AI was a major focus for app development this year, but thankfully it wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

From useful productivity tools to breakthroughs in creativity and privacy, the best new apps found ways to innovate that didn’t involve just spewing out images and text. And even within the AI field, some apps found smarter ways to use it than others.

As is custom, this list celebrates apps, websites, and browser extensions that either didn’t exist a year ago or received transformative new updates, the hope being that you’ll discover something new by reading it. Here, 25 of the best apps that 2023 brought:

AI HIGHLIGHTS

A fresh take on search: While Google and Bing are merely stuffing AI answers atop their search results, Perplexity is a more fundamental reboot. Each query returns a concise written summary, along with refreshingly prominent citations (which appear on top before the summary has even finished loading). You might even be tempted to make it your default search engine. (Get Perplexity for Web, Chrome, iOS, Android)

Transcribe anything: By tapping into OpenAI’s Whisper speech-recognition system, MacWhisper transcribes audio files and microphone input on your Mac without an internet connection. You can then search, edit, copy, and export the resulting text. (For a free Windows alternative, check out Buzz.) (Get MacWhisper for MacOS)

Format your thoughts: For an AI-infused take on notes to self, check out AudioPen. The web app lets you record free-form audio notes, then structures them into multiparagraph write-ups that include all the key ideas. It’s free to try for recordings up to three minutes, with a $75 per year subscription for longer recordings and extra features. (Web)

AI CGI: To complement its existing AI video tools on the web, Runway ML released an iPhone app this year. It can turn photos into videos with animated visual effects, and it can also apply some wild effects to existing videos. The app is free to try for a limited number of videos—it’s worth doing so, if only as a tech demo—after which it requires a $15 per month subscription. (iOS)

The elephant in the room: Yes, it’s an obvious pick, but if you haven’t tried the ChatGPT mobile app lately, give it another look. After launching in bare-bones form earlier this year, a recent update added support for back-and-forth voice conversations without a subscription. It might change how you interact with generative AI in the first place. (iOS, Android, web)

STAY UP TO DATE

Weather at a glance: After Apple finally killed off the beloved Dark Sky at the start of 2023, Merry Sky stepped up as a suitable replacement. The free web app provides hourly estimates of when it’ll rain in your area, along with temperature, wind, and other pertinent info—all without any ads or subscriptions. Install it as a home screen app for even faster access. (Web)

A twist on the news reader: From the founders of Instagram, Artifact surfaces news stories and feature articles based on your interests. But it also goes a couple steps farther, with community submissions and AI article summaries. The best feature? Clickbait headlines rewritten by AI whenever the community cries foul. (iOS, Android)

STAY SOCIAL

Meta’s Twitter: For those seeking an exit from X, formerly Twitter, Threads is providing a smooth off-ramp. The Instagram product facilitates quick, text-centric posts and has been establishing itself as a calmer climate for journalists, influencers, and (of course) brands. (iOS, Android, web)

Mastodon made pretty: As a Twitter alternative, Mastodon’s default mobile apps are utilitarian at best. Ivory, by contrast, brings some much-needed delight to the platform, with weighty animations, cheery sound effects, and just enough customization. Tapbots, Ivory’s developer, knows what it’s doing, having worked for years on a Twitter client called Tweetbot before being killed off in the worst way possible. (iOS, MacOS)

Mastodon made functional: For a different take on Mastodon, Phanpy is as slick as it is customizable. This web app has a nice way of grouping boosts in a carousel view so they don’t clutter your timeline, and it’s filled with clever touches, like the pop-up panel that appears when you click on a profile. It even lets you choose between multiple interfaces, including a multicolumn view reminiscent of Tweetdeck. (Web)

iMessage everywhere: For a few glorious days in December, Beeper Mini made iMessage fully interoperable with Android through reverse engineering. Users could send and receive iMessages with just a phone number, and iPhone users enjoyed all of iMessage’s benefits when texting with their Android friends, including full-resolution images and end-to-end encryption. Apple quickly shut down Beeper’s phone number loophole, though, and it’s been trying to hinder the service as a whole ever since. The future for Beeper Mini is murky, but as an exercise in breaking down artificial ecosystem barriers, it truly was great while it lasted. (Android)

PRODUCTIVITY BOOSTERS

Note-taking superpowers: Already one of the best apps for handwritten notes, Goodnotes made huge strides in 2023. It finally supports synced audio notes (in a nod to Notability), and it added helpful handwriting gestures, such as scribble-to-erase and circle-to-select. Its most mind-blowing feature, though, is AI spell-checking, which recognizes and corrects mistakes based on your own handwriting style. (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac)

