These 20 essential apps work on all three platforms, helping you stay
productive no matter what device you or your co-workers use
Android, iOS, and Web: 20 multiplatform apps for maximum productivity
Man, the days of "Mac or PC" sure were simple.
It wasn't long ago that the only question you had to consider with compatibility
was whether something would run on those two types of computers. These days,
most of us interact with a multitude of devices and platforms, either on our own
or as a result of our colleagues' choices, and finding productivity tools that
work across them all isn't always easy.
When you stop and think about it, it's nothing short of a miracle that any
service can provide a consistent experience on an iPhone, an Android phone, an
iPad, an Android tablet, and any computer with a modern Web browser. Amazingly
enough, though, such tools do exist.
We've tracked down 20 useful options to help you stay productive and in sync
from one device to the next. Install them on your various computers and gadgets
-- and get your co-workers to do the same -- and you'll be living in
multiplatform harmony.
(Quick tip: If you don't have time to read all of this right now, skip to the
16th slide. You're welcome.)
Google Docs
Google's free cloud-based office suite has come into its own over the past
several months, with the recent addition of offline access across all platforms
along with the ability to edit standard Word documents in their native format.
Editing from the mobile apps is also now fairly full-featured, thanks to
Google's integration of Quickoffice, a former third-party app the company
acquired. Functions like find and replace, undo, and table creation are all
available, as are a range of font, paragraph, and table formatting tools. Docs
may not be the most robust standalone word processor on any given platform --
you won't find a way to measure word count on the mobile apps, for instance --
but if you’re juggling devices, it’s a solid option for getting the basics done.
App: Google Docs
Developer: Google
Category: Word Processing
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Microsoft Office 365/Office Mobile
For those who still rely on the traditional Microsoft Office ecosystem, the
company's Office 365 service provides cloud-based access to documents on the Web
and via its Office Mobile Android and iOS apps. The mobile apps are
significantly less full-featured than Google's, and they're rather restricted,
with no offline access unless you opt to pay a $7- to $10-per-month subscription
fee. Access to the iPad app requires a subscription as well, and there is no app
for Android tablets as of now. All in all, it's not the greatest suite of
services, but it's at least something for folks stuck under Microsoft's
umbrella.
App: Microsoft Office 365 / Office Mobile
Developer: Microsoft
Category: Word Processing
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Google Drive
Google's cloud-storage service comes with 15GB of free space (shared with Gmail
and Google+ Photos) and the option to upgrade to various higher tiers --
anywhere from 100GB to 30TB -- for $2 to $300 a month. Drive offers seamless
integration with Google Docs, as you'd expect. It also excels in search,
allowing you to search for objects shown in stored images and text present in
scanned documents. Beyond that, Drive is able to display numerous file types --
even Photoshop and Illustrator files, if you're using Android or the Web -- and
it provides offline access to your files via both its Web and mobile apps.
App: Google Drive
Developer: Google
Category: Storage
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft's storage offering comes with 15GB of free space and the option to
various higher tiers -- 100GB, 200GB, or 1TB -- for $2 to $4 a month (with the
1TB plan requiring a one-year commitment). OneDrive is unique in its tight
integration with both Microsoft's Office suite and Windows itself: You can store
and access files in OneDrive from the various Office applications, and you can
share files to OneDrive directly from Windows File Explorer.
App: OneDrive
Developer: Microsoft
Category: Storage
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Dropbox
Dropbox gives you 2GB of free cloud storage, and you can bump that up to 1TB
for $10 a month. While its starting level may be lower than what Google and
Microsoft offer, Dropbox provides a wide range of features, including shared
folders synced across multiple users and devices, nicely formatted photo
galleries that are simple to share, the option to automatically back up photos
as they're taken on mobile devices, and the option to remotely wipe a lost
device (available only to paying customers). Dropbox’s powerful API has also
made it a popular storage integration choice for many mobile apps.
App: Dropbox
Developer: Dropbox
Category: Storage
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Box
Box provides 10GB of free space with the option to upgrade to 100GB for $10
a month; unlimited storage plans are also available for businesswide accounts
with at least three users for $15 per user per month. Box is working hard to set
itself apart with enterprise-targeted features like an integrated
file-commenting system and granular controls over permissions, allowing you to
control what people can do with a file once you share it. Box also offers a
powerful API that enables developers to use Box as an integrated file system for
their mobile apps.
App: Box
Developer: Box
Category: Storage
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Google Hangouts
Google's free Hangouts service makes it easy to have one-on-one or group
conversations as well as individual and group voice calls and video calls from
whichever platform you prefer. The quality is typically quite good, so long as
you're on a reliable and reasonably fast Internet connection. Video calls
between Google users are free and unlimited, and voice calls to regular phone
numbers within the United States and Canada are free. (You can call outside of
those countries, too, but you'll have to pay a per-minute fee for the
talk-time.)
App: Google Hangouts
Developer: Google
Category: Communication
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Skype
Skype may not be as robust or user-friendly as Hangouts, but it's still a
popular communication platform that can't be ignored. It provides free voice and
video calls between users, but voice calls to regular phone numbers require
either a monthly subscription or a per-minute fee. While there's (rather
astonishingly) still no stand-alone Web app for the service, you can get to it
from a desktop computer by signing into Microsoft's Outlook.com.
App: Skype
Developer: Skype Communications
Category: Communication
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Trello
Whether you're working alone or as part of a team, Trello offers an easy yet
powerful way to organize tasks, lists, and projects. No matter which platform
you access it from, your data remains synced and looks the same to every user
who sees it. Trello uses an intuitive whiteboard and notecard interface for task
management, offering checklists, commenting, labels, attachments, notifications,
and activity logs, as well as the ability to assign tasks to team members.
