer app?

How we evaluate and test apps.

The key to the Pomodoro Technique is its simplicity. You don't need eight inboxes, three filing cabinets, a virtual assistant, and a subscription to Bloomberg to get it to work. Any timer, whether it's digital or analog, will do. Still, the best Pomodoro timer apps bring a little bit more to the system and make it easier to apply in the real world.

The best Pomodoro timers offer more than the stopwatch app on your phone. There's no point downloading another app if all it does is replicate your phone's existing features. Every app here had to offer a bit more. Some automate the process of swapping between work and break periods; others track how you spend your time or sync between your different devices. One of my favorites is simply a nice browser app, so you can leave your smartphone in another room. 

The best apps are as simple as the Pomodoro Technique to use, nice to look at, and don't add any extra distractions. The Pomodoro Technique is about removing friction, not adding it. A timer shouldn't be a burden to set. Any developer can build a timer app, and there are a lot of poorly-thought-out, half-finished, and otherwise awful apps out there—none of them are on this list, I promise. 

The best timers are productivity process agnostic —you can use them on their own or with whatever other apps you like. The Pomodoro Technique is a low-level technique you can use on top of any other productivity practices. You probably already have a to-do list and a calendar, so you don't need a Pomodoro clock that includes a half-baked tomato-themed to-do list and a bright red calendar. You're not going to move everything across anyway.

The best timer apps let you develop your own personal system. Cirillo settled on the four sessions of 25 minutes with a five-minute break through trial and error. As convenient as they are for students struggling to study, they're not magic productivity numbers. As you use the Pomodoro Technique, you're likely to find that you want to make some tweaks. I personally prefer much longer work blocks when I'm writing because I can get into more of a flow. For boring admin stuff or balancing my books, I'll sometimes go as short as 15-minute blocks. 

Any Pomodoro tracker that made the list had to be up to date and under active development or maintenance. These kinds of apps seem to be a super common practice project for independent developers, so there are a lot of apps out there that haven't been maintained. While they might still work, they're likely to break in the future.

To put together this list, I've checked out almost 40 different Pomodoro Technique timers (and productivity timers claiming they were Pomodoro timers) over the past four years. I've been using the system for well over a decade, so I've developed a pretty deep understanding of how these apps can help—or hinder—your productivity. 

To test things, I used any apps that looked like they could be a good fit for this list as I went about my work life, writing and researching articles. I used every app for at least a few Pomodoro cycles, and in the case of one app that I personally use, over a thousand Pomodoro cycles. After more than four years of testing, here are the best Pomodoro apps around.

The best Pomodoro timer apps at a glance

The best pomodoro app for a simple web-based pomodoro timer, .css-yjptlz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']{color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} pomodor  (web).

Pomodor pros:

A quick, easy-to-use, and great looking web app 

Pomodor cons:

Not much more advanced than a stopwatch 

If you're able to ignore the constant distractions, it's hard to beat the convenience of the timer app on your smartphone. But Pomodor comes close, and if you're prone to looking at your phone every time it flashes, it's the much better option. 

Pomdor is a great-looking, minimalist, web-based Pomodoro timer that's perfect for anyone just curious to try out the Pomodoro Technique or who only occasionally needs a Pomodoro app (it even has a Dark Mode). Just hit the Play button, and it'll start cycling through full Pomodoro sessions—with the countdown on display in the URL title bar.

There are lots of timer websites out there, but Pomodor stands out from the mediocre masses for a couple of reasons. The most important: you can customize the length of the work and break periods as well as the number of Pomodoros you do before a long break, so you can fit it into how you like to work. Just go to Settings in the left sidebar to customize it all. 

Really, as a default go-to timer that you don't need to install anything to use, Pomodor is perfect. There are better, more fully-featured timers available if that's what you're looking for. But for anyone who's just Pomodoro-curious, Pomodor is easy to recommend.

