They say that the best things in life come free. And if they happen to be iOS apps for the iPad, all the better.iOS apps are everything that make an iPad a delight to use. Educational apps keep your kids preoccupied as they wait for their turn at the dentist’s. They make it possible for you to send documents, interact with other users and get some work done without having to confine yourself to a desk.
Of course, if something is free online, there is always the chance that it will bombard you with annoying adverts during use. Some free iPad applications are no different. App developers often resort to this strategy to generate revenue. It makes sense. Distributing their apps for free might get them more users but it won’t make them any money.
Fear not. There are plenty of other free iPad apps that come without ads and work really well. Since this list is of the best free apps for the iPad, it also includes ad supported apps that are just as great. Here is a selection of the best available on the iOS app store –
If you are still using the web based version, it’s time to stop, like now. Download the Facebook app instead for the iPad. Yes, it’s not only available for your iPhone. The iPad version is just as functional and the best part about it is that it’s free to use and doesn’t have any ads.
Like Facebook, Twitter is another social media iOS app that is free to use for the iPad. You can use your device to tweet about your business or about anything that interests you in 140 characters or less. Limiting your tweets to a few characters is challenging but the brand now lets you incorporate other forms of media like video, polls, photos and GIFs to reinforce your messages to the world.
- Gmail
Smartphones make it easier for users to check their emails on the go. However, while the devices do spare you from limiting your correspondences through a desktop, most people prefer to check emails on a wider screen that offers the same mobility.
This is why the Gmail iOS app deserves a place on this list. While the Apple Mail app works just as well, this email application from Google can provide a great alternative. Plus the app version spares you the tediousness of accessing your Gmail account through the website.
- Outlook
Like Gmail, Outlook is another free alternative to Apple Mail. The iPad app has been described as a productivity powerhouse that makes all of your contacts, calendars, attachments and of course email, accessible with a few taps on a screen.
The app comes with a built in analytics engine that is designed to surface important emails across more than one account based on your email activity. In addition to Outlook.com, you can use the app to organize mail from your Office 365, Exchange, Yahoo Mail, Gmail and iCloud Plus email accounts. The free app is super easy to use on the iPad. Just download the app and start triaging your emails with a few swipes.
- IF
Automating internet activity saves you from wasting too much time on one activity, which boosts production. Browsing through your pal’s honeymoon pictures on Facebook isn’t going to help you file those sales reports any faster. Of course, for those who are easily distracted, this is easier said than done. Download the IF by IFTTT app for the iPad, stick to it, and you can get more things done.
IFTTT is short for If This Then That. The IF app for the iPad allows you to create “recipes” or tasks any way you choose. You can use it to create connections between your favorite apps like Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Gmail. Moreover, the app also allows you to connect activities in various devices like the iPhone, Fitbit, Nest Thermostat and Philips Hue.
There are a lot of ways IF can be beneficial for people looking to integrate their online activities without having to access different source individually. For example, you can use it to say, post all of your Instagram photos as Twitter photos, save your tweets to Evernote and even share status updates on Facebook on LinkedIn or Tumblr.
There are several apps that you can connect with IF. Examples include YouTube, Pocket, Best Buy, Etsy, Ebay and over 190 other apps as well as devices.
- Skype for iPad
The iPad’s mobile screen is known for making video conferences more engaging and fun. Just log into your video conferencing app in your iPad, start a session and take the device with you anywhere in your home or office. And the best app for that is Skype for iOS.
This app is pretty handy if you want to video chat with people who don’t use Apple devices and therefore don’t have access to Face Time. It won’t cost you a cent, is ad-free, has a user interface that is super easy to use and allows you to make calls over 3G or 4G.
- Dubsmash
This app became an internet sensation when it was first launched back in 2014 and still continues to entertain the masses today. If you have an iPad at work, you make lunchtime a little more fun by using the app on your iPad.
The wider screen of the device allows for more people to join in as you record yourself acting out popular video samples. It’s free to use. You will still need to login but then again, you also won’t have to worry about any ads.
- LastPass
LastPass is a free iOS app that you will enjoy If you hate remembering passwords. The app lets you sign in into all of your accounts with a single tap or generate new stronger passwords. With LastPass on your iPad, you can change your passwords and let the app remember them for you. In other words, it will automatically fill your logins wherever you go.