A starting point for text: An underappreciated Android equivalent to the popular Drafts for iOS, Drafting gives you a fresh notepad every time you open it, along with quick export options to your clipboard, email, or other apps. You can also easily dump content into Drafting via Android’s share menu, with handy “prepend” and “append” options for existing notes. (Android)

A better alarm clock: Apple’s default Clock app doesn’t let you schedule alarms more than 24 hours in advance. Midnight Alarm Clock addresses that deficiency with a calendar-based alarm scheduler, along with other neat features, such as wake-up challenges and snooze customization. (iOS)

PRIVACY PROTECTORS

Ditch the data brokers: A product of Consumer Reports, Permission Slip makes it easy to delete the personal data that companies collect and use for targeted advertising. By tapping into the opt-out procedures that are now required under several state laws, it automates the process of uncoupling yourself from both the companies you know and the data brokers you don’t. (iOS, Android)

Shore up your privacy settings: Most social networks make you navigate a labyrinth of settings menus to minimize what you share. Privacy Party provides a shortcut, with a browser extension that scans your settings on sites like Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. It then recommends settings to protect your privacy and can change them on your behalf with one click. (Chrome, Firefox)

A smart take on search: Many companies have tried to create a more private search engine, but a relative newcomer called Kagi feels the most fleshed-out. Alongside surprisingly comprehensive search results, it’s packed with clever touches such as the “Small Web” filter (which focuses more on blogs and forum posts) and the “Listicle” subsection that pops up when you search for things like “best apps.” Being ad- and tracker-free is just an added bonus, though it does require a paid subscription after your first 100 searches. (Web)

GET CREATIVE

A classic revamped: Did you know that Microsoft Paint is cool again? The perennial Windows drawing app got some big updates this year, including one-click background removal, Photoshop-like layer-based editing, and generative AI artwork via the “Cocreator” button. But if you just want to use it as a simple drawing pad, those features remain easy to ignore. (Windows)

Desktop touchups: Apple’s pick for best Mac app of the year, Photomator, offers powerful photo-editing tools without being overly complicated. AI features allow you to enhance and sharpen images with one click, and there are built-in magic eraser and clone brush tools if you need to remove any unsightly elements. The app is free to try on up to 10 photos, and it offers both subscription plans or a $100 lifetime purchase. (iOS, Mac)

Killer camera controls: As an extension of the wildly popular DaVinci Resolve video-editing software, Blackmagic Camera provides manual controls for iPhone cameras in a way that even nonpros can figure out. The viewfinder gives quick access to white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and more, and there are no ads or obnoxious subscription upsells to get in the way. (iOS)

Graduating the garage: While Apple’s GarageBand is a great way to play around with music creation, Logic Pro is its more advanced sibling. This year it finally landed on the iPad, with all the in-depth automation and track controls that GarageBand lacks. It’s free to try for a month, then $5 per month or $50 per year. (iOS)

TIME TO UNWIND

Free music, no ads: One of the best-kept secrets in music streaming, Freegal streams millions of songs for free with just a library card. You can also download MP3s to use in any way you like, with weekly download limits set by your library. While the service first launched in 2010, this year it received a major redesign that brings it more in line with modern streaming services. (iOS, Android, web)

The iPad TV: With just a cheap USB-C capture card, Orion turns an iPad into an external display for any HDMI video source, including game consoles, DVD players, and desktop computers. It’s a joy to use as well, with a retro aesthetic and neat features such as CRT scan line emulation. (iOS)

Free meditation: The winner of the Google Play Store’s “Hidden Gem” award this year, Aware is a pretty good meditation app that doesn’t cost a penny. It includes an array of sessions on different focuses, such as stress and meaning, and it also includes scheduled live sessions you can participate in with others—all without any ads or in-app purchases, from a Swedish nonprofit. (iOS, Android)

Replay the classics: All you need is a web browser to enjoy nearly 20 PC gaming hits with DOS_deck. The free site lets you play the shareware versions of Doom, Heretic, Jazz Jackrabbit, and more, with game controller support and various visual effects. (The name is a nod to Valve’s Steam Deck, which has a similar interface and works well with the site itself.) It also includes links to where you can buy the full games if you’re sufficiently tempted. (Web)

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