Pomodor price: Free, with donations to the site designer recommended

The best Pomodoro app for a shareable web-based Pomodoro timer

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Marinara Timer pros:

Shareable timer makes it easy to work with other people 

Surprisingly customizable timers, so you can use it for non-Pomodoro things 

Marinara Timer cons:

Very dated web app

Marinara Timer is as simple as it comes: you don't even need an account to share timers. When you open the website, you're presented with three timer options: Pomodoro, Custom, and Kitchen. Pomodoro is the normal 25/5 setup with a 15-minute break after four rounds; Custom lets you set up whatever work/break/rest periods you and your team need; Kitchen is just a simple timer. 

Where Marinara Timer really stands out (other than the questionable design) is that you can share timers. Each one has a unique URL that you can send to your coworkers in other locations. That way, everyone can work off the same countdown. You can customize the link text (just click Manage ) and even create an administrator link, so other people can reset the timer as needed. 

Marinara Timer price: Free

The best mobile Pomodoro app

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Forest pros:

The utterly charming tree-based conceit genuinely can make you productive 

Deep Focus Mode can stop you from getting distracted by your smartphone 

Forest cons:

Can be slow to use, and the app itself can be a bit distracting

If your smartphone is your biggest source of distraction, Forest is a clever—and very cute—way to fix it. 

Forest's cutesy image belies some powerful functionality. You can tag your work periods by what you're doing, and the analytics track when you're most productive. It even provides trends, and if you get your friends or coworkers on board, you can compete to see who's most productive—or work together to plant trees. On iPhone, it also supports Live Activities, so you can see a timer countdown on your lock screen.

Forest isn't strictly a Pomodoro timer—you can focus for as long as you want, and there's a conspicuous absence of tomato-related puns and imagery—but it defaults to the 25/5 split (though you will need to manually take breaks). Still, of all the smartphone timers I considered, it's the one that really stood apart (like a mighty oak?) and was different enough from the built-in apps that it's worth recommending. I also like that Deep Focus Mode stops you from using your phone as anything but a timer.

Forest price: $3.99 on iOS; free on Android with ads

The best Pomodoro app for Mac users

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Session pros:

The most over-the-top (in a good way) Pomodoro timer around 

Syncs timers between your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch 

Session cons:

Comically expensive for a timer

Session is an absolutely ridiculous app. The designer has basically set out to make the best possible Pomodoro timer for Apple devices—and pulled it off. Let's talk features. 

Finally, on top of all that, it dares to be mindful: each session starts with a quick bit of mindful breathing, and you're prompted to take notes and reflect on how productive your day has been. Session is as feature-complete and overbuilt as any Pomodoro app can be. 

Honestly, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I've used Session almost daily since I first tested it last year. While it's wildly expensive for a Pomodoro timer, if you're paid for the work you do, not the time you spend doing it, I really recommend it.

Session price: Free basic app; from $4.99/month for Monthly Pro. 

Mac users have quite a few other good, though pricey, options:

The best time-tracking Pomodoro app

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Toggl Track pros:

Integrates with Toggl's other time-tracking and invoicing tools 

Pomodoro timer doesn't feel like an afterthought, despite not being a major feature 

Toggl Track cons:

Way more than most people need

Create detailed Google Calendar events for new Toggl Track time entries

Create Google Sheets rows for every new time entry in Toggl Track

Create new Notion database items from new Toggl Track time entries

Other timer options.

By the very nature of this list, I was focusing on apps that either explicitly or tacitly embraced the principles of Francesco Cirillo's Pomodoro Technique. One of my criteria was that it was primarily a timer app, rather than an app with a timer tacked on. That meant some good timing options didn't make the list because, if I had to review every app that has a stopwatch, this article would have never been written, no matter how diligently I applied the Pomodoro method. Among the better options that I haven't otherwise featured are:

Is the Pomodoro Technique for you?

Remember, the best approach to boosting your productivity is to experiment—both with tools and techniques—to find a system that works perfectly for you. The Pomodoro Technique can be a great base to build from, but don't be afraid to put your own spin on it.

Related reading:

Originally published in March 2017 by Sean Kennedy, this post has also had contributions from Jessica Greene and Jennifer Allen. It was most recently updated by Harry Guinness in March 2024.

