The Iglu Guide | Blog
The best apps for students
Say goodbye to mountains of paperwork and scattered sticky notes—technology is here to streamline your study game. Whether you’re keeping track of lectures, taking notes, or prepping for exams, the right apps can make student life easier and even enjoyable.
Not sure where to start? We’ve rounded up the best apps to keep you organised, improve your study habits, and even help you stay safe, healthy, and connected while managing life on a student budget.
Keep it organised
Fact: Organisation is key to success. But juggling timetables, lectures, assignments, a social life, and managing finances on a student budget? That’s a lot to handle. A good organisational app can be a game-changer and help you stay on top of your schedule while ensuring you make the most of your time.
- Exam Countdown: A simple yet effective tool to store and colour-code all your important test dates in one place, allowing for easy at-a-glance viewing and helping you plan your revision schedule strategically.
- My Study Life: This app syncs across all your devices, works offline, and integrates your academic schedule seamlessly, ensuring you never miss a deadline or important class again, no matter how packed your timetable gets.
- Timetable (Android) / Class Timetable (iOS): These apps provide a user-friendly way to track your class schedule, events, and homework deadlines while helping you allocate enough time for study, assignments, and personal activities, creating a well-balanced routine.
Revision made easy
Studying for exams doesn’t have to be a chore, and with the right tools, you can boost productivity and retain information more effectively while managing your time efficiently.
- Quizlet: With access to millions of user-generated flashcards, Quizlet allows you to create your own, making memorisation and test preparation more interactive and effective.
- BenchPrep: This app tracks your progress and connects you with other students, turning studying into a social and engaging experience, which can make tackling difficult subjects feel a lot less daunting.
- GoConqr: By generating a personalised revision plan and timetable, this app takes full control of your study schedule, ensuring you stay on track and cover all necessary topics without last-minute cramming sessions.
Next-level note-taking
Worried about missing something important in lectures? These apps will help you capture key information while keeping your notes structured and easy to review later.
- SoundNote: This powerful app records audio while tracking what you type, allowing you to revisit key points from lectures and ensuring you never miss crucial details when revising.
- Notes Plus: Designed to simplify the note-taking process, this app anticipates your writing patterns, converts handwritten notes into text, and formats them for easy organisation, making studying more streamlined.
- Office Lens: A must-have tool for students, this app transforms whiteboard notes, documents, and printed materials into digital files that you can store, edit, and share, keeping everything neatly in one place.
Hassle-free referencing
Citations and formatting can be time-consuming, but these apps ensure accuracy and save valuable time when working on assignments and research papers.
- EasyBib: Not only does this app check your work for plagiarism, but it also formats citations correctly in various academic styles, including APA, MLA, and Harvard, helping you maintain academic integrity effortlessly.
- Cite This For Me: Snap a quick photo of a book, article, or journal, and let the app generate an accurate citation, saving you hours of referencing work and reducing stress during essay writing.
- EndNote: By allowing you to create and manage your bibliography as you go, this app ensures all your references remain organised and accessible across multiple devices, making research projects much easier to handle.
Staying safe
If you’re living away from home, whether within the country or overseas, staying safe and maintaining strong connections with friends and family is essential.
- bSafe: Featuring GPS tracking, an SOS alarm, and automatic notifications to emergency contacts, this app helps you stay secure, especially when commuting alone late at night or navigating unfamiliar areas.
- Safetipin: Designed for students unfamiliar with their surroundings, this app scores different areas based on real-time safety data, helping you avoid unsafe locations and providing alternate routes home.
- WhatsApp / Skype / Zoom: Staying in touch with family overseas is easier than ever with these video calling apps, allowing you to maintain meaningful connections without spending a fortune on international calls.
Healthy living
Balancing academics with self-care is crucial, especially when managing finances and living independently for the first time. These apps will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle while staying productive.
- Sleep Cycle: This app analyses your sleep patterns and wakes you up at the optimal time in your sleep cycle, ensuring you feel well-rested and ready to tackle the day’s challenges.
- Nudge: By sending SMS-based recommendations for outdoor activities, healthy food spots, and self-care tips, this app helps you maintain a balanced lifestyle beyond just academics.
- Nike Training Club: Whether you’re at home, on campus, or in the gym, this app provides free workouts tailored to your fitness level and goals, helping you stay active even with a packed schedule.
- Smiling Mind: Featuring guided meditation exercises, this app supports mental well-being and stress reduction, essential for maintaining focus and motivation throughout your studies.
- Frollo: A smart finance app that helps you track spending, create budgets, and manage expenses effectively, ensuring financial stability while studying.
Download what works for you and stay focused
There’s an app for almost everything, but the key is to find the ones that best suit your lifestyle and priorities. If distractions are your biggest challenge, try Forest—this app helps you stay focused by rewarding your time offline with virtual trees, which can even contribute to real-life reforestation efforts.
