Top 10 Best Apps to Make You so Smart | apps

How did we choose the best apps to make you smarter?

To create our list of the 10 best apps to make you smarter, we looked for apps that offer video-based lessons, news aggregation, personalization, brain exercises, and social sharing features. Together, these features make it easy for users to learn new topics, personalize their learning experiences, and share their progress with friends and family.

Choose the learning app that's right for you

Every app on our list offers a free version. To choose the best app, we recommend testing it to find the one that allows you to cover the topics you're interested in and get the features you need to stay focused and productive. We also recommend reading user reviews to learn more about other users' experiences with each of the apps on our list.

Think about the topics that interest you

While all of the apps on our list help users improve their intelligence through a variety of activities and features, many focus on teaching specific topics. Duolingo, for example, is perfect for users interested in learning a new language, while Eidetic is designed to help users improve their memory skills. Choose an app that focuses on the subject you are particularly interested in learning.

1/ Lumosity: Brain Training Play. Learn. Improve

Lumosity: Brain Training Play. Learn. Improve

Lumosity's cognitive training program is a fun and interactive way to train your brain and discover how your mind works. Used by over 100 million people worldwide, Lumosity's program consists of games designed to exercise memory, speed, flexibility, and problem-solving.

Start with a free 10-minute aptitude test to establish your baseline scores and see how you stack up against others your age.

THE APP INCLUDES

• Over 40 activities ... and more.

• Challenges for memory, speed, logic, problem-solving, math, language, and more.

EXERCISE MODES

• Carefully selected games made for you.

• Customized challenges based on your training habits and preferences.

DETAILED TRAINING INFORMATION

• Information about your strengths and weaknesses as you progress through your training.

• Analysis of your game to help you understand your cognitive patterns.

2/ Khan Academy You can learn anything

Khan Academy You can learn anything

You can learn anything. For free.

Spend an afternoon reviewing your statistics. Learn how the Krebs cycle works. Get a head start on next semester's geometry. Prepare for upcoming exams. Or, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, learn how fire-stick culture is changing the landscape of Australia.

Whether you're a student, a teacher, a homeschooler, a principal, an adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a kindly alien trying to get a head start on Earth biology, Khan Academy's personalized learning library is available to you, free of charge.

• Learn everything, for free: Thousands of interactive exercises, videos, and articles at your fingertips. Study math, science, economics, finance, grammar, history, government, politics, and more.

• Hone your skills: Take exercises, quizzes, and tests with instant feedback and step-by-step guidance. Follow what you learn in school or practice at your own pace.

• Keep learning when you're not connected: Bookmark and download your favorite content to watch videos without an Internet connection.

Learn with expert-created videos, interactive exercises, and in-depth articles in math (arithmetic, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra), science (biology, chemistry, physics), economics (microeconomics, macroeconomics, finance, and financial markets), humanities (art history, civics, finance, U.S. history, U.S. government and politics, world history) and more (including principles of computer science)!

3/ TED Feed your curiosity

TED Feed your curiosity

Feed your curiosity and expand your world with TED Talks.

Explore over 3,000 TED Talks from remarkable people by topic and mood, from technology and science to surprises in your own psychology.

Features on Android

• Browse the entire TED Talks video library, with subtitles in over 100 languages.

• Log in to your TED profile to sync recorded talks across all devices.

• Download video or audio of the talks for offline playback.

• Bookmark the lectures for later.

• Discover inspiring, funny, or amazing talks and personalized playlists.

• Running out of ideas? Use the "Surprise Me" feature to discover an idea that will surprise and inspire you.

4/ Today In History Lite Edition Top historical events, daily

Today In History Lite Edition Top historical events, daily

Today in History is the best way to get key information about iconic world events and fun facts through the centuries, right on your mobile device. Our reminders will ensure you're never out of the loop.

Created for history, trivia, and knowledge lovers. Get all the important events of the day or narrow down your selection to one of our specific categories: Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays, and more...

We bring you the most important, epic, and memorable moments in history.

• Find wisdom in quotes from historical figures.

• Immerse yourself in images that capture historical events as they happened.

• Feel the emotion of the headlines that captured the world's attention.