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Harry Guinness

Harry Guinness is a writer and photographer from Dublin, Ireland. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Lifehacker, the Irish Examiner, and How-To Geek. His photos have been published on hundreds of sites—mostly without his permission.

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10 Best Productivity Apps for Mac in 2024 (For Digital Specialists)

Published: March 26, 2024

Last year, I finally made the switch to a Mac.

As a marketer by day and business development specialist by night, I use many different tools to manage my time, track tasks, keep my creative juices flowing, stay in touch, automate stuff, and keep everything nice and organized.

So, I was worried if my usual productivity apps and tools, especially the ones needing downloads, would work well on a brand-new Mac. Turns out, they all did. And my productivity surged.

So, in this piece, I’m sharing the 10 best productivity apps for Mac with all their features and golden highlights.

Table of Contents

What are productivity apps?

10 best productivity apps for mac.

Productivity apps help you work better and faster, freeing up your mental energy. Their main goal is to make you more focused and productive at a given moment.

According to employee performance research , productivity tools have an extremely positive impact on employee performance. Those who use them are more relaxed and achieve better results.

In essence, productivity apps help with task management, calendar organization, note-taking, team collaboration, and time tracking. For example, project management tools fall under this category. They let you sort tasks into boards, lists, and cards, which is super handy for staying on track.

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Is the 2023 Apple MacBook Air worth it?

By Jason R. Rich

Edited By Leslie Gornstein

Updated on: June 4, 2024 / 4:30 PM EDT / Essentials

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms.

When compared to Apple MacBook Pro laptops, MacBook Air computers are less expensive, thinner, lighter and better suited to students and average computer users -- anybody who wants all of the capabilities that a Mac has to offer, without having to spend top-dollar on the latest processor and a souped-up hardware.

• Best budget MacBook Air: 2023 13" MacBook Air (M2 processor)

Best MacBook Air for average users : 2023 13" MacBook Air (M3 processor)

• Best MacBook Air for users needing a larger display : 2023 15" MacBook Air (M3 Processor)

What sets each model apart is the size and type of display, the processor, the amount of memory the laptop has and the storage capacity.

Is the 2023 MacBook Air worth it?

Yes, the MacBook Air is a powerful laptop that caters to specific groups of users. If you fit into one of these user categories, you'll definitely benefit from having a MacBook Air at your disposal when it comes to handling your everyday computing needs. 

There are three models to choose fromm and each offers a handful ways you can customize its configuration. Depending on the model configuration you choose, the price range for a MacBook Air is between $999 and $2,499.

Pro Tip : Aside from the more affordable price tag, what most users appreciate most about the 13-inch MacBook Air is its size (11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches) and weight (just 2.7 pound). Meanwhile, the 15-inch model measures 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches and weighs a mere 3.3 pounds. So both versions tend to be thinner and lighter than most Windows laptops, which makes them easier to transport.

Best budget MacBook Air : 2022 13" MacBook Air (M2 processor)

We recommend this laptop to middle-school and high-school students and computer users on a budget. It's also a great entry-level MacBook for someone switching from a Windows laptop to a MacBook for the first time. 

It runs using the older Apple M2 processor, but is fully compatible with the latest version of the MacOS operating system, plus all apps that come preinstalled on a MacBook and Apple's iCloud service.

Apple's M2 silicone features an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU. The core configuration comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage. You can upgrade to an SSD with a 512GB SSD at the time of purchase and pay $1,029 on Amazon. The computer is equipped with a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display and weighs in at a mere 2.7 pounds. 

Housing color options include midnight, silver, space gray or starlight. Battery life is up to 18 hours. While the starting price of this MacBook Air is typically $999, Amazon has it on sale for $829.

This is the mid-range MacBook Air. We recommend it to college students or anybody who needs a bit more computing power than what the MacBook Air running the M2 processor has to offer. 

It's also an excellent choice for non-tech-savvy computer users who want a laptop with a simple interface and that works seamlessly with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. It has a starting price of $1,099 (although Amazon has it on sale for $999). 

