Apple’s iPads come with built-in productivity tools like Notes, Calendar, and Reminders, but if you’d like to explore new ways to maximize productivity and organize your life, there are many apps out there to help you.
Although the iPad started off as a device that could be used to stream content or browse the web on the go, Apple has essentially turned its iPads into computers that can handle a variety of different tasks for personal, work, and school use. As a result, there are numerous apps to help you do things like create a single place to organize your life or help you stay focused on your day-to-day tasks by blocking out distractions.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the best ones that are available on the App Store.
Goodnotes
Image Credits:Goodnotes
Goodnotes is one of the most popular iPad apps, and for good reason. The app is great for people who like to write out notes using an Apple Pencil; you can include both handwritten and typed text on one page and add things like images, stickers, and even doodles.
You can create a digital notebook with blank or ruled paper for notes, checklists, planners, and more. The app lets you export entire digital notebooks or specific pages into PDFs and other files.
Goodnotes is also great for drawing and sketching. While it’s not as advanced as some creativity apps like Procreate, Goodnotes is easy to use and perfect for quick sketches or diagrams.
If you’re attending a class or a meeting, you can also record audio notes that are synced to the moment you write. Plus, you can use AI to summarize your notes and help you write.
You can create three digital notebooks for free. If you want unlimited notebooks, you’ll have to pay $9.99 per year or a one-time fee of $29.99.
TickTick
Image Credits:TickTick
If you’re not a fan of your iPad’s built-in Reminders app, or you just want a more advanced to-do list and task management app, TickTick might be a good choice. You can use it for both professional and personal tasks.
The app lets you sync tasks across all of your devices and integrate your favorite calendar app. You can create checklists, set recurring tasks, upload attachments to tasks, share task lists to collaborate with others, and more. If you want to develop a habit, such as meditating before bed, you can set your goals in the app and track your progress. And if you get an email but don’t have time to respond to it, you can turn it into a task to remind yourself not to forget to respond to it.
You can also add tags to your tasks to better manage them, and you can mark tasks based on their priority.
If you want to focus on a specific task, you can turn on the app’s “pomo timer,” which is based on the Pomodoro Technique that breaks work into focused intervals to maximize productivity.
TickTick is free to use, but if you want additional features like the ability to add up to five reminders to a task or more lists and tasks, then you’ll pay $3.99 per month or $35.99 per year.
forest
Forest is an interesting app that gamifies productivity while helping the environment. If you’re someone who struggles to stay on a task or are easily distracted, then this app might be good for you.
When you need to focus on something, you can open the app and plant a tree. Your tree will then grow as you focus on and finish your work. If you leave the app before the timer finishes, then your tree will wither and die.
You can set “Allow Lists” for different apps that you’re using to be productive, like an email app or Microsoft Word. The app also lets you track your productivity.
Over time, you create a digital forest that visualizes your productivity. If you’re competitive, you can share your forest with others to see how it compares to theirs. As you stay focused and grow virtual trees, you can earn coins that you can save to help plant actual trees around the world through tree-planting organization Trees for the Future.
Forest costs $3.99 to download, and you can buy in-app boosts to grow your forest and plant real trees faster.
Notion
Image Credits:Notion
Notion is a great app for taking notes, managing tasks and workflows, organizing lists and habits, collaborating with others, and more. Instead of having to go to different apps to manage your calendar, tasks, and notes, you can get all of this done right within Notion.
You can integrate the different apps that you use, like Slack and Dropbox, in order to combine all of your workflows in one place. One of the great things about Notion is its flexibility and customization options. You can customize it to be what you need, whether it’s to organize your personal or work life, your schoolwork, or your passion projects.
If you’re not sure where to start, you can use templates to create things like a travel planner or a product roadmap. Notion also has an AI feature that helps you write and brainstorm ideas. Notion AI can help you get answers about your content and turn large amounts of data into digestible action items.
Notion offers a free plan for personal use. The company also offers an $8 per month Plus plan for small groups and a $15 per month Business plan for companies. You get 20 AI responses for free; after that you pay $10 per member per month.
Todoist
Todoist is a simple and straightforward app that lets you record and organize tasks using natural language. You can add tasks like, “Plan next week’s work every Friday afternoon” or “Do homework every Wednesday at 6 p.m.” to quickly organize and plan your life.
You can sort tasks into “Today,” “Upcoming,” or custom filters to allow you to focus on what currently matters, which means that you only see what’s relevant when you need it.
Todoist can be used for organizing a variety of tasks, whether they’re related to work, personal, education, or management goals and reminders. Plus, you can link Todoist with your calendar, voice assistant, and dozens of other tools such as Outlook, Gmail, and Slack.
In addition to the iPad, you can access the service from your iPhone and Apple Watch, while syncing across desktop and all other devices.
Todoist’s basic features are available for free. You can unlock additional features, such as an AI assistant and a calendar layout for $4 per month with Todoist’s “Pro” subscription plan.
Conclusion:
The iPad is more than just a sleek device — it’s a powerful tool that, when paired with the right apps, can help you stay focused, organized, and productive. Whether you’re managing tasks, taking notes, collaborating with a team, or simply trying to structure your day better, these iPad apps are designed to make life easier and work more efficient.
From students and freelancers to entrepreneurs and professionals, there’s something here for everyone. Try out a few from this list and watch how your productivity transforms — one tap at a time.