By experiencing historical events from different angles, you'll gain a new perspective on their importance and a new insight into the people who shaped our world's history.

GREAT FUN FOR EVERYONE

• Check it out in the morning to get your brain working before you start your day!

• Post your favorite fun facts on blogs and social media for inspiration and perspective!

• Share your favorite events and educate your friends and family!

• Challenge your colleagues and friends with historical questions!

KEY FEATURES

• Quote of the Day: Timeless wisdom from iconic historical figures.

• Images: Visual representation of each event, title, and quote.

• Titles: Details on important events that have shaped our world.

5/ Duolingo - Language Lessons Learn Spanish, French, German

Duolingo - Language Lessons Learn Spanish, French, German

Learn a new language with the world's most downloaded educational app! Duolingo is a free and fun app that helps you learn over 35 languages with quick and detailed lessons. Practice speaking, reading, listening, and writing to build your vocabulary and grammar.

Designed by language experts and enjoyed by hundreds of millions of learners worldwide, Duolingo helps you prepare for real conversations in Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian, German, English, and more.

Whether you're learning a language for travel, for school, for your career, for family and friends, or for your brain health, you'll love learning with Duolingo.

Why Duolingo?

• Duolingo is fun and effective. The game-like lessons and fun characters help you build strong speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills.

• Duolingo works. Designed by language experts, Duolingo has a scientific teaching methodology that is proven to promote long-term language retention.

• Track your progress. Work towards your language learning goals with fun rewards and achievements when you make practice a daily habit!

• Join the community. With over 300 million learners worldwide, you are part of a language community on Duolingo.

• Every language course is free. Learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Esperanto, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Hebrew, Welsh, Arabic, Latin, Hawaiian, Scottish Gaelic, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, English, and even High Valyrian!

6/ Eidetic YourELink Inc Puzzle

Eidetic YourELink Inc Puzzle

Eidetic: a person who is able to form or recall the vividness and details of an image.

Improve your memory with Eidetic. Eidetic is a memory challenge, which gives you the opportunity to exercise your brain.

Eidetic has 3 puzzles that will all give you only 5 seconds to memorize them.

• Memory Challenge Level has 98 levels plus 4 Bonus Eidetic Challenge.

• Picture Challenge and Follow me Memory Challenge start at a medium to a very difficult challenge.

• Survival Challenge has 21 Eidetic Challenges, each with infinite levels.

Your highest level will be recorded and will be entered into the Eidetic leaderboard. There are only a few people who have extraordinary memory skills, who knows, you could be one of them!

7/ Elevate - Brain Training

Elevate - Brain Training

Elevate is a brain training program designed to improve attention, speaking skills, processing speed, memory skills, mental math, and more. Each person receives their own personalized brain training program that adapts over time to maximize results.

The more you train with Elevate, the more you improve critical cognitive skills proven to boost productivity, earning power and confidence. Over 90% of those surveyed report improvements in vocabulary, math skills, and overall mental acuity when they use Elevate frequently to stimulate their minds.

FEATURES

• 40+ Brain Training Games: Improve your cognitive skills such as concentration, memory, processing, math, accuracy, and comprehension with 40+ brain training games and puzzles.

• Performance Tracking: Measure your performance against yourself and others. Weekly reports highlighting your key achievements and opportunities are provided once a week.

• Personalized workouts: Customize the focus of your daily workouts to train the mental skills you need most, and choose between 3 and 5 games and puzzles.

• Adaptive Progression: Train your brain with math and word exercises that get harder as you progress to keep your experience challenging.

• Training Achievements: Start a series of exercises and stay motivated with over 150 achievements to earn while training your mind.

8/ DailyArt Daily Dose of Art History

DailyArt Daily Dose of Art History

Every day, be inspired by masterpieces of classical, modern, and contemporary art and read short stories about them. Join the community of over 1,000,000 art lovers, for whom DailyArt is something that brightens their day, every day. It's free!

Now available in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Dutch, German, Hindi, Farsi, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and Turkish. New translations will be available soon!

In addition:

• Explore and search the collection of over 2500 masterpieces,

• Read 700 artist biographies and information on 500 museum collections,

• Add masterpieces to your favorites,

• Easily find DailyArts you haven't seen yet,

• Share everything with your family and friends,

• Set up your account and use DailyArt on multiple devices, including tablets and smartwatches.