The 2023 13-inch MacBook Air runs using Apple's latest M3 processor. It takes advantage of an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. Choose between a midnight (black), starlight, space gray or silver housing color. By comparison, the more expensive MacBook Pro laptops can be configured with the same M3 processor, or the upgraded M3 Pro or M3 Max processor, which when combined with the higher-end display, make the MacBook Pro laptops significantly more powerful, especially when it comes to tasks like graphic design, video editing and audio production.

The core configuration of the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 processor comes with 8GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD for storage. At the time of purchase, you can upgrade the M3 processor to include an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 16-core Neural Processor. You also have the option to upgrade the unified memory to 16GB or 24GB, as well as the SSD capacity to 512GB, 1TB or 2TB.

This version of the MacBook Air is more than capable of handling the everyday tasks of average users. This includes everything from word processing and spreadsheet management, to photo editing, web surfing, contact management, scheduling, video calling, online shopping and streaming video content (or music). It's also a great laptop for online gaming, plus it easily runs any game apps from Apple Arcade or that's available from the Apple App Store.

Best MacBook Air for users needing a larger display : 2023 15" MacBook Air (M3 processor)

The 2023 15-inch MacBook Air also runs using the Apple M3 processor, but you get the benefit of a larger, 15-inch Liquid Retina Display. The additional on-screen real estate makes multitasking easier. It also provides a more immersive experience when streaming TV shows or movies and when playing games. 

We recommend this version of the MacBook Air to advanced users who want to see more content on the screen at once from a single app, or who want to have an easier time multitasking and quickly switching between apps. Some users find the larger screen size gives them a dramatic productivity boost. 

One benefit of the 15-inch MacBook Air is that it allows users to connect up to two external monitors (with the laptop lid closed). And this laptop supports the Wi-Fi 6E protocol, which is faster than Wi-Fi 6 (what the 13-inch MacBook Air laptops support).

Despite being a bit larger and more powerful, the 15-inch MacBook Air also offers up to an 18 hour battery life. At the time of purchase, choose between 8GB, 16GB or 24GB of unified memory and between a 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD for storage. The starting price of this MacBook Air is $1,299, although Amazon has it on sale for $1,250.

Why buy a MacBook Air?

For users who want a thin and lightweight computer with a long battery life, who can forego having Apple's most powerful processor and other advanced hardware, any of the MacBook Air laptops are perfect for handling everyday computing tasks, as well as photo editing, basic video editing, online gaming and more. They're also more budget-friendly than the latest  Apple MacBook Pro laptops , which range in price from $1,599 to $7199 (for a 16-inch model with all possible upgrades).

The latest lineup of Apple MacBook Air laptops come with either a 13.6-inch or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina Display. These displays are able to showcase more than one billion bright and accurate colors. This translates to seeing ultra-sharp text, detailed images and incredibly smooth graphics and video. The choice between the 13.6-inch or 15.3-inch display is a matter of personal preference and what you plan to use the computer for.

All models can be upgraded with up to 24GB of unified memory (RAM) and up to 2TB of internal storage at the time of purchase. Each of the models also has an impressively long battery life -- up to 18 hours. Among its security features, you get a TouchID fingerprint sensor that's used to unlock the computer and confirm online purchases.

Pro Tip : When configuring your MacBook Air, we suggest choosing the middle options when it comes to the amount of unified memory and storage, since this is what most users will find most usual, without over spending for technology they don't need. 

When it comes to video calls, each MacBook Air model is equipped with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera and a three-microphone array. The 13-inch models have a four-speaker sound system, while the 15-inch model has a six speaker sound system. All come with four USB ports (which includes two Thunderbolt ports). 

All integrate seamlessly with the Apple iCloud service, as well as Apple's other services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, Apple Arcade and Apple News. And all MacBooks fit perfectly within Apple's ecosystem and are able to share data, documents, files, photos and content with an iPhone, iPad, iMac and Apple Watch.

