Best Indie Productivity Apps for iPhone and iPad
AI-generated, human-reviewed.
On the 800th episode of iOS Today, Rosemary Orchard shared top recommendations for third-party, indie-developed apps that dramatically improve productivity and everyday life with Apple devices. These carefully selected apps—like Drafts, Soulver, and PCalc—offer powerful, customizable tools you won’t find in default iOS apps. Here’s how they can help you streamline tasks, capture ideas, and make the most of your iPhone or iPad.
Why Indie Apps Matter for iOS Power Users
While popular mainstream apps dominate the App Store, there’s a world of indie-created tools made by passionate small teams or even solo developers. These apps frequently push updates quickly and add advanced features before larger competitors. Rosemary Orchard emphasized that indie apps often offer deeper customization, unique workflows, and attentive user support.
For iOS users wanting to maximize efficiency and enjoy advanced automation, indie productivity apps stand out as top choices.
The Top Indie Productivity Apps on iOS
Drafts: The Fastest Way to Capture and Organize Ideas
Drafts (by Agile Tortoise) is a flexible note-taking app laser-focused on speed and simplicity. Every time you open the app, you get a blank page, which is ideal for quickly jotting down thoughts, reminders, or lists. Its true power emerges with advanced automation:
- Create quick notes or build entire action workflows
- Use tags, statuses, and custom scripts for deep organization
- Integration with other apps and services
- Can serve as both a digital sticky note system and an archive
Practical tip: Use Drafts as a rapid inbox for your daily ideas, then sort or process these notes later using the built-in actions.
Soulver: A Smart Notepad That Does Your Math
Soulver is part note-taking, part calculator. Instead of entering equations in an old-school calculator, type them out naturally as notes. Soulver calculates results in real-time right next to your text.
- Handles running totals, unit conversions, percentages, and currency
- Great for trip budgeting, bill splitting, and freelance calculations
- Supports variables and live updates—change one value and everything recalculates
- Visualizes calculations for clarity (ideal for neurodiverse or visual thinkers)
Practical tip: Use it to estimate expenses for travel, projects, or shared costs, and let Soulver do the heavy lifting.
PCalc & Dice: A Powerhouse Calculator and More
PCalc is far more than a standard calculator. Developed by indie creator James Thomson, it offers:
- Scientifically accurate calculations, RPN mode for programmers, and a customizable interface
- Conversion tools for currency, temperature, mileage, weight, and more
- Tape feature lets you track calculation history
Practical tip: Use PCalc for accurate baking/cooking conversions or to handle complex units for work, travel, or hobbies.
Enhance Your iPhone/iPad Experience!
- Indie iOS apps like Drafts, Soulver, and PCalc offer customization, automation, and specialized features missing from Apple’s default tools.
- These apps are regularly updated by dedicated developers responsive to user feedback.
- Each app solves practical problems from capturing fleeting ideas and automating to-dos, to managing complex calculations and conversions effortlessly.
- Most of these apps are affordable, often ranging from free up to $20, making them accessible upgrades for iOS productivity.
By adopting these indie productivity tools, you can significantly enhance how you capture information, manage everyday math, and automate workflows on iPhone or iPad. Their flexibility makes them especially valuable for busy professionals, students, and anyone who prefers personalized workflows. Each app is available on the App Store and doesn’t require expensive subscriptions for core functionality. Power users can dive into advanced automation, while casual users benefit from simple, intuitive designs.
If you’re looking to work smarter—not just harder—on your Apple devices, Drafts, Soulver, and PCalc are must-have indie apps that deliver substantial everyday benefits. Try one or more and see how quickly your daily routine transforms. Stay up-to-date with more practical iOS tips and app recommendations by subscribing to iOS Today:
https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today/episodes/800
