Here's an app kit that will turn your academic life into a pleasant bearable experience. When you have the right tools, it's so much easier to score those A's. Get published, get a Nobel prize in math, get a favorable comment from your supervisor (in that order). You can do anything because academia is the true land of opportunity.

You can have all these apps as a part of Setapp subscription.

The app I’ve written about more than any other at Tuts+, Keyboard Maestro is the best Mac automation app available. There’s almost nothing you can’t do with it. To give you some examples, I’ve used it to create custom keyboard shortcuts, track how I spend my time on my computer, publicly shame myself, and much more.

Manuscripts: Academic document manager

Manuscripts knows what it means to write a proper paper. Handling footnotes, annotations, references, restructuring, and editing is unbelievably easy. Everything is a click away and, unlike in Word processors, all formatting is intuitive and painless. With Manuscripts it even seems (briefly) like the style guides weren't invented to make you suffer.

Prizmo: Image to text converter

Prizmo is the best for scanning and performing OCR (Optical Character Recognition ) in 23 languages, has powerful editing capability, text-to-speech, iCloud support, and translation into 59 languages.

Essential Mac Apps for Students. Students: Have a Mac, iPhone or iPad? Don't miss these essential apps for homework, organization, note taking, communication, budgeting and even avoiding. Jan 03, 2019 The best to-do list apps for MacOS will help you organize your tasks and lists, get event reminders, and collaborate on projects with teammates. By Clifford Colby @cliffordcolby. Dec 14, 2018  Discover the best apps for students - from useful apps that help you stay focused while studying to a robust personal finance software. Find out how to make your college life easier! Top 11 Mac Apps to Get You Through College. 124.4K views. Hey, future Mac Power User! Get a free addition to Setapp — the Ultimate Mac User Book.

You can convert printed documents, photocopies of text documents, text on the images, scanned documents, and screenshots – whatever you want – into digital text. It allows to effortlessly extract and share text directly in the camera view, search for or edit your document.

Prizmo has editing tools to correct warping, skewness and other distortions. For multipage documents or multiple text documents, the software offers batch OCR functionality to speed the process.

PDFpen: Robust PDF editing

Is anyone still buying hard copies of textbooks these days? When it comes to cramming, PDF is way more convenient (weighs less at least). And with PDFpen, you also get the freedom to tweak your docs in any way imaginable – from editing text to merging multiple PDFs into one test prep package. Redaction functionality is a nice perk as well: if you’re often tempted to check solutions to exercises in your textbook, PDFpen covers them up, so that you concentrate on tasks.

MarginNote: A non-boring way to read and learn

Out of all the apps for studying and completing assignments, MarginNote is the most fun. Whenever your relationship with a textbook gets complicated, the app is there to save the day. The ultimate e-reading expert, MarginNote adapts to your study habits: you can choose your perfect annotation mode, outline and mindmap, or turn notes into flashcards. No more humdrum courses – as soon as you start using MarginNote, your study plan will be nothing short of awesome.

MathKey: Translating words into math expressions

If you’re dealing with math documents and reports, you’ll want to get your hands on MathKey. The app converts your handwriting to LaTeX, MathML, or a perfectly formatted image. Write an equation with your mouse or TrackPad and hit the Convert button – it’s that easy. You can also apply various colors to formulas and images.

Be Focused: Smart timer for productive work

Be Focused is a work timer that uses psychology to keep you on task. If know yourself to be easily distracted, this app is your jam. It's created for the ultimate work-break balance, which is essential if you want to stay sane through the semester. Set daily goals and move towards them at a steady pace, controlled by the fun interface with a classic 'pomodoro' timer.

Instant Translate: Quick translator with 100 languages

If Google's Translate kind of bums you out with its inaccuracy, try Mate (Instant Translate). It's way more powerful and can correctly translate phrases and sentences with its new feature 'Phrasebook.' It even has speech translation if you're in a hurry and typing seems tedious. 104 languages, a history of translations, and an easy access from the menu bar.

Studies: Storage for info, schedules, and memos

When you take on the next project, it all starts with notes. You probably have a pack of subject-related notes stashed somewhere on your Mac and it's a pain to find the ones you need when you need them. Studies solves this issue with elegance: it gives you separate and comfortable niches for each subject, there's a space for images and screenshots alongside text notes, and a schedule with statistics data on classes. So good.

MoneyWiz: Personal finance manager to track your expenses

You should be thinking about your next scientific breakthrough, not heating bills. Let MoneyWiz take care of money matters for you: a single setup and a single input of all your regular bills, and you'll never forget to pay anything. MoneyWiz will send you reminders, plan your monthly budget, even predict your future expenses for the nearest period (if you feel like looking into that).

Ulysses: Professional writing app

Even if your plans go as far as dissertation, Ulysses is where you should write it. This app is favored by writers and bloggers, it's distraction-free and highly reliable. It allows you to focus on writing, quickly export finished work as a PDF or an ebook, and enjoy the process way more than with the usual doc-like services.