Pro Tip : Regardless of which MacBook Air model you choose, if you want to double the on-screen real estate available to you, we highly recommend connecting a portable monitor to the laptop. There are some really great models to choose from, starting at around $100, as you'll discover from our roundup of the five best portable monitors for laptops in 2024 .

For more help choosing a laptop, be sure to check out our coverage of the  five best laptops for 2024 , the  best laptops for high school grads in 2024 , the  six best gaming laptops for 2024 , the  five best laptops for college in 2024 , the  six best laptops under $500 , and the  five best budget laptops for 2024 . Whether you need to know about the very best laptop computers or any other types of  tech , we're constantly expanding and updating our coverage to offer the most informative, timely and accurate information.

Jason R. Rich ( www.JasonRich.com ) is an internationally recognized consumer technology expert with more than 30 years' writing experience. He's also an accomplished author and photographer. One of his most recently published books, The Remote Worker's Handbook: How to Effectively Work From Anywhere ($24.99, Entrepreneur Books) is now available from Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

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ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

The best lightweight laptop for work that I've tested is not made by Apple or Lenovo

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 is available now for $1,900, which is $200 off the regular price. 
• It's sleek and smooth, with a gorgeous display and respectable performance. 
• However, its thin form factor means it runs hot, and the speakers are not great.

The LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 is indeed an impressive laptop. It currently holds the Guinness record for being the lightest 16-inch 2-in-1 in the world, a fact that was proudly revealed to me by an LG representative during the product's unveiling earlier this year (and one that my colleague Kerry Wan and I promptly verified by weighing it ourselves ). At 3.04 pounds (1.377 kg), it's certainly light, but that's not the only thing going for it.

Also: One of the best laptops you can buy for less than $700 is not what you'd expect

Setting the lightweight form factor aside, this is a capable laptop with a gorgeous OLED display and solid suite of hardware. This laptop was designed to nail that first impression, though. Its ultra-thin body, vibrant display, and dark black chassis make for a striking visual silhouette. 

Under the hood, the Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, and up to 32GB of RAM with 2TB of storage, a commendable hardware package that contributes to this laptop's snappy performance. 

I used this laptop as my primary driver for a week, and can say that I was definitely impressed with how well it performs. Running two displays is a breeze, as is having dozens of browser tabs open alongside a handful of open apps. This would certainly be a laptop to consider for anyone looking for an ultraportable to handle photo or video editing in the field. 

Also: The best 15-inch laptops of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

The 16-inch OLED display is crisp and silky smooth, with a variable 120Hz refresh rate. This high refresh rate on a 400-nit brightness screen results in incredibly vibrant visual media, accounting for 100% of the RBG color scale, 94% of the Adobe RBG scale, and 100% of the P3 color gamut. 

I popped the Gram Pro 2-in-1 into tent mode and fired up some streaming apps, and the video looks great, especially at this brightness. The high refresh rate also has positive effects for creators. Besides video and photo editing, if you use the accompanying stylus in tablet mode, the result is a responsive and natural experience.  

Regarding the stylus, it feels nice and tactical as a three-sided pencil. It sticks to the side of the laptop via a magnetic connector, but only one of the stylus' three sides is magnetic, resulting in a mini-game of rotating the stylus on the side of the laptop until it clicks into place. However, given that it charges wirelessly (and quite fast), I have no complaints.

Also: The best lightweight laptops of 2024: Expert tested

The laptop's physical body is constructed with an incredibly lightweight nano-magnesium alloy, resulting in a sturdy, matte metallic finish. The keyboard is crisp and tactical, with a 1.5mm key travel distance and very cool backlighting that illuminates only the letters and numbers on the keys, not the keys themselves. 

The trackpad, although unassuming looking, is very well designed. Let me be clear, I am absolutely not a trackpad enjoyer. I hook up a mouse even before I turn my laptop on most of the time, but this one was an exception. It's just the right size, responsive, and has a slick, light feel to it that requires very little physical input relative to its usability on the screen. 

