Best Apps of 2024: Our Annual Picks
2024 was the year AI features became table stakes — almost every major app added some form of AI assistance. The apps that stood out did it meaningfully. Here are the apps that defined our testing year, selected from 200+ apps we evaluated in 2024.
App of the Year
Notion AI
The integration of AI into Notion's workspace was the most practical AI implementation of 2024 — useful within context you already maintain.
Best Productivity App
Todoist
Consistent improvement, cross-platform reliability, and the most natural language input of any task manager.
Best Finance App
Monarch Money
When Mint shut down, Monarch Money stepped up with the best replacement — clean interface, solid account sync, comprehensive financial view.
Best Health App
Sleep Cycle
Smart alarm technology that wakes you from light sleep genuinely improves morning alertness. Most consistent performer in our health category.
Best Creative App
Procreate
Still the best illustration app available, despite being a one-time purchase in a subscription-heavy market.
Best AI Tool
ChatGPT (GPT-4)
The year GPT-4 became a daily work tool for millions. Code, writing, analysis — reliably useful across tasks.
Best Free App
Google Maps
Continued improvement on transit, indoor maps, and EV charging routing. The most essential app on any phone, still free.
Best Password Manager
1Password
Consistent security audits, excellent browser extensions, and the best family sharing plan in the category.
Best Newcomer
Perplexity
AI-powered search with citations. Changed how many users start research. Impressive first full year.
Best Value
Bitwarden
Unlimited passwords, unlimited devices, open-source, audited, free. The best security value in software.
The Year in Review
2024 marked the full maturation of the AI assistant market. By year end, ChatGPT had over 200 million weekly active users. The practical question shifted from "can AI do this?" to "which AI does this best?" — a much more interesting question.
The biggest story was Mint's shutdown. After 17 years, Intuit shut down the most popular personal finance app in the US. Monarch Money, Copilot, and YNAB all benefited, but it was a reminder that even essential-seeming apps are subject to corporate decisions.
Editorial independence
Apps Tested maintains full editorial independence. We test every app ourselves — no developer has paid for placement or had editorial input. Learn how we test.