What non-game paid apps do you use that are worthwhile and still relevant in 2023?

For context, I have a decent amount of Google Play credit thanks to Opinion Rewards and a gift card. I’m not looking to start a book or movie collection there, nor sign up for subscription services. But I’m happy to buy the paid/pro version of useful apps.

I’m excluding games just because that’s a whole topic on its own.

Here are some one-time paid apps I’ve been happy with:

  • eratic@feddit.ukEnglish
    4·
    11 months ago

    Niagara Launcher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bitpit.launcher

    It’s georgous and I’ve grown to love the list view for apps. As phones are really tall, it makes more sense to lay out apps vertically instead of horizontally. It’s search function is great too.

    My work uses google workspaces, the agenda widget is so useful for quickly seeing a list of calendar events and weather.

  • provomeister@lemmy.caEnglish
    4·
    11 months ago

    I paid for Tilla, it’s a great app to manage subscriptions. I get notifications when the next payment is due. Pretty simple UI but that’s what I like about it. You can check how much you spend per week/month/year.

    • Deconceptualist@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      3·
      11 months ago

      That’s a good suggestion. I don’t think I personally have enough subscriptions to need Tilla but I could see it helping a lot of folks.

  • Ⓑⓡⓞⓚⓔⓝ@lemdro.idEnglish
    4·
    11 months ago
    1. Mixplorer Silver - Feature-packed File Manager
    2. Hermit - Lightweight PWA browser
    3. Instaddr - creates disposable Email addresses
    4. Readera - Feature-packed book reader
    5. Moon+ Reader - Feature-packed book reader
    6. Balance - for Meditation. They have been offering a one year free trial for some time now. It has been really helpful for me. Their programs are highly customised to achieve your goals. Give it a try.
    7. KWGT & KWLP - if you’re into home screen customisation, then these are must haves.
    8. 1DM - Feature-packed Browser and Download Manager (Direct downloads & torrents)
    9. Niagara Launcher - Lightweight, minimalist, with solid, fluid animations. One-hand friendly. Free version has ZERO ADS. I’ve been using the free version for a couple of years now. I’m hooked to it. I don’t think I can go back to a normal App Drawer drawer style launcher now. They offer one time purchase as well for the pro version. I felt no need for the pro features, though i’d definitely buy the pro to support the dev.

    Some of these have decent free alternatives. Mixplorer is free to use officially through XDA. KWGT & KWLP have free ad supported versions available through their official website. Regardless, these have been installed on all my phones for years now.

    • NightOwl@lemmy.oneEnglish
      2·
      11 months ago

      1DM+ and Hermit are the apps that have been in my constant rotation of use among the apps I bought. SeriesGuide too for tracking tv and movies.

      Found I have replaced lot of apps with Foss alternatives over the years, so been buying apps less and less.

    • Deconceptualist@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      11·
      11 months ago

      Ah yeah that one should have been on my list. Been running it for years. Good call.

  • lingh0e@lemmy.film
    English
    1·
    11 months ago

    KLWP and KWGT are amazing for customization. KLWP is for making live wallpapers, KWGT is for making your own widgets. They’re both extremely powerful apps that allow you to completely customize phone home screen to your exact liking. There’s a slight learning curve to them, but once you have the basics down you can do some pretty amazing things with them.

    Add Tasker into the mix and you got a stew going!

    • Deconceptualist@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      I’ve thought about those but I’m just not sure I’d really use them. I’m generally happy keeping my screen pretty simple with static wallpaper and very few widgets.

  • Auk@kbin.social
    1·
    11 months ago

    I don’t have many paid apps, but one I do like is Peakfinder. It’s not something I use all the time but it does become rather handy when you’ve climbed up a hill to a viewpoint and now want to figure out which other hills you’re looking at.

  • renownedballoonthief@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Sleep as Android. I don’t even use 75% of the features, but it’s the best alarm clock I’ve ever had. Never slept through work since I got it.

  • HooPhuckenKarez@kbin.social
    11·
    11 months ago

    The only app I’ve paid for is Torque Pro. If you deal with cars a lot it’s worth the 5 bucks. The free version is also pretty handy.

    • Deconceptualist@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      Thanks for the reminder, I keep forgetting to try Sync. Mostly I use Voyager and have been pretty happy.

      I love Musicolet and didn’t realize it had a paid version. I’ll get that for sure.

      • yesterdayshero@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        11 months ago

        I’m sticking with Voyager for now. Sync is too expensive for a beta app. There’s no post functionality in it yet. I’m also not sure how I feel about paying so much for an app to access Lemmy. I’d rather put some of that money into the instances themselves.

        • TJA!@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          2·
          11 months ago

          You do not have to pay for sync. Only if you want the app free of ads. And then you can also pay a smaller monthly amount for ultra

  • Granixo@feddit.clEnglish
    15·
    11 months ago

    Apps worth paying:

    • uTorrent PRO

    • CCleaner (if pictures consume lots of your storage and would like to compress them with minimum loss)

    • Any Zombodroid app

    Games:

    • Castlevania: Synphony of the Night

    • Need for Speed: Most Wanted

    • Real Drift

    • Any emulator you would like to use