That being said, although the matte black finish looks great, it's absolute fingerprint city. I do not eat around my computers, and I'm conscious of putting dirty hands on a keyboard, and still, this thing shows every single smudge and point of contact. I realize there's little to be done about this, but personally, it's just not something I enjoy looking at. 

Moving to the rest of the laptop's physical form: you have a standard selection of ports here, with two USB-C ports on one side, an HDMI, and two USB-A ports and 3.5mm headphone jack on the other. The laptop's speakers are downward-firing, which doesn't help the fact that the incredibly thin body results in rather low peak volume. Expectations for laptop audio is typically not sky high, and these aren't ones to write home about. 

Also: Lenovo's new 2-in-1 ThinkPad improves on one crucial feature that pro users will love

The other tradeoff for this laptop's thin design is its cooling efficiency. This laptop runs hot under a heavy load, and warm under normal use. The down-firing heat exhaust fan means you will feel it on the keyboard if you're doing something processor intensive, and will absolutely blast your legs if you work with your computer on your lap. 

Again, there's not much to be done about this, as the ultra-thin design means you trade real estate for a more elaborate cooling system or robust fans. It's simply part of the overall cost of achieving this level of lightweight design

That being said, this is not a laptop made to be pushed to the brink of its capabilities. Performance will be scaled back due to heat throttling if it exceeds a certain threshold, while other laptops with more intensive cooling systems might have more contingencies for dealing with the higher temperatures. 

For most users, this is not much of an issue, but during exceptionally heavy loads, performance may dip, as it did for me, in particular, while running high-end benchmarking tests.    

Finally, the battery life on this machine was about what you'd expect from a 2-in-1 with an OLED screen. This is a laptop that can last a full day of work, but only barely. Depending on how hard you're pushing it, expect to see 7-8 hours on a single charge. I got around that during my testing. 

ZDNET's buying advice

In a market of dozens of 2-in-1 laptops that were released this year, the LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 is one of the more expensive options, but it's absolutely worth it for consumers that want to hit high marks on the trifecta of laptop features: ultraportability, a gorgeous OLED display, and strong performance. There are some tradeoffs with its extremely lightweight design, but for the majority of users, the pros outweigh the cons. 

If the nearly $2,000 price point is out of your budget, there are a few other options to consider. The Acer Swift Edge 16 features the same sized OLED screen and weighs slightly more at 2.73 pounds, but will only cost you $1,300. 

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One of the longest-lasting laptops i've tested is not a macbook or asus, the best laptops of 2024: expert tested, this lenovo 2-in-1 is one of the most versatile business laptops i've tested.

Godzilla Minus One

Cast & crew.

Ryûnosuke Kamiki

Koichi Shikishima

Minami Hamabe

Noriko Oishi

Munetaka Aoki

Sosaku Tachibana

Hidetaka Yoshioka

Yuki Yamada

Shiro Mizushima

Exciting, emotional kaiju tale has deaths, mass destruction.

• Average 8.4
• Reviews 181

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ChatGPT is down for many; recovery underway; Mac app may be best bet

ChatGPT is down for many, with OpenAI acknowledging on its status page that the chatbot is “unavailable for some users.”

The partial outage appears to be global, though recovery does now appear to be in progress, with DownDetector showing a decline in the number of reports …

Problems seemed to start around midnight PDT.

OpenAI initially reported that it was investigating the outage. Around 90 minutes later, the company said it had identified the issue and was implementing some kind of mitigation.

This seemed to go well for a while, with reports falling steeply, but they then peaked again . The latest update at the time of writing was at 2am PDT, when the company said that it was continuing to work on a fix for the issue.

DownDetector indicates that the apps were less badly hit than the website, and anecdotal reports on social media suggest that the Mac app may be the most reliable way to access the service at present.

This is consistent with my own experience: When I tested at the time of writing, I found that the website was still not working, but the Mac app is.

If you’re on the waiting list for the Mac app, there is a simple workaround to get instant access.

Photo by  Solen Feyissa  on  Unsplash

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Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!

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Manage push notifications

myHomework Student Planner 4+

Rodrigo neri, designed for ipad.

