With everything going digital these days and the rise of remote learning, there are a lot of ways technology can affect education. Online classrooms like Google Classrooms are becoming widely used, increasing every learner’s need for study apps. Luckily, there is a multitude out there you can choose from to make your school life much easier.
We’ve compiled a list of the best study apps and sites that we think you shouldn’t go without and will help you ace your exams in no time at all.
Best AI Study Apps
AI technology has dramatically changed the academic field. Because AI itself is about learning from new experiences, it seems fitting that it be used as a tool to help others do the same. Students are now able to use AI apps as a study aid, and teachers can use them to efficiently impart knowledge to those students.
These are some of the best AI study apps that are sure to make your academic life much easier, whether you are an educator or a learner.
Third Space Learning
Availability: Browser-based
Let’s face it: we’ve all struggled to solve math problems and equations in our lifetime. But it’s difficult to find a good tutor in the midst of this age of remote learning. That’s where Third Space Learning comes in. It is one of the best learning websites that can help with remote education. The app assesses the student’s skill level and develops a lesson plan perfectly adapted for their knowledge and learning levels.
With Third Space Learning, you can get real-time progress reports that detail the student’s engagement level and other curated statistics. Gamified learning is a surefire way to keep young learners actively absorbing new information. You can even check out a free demo on the site if you just want to try it out.
Socratic
Availability: Android, iOS
Socratic is a holistic, all-in-one homework helper app that can help you with any subject imaginable. If you ever find yourself stumped with a question you can’t Google, Socratic has your back. Thanks to its AI camera, you can snap a photo of any homework question and get a collated, synthesized explainer with the answer.
The app takes into consideration the many kinds of learners and provides answers in various ways. You can navigate through videos, diagrams, and other visuals explaining the answer in detail. This way, you can absorb the information based on your preferred learning style.
Brainly
Availability: Browser-based, Android, iOS
Brainly is one of the best study apps to help with your homework needs. It acts as a forum of sorts where you can interact with other students and ask any question on any subject you can think of. Like Socratic, the app makes use of an AI camera to take photos of questionnaires or equations so they can be solved in a breeze.
Brainly is free to use but may contain in-app purchases upon download.
Duolingo
Availability: Browser-based, Android, iOS
Duolingo is a language learning software that uses AI to curate lesson plans based on your skillset. Guided by a friendly (maybe a little too friendly) owl, you can learn up to 18 languages in the app by playing various types of word games. Like Third Space Learning, it makes use of gamification and rewards to make learning more fun.
The app comes with a daily check-in to keep you accountable. But people with more hectic lifestyles can set their own pace within the app. This is especially useful if you’re using this app as supplementary to your other classes. Duolingo is completely free to use, but you can upgrade to the Pro version to access more features.
Wysa
Availability: Android, iOS
Carrying the workload of your studies can take its toll on your mental health. While this may not explicitly be one of the many study apps out there, it’s still important to check in with yourself every once in a while. With Wysa, you get to have an AI companion that acts as an all-around well-being checker.
The app has won two awards from Google Play as well as the ORCHA award in the Stress category. It comes with a mood and anxiety tracker, plus some sleep and meditation guides to help you relax. This wellness coach may not be an academic app, but it’s still a vital thing to have. Don’t forget to take breaks and keep yourself grounded so you remain stress-free at school.
Cortana
Availability: Windows, Android, iOS, Xbox
Windows Cortana is one of the best virtual assistants in AI history. Named after and voiced by the Halo character of the same name, Cortana is Windows’ all-encompassing AI software. The assistant is capable of many things, above all keeping your workflow efficient and succinct.
Thanks to Cortana’s Notebook feature, it is able to learn your behavioral patterns and help you out in a way that’s designed just for you. Cortana works not only with Windows devices, but mobiles as well. It even works on the Xbox line. With this, Cortana easily integrates with Skype, LinkedIn, and the Edge Browser, able to be at your beck and call at any time—even during your online class.
Office Lens
Availability: Windows, Android, iOS
Microsoft’s Office Lens is an AI camera scanner app perfect for scanning those long school handouts or turning your written notes digital. It can detect handwriting, from actual paper to whiteboards. You can even take these pictures at an angle to avoid glare, and the AI will adjust accordingly.
