Update (March 2022):

So many things have changed since I last published this post, 4 years ago. I’ve stopped using all of these apps, in my conscious pursuit of digital minimalism and even reduced my reliance on my smartphone itself thanks to intentional living. If you too are in a similar boat, you’d find these two articles more suitable for you:

How to Rely Less on your Smartphone, Limit your Consumption & Simplify your Life

How to Practise Minimalism in Your Business

If not, go right ahead and read the rest of this post.


We all have our favourites, whether it comes to food, books, movies, music or fashion trends. As bloggers, the one thing that unites a lot of us, though, is the presence of incredibly useful apps on our smartphones.

The list below is something I’ve put together after I’ve used many other applications over a period of time. These are the ones I have found to be consistently useful, for me, personally.

Since I use an Android phone, these are the apps for bloggers I highly recommend.

But the good news? All of these are also available on iOS! So, Apple users, I’ve got you covered too.

*Bonus: They are completely free!

This post contains affiliate links which means any time you click on a link and buy something, I will get a commission at no extra charge to you. Read my disclosure for more details.

Do know, however, that if I do recommend a product, it’s only after I’ve tested it or used it myself.

I’ve ordered the apps here in the sequence in which they appear on my smartphone’s screen. You’ll understand why when you see the final screenshot at the end of the post. They are not ordered by importance. I love them all equally!

12 Fantastic Apps for Bloggers that you absolutely need!

Table of Contents

Buffer

Do you follow me on Twitter? If you do, you’re probably aware of how much I love Buffer! They are absolutely incredible when it comes to understanding how blogging and social media marketing works. And what’s better? They built an app which reflects that sentiment completely!

What I love: You can schedule content to your favourite social media platforms. The free plan allows you to link one page/profile/account to each of the following: Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Linkedin, Pinterest and Instagram. I only use the first four with Buffer. For Pinterest, I prefer using Tailwind due to the multiple other features that it provides.

Tip: Use the posting schedule feature on Buffer to automatically publish your posts at the best possible time when your audience will be online.


WordPress

Are you blogging on the WordPress platform? Then I hope you have this app. Oh, but even if you aren’t on WordPress, I would still suggest you get this one. Why? Well, for one thing, it really helps you comment conveniently on WordPress blogs if you create a WordPress account. For another, it may convince you to move from any other blogging platform to this one. Trust me, that’s one of the things that made me switch!

What I love:  I can check and reply to comments using the app. The ‘Like’ comment feature is especially useful since I can track which comments I have already seen and responded to. In addition, the WordPress stats are perfectly lined up for you inside the app. From showing you where your audience comes from to seeing which posts perform the best, this app is perfect!

Tip: The Reader feature allows you to track which of your favourite WordPress blogs have been updated. That plus the ‘Discover’ stream shows you quality content you’d love.


Instagram

I confess I only started actively using the Instagram app a year ago and more specifically, as a blogger, in the last 3 months. But I am loving it!

What I love:  What’s not to love? The ability to search for trending content using hashtags, seeing which posts get better engagement, following some quality bloggers in your niche and finding out what clicks. It’s a lesson in social media marketing like nothing else! And this works across all niches!

Tip: Use the Stories feature in the app to showcase content or ideas which have short-term and immediate impact. Or even just share a picture of yourself out and about town. People love getting to know one another using this app. Be social.

*If you love Instagram as much as I do, you should check out the Smart.Bio tool which will send TONS of traffic to your site directly from Instagram


Pinterest

You just KNOW I had to mention Pinterest, right? It’s been my blog’s new best friend since October last year. From boosting my engagement to making me learn what works as a source of traffic for the blog, it’s all kinds of awesome!

What I love: While I use Tailwind to schedule most of my content on Pinterest, I love using the Pinterest app to manually pin content every day. I find that the smart feed on the app is so much easier to access on the phone than the desktop.

Interested in Tailwind? Sign up today, using my affiliate link! Read all about Tailwind in my tutorial for beginners!

Tip: The Search feature is fabulous for finding relevant and popular content in your niche so do be sure to check that periodically.


Google Keep Notes 

Every blogger needs a note-taking app. How else are you going to keep track of all those wonderful ideas that are swirling in your head?

Did you know that this app is fabulous for more than that? From checkboxes and to-do lists, to colour-coded notes and keeping track of all your important links (affiliate or otherwise) there isn’t a better tool!

Want to know how I use Google Keep to stay Organised? Here are 7 Fantastic ways.

What I love: It syncs across all your devices so you never have to worry about losing any of your content. Read my detailed post for more valuable tips

Tip: Keep a copy of all your social media handles for easy access here. That way if someone asks you for them, you just have to open the app and get it in an instant.


Canva

I may have let out a tiny shriek of joy last month when I found out that the Canva app is now available!

