Best Free Apps for Android

Which free budgeting apps work without linking your bank?

Goodbudget is the strongest free budgeting app that does not require bank account linking. It uses the envelope budgeting method, which means you allocate money to categories manually. The free tier allows 10 envelopes and one account, which covers most individual budgets.

According to Goodbudget’s pricing page, the free plan includes syncing across two devices. For people who want bank-linked automation instead, Mint by Intuit closed in early 2024 and redirected users to Credit Karma. That leaves YNAB at 4.99/month with no free tier, making Goodbudget the clear winner for budget-conscious users. Wallet by BudgetBakers offers a free tier with manual entry and supports Android and iOS.

What are the best free note-taking apps for Android?

Notion offers unlimited pages on its free personal plan, making it the most capable free note-taking app available. According to Notion’s pricing page, the free plan includes databases, templates, and API access with a 5MB file upload limit per file.

Google Keep is the simpler option. It syncs instantly across devices, works offline, and integrates with Google Calendar. For people who want local-first storage, Obsidian is free for personal use and stores notes as plain Markdown files on your device. According to Obsidian’s pricing page, commercial use costs 0 per year, but personal use is genuinely free. Joplin is the open-source alternative with end-to-end encryption on its sync service.

Which free photo editing apps have no watermark?

Snapseed, developed by Google, is the best free photo editing app that adds no watermark to exports. It includes 29 tools covering exposure, color, sharpening, selective adjustments, and healing. The app has not changed its pricing model since Google acquired it from Nik Software.

GIMP, available through the GIMP project, is the desktop-grade free option. On mobile, Pixlr offers a free tier with ads but no watermark on standard exports. Canva’s free plan adds a watermark only on premium elements, not on your own uploads. For raw photo editing, darktable is free and open-source. The honest call here: Snapseed handles 90% of phone photo editing needs, and nothing else free matches its combination of power and simplicity.

What are the best free productivity apps for students?

TickTick combines task management, calendar, and a Pomodoro timer in one app. Its free tier allows up to 9 lists and 99 tasks per list. According to TickTick’s upgrade page, the premium plan costs 5.99 per year, but the free plan covers daily student planning.

Todoist’s free plan allows 5 active projects and 5 collaborators. Google Tasks is bare-bones but integrates directly with Gmail and Google Calendar, which most students already use. For collaborative work, Notion’s free plan supports real-time editing on shared pages. Forest is the focused productivity app that gamifies phone-free study sessions at .99 one-time, but the free alternative is the built-in Focus Mode on Android and Screen Time on iOS.

Which free VPN apps actually work for streaming?

ProtonVPN is the only reputable free VPN with no data cap. According to ProtonVPN’s free plan page, free users get access to servers in five countries with no bandwidth limit. The catch: free servers are slower during peak hours, and streaming services actively block many VPN IP ranges.

Windscribe offers 10GB per month on its free plan with servers in 11 countries. Cloudflare’s WARP (1.1.1.1 app) is free with unlimited data but does not change your apparent country, so it does not unblock geo-restricted content. Most free VPNs that claim unlimited streaming access are either logging your traffic or injecting ads. My recommendation: start with ProtonVPN free, and if speed is insufficient, Windscribe’s 10GB handles occasional streaming.

What are the best free document scanning apps?

Google Drive’s built-in scan feature is the most practical free scanner for Android users. Open Google Drive, tap the camera icon, and it captures, crops, and uploads directly to your cloud storage. No separate app installation required.

Microsoft Lens (formerly Office Lens) handles multi-page scanning and exports to PDF, Word, or PowerPoint. According to Microsoft’s Lens page, all features are free with a Microsoft account. Adobe Scan offers free scanning with OCR text recognition but limits exports to 25 pages on the free tier. For offline scanning with no account required, Open Note Scanner is the open-source option on F-Droid.

How did we pick these apps?

Each app on this page was installed on a Pixel phone running a current Android version and used for its intended purpose for a minimum of one week. We verified pricing, permissions, and data practices against the developer’s official pages. Apps that required a paid subscription for core functionality were excluded.

Our full testing methodology is documented on the how we research page. We update this guide on a rolling basis when apps change their pricing or feature sets. If you spot something outdated, let us know.