Thanks to its integration with Microsoft, you can save any of your images to apps like OneNote, OneDrive, and other Microsoft Office software. This allows for more seamless creations of presentations, reports, and notes.
Best Note-Taking Apps
Oftentimes, we need to write things down to make sense of it. There are some lectures that you can’t remember simply by listening. Note-taking is a vital component in the educational journey. Whether you need it to keep track of your lessons or just to keep your daily life organized, it comes in handy.
Here are several apps that will help you keep track of everything seamlessly.
Notion
Availability: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Notion is one of the best note-taking apps available. There is a wide range of things that you can do in this app, not just take notes in it. Its seemingly simple interface is but an empty canvas awaiting many possibilities. You can create to-do lists, workspaces, notebooks. You can even set up a personal dashboard where you can see everything at a glance.
The sheer amount of things you can do in Notion can, admittedly, be overwhelming. But once you get past the learning curve, there is no limit to what you can do. The app is perfect for storing multiple types of information all in one place. Thanks to its cross-platform integration, you can have access to your notes, lectures, syllabi, and more across any device.
The free version has a decent but limited set to offer, but you can upgrade to Personal Pro for free using your school email. This grants you unlimited file uploads and access to up to 30 days of your version history, and much more.
Evernote
Availability: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Although the internet makes us feel as if we can have anything at our fingertips, there’s still disorder with where we store information. You may use Pocket, one of the best productivity apps for saving articles. You may also use your device’s built-in notes app to store your to-do lists. But while these may be at your disposal at any time, they are scattered throughout various apps and sites. This leaves you at a loss when you finally need to reference it.
Instead, imagine having several notebooks for various purposes – school notes, journal entries, saved articles from the web. Except you can carry them all with you in one study app. That’s the power of Evernote.
Evernote can let you store notes separated by various notebooks. From long-form text to checkboxes, you can keep anything at your fingertips. With Evernote’s Web Clipper extension, you can even bookmark your favorite articles and have them all in one place.
Transno
Availability: Browser-based, Android, iOS
If you’re more of a visual student, you might find it easier to take notes with diagrams and mind mapping. With Transno, you can link your ideas and organize them in the way that you want. This is particularly useful for projects that need to be planned, or even just lecture notes that need to be made sense of.
With Transno, you can get up to 4 styles of mind maps, unless you subscribe to the Pro version. The Pro version offers more customization options, however, if you’re on a budget the free app gets the job done just as well.
Simplenote
Availability: Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
As its name suggests, Simplenote is a straightforward approach to note-taking. Its no-frills interface highlights the most important thing about the app—the note itself. With this useful study app, you can keep your focus on writing down your notes and lectures and come back to it later without any distractions.
Ulysses
Availability: macOS, iOS
Ulysses is another simple and easy-to-use note-taking study app that you’ll surely enjoy using. It is far more customizable than Simplenote but still retains that focus on productivity thanks to its clear interface.
It is a Markup Based Text Editor, and with just a few shortcuts, you can create headings, bullet points and more. You can even enable Ulysses’ Typewriter Mode, where the note you are typing stays perfectly still in the middle of the screen. It also comes with a built-in grammar checker that will help keep your essays neat and precise.
Atom
Availability: macOS, iOS
Don’t be fooled by how simple Atom looks at a glance. It is one of the most powerful study apps on the market. With its clean and simple interface, you can navigate through it without a real learning curve.
If you’re studying to be a developer, Atom has certain features designed specifically for coding and collaboration. Thanks to Teletype, you can let other peers view your workspace and edit it in real-time. Atom also includes a multitude of packages to improve your note-taking game.
Google Keep
Availability: Browser-based, Android, iOS
Google Keep is designed for jotting down quick notes on-the-go. The app itself is less about the long-form text, but more for to-dos and reminders. If you’re a busy student, Google Keep is the best place to store all of your reminders and quick notes.
Arranged in an easy-to-navigate grid pattern, you can see your dashboard at a glance all at once. You can customize each note with tags or colors to organize them in the way that you want. You can link your Google Assistant to this study app and set quick reminders from there.
Best Study Resources
There are times when simply Googling a homework question isn’t enough. You would need other resources to glean information from. Here are a few apps and sites that any student may find useful – whether for homework help or to get additional educational material.
