We think these are the best Android tablet apps, but you may also want to check out our picks for the best Android apps for smartphones.
Movies, music, and reading
Movies and Videos
Netflix
With a constantly changing library of thousands of TV shows, movies, and exclusive content that you can stream direct to your tablet, Netflix offers a whole lot of entertainment for $8 a month.
IMDb
Satisfy the film-buff inside with this virtual encyclopedia of movie facts, actor biographies, and fascinating trivia. Millions of people rate regularly and chat about their favorite movies at IMDb.
VLC
VLC is the media player that can handle everything you throw at it. It’s in beta, but it’s fully capable of handling any sort of video, audio, and media file including DVD ISOs. If you’ve used VLC for desktop, you’ll want it on mobile.
Hulu Plus
Hulu’s app is the ultimate tool for enjoying your subscription. It grants you access to more 100,000 TV episodes, and even functions as an in-app remote for your streaming box and TV.
Music and audio
TuneIn Radio
There’s no better radio and podcast app than this. Music, sports, talk, news, and more can be found with over 100,000 worldwide radio stations to choose from and more than 2 million podcasts.
Pandora
Pandora is an internet powerhouse when it comes to radio. Like its web-based counterpart, the mobile app allows you curate personal stations based on your favorite bands, songs, or composers.
Poweramp ($4)
Every feature you could want in a music player is packed in here. There’s support for all sorts of formats, a 10 band graphic equalizer, crossfade support, and a lot more. It costs $4 after the trial.
Shazam
Hear a song you like? Shazam can recognize the tune and supply you with buying options within seconds. Recommended tracks, lyrics, and the ability to add it to a Rdio playlist come second.
Spotify
Spotify’s mobile interface is one of the sleekest around. Moreover, it lets you browse an extensive catalog of music, personalized radio stations, and curated playlists for lovers of all genres.
Google Play Music
Looking for a music service that more deeply integrates with Android and Google Now? Google Play Music is the service for you! Play Music, like the others, allows you to subscribe to listen to all the music you want, plus lets you upload and stream your already-existing music library.
Pocket Casts ($4)
This is quite simply the best app around for organizing and listening to all of your favorite podcasts. It’s one of the few apps we have listed that costs money, but it has every feature you could possibly want for podcast heaven.
Reading
Moon+ Reader
Load up your ebook collection and enjoy it in this fully customizable reader which lets you define your preferred aesthetic and even tweak gestures and keys. It supports every format under the sun.
Kindle
From the classics of yesteryear to contemporary bestsellers you’ll find over a million books to browse through in here. There are also magazines, newspapers, and a built-in dictionary to try.
Nook
Barnes & Noble offers more than 2.5 million books through this app and 1 million of them are free. You can also enjoy free trials and subscribe to all the top newspapers, magazines, and comics.
Comics by ComiXology
If you’re a comic buff, ComiXology is for you — whether you’re into Marvel, DC, Dark Horse — whatever — ComiXology has the comic books for you. The app is Amazon’s primary partner when it comes to digital comic distribution, and there’s a huge library of titles to choose from. You have to pay for a subscription, but the app itself is free.
News 360
A nice clean layout offers a window onto the world of news, pulled in from a wide variety of top sources online. Choose your favorite topics (there are thousands) and it learns what you like.
Libby, by OverDrive
You can use this app together with your library card to borrow ebooks and audiobooks for free from your local library. You can download, read, and listen all within the app.
Use this app to create a library of interesting articles that you’ve seen online. Whether you want to save them for later, or need something to read when you’re offline, Pocket is perfect.
Inkitt
You will find a wealth of free, curated novels and stories in all genres from aspiring authors in this customizable app. There are more than 80,000 titles and an offline mode.
Productivity, documents, email, finance, time management, and browsers
Productivity
Google Drive
You can fit a whole lot of files into your free 15GB courtesy of Google. It is easy to use, it offers a quick way to share files across your devices, and it integrates seamlessly with Android.
Dropbox
As one of the earliest, best cloud solutions around, Dropbox is available for virtually every platform, and it offers fast and efficient file sharing and storage. You can also auto-upload photos.
Evernote
This is one of the best note-taking apps around and it’s great for making lists. You can create versatile notes and reminders with text, audio, annotated images, and links. It’s available everywhere.
Sketchbook
Tablets can be an artist’s best friend with the right tool. Sketchbook is the canvas you’re looking for, built with 15 brushes all capable of producing unique strokes and lines.
