The 9 Coolest Apps You've Never Heard Of

There are many lesser-known yet awesome apps waiting to be discovered and downloaded onto our mobile devices. The coolest apps, however, usually tend to be fun, entertaining, or uniquely helpful. After searching for a bit, we found several apps that reflect some or all of those same qualities.

Here is our list of nine really cool apps you've never heard of.

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Learn to Code in Your Spare Time: Programming Hub

What We Like

Text-to-Speech feature allows for an immersive experience.
Over 20 programming languages.
Free for iOS and Android.

What We Don't Like

Your progress goes unsaved if you quit mid-lesson.
Premium features require a subscription.

With lessons broken down into easy-to-understand steps and its consistently encouraging feedback, Programming Hub is a great app for those who want to learn a programming language at their own pace. There are over 20 programming languages to choose from, including HTML, Python, Java, and C programming.

Programming Hub is free to download for iOS and Android devices, but premium features such as no ads, offline mode, and unlimited access to all courses require a subscription.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Explore the Night Sky: Stellarium Mobile Sky Map

What We Like

Illustrations for each mythical creature by constellation.
Built-in GPS feature.

What We Don't Like

Details provided for stars and planets, not constellations.
No free tier of the app for iOS.

Perfect for astronomy buffs, the Stellarium Mobile Sky Map app helps you explore the night sky to learn about stars, constellations, and planets with a swipe and a tap. There's even a GPS feature, allowing you to navigate the stars by waving your phone in different directions.

You can download the Stellarium Mobile Sky Map app for free on Android devices and for a one-time fee on iOS devices.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Spice up Your Social Media Posts: Adobe Spark Post

One of Adobe Spark Post's template collections

What We Like

A seemingly endless amount of templates.
Designs and layouts are professional-looking.
Templates are easy to customize.

What We Don't Like

The image editor has a minimal workspace.
There's no zooming feature while editing.

Adobe Spark Post is a graphic design app with loads of ready-to-use, customizable design templates. The app comes with numerous customization options, including image filters, resizing, recoloring with different color palettes, and layout choices. Adobe Spark Post also offers access to an extensive collection of free-to-use stock photos for use within the app.

Once you create your desired image, you can save it, share it on your social media accounts, email it, or text it. It's free to download and use on both Android and iOS mobile devices.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Talk to This Chatbot About Your Feelings: Wysa

What We Like

Recommends self-care tools.
Provides brief explanations of the science behind exercises.
Easy-to-use interface.

What We Don't Like

The app lags a bit when loading certain features.

Wysa is a penguin-shaped chatbot that listens to you talk about your feelings. It then offers mental health advice, self-care tips, and exercises based on the issues you discussed with it.

Wysa offers various coping techniques for its users, such as meditation, yoga and breathing exercises, and tips for better sleep. The chatbot also helps you talk through your issues and worries using conversational coaching tools to encourage you to analyze and organize your thoughts.

While Wysa is free to use and download on both Android and iOS devices, you can receive further assistance from a human Wysa Coach with a paid subscription.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Help out With Cancer Research While You Sleep: DreamLab

What We Like

Control the amount of data DreamLab uses.
Benefits cancer research.

What We Don't Like

Reported device overheating with prolonged use.

DreamLab helps further a cause that's incredibly important: the search for a cure for cancer.

DreamLab supports cancer research by allowing your phone to help conduct the research. By harnessing your phone's processing power to process calculations for a cancer research project, the research speeds up, inching the world closer to a cure and better cancer treatments; and it's all done while your phone's charging.

Once the app completes its calculations, the data goes to the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. DreamLab is free to use and download on both Android and iOS devices.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Read Your Favorite Comic Books: Comics

The main screen for Comixology's Comics app

What We Like

View preview pages before purchasing.
Store purchased items on an SD card.

What We Don't Like

Requires an Amazon or comiXology account.
Doesn't allow users to sign in with Google Play or Apple ID.

With the Comics app by comiXology, you can purchase, read, and store your favorite comic books and graphic novels on your mobile device.

The Comics app has a vast collection of comic books, graphic novels, and manga, including titles from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, IDW, Image Comics, and Dark Horse. Other features of the Comics app include storing your purchased comics on an SD card and offline reading.

The Comics app by comiXology is free to download for Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire devices, but the app charges varying prices per book. Another payment option is the comiXology Unlimited monthly subscription, allowing you to read any of their content for a monthly fee.

Download For:

iOS

Android

Kindle

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Avoid Tourist Traps When You Travel: Spotted by Locals

A city guide preview on the Spotted by Locals app

What We Like

City guides suggest landmarks, small restaurants, and parks.
Locals provide the suggestions and tips.
Travel guides are accessible offline.
Free preview of each city.

What We Don't Like

Complete city guides require purchasing.
Challenging to know if guides are worth buying.

The Spotted By Locals app lives up to its name. It's a travel app that recommends places to visit within your desired destination based on curations from people who live in and around the area.

Instead of visiting the most popular places for tourists, you can experience the area like a local. The travel guides within the app are accessible offline, and you'll have continuous access to updated information.

The Spotted By Locals app is free to download, but city guides require a purchase. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Create Fun Short Animations Right: PicsArt Animator

PicsArt Animator's video editor, showing a preview of a short video made using a pre-made background with an animated sticker added on

What We Like

Brief yet helpful tutorials.
Tools include animations, sketching, and voiceover.
Free to download and use.

What We Don't Like

Unintuitive interface.
There aren't enough tutorials to cover all the app's features.

PicsArt Animator is a fun, creative app that lets you make short, shareable videos, animations, and GIFs on your mobile device. It offers numerous creation tools, including frame-by-frame animations and editing, drawing and sketching tools, and the ability to record voiceovers.

PicsArt Animator is completely free for Android, iOS, and Windows devices.

Download For:

iOS

Android

Windows

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DIY Your Very Own Podcast: Anchor

What We Like

Record directly to your phone.
Add people to a recording session by sharing a link.
View analytics about the number of listeners you have.

What We Don't Like

Only allows 15-second fast-forwarding or rewinding.

The Anchor app lets you record, edit, and publish your podcast using your mobile device. Your show's analytics are also accessible, so you can keep track of how many people listen to which segments of your podcast.

Anchor is free to use and available for both Android and iOS devices.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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