App: Trello
Developer: Fog Creek Software
Category: Project Management
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Basecamp
When it comes to project management, Basecamp is one of the biggest names
around. The service provides a centralized place for organizing and coordinating
projects, allowing teams to create notes, lists, and schedules; upload files and
plans; assign and manage tasks; and communicate with colleagues about progress
on each individual element. With the company's multiplatform approach, you can
view and edit anything you need from any device you have handy. (You'll need a
Basecamp subscription, which is free for 60 days, then runs anywhere from $20 to
$150 a month.)
App: Basecamp
Developer: Basecamp
Category: Project Management
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Wunderlist
For simple lists, you want a simple app, and Wunderlist is one of the best
around. Its clean and minimalist interface puts your tasks front and center,
organized into topic-oriented lists, and it looks just as good whether you're on
Android, iOS, or the Web. Wunderlist offers the ability to share lists, comment,
delegate tasks, set reminders, and attach and share photos and files to your
to-dos.
App: Wunderlist
Developer: 6 Wunderkinder
Category: Task Management
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Any.do
Another excellent list-centric option, Any.do offers a solid all-around
experience, and Android users get bonus features like the ability to turn a
missed call directly into a reminder. Regardless of your platform, the service
provides all the basic organizational tools you'd expect, including shared
lists, folder-based organization, and calendar-like alerts for important tasks.
It syncs with Google's Tasks system, too, so you can access it from Gmail as
well as from Any.do's own Web interface.
App: Any.do
Developer: Any.do
Category: Task Management
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Evernote
Evernote offers a robust notebook-like service that features regular to-do
lists along with the ability to store and manage photos, handwritten notes, and
articles from the Web. In addition to its standard free suite of services, the
company has a business-focused platform designed for larger-scale company-wide
collaboration. Evernote is also blessed with a rich ecosystem of integrated apps
and services, thereby extending the power of an already powerful productivity
tool.
App: Evernote
Developer: Evernote
Category: Notebook
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
OneNote
Microsoft's note-taking solution provides plenty of tools for keeping
yourself and/or your team organized. You can create regular notes and lists,
organize your stuff into notebooks or with tags, and add audio or video files
into your notes. You can even take photos of receipts, memos, or whiteboards,
then later search for the text shown in those images. OneNote also syncs with a
stand-alone Windows app for those who prefer a more traditional desktop-based
approach.
App: OneNote
Developer: Microsoft
Category: Notebook
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Pocket
If you find yourself stumbling onto more interesting content than you have
time to read, Pocket is exactly what you need. Pocket integrates into all the
major platforms and allows you to save an article for later with a couple quick
taps. Once it's been saved, you can get to it from any device and view it online
or offline within the app's own excellent reading utility. Pocket also allows
you to save videos and images for later viewing, share what you’ve saved with
other Pocket users, and file away your Pocket favorites to Evernote.
App: Pocket
Developer: Read It Later
Category: Notebook
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
QuickBooks
QuickBooks is the de facto standard for small-business accounting for a
reason: The service is jam-packed with functionality, and it works well
regardless of what platform or type of device you're using. QuickBooks has all
the accounting tools you'd expect, ranging from budget management to expense
tracking and invoice creation and fulfillment. It all comes at a cost, though:
The various apps require an active QuickBooks account, which runs $13 a month or
$125 a year.
App: QuickBooks
Developer: Intuit
Category: Accounting
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Expensify
If logging and managing expenses is all you need, a simple app like
Expensify can get the job done without costing you a dime. From your Android or
iOS device, Expensify makes it easy to snap photos of a receipt, which it then
quickly analyzes in order to extract the relevant details and put them (along
with an actual image of the receipt) into your records. It has other handy
features, too, like the ability to track and log mileage using your phone's GPS,
and the data is always available on any device you sign into as well as via its
Web-based application.
App: Expensify
Developer: Expensify
Category: Accounting
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
Google Calendar
When it comes to maintaining a cross-platform calendar, Google Calendar
stands in a league of its own. The free service provides a simple interface for
managing meetings and personal appointments as well as sharing both individual
events and full calendars with friends, family, and colleagues.
While Google doesn't yet offer its own official Calendar app for iOS, you can
sync your Google Calendar data with Apple's native Calendar app or use
third-party programs like Sunrise Calendar and Cal to tap into the info. On
Android, meanwhile, an official Google app is available in addition to a variety
of third-party contenders, allowing you to pick the setup that best suits your
needs.
App: Google Calendar
Developer: Google
Category: Calendar
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
TripIt
TripIt is a must-have app for anyone who travels. Once you sign up for the
free service, all you do is forward any travel-related emails -- airline
confirmations, hotel reservations, even concert ticket receipts or dinner
reservation confirmations -- to a special email address, and TripIt
automatically organizes them into trip-based itineraries.
For $49 a year, you can upgrade to TripIt Pro and get advanced features like
real-time flight monitoring and alerts and a one-tap way to find alternate
flight plans from your phone midtrip. TripIt also has an enterprise-level plan
for organizations that want to implement its services company-wide.
App: TripIt
Developer: Concur Technologies
Category: Travel Management
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
LastPass
We all have a billion passwords to keep track of these days -- and if you're
using the same password for every website you sign into, well, you're doing it
wrong. LastPass, which topped InfoWorld's recent review of the best password
managers for PCs, Macs, and mobile devices, helps you create unique and strong
passwords as you surf the Web, then keep track of them securely.
With AES 256-bit encryption, local-only decryption, and multifactor
authentication, LastPass keeps your data under lock and key, giving you one
fewer worry in your digital life.
The full version of the service, which you'll need for mobile-based access,
costs $12 a year.
App: LastPass
Developer: Joseph Siegrist
Category: Password Management
Availability: Android | iOS | Web