TeamViewer
Your tablet is powerful enough to act as your primary computer, but it likely doesn’t have all your files and programs. But you can get to them through TeamViewer, acting as your remote control.
ES File Explorer
Navigating the hierarchy of files on Android can be a pain. The ES File Explorer File Manager gets all your files in line, both on the device and in the cloud. Plus, it serves as a download manager and task killer as well.
AirDroid
AirDroid lets you manage your all of your Android device’s files, photos, and so on straight from your computer. Providing you have one of the supported phones, you can even mirror your phone’s display on your computer screen.
WordPress
The free, open source blogging platform is accessible with this app. It’s a scaled down version of the Web interface, but you can write, edit, publish, and dip into comments and stats.
Tumblr
Follow blogs that grab your interest, post whatever you want to share, interact and comment, and keep a record of your activity. You can also save drafts, schedule posts, and handle multiple blogs.
Blogger
Blogger is one of the better-known blogging platforms out there, and for good reason. It allows you to create and edit posts, upload media, and more.
Files Go
Storage managers to help you free up space are nothing new, but this one comes from Google. It’s the ideal way to review the contents of your tablet and get rid of the junk.
Documents
WPS Office
You can find a good word processor without having to spend anything. WPS is packed with features and it supports all kinds of files including Word documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs.
Google Docs
Google Docs has long been our preferred online document editing software, offering a number of powerful tools for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and saving all that information straight to your Google Drive.
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is the obvious choice for professionals who need to edit documents, spreadsheets, and powerpoints, and for good reason. Now, those apps have been brought to mobile, covering all the platforms you’ll need.
Blue Mail
Get organized and unify all your email accounts into this slick, accessible, feature-packed app. It supports all major services, lots of personalization options, and solid encryption for privacy protection.
Outlook
Microsoft’s app is your best bet if you want to grab email from your Microsoft account. It’s clean, almost elegant, and straight to the point. It supports notifications, conversation threading, and more.
Google Inbox
Google Inbox is a mail client with a difference — instead of simply presenting emails in a list, emails are presented like a to-do list, with emails grouped together for easier reading.
Finances and money management
Mint
Create budgets, track your cash spending, and see your checking, savings, and credit cards all in one place. Alerts will warn you about unusual activity, or bills. Mint is the best way to manage money.
Money Lover
Keeping track of your money isn’t always easy, but this personal finance app has you covered with an expense tracker, budgeting tools, bill reminders, and a big picture view of the health of your finances.
Time management
Todoist
The simple look is tempting, but the real attraction here is cross-platform support for all of your tasks and projects. The layout is made for your tablet and there are enough features for power users.
Google Calendar
If you want to sync your calendars and pull in dates and appointments from your Google account, then this is the simplest way to do it. It handles basic functions and has a solid layout.
Business Calendar 2
Sync all your Google calendars into one fully customizable overview to get an ideal view of your schedule. There are various widget options, color-coding, and tools for event and task planning.
Web browsers
Chrome
If it’s not preinstalled on your tablet then seek it out, because Chrome is the best browser around. Fast, reliable, and efficient, it offers easy tab and bookmark sharing using your Google account.
Firefox
Reliable, robust, and speedy, Firefox is a great browser. It covers bookmarks, tabs, visual history, private browsing, and everything else you need. There are also lots of security add-ons.
Dolphin
All the basics are handled well by Dolphin, but the extras in the shape of customizable gestures, voice controls, and sharing features really suck you in. It’s an innovative and unique browser.
Gaming, sports, fitness, photo editing, social media, and shopping
Gaming
‘Badland’
Visually stunning and powerfully addictive, this atmospheric gem deserves a space on every Android tablet. There is even a multiplayer mode in this physics-based platform puzzler for group fun.
‘Monument Valley’ ($1)
One of the best mobile games on any platform to date, Monument Valley sees you solving a series of geometry-based puzzles fraught with architectural dilemmas and clever optical illusions.
‘Minecraft’ ($7)
Minecraft is a revolutionary game in many respects. The mobile version of the popular sandbox title adds a ton of features too, all of which still rely on you placing square blocks and crafting items.
‘Fallout Shelter’
Fallout Shelter is the mobile extension of the popular Fallout game franchise and sees you cast as an overseer tasked with building a happy vault, finding weapons and armor, and fighting off raiders and other creatures.
‘Real Racing 3’
Real Racing has become one of the top racing games for mobile, and for good reason. In Real Racing 3, you will enjoy stunning graphics as your speed through a range of different tracks and collect faster cars.