Aeon Timeline: Project management app

When you feel overwhelmed by the number of important items in the project, by the subtasks and milestones, open Aeon Timeline and put all of it in there. Aeon gives you a bird's-eye view of the whole project and lets you easily orient among its parts. You'll never miss anything important and your beautiful research will form easily, chapter by chapter.

Findings: Experiment and research notebook

If your academic endeavours include conducting experiments and keeping protocols, Findings is simply indispensable. It's a whole toolset of notes and indicators that allows you to keep track of anything and measure everything. From Physics to Sociology, it covers all processes and nuances. Cross-sectional, longitude, with multiple sampling and fifty variables? Ez pz.

TaskPaper: To-do list to have tasks at hand

Deep down you know that your memory did not undergo that tedious evolutionary process to cope with dry cleaning and groceries. Your mind is made for higher levels. That's why when it comes to routine, to-do lists are life saviors and should be used at all times. And TaskPaper is a perfect example: it has the simplicity of a sticker note, the search of a smart engine, and the cleanest interface.

XMind: Mind map for idea generation

Whenever you feel bubbling with ideas, use XMind. It's a brainstorming and idea-gathering tool. Visualise every possible solution or see how many studies refer to a specific topic. It's a fast and clear way to approach a complex subject and understand the big picture. And when it comes to drawing conclusions, mindmapping is a magic well of insights.

Best apps for students

Download Setapp and get access to handpicked apps for studying. Hack your way through college.

Every app on this list is available as a part of Setapp subscription and we have an Educational discount for a whole year. Try it out and see the difference a good toolset makes in studying.

Last Updated on

There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.

These days, many of us cannot imagine living without an app that helps us manage our busy, nay, overwhelming schedules.

It keeps us afloat in our personal oceans of family and work commitments, collaborations, projects, daily tasks, community endeavors, and “me” time. It’s a definite lifesaver.

Let's get started with an answer to a question many people have:

Why do I need to use a to-do list app?

Let's get to it…

(Side note: If you want a quick productivity hack that will help you save time, then I recommend using a filtered news service. A great tool to do this is to join over 1 million others and start your day with the latest news from Wall St. to Silicon Valley. This newsletter is a 5-minute read that's informative, witty and FREE!)

What You Will Learn

• Benefits of Using To-Do List Apps
• Best To-Do List Apps

Benefits of Using To-Do List Apps

1. Helps you get things done.

When you’ve got several projects running simultaneously, it’s easy to lose track of what needs to be done at certain dates and times. These apps can help you accomplish your tasks and ensuring that nothing gets left undone and overdue.

2. Helps you keep track of your life.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with daily schedules. However, imagine how extra difficult it is for people diagnosed with ADHD. The apps are helpful in ways that help them keep their commitments at work, in their communities, and with their families.

3. Keeps you organized.

These apps help you regain control of your life by showing you the bigger picture of what lies ahead in the day or the week. This way, you can plan and make decisions accordingly. It keeps you firmly grounded.

4. Improves your memory.

You can use the apps to keep a record of things you need to do and clear some head space for other equally important thoughts.

Moreover, whenever you check your to-do lists, you reinforce your information recall. It makes it easier to remember stuff.

5. Gives you a boost of motivation.

There is a feeling of satisfaction for having achieved something as you cross of an item from your list. This, in turn, increases your drive to accomplish more because you have proof that you have the ability to get things done.

Remember to reward yourself when you’ve finished something big from your task list! Schedule it in your app so you’ll remember to do so.

In this post, we’ve rounded up the best apps that you can use to keep all aspects of your life on track.

Some of the apps have been around the block for years and maintain a strong following because of their ability to intuit the user’s needs when it comes to productivity and time management. Others are new in the market and have interesting and useful features that you can try to see if it suits you.

I now present the 13 best to do list apps for you to reach greater heights in productivity this year.

Best To-Do List Apps

1. Cozi

Families will love this app. With Cozi’s collaborative feature, each person can share their lists or notes with their family members.​

Further, others can add items or edit something on an existing to-do list.

Nothing will be missed, as all added information can be accessed on the app. A reminder can be sent to another person (e.g., spouse or child) about a dentist appointment or a science project that’s due soon.

2. Todoist

Todoist has been around for quite some time and yet many users still love it and are unwilling to trade it for other task-organizing tools.

It is one of the most beautifully designed app for time management and productivity. It possesses a ton of useful features that can intuit your organizing needs.

Best Free Photoshop App For Mac

It is capable of understanding different variations in the way you set your schedule. The Kanban system allows users to shift cards around between due dates and between projects.

3. Any.DO

With a beautifully designed interface, this app allows you to drop and drag tasks and then swipe to mark them complete.

The feature that most users prefer with this app is the push notification they receive in the morning, which lists all of the things to do for the day.

