Examples of free applications

 

In this article, we will focus on 10 apps for iOS and Android that don’t cost any money. At the end of the article, we will also talk about how developers can make free apps profitable.

 

10 free apps that are popular

1. Duolingo, learn a new language.
2. Chess.com, learn how to play chess.
3. IMDb, learn more about new movies and series.
4. Google Translate, translate anything from any language.
5. Waze, one of the world’s best GPS apps.
6. Kahoot, a fun app with digital quizzes.
7. EasyPark, a Swedish app to avoid parking tickets.
8. SMHI, a free weather forecast app.
9. 1177 Vårdguiden, a Swedish e-health application.
10. Klarna, pay your bills in a modern app.

 

Below we will talk more about the apps that have just been mentioned in greater detail.

 

1. Duolingo

Thanks to the Duolingo app, you can learn basically any language you want for free, including Swedish, Chinese, German, and Spanish. Duolingo is the best “learn a language” app in both the App Store and Google Play, and you can learn as many languages ​​as you want as long as you can stand a little advertising. Please note that you can pay extra to avoid advertising.

 

2. Chess.com

Chess.com offers the world’s most popular chess application, where you can play against both humans and computer opponents. It costs money to unlock some of the chess exercises but playing chess online and offline is completely free.

 

3. IMDb

On IMDb.com or through their mobile applications, you can rate TV series and movies with millions of other users. The IMDb apps for iOS and Android are completely free, and it does not cost any money to create a user account.

 

4. Google Translate

Google Translate is one of the most used internet services right now, and it’s completely free to translate anything you want via that app. A unique function that’s worth mentioning with their mobile apps is that you can point the camera at for example a sign, and make the app translate the entire text for you.

 

Read more: How much does an app cost?

 

5. Waze

Waze is the world’s best GPS app, and it is available for both iOS and Android. You do not have to pay anything to use the GPS app, and since Waze uses Google Maps, you will always get accurate instructions from a voice that tells you how to drive.

Worth noting is that most of all speed cameras are added in the Waze app, which can be a nice feature for anyone who accidentally happens to accelerate a bit extra sometimes.

 

6. Kahoot

Kahoot is a free quiz app that is available for both iOS and Android. At first you´ll need to create a study group, then you´ll have to invite your friends, and after that you´ll be able to compete with your friends. You can also compare your own results with your friends’ achievements.

 

7. EasyPark

EasyPark is a parking app that allows you to pay for your parking space in an easy manner. You do not need to be near your car to “fill up” the meter, because you can do so via your mobile phone.

 

8. SMHI

SMHI does not offer crisp snowflakes in 4K resolution, but at least they’re good at predicting the weather. You´ll also get notifications as soon as there is a storm or perhaps heavy snowfall inbound, which can be good regardless of whether you are going to be outside or not.

 

9. 1177 Vårdguiden

With 1177 Vårdguiden’s app, you can, among other things, keep track of your prescriptions and read your medical records. The 1177 app is financed via Swedish taxpayers and is very easy to use.

 

10. Klarna

With Klarna’s applications for iOS and Android, you can play games, among other things, but you can of course also pay your bills and defer payments if you wish. The app is fully financed with the help of the Swedish finance company Klarna.

 

This is how free apps make money

It costs quite a lot of money to hire good app developers, so how does free apps really make money? We´ll talk about the answer to that question below.

 

5 ways free apps make money

1. Via subscription fees (for example Spotify).
2. Via e-commerce (for example Amazon).
3. Via in-app purchases (for example Candy Crush and Kahoot).
4. Via the company’s core business (for example Klarna and EasyPark).
5. Via tax funds (for example 1177 Vårdguiden)