| 50 Fantastic Free Web Apps
A lot of the web apps we review here at Web.AppStorm hold price tags, but there’s still a plethora of free ones available that do stellar jobs. In this roundup, we’re going to showcase fifty fantastic web apps that not only do a great job, but do it for free. While a lot of them do offer paid and premium versions, we’ve chosen them all because we think you can survive on the free version forever. Let’s dive in…
GmailWe’re going to kick off this roundup with an app that’s probably one of the most used worldwide: Gmail. Gmail is, of course, Google’s mail offering, with over 350 million active users worldwide. Recently redesigned as part of Google’s new universal branding, Gmail features numerous features you might like including highly praised spam prevention, conversation-centric organisation and the beta “Priority Inbox” feature. Alternatively, if you’re not a big fan of what Google has on offer, Yahoo! also offers a web-based mail client that similarly touts strong spam protection and performance, in addition to unlimited storage so you never need archive or delete a mail message again. It might not be the most classy email tool in 2012, but it is still a nice, dependable service. Developer: Google
Google ReaderTransitioning from e-mail, we arrive at a RSS client, Google Reader. Google’s RSS product is a top notch free RSS reader that is probably the only web app you should consider for the job. Reflecting the definition of RSS, Google Reader’s clean interface does a great job at managing your RSS subscriptions and keeping you updated. Plus, third-party services can easily interface Google Reader into alternative views if you’re not too keen on the standard. Developer: Google
DropboxWhen you think about cloud-based storage, you likely think of Dropbox. The two go hand-in-hand, and for good reason since Dropbox offers up a fantastic set of features for free. While you’re naturally able to pay for more storage space, I’ve never needed more than the free 2GB of space provided. If you do, you can always refer friends to get more space within your free allowance. Plus, with the free desktop app, you can keep a Dropbox folder on your computer to allow for a “physical” destination on your desktop to manage your Dropbox files. Or, if you want to go web apps the whole way, you could just use it from their site with new drag-and-drop goodness. Developer: Dropbox
Google Drive/DocsAlternatively, you can checkout Google Drive which offers a similar cloud-based storage space for your files. Google Drive builds upon the incredibly popular Google Docs, the company’s web-based office suite which we’ve all come to know by now. Google’s offering is amicable with Dropbox, but, if you’re invested in the Google ecosystem already [which you'll most likely be by the end of this roundup], Google Drive may be a more natural choice for you. It’s also being integrated with lots of newer web apps, which might be an advantage if you use web apps all the time like we do. Developer: Google
MinusThere’s a lot of image sharing sites out there. However, the free service Minus offers is the simplest I’ve found, allowing you to select or drag-and-drop a file to see it instantly uploaded. They’ll even provide you with a shortlink straightaway, so there’s not even a need to do that yourself. And all this without needing to signup equals image sharing bliss. Developer: Minus
PastebinYou’ve probably been sent a Pastebin link at least once or twice, so you’re likely not too unfamiliar with what Pastebin does. Pastebin is essentially an easy way to share your pasteboard; you paste in text into the field on Pastebin’s homepage, hit submit and then share the link. An incredibly simple, free app. Developer: Pastebin
iftttifttt advertises itself with the line “put the internet to work for you”, being a service that automates some internet-based tasks for you. Maybe you want to upload your Instagram photos straight to Dropbox, or archive your Foursquare checkins in Evernote. If so, ifttt (if this then that) will do it all for you, without any intervention from yourself. Developer: ifttt
YouTubeWhen I mention YouTube, you probably think of watching videos. However, while YouTube is great destination for viewing content, Google’s service also hosts a simple video editor that allows users to edit, transition, remix and title video (your own or content uploaded to the site with a Creative Commons license). Developer: Google
SlideRocketSlideRocket is an office app that offers stellar quality online presentation production. You can create brand new presentations right within the service, or import PowerPoint files created elsewhere. You can share and collaborate too, much like alternative presentation software available on the web. Developer: SlideRocket
WunderkitWunderkit is a productivity app that offers you the tools to manage a project and collaborate as part of a team. Similar to it’s brother Wunderlist, Wunderkit is all about keeping you organised, but handling multiple projects at once within one, easy dashboard. Developer: 6wunderkinder
OhLifeOhLife is essentially a journal app that will send you a friendly email each day which, when you reply, is archived into your own private record. Then, simply return to OhLife to browse your past entries. Developer: Reman Child and Shawn Gupta
