I have never shared my suite of essential apps before, so here it is. As I have multiple devices running different operating systems (Android, iOS, macOS, Windows), I give a first priority to apps with cross-platform support.

Note taking

Google Keep: For quick notes, shopping lists for the day, and short notes I want to keep handy. It employs Material You design which looks nice on my Pixel 5. My notes are synchronised and accessible on all my devices.

Notability: For written notes, scribbles, language learning, meeting notes. My notes are backed up to Google Drive. The only downside is that the app is available only on iOS and macOS.

Notion: For serious notes, travel plans, wikis, learning, notes that need text formatting. Notion is very powerful at being a database and creating interactive notes. I can also collaborate with friends when planning a trip.

Standard Notes: For plain text notes. I like the simplicity and the sense of privacy and security that Standard Notes offers. Notes are encrypted end-to-end and you can also lock the app with different passcodes on each device. More features can be added (on paid plans) through extensions.

TickTick: For to-do lists. I can organise tasks into lists, assign a priority, repeat occurrences, add tags, add subtasks, and do habit checks. The app is simple, lightweight, and works fast on all my devices.

Communication

Edison Mail: An email client on my iPad. I just like the design.

Gmail: It comes with my phone and it works well so I don’t want to download anything else and keep two email apps on my phone.

LINE: For messaging family and high school friends. I don’t really want to use it because the app is big and bloated, but it has been well embodied in Thai culture since many businesses and government services offer their communication and membership channels there.

Slack: My company uses this.

Telegram: For messaging friends. I can tell you this is the BEST messaging app. It is lightweight and crazy fast on all my devices. It has creative and useful features I and my friends actually use and love. The app is simple and interactions feel natural.

Web browsing

DuckDuckGo Browser: I don’t want to be tracked. The good things are random private emails and tracking prevention. The downside as of this writing is that the desktop version doesn’t support extensions so I have to manually open 1Password, search for credentials and click autofill. Having no extensions means I have to organise my bookmarks manually too (with Raindrop).

Raindrop.io: For saving links. I can organise my links with tags and folders.

Security

1Password: For storing and generating credentials. The user interface is clean and feels welcoming. It can store OTP’s and automatically fill them (but I don’t use that feature). It can check if your passwords have appeared in breaches, or are reused on multiple services. It can store many kinds of credentials other than passwords: SSH keys, notes, identities, etc. Browser extensions work quite fast too.

Aegis: For storing OTP’s. It is simple, fast and lightweight. I can backup the vault—encrypted—so I don’t have to reconfigure 2FA on all services when I change my phone. I wanted to use 1Password for storing OTP’s because it would automatically fill them, but what’s the purpose of two-factor authentication, then?

Home controls

Google Home: This app combines devices from all platforms into one hub. Devices set up by other family members can be controlled here and I don’t have to install their respective apps. Some controls might be limited but if I really want to control the devices with more features, I can choose to install those separate apps.

Mi Home: I personally prefer to use Xiaomi ecosystem in my bedroom because I can choose every single appliance solely on my own. Xiaomi makes a great load of affordable products so it’s easy to find new appliances that are compatible in the ecosystem.

Tapo: For controlling lights in the common area of the house.

Miscellaneous

Duolingo: Ich studiere jeden Tag Deutsch, 还是中文. (I have already completed the Chinese course, though.)

Google News: I like how multiple news stories are grouped into a single coverage so I can read about the same event from different sources and easily follow the event while it’s developing.

Google Photos: For backing up photos from my phone and sharing photos with others.

Toshl: For expense tracking and budgeting. The app is simple, lightweight and fast. The web version offers more detailed information too.

Zepp Life: For health tracking. I use my Mi Band 6 to track steps, sleep, exercises and to remind me when I have been sitting for too long. I also pair the app with Mi Smart Scale to track my body composition like muscle mass, bone mass, water, protein, etc.

That’s all for this list. Thanks for reading!