- Snapseed 2
What is better than a photo editor? It is a free photo editor. Snapseed 2 is the name of this free app for the iPad. The previous version is a pretty old photo editing tool that is still hot on the App Store. This latest upgrade of the old favorite integrates many of its editing features into the Photoshop app thanks to Google thereby giving users a more enhanced experience and better control.
Snapseed 2 has a more reliable UI than its predecessor and boasts of new one touch filters and edit tools. Other reasons why you should download this app on the iPad right away include tons of editing options.
- Audiobooks by Audible
The best thing about listening to audiobooks is that it allows you to pace your reading. And besides, who doesn’t like being read to? Of course, you can’t carry a recorder on you all day. With Audiobooks by Audible, you won’t have to.
Just download Audiobooks on your iPad and catch up on your reading when you are free at work or at home. The app is free to use and available for iOS.
- The Weather Channel
This is an ad supported app, and as the name implies, provides users with everything they need to know about the weather. The app is a must have for users who live in areas where the the climate can take a turn for the worst at the drop of a hat.
The Weather Channel provides you meteorological data related to factors such as wind, visibility and temperature on an hourly basis, check out weather news, updates, and even forecasts for different locations.
You can also use the app to monitor a ten day forecast; a pretty handy feature if weather conditions often affect how you work. For example, you can use the app to predict sudden downpours and use the data to say reschedule important business meetings on sunnier days or reschedule your flight to Tahiti if weather forecasts predict storms for that area.
- DuoLingo
A language lesson becomes fun if there is an app for it. And the experience becomes even more rewarding if the app is free. It’s called DuoLingo, an iPad app that makes learning new languages into interactive games.
This app offers courses in a variety of languages from English and German to French, Spanish and Italian. It contains speaking and listening exercises, timed quizzes as well as a series of other activities that keep learning a new language fun and interesting till the very end.
- Flickr
If you are an avid photographer who loves to upload images and show them to the world, you might be familiar with the Flickr website. If you aren’t familiar with the app version, you are missing out. It’s free to use
In addition to uploading images, the Flickr app lets you edit, organize and share your photos from your iPad or any other device wherever you happen to be. Are your image files bogging your desktop? Just let the app auto-upload all of your photos and videos on your Flickr camera roll and you are good to go.
One of the most convenient aspects of the Flickr app is that it also provides you with a single platform to share your work with millions of groups in the Flickr community. And since it is available for the iPad, sharing photos and editing them becomes possible with a few gestures.
What do you do when you want to store a paper to read later? You put it in your pocket. Only this time, the pocket we are going to review is virtual and so are the documents it stores. Meet Pocket, a free iPad app that allows users to browse and save any pictures, articles or videos that they find on the web.
The best thing about Pocket is that it offers users a clean format to save and view the content that they want to watch without being distracted by any other form of content – content that they would have been exposed to on the web.
With Pocket, you don’t have to store interesting links on a file on your desktop and later forget where you stored it. The app has highly refined features that organizes all of your saved content in one place and even makes it accessible offline. The special reading mode deserves special mention since it optimizes content for reading by stripping away any ads or images that might come with it.
Other features like cross platform tagging and syncing functionalities make this app a delight to use on different platforms. This means that any content that you save on your iPad can also be accessed on your iPhone provided that you downloaded the app on it.
- Google Maps
No more getting lost on the freeway! The Google Map app for the iPad can help you map your journey and ensure that you always take a right turn. The free app details incredibly detailed and comprehensive maps on a user friendly interface. The maps themselves are constantly updated by Google and the Google community so this doesn’t really come as a surprise.
In addition to maps, the app also gives users access to street view panoramas. So, if you prefer knowing where you have to go by actually being present there, you will fall in love with this feature. Plus the iPad makes Street View a dream to watch.
- Google Translate
Another free iPad app from Google is Google translate. Now this is an app that is sure to be useful if you want to converse with visiting foreign dignitaries or do the same with employees in other countries while you are on a business trip.
This iOS allows users to translate phrases and words across 90 languages. What if you want to translate text that is another language? Just snap a picture of it and the app will translate it for you. However, this feature only supports 26 languages.
If you are worried that you will have to look for Wi-Fi hotspots to use the in unfamiliar territories, put your mind at ease. Google Translate features offline translation functionalities.
Author Bio: Adam Landon is an expert iOS developer in a software developer agency of USA.He has 5 years’ experience of iOS development. He is fully capable to develop effective iOS app. He likes to share our experiences on different communities’ related iOS and Android.
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