• 4.4 • 124 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

Screenshots

Description.

What makes myHomework the best student planner? * Beauty, Simplicity, and Reliability - myHomework has a gorgeous appearance and simple interface making it easy for anyone to use. Our apps fill their role as a planner without network connectivity. * Amazing Anywhere - With highly rated cross-platform apps, and a wonderful website, it's the most complete on the go planner experience anywhere. * Price - The account is FREE everywhere and an ads-free premium experience is available. * Experience - myHomework has been around since 2009 and continually improving the experience based on the feedback of our users. But don't listen to us, check out just some of the coverage we've received: 2014: USA Today Best Back to School Apps 2013: Edudemic The 16 Apps And Tools Worth Trying This Year 2012: HLNTV Top 4 Back to School Apps 2012: Yahoo News 10 Helpful Apps for Students 2012: The Street 10 Best Back-to-School Apps 2011: Main Street Back-to-School: The Best Smartphone Apps 2010: Mashable Top 10 Back to School Apps 2009: Time's Top 10 Back To School Apps 2009: Business Insider The Top 10 Back-To-School iPhone Apps The free app includes: - Track your classes, homework, tests and assignments - Beautiful calendar display - Supports time, block and period-based schedules - Universal (both iPhone, iPad and iPod touch) - Compatibility for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus With the optional myHomework account, you also get: - Sync across other platforms - Access to our website - Receive homework reminders - Facebook Single Sign-On - Join your teacher's Teachers.io class and automatically download their class information, assignments, files and announcements Are you looking for a replacement to that paper student planner, school diary, or academic agenda? myHomework is just what you're looking for. The clean interface and design make this app great for college, high school, or middle school. This homework helper contains additional features that make it easy to use for high school students with a block class schedule. Keeping track of assignments has never been better! The myHomework student agenda is today's students favorite way to focus and reduce anxiety. With this school tracker, the information normally hidden in the academic planner is now available everywhere. Using myHomework as a school organizer makes keeping track of what assignments to do easier than ever before. Download Today!

Version 6.8.12

General improvements and minor bug fixes.

Ratings and Reviews

124 Ratings

Good but time-consuming and fiddly to get right ...

This app has a lot to recommend it, but it does require a little setup that is not that intuitive, especially if your school does not use this as their system. If your school is not listed, that does not mean that you cannot use it. The one I deal with uses another (frankly useless) system that is for ever out of date and irrelevant. It uses A and B weeks which this app handles well (just make sure you set the start date as the week that school actually commences, and put the end date as the week that the year ends in July). If you have five periods per day, then use periods rather than times or you will get messed up really quickly. Once that is done, just bung in the lessons and you’re good to go. Where this falls down is the cost of the upgrade and the difficulty that inexperienced users will have in sorting out their child's timetable. It would also benefit from having a “parental” overview, but that's just my idea!

i have been looking for an app like this for probably 2 years, it has options to make homework count as tests essays and more, i fully recommend!!!!! the one issue i have with this app is that it has a very square look about it, i would prefer if the layout didn’t push out fully to the edges with more curved theme to make it less constricted… but if you are a student, i recommend, if your just starting, then defo!! please please please try!

Great and really useful

This is a great app and is really useful. You can put in class times, homework times and if a teacher is signed in to myHomework, they can send you homework via it. My only complaint is that it will only send you notifications if you are signed in. This takes only a little while but I would prefer it if you could just turn notifications on. Other than that it is perfect. I haven’t missed any homework science I got it. I would definitely recommend it. 👍😀

App Privacy

The developer, Rodrigo Neri , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Contact Info

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

• Identifiers
• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary based on, for example, the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• myHomework Premium £4.99
• Blue & Pink Theme £0.99
• Aqua Theme £0.99
• City Theme £0.99
• Beach Theme £0.99
• Sunset Theme £0.99
• Puppy Theme £0.99
• Graffiti Theme £0.99
• Flower Theme £0.99
• Purple Theme £0.99
• Developer Website
• App Support
• Privacy Policy

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