Free apps of the week: Hurry up, these 33 paid apps are temporarily free!

This list is updated weekly with at least two editions - on Tuesday and Saturday. Between the publication time and the moment you view this article, some of the apps may have already reverted to paid status. Google Play Store app promotions are pretty easy to predict, but it's more complicated with those on the Apple App Store since Apple doesn't specify just how long the discount will remain valid.

Here's a tip: If you find an interesting app but can't really use it right now? Install the app anyway, then delete it from your device. That way, the app will become part of your app library and you can install it again for free when you need it. This is a good way not to miss out on a short-lived promo.

Free Android apps on the Google Play Store...for now

Productivity/lifestyle apps that are temporarily free on the Google Play Store

• NFC EMV Card Reader ($3.99): An app for reading NFC or EMV cards.
• Snipback ($2.99): The "Snipback" app is one app that keeps on appearing in our free app article. This is a very clever voice recorder app!
• Kosmos ($2.99): A task planner with a totally WTF interface that was inspired by shoot 'em ups such as Space Invaders. We dedicated an article to it here if you're interested to know more.
• Digital Dashboard GPS Pro ($0.99): A 2-in-1 speedometer and GPS, although it has received mixed reviews on the Play Store.
• Sleep faster, Meditation Pro ($0.99): An app that plays white noise to help you fall asleep.
• QR/Barcode Scanner PRO ($2.99) Barcode scanners are to productivity apps what Sudoku is to mobile games: they are ALWAYS on sale.
• Mandala Maker 360 ($4.99) Mandala Maker 360, an app with a pretty self-explanatory name, I think. If you're artistic, this is a good download.

Temporarily free Android games temporarily on the Google Play Store

• Mystery of Fortune 2 ($0.99) A tactical RPG where you explore dungeons with your army and try to conquer it with the most efficient units possible.
• 2048 Puzzle Game ($3.99): A puzzle game where you have to move numbered tiles to obtain a sum of 2048.
• Pilot Brothers 3 ($3.99): A point-and-click game whose graphics strangely remind me of a book from my childhood, The Three Robbers.
• G'Luck! ($0.99): G'luck or "Good luck", an offline and single player platform game that has no ads or in-app purchases! How rare is that?
• Dungeon Corporation S ($1.49): What we call an idle RPG, a role-playing game in which your only goal is to farm in order to obtain more powerful equipment to defeat your enemies. The comic book look and pixel art are rather nice.
• 4Goats Forever ($0.99): 4Goats Forever is a multiplayer game that you can play using a single device. Definitely a cool game to try at boring parties.
• Truth or Dare Pro ($3.99): This mobile game takes on the classic party game "Truth or dare". It's especially fun with multiple people, of course! Why not spice things up by including drinks?
• Hills Legend : Action and Horror ($0.99): A creepy 3D game where you have to fight your way through various levels. Does it remind you of "The Hills Have Eyes"?

Temporarily free iOS apps in the Apple App Store

Productivity/lifestyle iOS apps that are temporarily free in the Apple App Store

• Wallpapers of Top TikTokers ($9.99): Download wallpapers of your favorite TikTokers. Yes, it's a troll but at 10 for this app, I could not help but include it.
• Orderly ($0.99): A minimalist to-do list application.
• Houdini Playlists ($2.99):An application that lets you transfer, synchronize, and share your playlists between different music apps. I haven't tested it but the concept looks pretty promising.
• Flowing - Meditation in Nature ($2.99):A meditation app with no in-app purchases or subscriptions, how soothing is that to hear?
• Background Eraser ($2.99): A photo editor that allows you to remove the background and crop subjects.
• SNMP & SSH Terminal ($4.99):This week's starter for iOS is the #1 development tool! So go ahead and download it!
• Reverse Vid ($5.99): Want to play your videos backwards frequently? Download the app "Video Reverse" for your iPhone or iPad!
• Lilium Income ($1.99): A finance app that shines with Siri support!
• OCR Scanner($1.99): Hold your iPhone's camera over some text and let it be scanned automatically. Very handy for your tax return, which is due by November 2021 this year!
• DayCircle ($0.99): DayCircle is an app that lets you capture important events. Birthdays, first kisses, first movie together: you can keep track of it all here, and with its 4.9 star rating, it probably works very well.
• Dubcut ($0.99): A video editing app that lets you finally unleash the power of your iPhone 12 Pro Max. Plus, there's a cool text-to-speech feature.

Temporarily free iOS games on the Apple App Store

• Card Thief ($2.99): A great tactical puzzle game that I loved on Android, where it also was picked as one of our top mobile games of 2021.
• Tales of the Neon Sea ($4.99): An investigative game that is played in a cyberpunk universe with a very nice pixel art look. I'll check it out on my iPad tonight.
• neoDefense ($0.99): A classic tower defense game albeit with a neon cyberpunk design.
• Card Crawl ($5.49): Card Crawl is a dungeon crawler that was inspired by solitaire. The game takes the freemium route, with a one-time in-app purchase of $5.49 for you to unlock the entire game. Hence, it's not really free, but at least it's an opportunity to check the game out for free before deciding whether to buy it or not.
• Maze Machina ($1.99): Similar principle, a paid game that became premium. Maze Machina is a turn-based puzzle game where you play a little hero who has been trapped by the evil Automatron in his ever-changing mechanical maze. The art direction looks very nice.
• Barbershop! ($0.99): Enjoy running a barbershop in this highly pixelated isometric graphical adventure.
• Tusker's Number Adventure ($2.99): According to the developer, this game is NOT meant for kids! So if you are over 18 years old, you can download it on your smartphone. This wacky mobile game simulates breakdowns and crashes.

What do you think of our selection this week? Have you found any better apps or discounted games on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store? Don't hesitate to share your gems with us in the comments.