Like every weekend, we meet on kwgeek as I pick 5 free or paid mobile apps and games that have caught my eye on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Every week I try to bring you the best apps that aren’t personal data traps or microtransaction dens. For my own discoveries, I’ve also added applications that the kwgeek community unearthed and shared on our forums, which I invite you to check out.
From mobile games to productivity apps, here are 5 free and paid Android/iOS apps from kwgeek this week. We post this pick every week, and you can also check out my 5 apps from last week.
Free Games – Zoo 2: Animal Park
your animals, your success, your zoo game
Pikit and Friends (Android and iOS)
Pikit & Friends is a social network where you can share two pictures and ask other users to vote for one or the other.
The basic idea is to do two-way voting, like what should I wear between this blue shirt and this red tee. But I’ve seen several accounts post memes and hijack the app’s original rationale. There’s nothing extraordinary about this app, it’s still in its infancy in terms of the community (it’s just released). But I find the concept interesting, so why not.
There are no in-app purchases or ads, but you must create a profile with your Google or Facebook account.
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-App Purchases: No / Account: Required / French: No
I’ve seen some user memes and I admit that the concept of Pikit and friends is interesting, not beyond / © kwgeek
Rector (iOS)
When you visit certain websites from your smartphone’s web browser, you may often see a notification “prompting” you to use a mobile app instead.
It can be annoying to always have to refuse to switch to the app before you can do anything when you just click on a link to express checkout. Rekt hopes to solve this problem by blocking the aforementioned notifications.
The application is available as an extension for Safari on the iPhone. Once activated, I’ll never again switch to the app’s notifications by consulting the web version of Reddit or Twitter, eg.
The app is paid and requires a one-time purchase of €1.99. It contains no ads and does not require an account to work. On Reddit, the developer stated that he is considering monetizing his app, rather than excluding ads in the future (the server hosting all the images costs a fee).
- Price: € 1.99 / Ads: No / In-App Purchases: No / Account: Not required / French: No
No more popups to switch to the website app you consult on your smartphone / © kwgeek
Google Play Store Gift Card
Check out offers from 15 to 100 euros
iNook (Android and iOS)
You’ve probably heard of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the containment game that released on the Nintendo Switch two years ago. It’s a life sim, kind of like My Time at Portia that I tested a few months ago. In this game you have to work, socialize and improve your family.
In short, there’s a lot to do and learn around this micro-virtual society that you’re immersed in. What’s holding back new players and those who don’t invest 10 hours a day in video games.
iNook is a guide made by game fans that provides you with an extensive database of tools to better understand the game and interact with other players. The application is free, without ads, and the interface is very clean, faithful to the atmosphere and world of the game. The only in-app purchase is the professional version of iNook+, which costs 2.99 euros per month.
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-App Purchases: Yes (Pro version € 2.99 per month) / Account: Not required / French: No
If you know nothing about Animal Crossing New Horizons, this fan-made guide from iNook will be a big help / © kwgeek
Inspod (Android)
Inspod wants to help you find ideas and bring them to life when you listen or watch podcasts. The idea is to allow you to create cards, notes, when a paragraph inspires you and create a marker (timestamp) so as not to forget which paragraph marked you and especially why.
For each clip, you can write a note, insert a bulleted list, or even transcribe a 30-second audio clip (English only). Then you can find all the notes of the same episode in the same place. The app works for audio podcasts, but also for videos on Youtube.
The app is free with no ads or in-app purchases, but you must create an account to use it.
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-App Purchases: No / Account: Not Required / French: No
Inspod is a comment form to annotate the podcasts and videos you consume and find ideas / © kwgeek
App Store Gift Card
Ask for a quote from 15 to 100 euros at Fnac
Hot Lap League: Racing Mania! (Android and iOS)
For those who know, this racing game is very much inspired by TrackMania. You have to complete a lap of the field as fast as you can on a somewhat fancy track with big jumps and loops. Your car accelerates on its own and you have to control braking and cornering as much as possible.
But the main goal is actually time. You have to play and replay the same tracks until you memorize them in order to optimize your driving and complete a perfect lap of the track, wasting as little time as possible. The touch controls are well done, and the graphics game is nice and colorful.
There are a lot of in-app purchases, which, frankly, are overkill for a game that costs almost 5 euros, but a priori, they only deal with the elements that decorate your car.
- Price: €4.39 (Android), €4.99 (iOS) / Ads: No / In-App Purchases: Yes (€1.89 – €13.99 per item) / Account: Not Required / French: Yes
What do you think of this option? Have you ever been able to test some of the apps on this list? What’s your Android and/or iOS app this week?
