Nine Free Apps That Will Change Your Life, According to Reddit

The beauty of the Internet is that every now and then someone asks a completely innocuous question, and people provide answers that have the potential to change the reader’s life. This time , someone on Reddit asked about apps that are so good it’s hard to believe they’re free. The responses highlighted a lot of great apps that you should definitely try.

Recipe apps that get straight to the point

Recipe apps and sites often have trouble getting to the point. Before getting to the point, you’ll often see a long blog post telling the story behind the recipe. If you want to have a resource where you can find recipes (without the narration), you can try some of Reddit’s recommendations. Copy Me That received the most endorsements, with many users praising the generous free tier. (For those who want to support the developers, there is a premium subscription with additional features.) Other recommendations included Recipe Keeper , which was praised for its slick design and ability to scan recipes from printed books, and MiNoms , which has all the basics and an affordable in-app purchase , allowing you to unlock premium features.

Best Bird Watching App

If you enjoy bird watching in your area, you’ll definitely needa Merlin Bird ID . This allows you to quickly identify birds and learn more about them. The application allows you to view photographs of birds, hear their calls and understand the characteristics of their migration. Many people on Reddit have mentioned that studying birds has become a hobby as they’ve gotten older, and that they’ve found this app indispensable.

Read books and listen to audiobooks for free

Your local library is a treasure trove of books you can access for free, and now your library can also borrow eBooks and audiobooks. For instant gratification, download the free Libby app, enter your library card details, and access our extensive archives. The collection varies depending on the books you have in your library, so not everyone will have the same experience. If you have a valid library card, you can use Libby to borrow books without visiting the library at all.

Stream audio from TV shows to your phone

If you’re in public places where it’s so loud that you can’t hear the TV, or if the TV is muted, you can use Tunity to stream audio to your phone. While you’re trying to stream audio from a live stream, this app will do its job. It cannot stream audio from YouTube or other streaming services.

Identify any song that is playing near you

Whenever you are on the go and hear a song that you really like, you can use a music recognition service to help you identify that song. People on Reddit highly recommend Shazam , but you can also just ask Siri or Google Assistant to identify songs for you. These services are built into your smartphone and can be used for free.

Find out where to watch any movie or TV show

With an oversaturation of streaming services and ever-changing content rights, it can be difficult to determine which service has the movie or show you actually want to watch. To work around this issue, you should download JustWatch . It allows you to enter the title of a movie or show and tells you where you can watch it. If you don’t want to download the app, its website does the job too.

Make it easier to learn new things

When you are trying to learn something new like a language, poetry or even studying for exams, you should try using flash cards to speed up the process. Anki allows you to use flash cards to improve your learning, and many Reddit users swear by it. You can use the web version and the Android app for free, but the iPhone app costs $25. We also reviewed a browser extension called Wisdolia , which integrates with Anki, in case you want to learn from YouTube videos or any website on the internet.

Improve your knowledge for free

This may be an obvious choice, but it’s so good it’s worth mentioning. Wikipedia is the world’s largest encyclopedia, and it’s completely free. If you want to improve your knowledge of history, current events, sports, and a variety of other topics, Wikipedia is a great starting point. This is not always reliable, so double check your facts.

Discover interesting websites quickly

Many Reddit users have mentioned StumbleUpon, a now-defunct browser extension that used to let you find random websites on the internet. If you are also missing this extension, you can try an application called Web Roulette! , which recreates a similar experience with a beautiful design. It’s free to download on your iPhone and is definitely worth a try. You can also take a look at the Kagi search engine , which has tools for finding small sites.