Quizlet
Availability: Browser-based, Android, iOS
If you’re someone who learns better with flashcards, consider trying Quizlet out. The app has flashcard sets made by other students across the globe. Alternatively, you can create your own flashcard sets and share it with others.
This is one of the best study apps to use, especially when reviewing for your final exams. Aside from flashcards, you can customize your sets to appear as quizzes or minigames so that you are more motivated to remember it more. You can access Quizlet both through your mobile device and desktop browser.
Wolfram Alpha
Availability: Browser-based, Android, iOS
Wolfram Alpha is one of the most reliable study apps for mathematics, science, and more in the market. There is a wide range of topics that you can choose from, from statistics to everyday math. While there are some questions in the humanities category, it’s largely what seems like a search engine specifically for math questions. You have to be specific when asking these questions, however, as the site will only answer certain, specified questions.
If you love data, you will appreciate the rendered reports created by this site. This is one of the best learning websites for children that you don’t want to miss out on.
Thesaurus.com
Availability: Browser-based
Writing papers and essays sometimes have us at a loss for words. Whenever you find yourself racking your brain, Thesaurus.com is a handy tool that will help you find the right words – literally. If you’re afraid to risk sounding redundant or unpolished, this site will help you find alternatives that you can use.
More than that, it also has supporting articles to teach you all about the etymology of words, and other cool fun facts. It also has a grammar coach feature to help you construct sentences better.
Libgen.is
Availability: Browser-based, Windows
Textbooks are the most useful resource in academic writing. However, they can be a little hard to come by, especially in remote learning. With Library Genesis, you can access any book you can think of for free. The site gives you access to a library containing download files of books, comics, academic articles, and more.
Simply look up the title of the book you wish to download, and you will get a list of related titles, as long as other details about the book. It will also direct you to mirror sites where you can get the book. From there, you can get the file for free. You can also download their desktop app for swifter and easier access.
Sci-Hub
Availability: Browser-based
Like textbooks, journal articles are also highly revered by the academe. But many of these journal articles need to be paid to get accessed. For the thrifty student, Sci-Hub is the answer to all your prayers. The site can unlock any journal article, needing only the DOI or the link.
Sci-Hub remains controversial in the scholarly community, sparking a debate on whether journal articles should be accessed for free or not. Still, the site remains valuable to this day and is used by students worldwide.
Certbolt
Availability: Browser-based
Certbolt Microsoft exams assess individuals’ proficiency in various Microsoft technologies and products, serving as a valuable validation of skills for IT professionals and developers in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Best Time-Centered Study Apps
We are often in the midst of distraction in today’s age. We are surrounded by gadgets, from phones to laptops to smart home devices. As a student, we can often fall prey to these distractions. If you are having a hard time concentrating, check out these apps that will help you stay on track of time and keep focused on your work.
Forest
Availability: Android, iOS
Forest is one of the best study apps centered on helping you keep your focus. To lessen distraction, Forest motivates you to stay off your phone until you’ve completed the desired number of hours you set. The longer you stay off your phone, the app grows a virtual tree. In turn, exiting the app will cause your tree to die. Your goal is to eventually create a forest, as its name suggests.
It’s a creative and fun way to solidify your habits and keeps you from getting distracted from your important work. The app is free to download for iOS and Android devices.
Donut Dog
Availability: Android, iOS
Donut Dog is similar to Forest in that it’s all about helping you focus. In this cute study app, instead of planting trees, you bake donuts to feed your virtual dog. With colorful graphics and adorable dogs, who wouldn’t want to? Your goal is to keep your pet happy and satiated with donuts. A few minutes is all it takes to generate seven donuts.
Donut Dog also synthesizes a screentime report for you, should you wish to see your statistics. You can even add friends to your app and compare scores. It’s the perfect app for those who want to stay accountable and consistent with their habits.
StayFocusd
Availability: Browser-based (Chrome extension)
We have to admit that it’s not easy to stay on track when you’re browsing the internet. Telling yourself that you are just going to look up a question might lead you to a social media rabbit hole. Luckily, Stay Focusd is the answer to all your problems.
StayFocusd is a Chrome extension you can download and get to help you block out distracting websites when you study. You can input the sites you want to block during a specific time. You will then be greeted with a warning pop-up every time you try to visit these blocked sites. The extension is free to download and fully customizable based on your needs.
Get it now on Chrome Web Store