• Copy the text from the description

• Use a widget!

• Set a morning or evening time for your push notification.

Do you want to know why van Gogh cut off his ear? Or 

who the lady in Picasso's portrait is? 

How did Jackson Pollock create his paintings? 

Open DailyArt and find out. DailyArt is a must-have app for all art lovers. 

9/ Headspace: Mindful Meditation Relaxation for Sleep & Stress

Headspace: Mindful Meditation Relaxation for Sleep & Stress

Meditate and sleep soundly. Headspace is your guide to practicing mindfulness in your daily life. Learn to relax, manage stress and focus your energy to become more centered and well-rested. Create a calm and positive environment with Headspace.

Guided meditation, sleep meditation, and breathing exercises on Headspace can help you feel less stressed and sleep better. Learn mindfulness techniques from world-renowned experts like a former monk and Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe. Choose from hundreds of guided meditations on a new topic each day: anxiety, focus, relaxation, and more!

Meditation for all experience levels and lifestyles. Meditate with friends and build your practice your way. Choose from short 3-minute sessions that fit perfectly into a busy schedule, or longer meditations to set your intentions for the day. Listen to soothing sounds and music with Sleep by Headspace, or release stress and tension through movement with Move Mode.

In just a few minutes a day, Headspace can help you find balance in your daily life. Even if you've never meditated before, the Basics course teaches you the basics of meditation.

HEADSPACE FEATURES

DAILY MEDITATIONS

• Guided meditations and hundreds of mindfulness exercises

• Daily meditation practice on a new topic each day with Everyday Headspace

• Breathe easily with 3-minute mini-meditations for a quick mental reset.

• Practice mindfulness with "Mindful Moments" to stay present throughout the day.

• Learn meditation techniques and find answers to your mindfulness questions.

MEDITATIONS FOR SLEEP

• Relax for a more restful night with Sleep by Headspace.

• Fall asleep with sleep casts: soothing stories combined with relaxing sounds.

• Soothing sounds for sleep with recordings of the surrounding nature

• Peaceful sleep music to help you achieve deep sleep.

• Start your day with Wake Up - a series of short daily videos designed to brighten your day.

STRESS AND COPING MEDITATIONS

• Reduce stress with "SOS" sessions for anxious moments.

• Learn how to breathe to relax and calm yourself

• Build resilience with the "Weathering the Storm" collection.

• Meditations to help you cope with sadness, anger, and change.

FOCUS AND IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY

• Improve your focus with meditations for working at home

• Boost your focus and productivity with music that promotes concentration.

• Focus Music - Choose from 12 different stations to create the perfect mood for your day.

• Enjoy the moment with Headspace's music director, John Legend.

CENTERED FORM AND TENSION RELEASE

• Relieve stress and release everyday tension with Move mode.

• At-home workouts that boost mood and motivation.

• Focused Fitness Class: 28 Days of Mindfulness Fitness and Cardio

• Train with experts and Olympic athletes Kim Glass and Leon Taylor.

10/ Peak - Brain Training Better games for smarter minds

Peak - Brain Training Better games for smarter minds

Peak is a free and fun brain training program designed for you. Peak uses brain games and puzzles to challenge memory, language, and critical thinking to keep your mind active.

With brain games designed in partnership with leading academics like Cambridge and NYU and over 12 million downloads, Peak is a fun and challenging brain training experience.

It only takes 10 minutes a day to complete a brain training session. And, with 45 adult brain games and new brain training exercises every day, there's always a fun challenge waiting for you.

KEY FEATURES

• Free brain games to test your memory, attention, math, problem-solving, mental agility, language, coordination, creativity, and emotional control.

• Find out which categories your brain excels in, and compete with your friends by comparing your brain map and brain game performance.

• Coach, your brain's personal trainer, helps you track your progress and improve.

• Cognitive brain training with games from expert researchers at Cambridge University, New York University, and other universities.

• Works offline so you can enjoy Peak Brain Games wherever you are.

• Selected by Google as an Editor's Choice.

• Over 45 brain games available and regular updates to challenge you.

• Get personalized brain training sessions and in-depth information with Peak Pro.