Other attractive features include the use of voice commands to add tasks, Slack and Alexa integration, and cross-platform availability.

4. Google Tasks

If you tend to use a ton of Google products, this app will be your best ally to organize your life. As part of the whole set of Google productivity tools, the app easily integrates with your Google calendar.

In Gmail, you can easily drag and drop emails into Tasks, which enables you to quickly add a new item to your to-do list.

5. Wunderlist

Users of this app consider it a powerful tool that boosts their productivity in an intuitive, friendly way. It has been a great favorite among those who are looking for an app that not only lets them manage their schedules but also looks sleek and well-designed while being used.

Wunderlist allows you to share your lists with others, so it's great for families, work colleagues, and friends.

Those you share your lists with are also granted editing capabilities that does not get chaotic even when people are simultaneously working on the list.

6. Carrot To-Do

This iOS app is described by users as a productivity tool with feelings. Carrot calls itself “your new task master.”

It expresses happiness and showers you with praise whenever you complete a task. However, it also has a bad side that comes out when you don't do your tasks. This app can shower you with insults, too.

As a to-do list app, it is pretty straightforward and simple, as well as lacking in most of the features you'd expect to find in other apps.

However, if you are looking for an interesting and fun app that can help you keep track of your schedule and tasks, Carrot is a must-try.

7. Focuster

The main draw for this app is that it helps users keep their focus. This is first of its kind as an app that automatically arranges your tasks according to priority based on what you enter on the left sidebar of its interface.

It has a quick-capture feature that allows you to capture things as you work on your device with the least intrusion on your focus.

8. Google Keep

Are you looking for a tool that can quickly type a list of things to do or buy, save notes with photos, and access these across devices? This app's got you covered.

Its ease of use helps transform the regular task list into a beautiful thing. If you keep or plan to keep a digitized bullet journal, this is the ideal app for it, as lists can be color coded according to your purpose.

You can set up reminders so that you don't miss any stuff you need to accomplish in your life.

9. Habitica

If you are looking to add an element of fun (and also nostalgia, for some readers) in completing your daily tasks, Habitica is an interesting option as one of the best free to-do list app available.

What's unique about this to-do list app is that it transforms your life into a role-playing game. In this vintage RPG, the way you advance to higher levels is by completing the goals that are your daily tasks, responsibilities, and habits.

10. Momentum

We all get distracted while browsing. Our quest for a specific piece of information goes off tangent and instead of trying to find the right statistics to go with a report for tomorrow's meeting at work, you find yourself reading up on a traditional method for making a bird feeder wreath.

This app, which is actually an extension to Chrome, aims to help you get things done.

With the extension activated in your browser, your new tab will feature a breathtaking image in the background, an inspiring quote, and a to-do list where you can add items and cross them off as you accomplish them through the day.

11. Remember The Milk

Users of this app only have praise for its intuitive features that help keep their schedules and tasks organized. As one of the oldest apps that help get people get things done, it has a simple user interface that allows users to truly focus on finishing tasks as scheduled.

Moreover, while on “Weekly View”, this app allows you to have a quick overview of all the tasks you have for the whole week. It provides you with a bigger picture of how hectic (or calm) your schedule will be in the days ahead to help you shift tasks around to balance your workload.

12. Swipes

This app has integration with Evernote and Gmail. So you can import tasks and notes containing reminders from the former.

It turns the emails in your Gmail inbox into tasks that you need to take of. And, in the classic style of any to-do list app, it also allows you to create tasks as they come up.

Swipes also come with a snooze feature, so you can postpone tasks until you're ready to tackle them.

13. Microsoft To-Do

Whether you start from scratch or import your tasks from Todoist, Outlook, or Wunderlist, this app can accommodate it. Just like the other apps mentioned above, it helps you manage your tasks and projects and gives you reminders when an item on your list is due.

Best Applications For Mac

In addition, it also reminds you when you're supposed to start working on a list item. Unlike other apps, however, it does not provide you with a list of stuff you need to get done.

Rather it offers suggestions on what to do next, listing items that are overdue or almost due, as well as stuff that it thinks are relevant to your schedule for the day.

Final Thoughts on To-Do List Apps

Best Mac Apps For Students

There you have it. Thirteen of the best to-do list apps that will help you get things done in this brand new year.

Best Mac Apps For Students To Do List Free

Did your favorite app make it on the list? Have you discovered the app that works for you with what’s been featured today? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Time is a precious resource. Managing it wisely should be one of our top priorities. The apps mentioned above are a great way to effectively identify your priorities and balance your schedule for work and personal life.

If you want to know more time and productivity strategies, check out this post about a 25-minute habit called the Pomodoro Technique and learn how to become a master of time management.

Finally, if you want a quick productivity hack that will help you save time, then I recommend using a filtered news service. A great tool to do this is to join over 1 million others and start your day with the latest news from Wall St. to Silicon Valley. This newsletter is a 5-minute read that's informative, witty and FREE.