This is the best website and app for any blogger looking to make high-quality graphics for their blog or social media handles. Everything is optimized by size for each social media platform so you have no work other than creating the image!

What I love:  All my designs are securely saved on the Canva app and it syncs seamlessly with my account so I can access it on the desktop as well.

Tip: Make sure the elements you are using are all free. Some of them may be chargeable, but it’s clearly indicated before you download, with the Canva logo overlay.

MailChimp

As someone just starting out with building an e-mail list, I would advocate going with MailChimp. For one thing, it’s free for up to 2000 subscribers and makes creating and managing lists very simple!

What I love:  The app lets you track new subscribers, segmenting them into the right groups, track open rates on each email campaign and optimize your email marketing based on what works.

Tip: Keep an eye on which newsletters have a lower open rate and opt to re-send them with a single click to only those who haven’t opened them yet. Such a boon!

Note: I would actually recommend Mailerlite for email marketing over MailChimp, but Mailerlite doesn’t have an app. Until that happens, MailChimp is a good fit for those on a budget.


Pages Manager

Wondering why I haven’t mentioned Facebook at all so far? That’s because I don’t use the Facebook app or the Messenger app on my phone. I found them very heavy and they weighed my phone down in terms of performance.

Plus, let’s not forget the incessant notifications. But the one Facebook related app I definitely recommend for serious bloggers is the Facebook Pages Manager!

What I love:  From the app, I can directly interact with my readers since I also have Facebook comments integrated on my blog. It automatically allows me to comment as my Page instead of my profile. The messaging feature allows readers and brands to contact me directly and this is independent of the Messenger app. Page insights show you which posts perform well and you can use that to create new content that is engaging.

Tip: Integrate your Instagram account to your Pages Manager app and see comments on your Instagram posts from inside your Pages Manager app.

Speaking of Facebook, join my FREE and vibrant Facebook group. From blogging tips to social media strategy, growing your blog to monetizing it, it’s all in there!


Google Analytics

Did you know that I spoke about Google Analytics in my first-ever Instagram Live video earlier this month? And the responses were fantastic! I love Google Analytics. It’s the perfect free tool for bloggers to track which posts are performing well on their blogs.

What I love:  So many things, actually, but to start, I love real-time tracking of viewers, audience insights, behaviour, locations of my readers, 7-day and 30-day performance of content. Oh, actually, all of it. Just get the app!

Tip:  Use Analytics to figure out your top performing posts and pin them to the Home page of your blog, so new visitors get to see them first.

The BEST book I can recommend for you to dive into Google Analytics and understand everything about it is this one by Debbie Gartner: Google Analytics 1,2, 3.

Bonus: It’s SO reasonably priced!


Flipboard

Remember how I said I love StumbleUpon? Well, I love Flipboard for more or less the same reason. It’s a curation app, so you get articles and content that you can categorise based on your interests.

What I love:  Creating different magazines for specific niches, say, blogging, parenting, social media tips, motivation and more, is something I really appreciate. It has an excellent readability feature which makes it very convenient to flip through articles at the swipe of a finger.The magazine layout is extremely easy on the eye.

Tip: As a rule, blog posts which are 1500 words and over in length tend to do better in terms of Flipboard traffic. ‘How-to’ posts and tutorials work well too.

*Follow me on Flipboard


Pocket

Put very simply, Pocket is a bookmarking app. But that does absolutely no justice to the usefulness of this invention! It’s the one app I adore for its utilitarian purpose and convenience.

What I love:  You can bookmark any article with one click using the Pocket extension on your Chrome browser. It automatically converts it to a readable format for use on desktop or mobile devices. Bloggers, do you visit a lot of blogs? Bookmark them using the app, read them at leisure when you get time. You can follow other users on Pocket to check their recommendations.

*Follow my recommendations on Pocket

Tip:  If you have a Kindle, use the ‘send to Kindle’ feature to send all your articles to the device from Pocket. This is excellent for distraction-free reading.


Medium

Medium is one of my recent loves, thanks to the regular writing that I do there. But it’s more than just a blogging app.

What I love:  Some of the best and high-quality content I have read on the web comes from Medium. Its app is very user-friendly and typing out a post using the app is very simple. Auto-formatting of content is a boon! Between Flipboard and Medium, I find the most interesting and well-written articles on various topics. They serve as excellent inspiration for my own blog posts.

Tip: Use the Stats feature to see which of your posts have a good engagement rate. Use the bookmark feature to save posts for reading later.

So there you have it! 12 Apps I absolutely love as a blogger. 


*Featured  & pin images courtesy: Shutterstock

Shailaja V

Hi, I’m Shailaja, a blogger who’s been writing since 2007. My interests include books of all kinds, digital minimalism, veganism, health, nutrition, fitness and staying open to learning all the time. Welcome! Click here if you’d like an email when I publish new posts