"There's an app for that."

That's pretty much the mantra of our modern, tech-driven lives, right? We use apps for everything from ordering food to watching TV.

There are even apps that can help us thrive in the workplace. Productivity apps are a great example. These software programs can be downloaded to computers, phones, and tablets, and help employees to perform essential daily duties faster and with more ease.

More productive employees mean more productive teams. And that means a more productive business that can increase output (and, hopefully, boost the bottom line)!

The great news? There are loads of productivity apps to choose from.

The bad news? Knowing which ones are worth downloading (or paying for) can be tough.

We've got you covered. This article provides a roundup of different online and offline apps that will help you get work done faster and easier.

12 best productivity apps that will transform how you work

The app marketplace is flooded with products, making it tough to narrow down options. Here are some of our personal favorites for getting things done in less time and with less hassle.

1. OSlash

OSlash takes complicated, hard-to-remember URLs and shortens them into easy tidbits such as o/roadmap or o/standup for your entire team. With OSlash, you no longer have to search through emails, chats, or bookmarks for the link you want. It transforms your workday by saving valuable time spent on link-hunting by allowing you to navigate to the page you want blazingly fast. 

Other key features include:

• Grouping related shortcuts using collections
• A comprehensive view of all the links used in the workplace made richer with tags
• Autocomplete that allows one to link a page by merely typing the shortcut out 

Pricing options:

Starter: Free

• Pro: $4 per user per month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for both small teams and large

2. Freedom

Freedom is an app that helps employees eliminate distractions by blocking select websites and apps. You choose what distracts you, be it social media or online games, and set the app to block your access for set times. It will make your workday more productive by letting you focus on your to-do list with ease.

Additional perks include:

• Cross platform functionality on iOS, MacOS, Chrome, Android, Mac, Apple iPhone, and Windows
• The ability to schedule sessions spontaneously or set a regular schedule you don't have to revisit
• Choosing exactly which apps and sites you want to avoid

Pricing options:

• Basic: Free
• Premium: $3.33 per month
• Corporate rate: Custom pricing

3. Notion

Notion helps people be more productive on documents. It lets you work on a doc in the cloud, leaving edits and comments. Other people can then view the changes in real time, helping avoid confusion and improve communication. This transforms your workday by cutting the need for back-and-forth emails.

Other advantages include:

• Creating dedicated workspaces for different topics and projects
• Getting custom notifications when documents are edited
• Integrating with other apps such as Zapier

Pricing options:

• Personal: Free
• Personal Pro: $4 per month
• Team: $8 per month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

4. Todoist

Todoist is a digital list app and task manager in one. It lets you organize your duties in a simple, user-friendly checklist interface. It will simplify your work life by making it easier to track deliverables and deadlines, and share the updates with others.

Other perks of this task management app include:

• Using templates to simplify everyday tasks like writing emails
• Customizing your to-do list with filters, priorities, and labels
• Getting personal productivity recommendations based on your personal strengths

Pricing options:

• Free Plan: $0
• Pro: $4 per month
• Business: $6 per user per month

5. Evernote

Evernote is an app that allows you to take notes digitally. It makes it fast and easy to take notes, plus you can add files to them, storing all important information in one place. This makes it easy to share comprehensive meeting information with others, saving you valuable time on record keeping.

Additional benefits of Evernote note-taking app include:

• Creating and assigning tasks and subtasks with flags, reminders, and due dates
• Scanning important documents and having them on multiple devices, reducing clutter
• Saving websites and marking them up with highlights, texts, and more

Pricing options:

• Free Version: $0
• Personal: $7.00 per month
• Professional: $9.99 per month
• Teams: $14.99 per user per month

6. If This Then That (IFTTT)

IFTTT is a productivity app that simplifies automation. The no-code platform allows you to automate tasks from anywhere. Automation transforms everyday work tasks, allowing you to skip repetitive tasks and let your personal "robot" handle them.

IFTTT lets you:

• Make your voice assistant more personalized, linking it to your calendar and more
• Access ready-made "applets" of pre-made automation templates to get you started
• Integrate with tools like Dropbox, Twitch, Slack, Microsoft, and more

Pricing options:

• Free: $0
• Pro: $5
• Pro+: $10

7. Calendly

Calendly is an appointment scheduling software. You can simply set your availability in the tool and then share a link with people, who can then browse your calendar and see when they can catch you. Your workday is transformed by cutting out tedious phone calls, emails, or texts for meeting arrangements.

With Calendly calendar app, you can:

• Eliminate the need for email back-and-forths to schedule meetings
• Block off free time for yourself, marking yourself as unavailable
• Use a desktop or mobile app version

Pricing options:

• Free: $0
• Essentials: $8 per seat per month
• Professional: $12 per seat per month
• Teams: $16 per seat per month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

8. Forest

Forest is a productivity app that's designed to help people beat their phone addiction. The app helps you stay focused on immediate tasks with a fun motivation. As you stay focused, a tiny digital tree grows. Best of all, Forest partners with real tree-planting organizations to plant real trees for every user!

This innovative productivity tool lets you:

• Improve time management by keeping you focused on your tasks
• Plant entire "forests"' by creating multiple digital trees
• Implement the pomodoro technique for greater productivity

Pricing options:

• $3.99 to buy, plus in-app purchases

9. Engross

Engross app is a time management tool that helps you utilize pomodoro techniques. This means you focus on a task for 20 minutes, then take a brief break, and then continue. This can transform the way you work, allowing you to get more in short bursts.

Other perks of Engross include:

• A built-in planner and calendar
• Stats and analytics to get info about your productivity
• An app blocker to keep you focused

Pricing options:

• Free to download

10. Shift

Shift is a custom virtual workstation that manages all of your essential digital work tools, including your accounts, apps, and workflows. You don't have to manually switch between accounts, logging in and out. Instead, everything you need is in one place in a simple user-friendly interface.

Other perks of Shift include:

• The ability to collaborate and focus across workspaces
• Cross-platform search functionality to find what you need across multiple accounts
• App integration with Slack, Messenger, Gmail, and more

Pricing options:

• Basic: $0
• Advanced: $99.99 per year
• Teams: $99.99 per year per user

11. ProofHub

ProofHub is a cloud-based project management and team collaboration tool. It lets you assign tasks, track task-status, and manage ongoing tasks, with the help of advanced features such as Kanban Boards, automatic reminders, multiple calendar views, as well as customized resource and project reports.

Other benefits include:

• Ability to have centralized discussions with team members and/or clients
• Quick, easy access to multiple versions of all files and documents in one place
• Timesheets to track billable hours of projects using manual and automatic timers

Pricing options:

• Basic: $0
• Essentials: Flat $45 per month (Unlimited Users)
• Ultimate Control: Flat $89 per month (Unlimited Users)

12. Toggl

Toggl is a multipurpose productivity app that is a time tracking, reporting, and project management tool in one. You can simplify individual and team project planning, saving valuable hours in the day on monitoring deliverables.

Other benefits of Toggl include:

• The ability to track productivity trends
• Integrations with multiple tools, such as Asana, Github, Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google Calendar
• The ability to track time across many devices, including mobile, desktop, and web apps

Pricing options:

• Free: 14-day trial possible
• Team: $8 per user per month
• Business: $13.35 per user per month

Transform productivity & collaboration in the workplace with OSlash

Nobody wants to waste valuable time searching for complicated URLs. With OSlash, employees can access, find, open, and share any page blazingly fast.

Create custom-made, simple tidbits, such as o/roadmap, o/standup, or o/invoicing in a single click for your entire team. Pretty simple, right? It's the link-sharing solution that saves you time and boosts productivity right from the very first day.