CalepinCalepin is a pretty cool app that finds Markdown, plain text files in a special folder in your Dropbox account, and then converts them into blog posts on your own personal site. Calepin does all the work of converting plain files into your blog, which is especially useful if you love Markdown or maybe want a great way to pen posts offline. Developer: Calepin
Remember The MilkIn the world of to-do list apps, you’ve probably heard of Remember The Milk already. Remember The Milk is a popular minimalist to-do app, that integrates with a number of services and with mobile integration on major platforms. Developer: Remember The Milk
LastPassLastPass is a password management service that stores all your credentials in one place and then dealing them out on request (to you only, of course). That way, you can create much more difficult to remember passwords without ever needing to actually remember them yourself. Developer: LastPass
iCloudApple launched iCloud last October, a service for keeping all your data and content in sync between devices. However, Apple also published a suite of web apps for accessing email, contacts and calendar all for free. Recent leaks also suggest Apple plans to bring web apps for notetaking and Reminders to iCloud in a future update. There’s only one snag: you need to signup from an iOS device or Mac computer, so it’s really only free for Apple’s customers. You could signup for a free account from a Mac or iPad in an Apple store if you really wanted, though… Developer: Apple
PicfullInstagram has been a huge hit, so much so that there’s a number of similar apps that have spawned onto various app marketplaces. Picfull is a similar service, but this time on the web, allowing you to upload a photo and apply a number of filters and styles to it. Then, it’s simple to share with your favourite social networks. Developer: Picfull
SimplenoteIf you want a notes app that focuses on plain text and markdown notes, and works with a number of different native apps, Simplenote might be just what you’re looking for. It has a great web app for storing your text notes, and even lets you share notes with the public or privately with your friends and colleagues. Developer: Simplenote
Aviary PhoenixAviary’s Phoenix web app is their quasi-flagship web app that allows you to edit and tweak photos right within your browser, emulating core features of a desktop editing suite right within a web-based application. Developer: Aviary
deviantART murodeviantART muro is another image production app, but this is one much more oriented towards artists starting new digital paintings on a fresh canvas. If you’re a budding artist without a physical canvas, the free deviantART muro app is worth considering. Developer: deviantART
Aviary RocLike Aviary’s Phoenix for images, Aviary Roc is all about simple, browser-based music creation. Aviary Roc features over 50 instrustments which you’ll be able to combine into an exportable track to use and share. Developer: Aviary
Aviary TouconAviary Toucon is another web app in Aviary’s fantastic suite of cloud-based creative tools. This one is all about colour: matching them, choosing them and creating palettes of them. Developer: Aviary
Desk.comDesk.com is a customer support product from Salesforce that helps you easily manage customer enquires and tickets, as well as being able to easily public support documentation and even organise your work to do. It’s free for the first full-time agent, certainly enough for, say, a freelancer, although it’s paid from there. Developer: Salesforce
Office Web AppsMicrosoft’s suite of Office apps came to web in SkyDrive, which allows you to create documents and presentations right from within your browser. Albeit limited when compared to their native counterparts, these web apps still do a stellar job of doing what they do. Developer: Microsoft
QuietWriteMinimalist writing apps have became pretty popular in the last few years, with the advent of apps on native platforms like iA Writer. QuietWrite is a free web app that satisfies a similar category of app, but based in the browser. You can easily export writings to your WordPress blog, too, which is a bonus. Developer: QuietWrite
FreshBooksKeeping with the financial theme, FreshBooks is an online invoicing, accounting and billing service that boasts it’s ability to speedily falicitate billing of your clients. The service is used by over 4,500,000, so they must be doing something right! Developer: 2ndSite Inc
Last.fmKeeping with the financial theme, FreshBooks is an online invoicing, accounting and billing service that boasts it’s ability to speedily falicitate billing of your clients. The service is used by over 4,500,000, so they must be doing something right! Developer: Last.fm Ltd
1DayLater1DayLater is a web app for tracking time, business miles and expenses The finance management app has garned signficiant attention from around the web, even from the BBC. Developer: 1DayLater Ltd
WordPress.comAn alternative to Blogger is the immensely popular WordPress, one of the world’s most used, if not the most used, content platforms. Similarly to Blogger, you’ll choose a name, select a theme and then be able to get started sharing your thoughts and content with the world. And if you have a hosting account or server, you can run WordPress on your own server for free too. Developer: Automattic