‘The Room Three’ ($5)
The Room is now in its 3rd iteration, and if you’re into puzzles, this game is for you. Likened to the original Myst game, The Room 3 sees you playing through multiple levels where you have to use the tools at your disposal to advance to the next room.
‘Star Wars: Commander’
It may be a thinly veiled knock-off of Clash of Clans, but when that veil is made of Star Wars the result is great fun. Indulge your dark or light side and fight for control or freedom in a galaxy far, far away.
Sports
ESPN
ESPN’s official app does everything you’d expect. It provides real-time scores and news for your favorite teams within an attractive interface, with commentary and video highlights to match.
CBS Sports
Full scorecards and real-time stats for football, baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, and a whole lot more can be found in this organized package. It can pull video, radio, news, and social media.
TheScore
Attention sports fans! This app is packed with news, stats, and real-time scores for every major sport and competition. Customize with your favorites and get notifications when anything noteworthy happens.
Fitness and health
Fitness Flow ($4)
Start working out now with HD videos of more than 100 different exercises backed up by audio instructions. You can target specific body areas, set your own pace, and record your progress.
Calorie Counter
If you want to count your calories and maintain a healthy weight, this is one way to do it. It’s quick and easy to use and it lists over 3 million different foods. It can also track your exercise.
WebMD
Describe symptoms, check conditions, review and identify drugs, get first aid advice, and find local health services with this handy pocket doctor. It even has voice search functionality and integrated maps.
Coach’s Eye
If you really want to improve in any sport then analyzing your performance is very important. This app can record slow motion video and it’s packed with analysis and annotation tools.
Photo editing and management
Snapseed
Instagram might be the name you associate with photo editing, but Snapseed holds its own. With a powerful set of tools to tweak your images and an autocorrect tool, it will make any shot look professional.
VSCO Camera
If you like to snap pictures with your tablet, VSCO Camera is a great option for upping your game. It won’t turn your tablet into a DSLR, but it will give you plenty of editing options that will spruce up your pictures.
Pixlr
For more detailed editing, check out AutoDesk’s Pixlr app. It’s a slick, easy to use photo editor that gives you more control over your final product. Make it look like you actually knew what you were going for when you took the picture.
Adobe Photoshop Express
Photoshop is the tried and true top photo editing software out there, and Adobe recently started offering a version of the software on Android. Photoshop Express makes it easy to edit on your tablet, with an element of social sharing mixed in.
Social media and messaging
If you’re into social media, you obviously need to get the Facebook app. On mobile the app lets you browse your feed, upload media, and check out what your friends have been up to, just like the desktop website.
Twitter is equally important for the social media junkie. On the tablet, you can send tweets, browse what’s happening in the world, and so on.
TweetCaster
One of the best Twitter clients around, TweetCaster offers support for multiple accounts, scheduled tweets, notifications, filters, and all kinds of customization options. It can post to Facebook too.
Contacts Plus
You can call, text, and email your contacts from Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Foursquare using this app. It’s a one-stop contact management app that’s optimized for tablets.
Share images and find inspiration from thousands of picture boards created by others. This app works beautifully on tablets, allowing you to pin photos, comment on images from others, and more.
Skype
Millions of people rely on Skype for free voice and video calls across the Internet. It also serves as an instant messenger, and you can buy credit and use it to call landlines and cell phones.
Viber
You can enjoy free calls, messaging, photo, and video sharing with other users. It’s a cross platform app that also works on your desktop, and it supports 3G for low cost calls outside your Viber network.
Shopping
eBay
If you can’t find it on eBay then you won’t find it anywhere. The biggest online marketplace around is available as an excellent app that has all the features you need to buy and sell everything.
Amazon for Tablets
Browse millions of products, check up on customer reviews, and find deals in Amazon’s official app for Android tablets. It’s well laid-out, easy to search and filter, and it supports 1-click buying.
Slice
If you do a lot of online shopping, then Slice is a must have. It gives you peace of mind after you hit the purchase button, tracking your shipments, keeping tabs on recalls of things you’ve bought, and guaranteeing you get the lowest price.
RetailMeNot
For shoppers who don’t have time to go digging for coupons, RetailMeNot is here to do the dirty work for you. You can count on it to find you the best offers and save you from spending more than you need to.
Travel, going out, food, personalization, and device performance
Traveling
TripAdvisor
Whether you’re visiting somewhere on vacation or it’s your home town, you’ll still find some great recommendations for attractions to visit in this app, with detailed reviews and useful tips.
