Our Top 5 Android and iOS apps to Welcome 2024

This week, I selected 5 applications that will (hopefully) make you a better person when December 2024 comes a-knockin' at the door. Do you need a safe space where you can sketch your thoughts? We have got that covered. How about learning new things through visuals instead of the traditional method? We've got that covered as well. 

Before you proceed, here is a little tip on how nextpit carefully curates our Top 5 Apps of the Week list. First and foremost, we made sure these Google Play Store and Apple App Store offerings are not sneaky enough to mine data or offer endless microtransactions. In addition to my findings, I also looked at recommendations from the nextpit community to get a better idea of what's hot and what's not.

We publish this selection of Top 5 iOS and Android Apps weekly, and you may refer to our past lists.

• Are iOS apps your interest? Check out the best iOS apps
• Are you on Team Android? See which are the best Android apps

Concepts (Android and iOS)

The smartphone or tablet is normally not used as a primary drawing tool, but if you want to skimp on a digitizer, then Concepts might be the perfect shoo-in as a sketching app. This is a vector-based creative sketchpad that makes it easy to adjust drawings down to the nitty gritty details, making it easy to fix mistakes. 

Unfortunately, it lacks 3D shape functions which hopefully, can be addressed in the future. Apart from doodles and notes, you can also use Concepts to draw mindmaps for easy reference later. I like how I could change the angle of the canvas to get certain parts of my sketches just right.

If you do not want to pay for a subscription, you will be limited to a number of paper, grid types, and tools. While you can still enjoy five layers, unlimited drawings, and JPG exports, you will miss out on every single library, service, and feature that gets updated frequently in addition to cross-platform use (Android, Chrome, iOS, and Windows!)

• Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account: Not required

• Download Concepts from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Imprint: Learn Visually (Android and iOS)

Imprint comes with quite the pedigree having picked up the gong as one of Google's "Best App of 2023". This app aims to let you learn knowledge through a visual guide, as you master important topics in the fields of psychology, philosophy, history, finance, leadership, business, health, science, and technology, among others. 

You will first be asked several questions for a personalized experience so that it can tailor the sessions in a suitable, bite-sized format. Imprint claims you can learn something within two minutes, and if you have more time to spare, you can even master complex topics. There will be quiz cards at the end of each session to ensure you retain some semblance of information. 

Tap right to move forward, and left to go back. It cannot get any simpler than this. Bite-sized information that is shared in a fun and informative manner that even the younger generation will find interesting to read and learn. It would be interesting to see how much I can master a particular topic by the end of the year with Imprint. 

• Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account: Required

• Download Imprint: Learn Visually from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Level SuperMind (Android and iOS)

Living in the 21st century is no fun at all. Have you seen how wild the economy swings, not to mention investment fads like NFTs popping up all over the place to swindle your money in an instant? My heart rate is clearly stressed and I am afraid of suffering from panic attacks all too often. 

However, installing Level SuperMind clearly helped change things for the better. After my first introductory session, I managed to feel much calmer. It felt as though I now have someone to journey alongside me as I entered a state of calm like never before. 

Unlike the real world, there is no pressure at all when using this app. I did not feel 'forced' at all, and at the end of each session, I am always ready to face the world and all its pressures head-on. I love the AI-powered personal coach that lets me ask some questions without having to search for the answers on Google. Apart from guided meditation, you can also enjoy effective breathwork, home workouts, yoga, positive affirmations, sleep meditations, or journaling to help relieve stress and relax. It is a tool that is worth checking out to start off the new year on the right footing.

• Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account: Required

• Download Level SuperMind from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Artifact: Feed Your Curiosity (Android and iOS)

I have this very bad habit of firing up my laptop for work purposes, only to realize that after an hour, not a single sentence was written. Instead, my easily distracted self would have checked my social media feed, read some inane questions and answers on Quora, and surfing without direction. Artifact is here to help people like me! 

Fire up Artifact for the very first time and it will ask you which particular topics pique your interest. They are wide-ranging, from politics to health, science, Internet culture, sports, and the list goes on. The AI will then keep you up-to-date with information and inspiration that matters most to you. You will only be notified when there is something the AI feels you need to know so that you do not have to actively hunt for articles and stories about a particular topic.

It is not just one-way communication as you can also add posts about what interests you. Over time, it might just pick up traction if it is useful enough for most people. All in all, this should be your primary news reader for 2024. I found myself being more productive as I can read detailed but concise summaries for each article. This makes me skip all the fluff!  

• Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: None / Account: Not required

• Download Artifact: Feed Your Curiosity from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Mojitto (Android and iOS)

Now that you can draw and sketch your thoughts on Concepts, learn visually via Imprint, destress and cope with the hustle and bustle of daily life with Level SuperMind, make better use of your time with Artifact, what do you do at the end of the day? I think it is perfect to keep a record of how I am feeling no matter what happens around me.

Mojitto attempts to do so in a cute manner, where I first select a particularly memorable date, tap on the entire spectrum of emotions I felt on that day, shake my phone after I'm done, and Mojitto would whip up a cocktail, especially for me! 

As with most apps that have a subscription, you gain access to additional features as a Gold member. For instance, I can enjoy a daily emotion analysis such as a positive index score alongside the option to save up to 20 photos (double the free account). It is a very visual app that makes it easy to access all your feelings at a glance. This provides a more objective look on how you feel in hindsight instead of mooring yourself in self-pity whenever life takes a toll on you.    

Best of all is, I can always be surprised by a random drink recipe at the end of each day!

• Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account: Not required

• Download Mojitto from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

What do you think of this selection to kick off the year? Do you already use any of the listed apps? What would your recommended Android and/or iOS apps be to begin the new year?