TumblrWhile it may definitely seem like a very similar service to the previous two, Tumblr’s a bit of a unique concept. Instead of standardised long-form blog posts, Tumblr brings together all sorts of your content into posts formatted just for that type of content, whether it be a quote, an image, audio, a traditional blog post or something else. Developer: Tumblr
Google CalendarYou’ve, no doubt, heard of Google Calendar, being one of the more popular free Calendar apps on the web. However, it’s popularity isn’t cause enough to exclude a stellar app from this list. Google Calendar features all the things you’d expect in a Calendar, tied right into your Google account and easily integrates fluently into native platforms, both desktop and mobile. Developer: Google
imo instant messengerimo.im is an instant messaging client that allows you to, inside your browser, chat on a number of different popular IM services, such as Yahoo!, Steam, and Google Chat. Developer: imo.im
ThoughtboxesThoughtboxes is a fantastic little app that allows you to organise your life, by aggregating all sorts of lists onto one, easy to consume page. With sharing and collaboration tools, Thoughtboxes is a fantastic, minimalist to-do app. Developer: Thoughtboxes
TweetDeckYou’ve no doubt heard of Twitter, and possibly TweetDeck, an official client for the social network. TweetDeck separates up your Twitter experience into a number of columns, giving you a dashboard-style view of your activity on the network while making it easy to track topics and more. All this, in your browser. Developer: Twitter
Seesmic WebSimilar to TweetDeck, but with it’s own spin on things, is Seesmic, another social networking client. Seesmic supports Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Salesforce and Chatter accounts, all handled through a dashboard in your browser. Developer: Seesmic
ScreenrIf you come across a time when you want to share a video of what’s happening on your screen, with a bit of commentary thrown in, Screenr is a fantastic way to easily do that. One simply needs to hit the record button, do what they are showing, and then share the link, with nothing to download, install or pay. Developer: Articulate
Google+ HangoutsWhile there’s a lot of video chatting and live streaming solutions out there, you’ve probably already got one you’re signed up to: Google+. With your Google account alone, you can host a free “hangout” on the company’s social network to your circle of friends with relative ease, for free. You can even broadcast your hangout to give you a free way to, say, stream a live conference or event. Developer: Google
turntableturntable allows you to create a virtual room where users, including self-elected DJs taking up one of five slots per room, play songs for all to enjoy. Users can converse in the associated chat room, while voting songs according to whether they’re “lame” or “awesome”. The more awesome songs you play, the more points you earn, allowing you to upgrade your avatar and add stickers on your virtual laptop (auto-detected according to your OS, too!). Developer: Turntable.fm
CloudAppCloudApps allows you to easily share images from your desktop by drag-and-drop, providing a shortened link to share elsewhere. Developer: Linebreak S.L.
KindleAmazon’s Kindle is available on many platforms, including the web. The web reader takes your Kindle Reader and, obviously, allows you to read them, particularly useful if you don’t have a Kindle device or one of the native apps installed on your device. Books stay in sync with the other platforms you have them on, so you won’t ever lose your place, even if you swap devices. Of course, books will probably mean you’re going to be paying for this app, but there’s still a catalogue of free content available. Developer: Amazon
PenzuPenzu allows you to create your own person journal and online diary online, penning private blog posts that can be shared only when you feel like it. While the free version will likely be enough, Penzu Pro offers mobile composition tools as well as the ability to email in your posts to be published. Developer: Penzu Inc
BufferEver wanted to tweet or share something at a later time, but want to line it up now? Buffer is a simple app that allows you to queue up posts to your favourite social networks, and then have them automatically be released upon your public and specified timed during the day. That way it’s simple to keep your followers and friends satisfied with content, or as part of a social media market campaign. Developer: Buffer
GiftDishGiftDish is more a niche app in that you might not use it every day, but it’s still pretty awesome. GiftDish presents you with a view of you’re friend’s birthdays (powered through Facebook), and then allows you to pick out a gift and send it to your friend. Of course, the gift’s will cost, but the app is free. Developer: GiftDish
There you go, fifty of our favourite free web apps! If you’ve got your own preferences that we’ve missed, be sure to share them in the comments section below!
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