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.
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
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!
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.
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
Great Shailaja, a beautiful compilation of apps, going to Install each and enjoy…!!!
Yay, Gayatri! That’s wonderful to hear! Have fun 🙂
Superb list Shailaja.
Pocket is one of my favorites too. I want to dive deeper into the additional features which Mailchimp and Pages Manager offer, but God knows when I’ll find the time.
Quora is another resource which bloggers might find useful.
Thanks, Vishal! I simply LOVE Pocket 🙂 It’s such a game changer, in my opinion.
Pages Manager is excellent. All the good parts of Facebook without the mess of it 😉
Quora is something I need to make time for. I have an account, just not leveraging it right. Shall be on my list in May.
That’s a useful list of apps. I don’t have mailchimp, buffer, and analytics on my phone. I have started to learn about google analytics last month, so will try out the app too. Since I don’t use mailchimp, there is no reason for it to be on my phone. Buffer, yeah I have to learn first, maybe in the future. I love pocket, flipboard and medium. I have been using flipboard for more than five years now, I guess. Loved this compilation, Shailaja.
Sounds perfect, Vinitha! MailChimp makes sense if you want to build a dedicated email list of readers. Social media shares are wonderful but email is where your loyal audience is 🙂
Isn’t flipboard gorgeous? I love the interface, especially for reading.
Oh my, I didn’t even know about so many apps. You are so tech savvy, Shailaja. At the moment, I’m trying to work on Tailwind and Canva with whatever time I have. But I will get to each of these slowly 🙂 Might just take more time than others. Thank you for the list.
Aww thanks, Naba 🙂 Not tech savvy , really. Just very interested in blogging 😉
Oh take all the time you need. The apps are not going anywhere 🙂
You’re welcome. I am happy you liked the list.
I had already have a few of them on my phone already though still try to wrap my head around them to use them for the benefit of my blog!
Take your time, Nibha 🙂 You will enjoy learning about each of them.
That’s a really nice list, Shailaja. Though you know I hardly spend much time on Apps except the really important ones. Personally I like the WP, FB, twitter, Pinterest and Instagram apps on my phone and use them regularly. I used to like FB groups app that you had suggested but sadly they’ve discontinued it. I do have notifications off so that is no trouble. Besides my phone wifi is switched off most times so no issues on spending or wasting time on phone. I have GA but don’t go there daily. I also have Google Adsense which I see daily. 🙂
About Pocket and Flipboard, I somehow have not given them much time so hardly use them, same with Evernote. Buffer I prefer using from my desktop, the same works for Canva, PicMonkey and MailChimp. I really don’t see the benefit of having them on the phone. I like Quora too but only see it occasionally. After all, time is an issue. 🙂 Stumbleupon I haven’t really explored fully. Am currently working on Pinterest and Instagram so will leave that for another day.
I know about your phone WiFi being off 🙂 For me, it’s more convenience than addiction too. I don’t spend too much time on the phone.
FB and Twitter, like I said, weighed the phone down considerably and affected page loading time. So had to uninstall them. Happier too. I can access them on the phone browser in an emergency so it works great!
Oh there are FAB benefits to having Canva on the phone, especially if you use the Instagram and Twitter apps. You should check it out if you get time.
I love my reading apps so much. They have helped in so many different ways.
Thanks, Rachna, for the detailed comment, as always 🙂
This post is very helpful. Although some of these apps may not be useful for me since I am still using the free WordPress for my main blog, installing Buffer and canva will make things easy. I really need to work on the images I use for my posts. And of course, there is Pinterest.
Yep! Free WordPress does have that limitation. Only Google Analytics won’t work. Pretty much everything else will, actually 🙂
Thanks, Anamika!
I have so much to learn from you, woman! For once, I bookmark a post for myself 🙂
Loved the details and the information you have provided. So glad you included iOS too 😀
But of course. I had you in mind when writing the post and obviously I had to add iOS 😀
My goodness, this post is a real treasure. You’re such tech guru. WordPress, Instagram, Pages.. I love those. But I have to admit I’m way more comfortable on my Mac. And I really need to stat leveraging Buffer. Oh and Canva – that’s becoming a necessity. I’ve only used them occasionally.
Ha ha, thanks, Tulika 🙂 Honestly not a tech guru. Just enjoy blogging a whole lot. Buffer is AWESOME. Start right away!
I have bookmarked your post for further read and research though I doubt I will have the patience to get into so much of it. Your research and usage of these apps is simply incredible Shy.
I used to use Stumle a lot but when it changed its interface, it got a bit problematic to mark the posts. So I have left using it – let me explore it again.
Aww thanks Shalini 🙂 I do hope you get to check them out and figure it out 🙂 All the best!
