7 Unbelievably Useful iPad Apps Every Learner Needs
Every single one of you is a learner - here are 7 iPad apps that will transform your learning process.
Every single person is a learner.
No matter who you are, what you do, or how you do it, you constantly learn.
And given that you clicked on this article, there’s a good chance you also use an iPad.
As a learner who is addicted to his iPad, here’s a list of 7 solid iPad apps every learner needs.
I’ve added as much variety as possible, covering household names and little-known gems. I’ve also made sure to include as many different types of apps I could.
Here’s a quick list of the apps so that you can skip the ones you’re already familiar with: Notion, GoodNotes, Obsidian, Concepts, SmartCards+, Feyn, Amplenote.
Notion (free with subscriptions starting at $5/mo)
I can say with confidence that Notion is one of two apps that changed me as a student (the second one is next on the list).
I use Notion for literally everything - my typed notes, productivity list, college applications, typed debate speeches, and even this blog (any guesses as to where I’m writing this article?).
One of the downsides I personally had with Notion was the learning curve to getting accustomed to the different tools.
Here are a few guides from other Notion users to help you learn more about the fantastic app:
You can also check out these videos by Ali Abdaal and the Thomas Frank Explains YouTube channel.
Don’t let the subscription scare you - Notion’s free plan is good enough for the vast majority of users.
And even if you do feel the need to upgrade, students/educators with a school email address are eligible for a free Personal Pro plan.
GoodNotes (free with $7.99 one-time in-app purchase)
As I mentioned above, GoodNotes is one of the apps that changed the way I study. I spent a year taking a look at alternatives, but I finally gathered enough Apple gift cards from CollegeBoard surveys to buy GoodNotes.
It was the best purchase of my life.
GoodNotes has been incredibly useful.
Like Notion, I use GoodNotes for many things on top of just note-taking. I use it for handwritten debate speeches, my nonprofit marketing agency, Boy Scouts, and I even used it to create NFTs at one point.
I never had a chance to use the free version as GoodNotes previously used to only have a paid option, but I would upgrade if you can afford it, especially if you’re someone who takes notes on a consistent basis.
Obsidian (free with subscriptions starting at $8/month and one-time purchases)
Obsidian is a new app for me. I recently discovered it from this post by David Chong.
My initial experience with it has been positive thus far and can be a fantastic note-taking app. I’ve also seen Obsidian used as an app for Building a Second Brain and the Zettelkasten note-taking method.
It has a great file organization system, and writing in the app is simple and mostly intuitive.
The app was a little intimidating at first, but I quickly got used to it.
One thing I love about Obsidian is the amount of customization. I can customize the font, theme, hotkeys, etc. I can even add plugins.
While I don’t think Obsidian will replace Notion for me, it’s definitely a powerful tool and I’ve seen many posts about people leaving Notion for Obsidian.
Concepts (free with subscriptions and one-time purchases)
Concepts is one of my favorite note-taking apps.
I used it extensively in the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school, when I took US History.
The infinite canvas and the unlimited projects/drawings in the free plan were all I needed as a student. Since the course I was taking was about history, I had to focus on the connection between different historical events, and the infinite canvas in Concepts was perfect for doing so.
As school transitioned back to in-person learning, I slowly phased out of Concepts, using either pen and paper or GoodNotes instead.
I still think Concepts is a fantastic app, however, and I wish I had discovered it sooner during the distance learning phase of high school.
Like most other apps on this list, the free plan should be enough for most learners.
SmartCards+ (free, with $9.99/yr subscription)
SmartCards+ is probably my favorite flashcard app.
It’s the app that carried me through vocabulary quizzes and AP Environmental Science tests.
One of my favorite features about SmartCards+ is that you can import flashcard decks from Quizlet - that instantly made it one of my favorite flashcard apps, since I wouldn’t have to waste time creating flashcard decks.
This was super helpful whenever I was cramming for a test last-minute.
SmartCards+ makes use of active recall and spaced repetition, two powerful study techniques for high-achieving students.
The subscription for SmartCards+ has probably been the only study app subscription I’ve genuinely considered purchasing - it removes adds and adds dark mode functionality.
I used a free trial, and I found that those features were nice to have, but not really needed.
Then again, the subscription is less than a dollar per month.
Feyn (free)
I used Feyn extensively in my sophomore year of high school.
I specifically used it for AP Calculus, where I had to memorize hundreds of derivative rules, integral rules, trig rules, definitions, and theorems.
That made Feyn perfect for me, because Feyn is a handwritten flashcard app.
The problem with using SmartCards+ or Quizlet is that I can’t use handwritten flashcards, which would’ve made it difficult to read math symbols.
Feyn genuinely helped me throughout the year, and is one of the main reasons I did great on the AP test.
Amplenote (free with subscription starting at $7.99/month)
Like Obsidian, Amplenote is an app I’m pretty new to.
It seems like a pretty cool app - it’s a to-do list app, a note-taking app, and a calendar app.
For some in-depth content, you can check out Shu Omi’s channel, which features a few videos on Amplenote.
To get started, you can check out this one.
I still have to explore Amplenote, but I’m definitely going to test it out when school starts again in August.
Final Thoughts
And there are the 7 iPad apps I’d recommend to every learner. I tried to cover as many bases as possible, but if there’s an app you think I missed, please let me know.
If you’re interested in some honorable mentions, you can also check out Todoist, Spark, and CollaNote.
Thanks!
Adi
Thanks for the resource list - Notion and Obsidian are definitely ones to check out!