Google Maps
If there’s a better navigation with more accurate maps, voice guided directions, live traffic updates, and detailed data on businesses and places of interest, then please tell us about it! Honestly.
Waze
A lively, active community ensures that you have the latest maps and traffic updates. Full voice-guided navigation is supported and the cheapest gas in your area is highlighted for you.
Trivago
Wherever you’re headed, this app will help you find the perfect hotel. It searches for the best deals across a wide variety of booking sites to sniff out great discounts on your accommodation.
AirBnb
Looking for more of a furnished apartment than an impersonal hotel room? AirBnb has really popped up over the past few years as the best way to find interesting new places to stay.
Google Translate
A barebones interface lets you focus on the translation and more than 70 languages are covered. Input text, speak, take a photo, or write, and you get a text translation, and audio for some languages.
Duolingo
Here’s a fun way to learn a language before you go on vacation. It’s accessible to the whole family, turns learning into a game, and covers Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian.
Uber
Need a ride, but don’t know about the taxi services in the city you’re in? Or just want to easily order a ride from your tablet? Uber is for you! Ride-sharing services like Uber have grown a ton over the past few years, and they’re extremely easy to use.
Transit App
Check what public transit is available in your immediate area, or search for directions to and from specific addresses and see all of your bus, train, or subway options, with walking directions to stops.
RV Parky
If you’ve loaded the RV ready for a road trip, take this app with you to find good RV-friendly parks, camp grounds, rest areas, gas stations, and supplies. You can always find a place to park.
Going Out
YPlan
If you’re looking for a memorable night you’ll find the hottest, expertly curated events in London, New York, San Francisco and a few other cities listed here. Book from the app and earn rewards for inviting friends.
Yelp
Looking for somewhere to eat tonight? Or perhaps you want to find the closest theater? Yelp is best known as the app that helps you get around town, not only finding places for you to go, but offering ratings on those places too, ensuring you don’t stray into a place that looks great but actually isn’t.
Foursquare
You can find all sorts of interesting places and things to do, but the insider tips and recommendations are the real attraction of Foursquare. Learn about off-menu items, Wi-Fi passwords, and more.
Getting food
OpenTable
It’s always smart to book ahead when you’re dining out and you can do it for free with this app. It also lets you search for what’s close by with lots of filters and reviews to help you find the perfect place.
Zomato
Find restaurants near you, peruse the menu before you book, and get directions. You can also read what others thought, look at photos of the best dishes, and write and submit your own reviews.
Food Network in the Kitchen
Packed with recipes from your favorite Food Network chefs, this app is constantly growing. You’ll find easy to follow instructions and photos to keep you on track, and you can search by ingredients. You can even use this app to cook with voice commands.
Food Planner
Create a central repository for all of your recipes and use it to plan your weekly meals and create your grocery shopping list. You can even sync this app with friends or family that have an iPhone.
Oh She Glows
If you’re looking for healthy plant-based recipes with sumptuous photos, then you need to check out the Oh She Glows app, which draws on Angela Liddon’s website of the same name.
Personalization
Apex Launcher
Resize your icons, hide unwanted elements, create a scrolling dock, and choose transition effects. That’s just the tip of the iceberg with Apex, which empowers you to achieve the style you’re craving.
Nova Launcher
Striking a great balance between speed and customization, there really isn’t very much about the aesthetic of your home screen that you can’t tweak with the comprehensive Nova launcher.
Action Launcher 3
With Action Launcher 3, you can extract colors from your wallpapers and use them to further customize your layout, from the Quickdrawer and folder backgrounds to the Google Search box.
Zooper Widget
A few examples give you starting points and the in-depth editing options allow you to customize every aspect of your widget. The depth of this app is fantastic, especially considering it’s free.
Backgrounds HD
You’ll find more than 5,000 hand-picked wallpapers in here organized into a number of categories. The simple interface makes browsing a pleasure and image quality is generally very high.
Device Performance
AVG
Here’s a popular, free desktop anti-virus brand in a special version for tablets. You’ll find real-time scanning, anti-theft tools, safe browsing, performance and privacy advice, and lots more.
Avast
It scans all your apps and files, including SMS or email attachments, and flags malware. Extras include app-locking, backups, remote locate and control, privacy advice, and the list goes on.
Lookout
Anti-virus and malware protection, backup support, and a device locator make up the free version of this effective app. It occasionally forces portrait view, but otherwise it’s good for tablet security.
Geekbench 4
This cross-platform benchmark allows you to compare your Android tablet with various other devices and see how it performs in simulated scenarios that push the processor to its limits.