As someone who has just started blogging, find this very helpful. Thanks 🙂
So glad to hear that, Vasu! All the best and welcome to the blogging world 🙂
Such an insightful post. I have quite a few of these on my phone. Buffer is something new for me. I use Canva and Google Analytics from Laptop. I would love to explore MailChimp. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post, Shailaja!!
You’re most welcome, Shilpa 🙂 I hope you explore MailChimp in detail 🙂
I use all of these, but on my desktop. The only app I have on the phone is Instagram. 🙂 I simply cannot manage things on my phone screen. I find myself backspacing and correcting typos and autocorrects. But yes, all of these are amazing! That’s a great list, Shailaja!
Thank you, Vidya! Agree, these are great on the desktop. On the phone, they have their convenience 🙂
Thats a lovely list. I do have most of them already. But somehow never leveraged on Flipboard and pocket… Would try to use them a bit more.
Oh please do and tell me what you think 🙂
Omg canva is available now… I just installed it. Yaayyy Stubleupon gives me a bad bounce rate so I kinda stopped sharing there I haven’t used flipboard yet… Will check it out. You covered all the important ones for a blogger
Canva is awesome! It’s made my Instagram life so much simpler! Yeah su should be used with care and not too much sharing indiscriminately.
Some good tips and apps there Shy! Wasn’t aware of Medium, Pagemanager and Pocket. This is going to be a really helpful ready-reckoner for all bloggers!
Thank you, Kala! Hope so for sure 🙂 Pocket is the best!
Nice to learn about many new apps here too besides the usual ones, most of which I am using already. Great compilation.
I have most of these, though WP doesn’t work if you don’t have Jetpack, so I uninstalled it. And CANVAAA!! I did not know it was available in the app store! Thank you so much!!
He he yes. Canva is my favourite on the non-social list 🙂
That was such a great post! Very helpful, and I’m especially glad the apps are available on androids as well as apple devices. Thank you!!
Thanks for reading, Sandy! And finding it useful too 🙂
Thanks shailaja. This is really a very useful post.
Glad you found it useful, Deepa 🙂
I have most of these on my phone, and so agree with you on how useful they are!
Great list, Shailaja! Very useful for bloggers, old and new.
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it 🙂
Thank you Thank you Thank you. I am just getting started and this list invaluable!
That’s great to hear. All the best, Laura 🙂
Wouldn’t it be cool if the images were integrated with individual links, per image, within the image? Confusing, sorry. I’m going based off of your phone image. If each icon could be clicked, individually, wouldn’t it be awesome? Ok that’s about it, def a great post!
Ha ha I totally get that. The last image is a screenshot though. So what I’ve done is added a direct link to the download button for each app on both app store and Google Play. That seems to work fine 🙂
Comprehensive list of the important apps! I have some of these but not all. Am seriously thinking of mailchimp. Instagram beckons too!
Glad you liked it. Mailchimp is best because it allows up to 2000 subscribers for free. No other provider gives that 🙂
Very helpful. Btw do you by any chance have a group board to promote new bloggers. I have started new and would love to increase my viewership. Any tips?
Hi Debashri! Yes, I do. I have 4 group boards open to collaborators. Details here in this link. You can fill it out 🙂 https://shailajav.com/join-pinterest-group-boards/
Useful Post, thanks for sharing
Thanks for reading!
I’m just starting out! These are great tips. Thank you!
That’s wonderful to hear. Do let me know which apps you love using. 🙂
Hi
I am proud of your article. This is the informative article. This is my best one. Please share more and more like this article.
Thanks….
Thank you! I am glad you liked it 🙂
The list looks amazing. Bloggers are always in search for various apps that can make their job easy and multiply the result of their efforts.
Thanks, Ashwin! This is one of the most-read posts on the blog, so I totally understand what you mean. It’s lovely to have a list of apps that make blogging both convenient and fun!
Great article thank for sharing
Thank you so much for sharing these amazing blogging apps❤️
Hello, Such as amazing ideas to start a blog on different niche. Really an useful post with clean and clear details. Thanks for sharing this post. Keep Sharing.
Excellent Article, its very helpful!!
THANK U FOR SHARING SUCH A NICE AND UNDERSTANDABLE ARTICLE
Thank for this great blog! I never knew there is so much more than just wordpress and pinterest! Keep it up!
Thanks so much for this post. It’s really useful. I’ve just started my blog and appreciate all the tips here.
You’re most welcome, Natalie! Thank you for letting me know and all the best for your blog. I will be sure to hop over and check it out soon.
Thank you for this information! I am a new blogger and am trying to learn as many tricks of the trade as possible from others, to save myself some time! Thank you so much!
Your article found very useful for me. My mobile is like junkyard with low quality apps.
I am also wish to see social media apps like facebook, twitter wTith tailwind and feedly.
If you are podcast lover use spotify.
Anyway thanks for the info.