30 Top Mobile Apps for Startups

Most of us are guilty of being time-poor these days. Burying our noses deep into smartphone screens can be both a blessing and a hindrance. The main drawback being the addictiveness of always needing to be on top of the latest happenings, but a blessing as it means that we can access anything at any time, whilst on the go. Our smartphones have become mini pocket computers and cultivating a collection of effective mobile apps, whether as an Apple ioS user or Android GooglePlay adapter, is key to making the most out of your day. We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite apps that we think you as budding entrepreneurs will find useful, there are some firm old favourites and a few you may not already be aware of.

Organisation is essential to running a business effectively and efficiently. Any tools that can be found to save time are what you want to be using on a regular basis. If you’re working as part of a team, use a group management system such as Asana, Trello, MeisterTask or Evernote to keep on top of each other’s activities. Having such an app on your smartphone means that you can quickly enter data when inspiration first strikes (and let’s face it, this often occurs in the least practical situations).

In order to keep an eye on the amount of time you are spending on tasks, use mobile apps Toggl, RescueTime or Hours. They’ll keep an eye on where you are spending most of your time so you can correlate lengthy amounts of time with larger money-making jobs. Analysing your time through one of these apps, will help you become more productive.

Using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is a key tool for any business. Being able to manage and analyse customer relationships through recorded interactions and data is imperative to improving those relations and driving new business. Having such a system on a smartphone will ensure the data is recorded regularly on the go and will improve accuracy. Try Zoho which offers a few different versions depending on your needs.

You may already be using digital marketing to promote your business. And if so, you will already have set up an Adwords account, the Google tool to manage your online campaigns. The mobile app is a simplified version of the desktop account, enabling you to keep an eye on the campaigns and make sure they continue to run smoothly.

Speaking of Google, they have pretty much come up with an answer to any of your organisational office needs. And whether or not you are a fan of Google’s systems, there is no denying they run a variety of smooth applications that are easy to use. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Maps, Now, Gmail, Hangouts, Voice, Analytics, Keep, Drive, Photos, Calendar all sync across all of your devices, meaning that you need never miss another recorded piece of information.

Maybe you need to sign or scan documents on the go. The SignNow (formerly CudaSign) app allows you to upload documents and add in your ‘pre-written’ signature to save as a PDF file.

Having so many accounts and apps on your smartphone may result in some confusion over passwords, or at the very least a high-security risk if you find yourself using the same password across various accounts. Using an app such as Keeper or 1Password will give you a highly protected vault to store all of your accounts, passwords and personal data. You have the option of creating encrypted passwords or simply use your own and you can organise them all into various folders and categories.

You don’t want to be filling up your smartphone’s memory with too much information. So using a system such as Dropbox will enable you to store documents, images and other such files to a cloud-based system accessible from any device. The initial app is free but you can purchase more data as needed.

Whilst on the go, you may be Travelling abroad or around the UK, with the need for quick information to get you around an unfamiliar place. Never be without a taxi ride with uber-fast taxi company Uber, just link to your PayPal account and you’ll never be without cab-fare again. And for most major cities with an underground, you’ll find a Metro, Tube or Subway map to help negotiate your way around the public transport system. If you dislike carrying cash, having ApplePay on your phone is the easy way of never having to use your credit or debit card again - just make sure your bank has signed up to it.

You may be travelling for meetings and want to make sure you don’t encounter any unforseeable delays due to weather or sartorial malfunctions, so a (mostly) reliable Weather app will be your best friend for planning ahead and getting to your appointment on time, looking your best.

While you are away from the office or work environment, you’ll want to track your expenses for hotels, food, travel etc. So make sure you download Expensify and record all expenses as you go.

One of the main advantages of carrying around a smartphone is the ease of which to Communicate. Make the process even easier with messaging app Slack. It’s a great way to communicate on a team, project or topic basis, as well as having the option of setting up Private Channels that are completely secure for sensitive communication. Share files and connect various other tools such as Google docs, so you can use this one strand to communicate and be organised.

Don’t forget to keep connected with the rest of your business network, the LinkedIn app is even easier to use than its desktop counterpart and use Facebook Pages to update you Company Page whilst on the go. If your company uses email marketing on a regular basis, you can keep up to date with your campaigns through the MailChimp app. You can create a campaign from scratch, managing lists, adding new subscribers and viewing the reports. It’s a quick way to stay on top of email marketing.

At the end of the working day some Rest and Relaxation are key to switching off from business life and recharging for the next day. But switching off doesn’t mean the learning has to end. Maybe you are wanting to learn a new language. If not for work travel than for those well-earned holidays abroad. The Duolingo app makes the learning experience fun, with a vast range of new languages to choose from, making the process more like a game than a learning experience.

Maybe you are looking to improve your photography skills and the editing process. The world we now live in is so visual and with so many free tools available to us, it is worth taking the time to learn some basic skills. You never know, you may end up saving your company money! Adobe Photoshop Express is a mobile version of their vast design suite, a little less complicated to learn and understand on the small version.

If you like reading and don’t want to carry around a library of books, the Kindle app is a well-loved favourite for readers. You may be a traditional book-lover but there is no escaping the ease of a Kindle and it will encourage you to read more, something we often forget in the digital world we are immersed in. If you enjoy reading news articles on your smartphone but don’t always find the time to fully read what you find, Pocket is the perfect app for you. Pocket allows you to save articles, videos and other content to read at a later time and can also be viewed offline, making them perfect for when you don’t have any wifi or mobile data.

Finally, using your smartphone for the greater good of your health makes it a great piece of technology to have in your pocket. If you need to find quiet at the end of your day, Headspace is the guided meditation tool and although not completely free (there is a basic option but the full app requires a subscription), is definitely one of the best tools out there.