Check out Apple’s list of the most popular iOS apps of all time

The Best Productivity and Business Apps for iPhone iPad

Apple is listing its all-time most popular apps from the iTunes App Store in celebration of nearing the benchmark for 50 billion iOS app downloads. As with previous years’ “top charts,” the top 100 iPhone and iPad apps this year include a variety of app types: everything from games to weather. I’ve pulled out the business- and productivity-focused apps with some details on what they do, so you can include them in your list of apps to download to turn your iPad or iPhone into a serious productivity tool.

Note that all of the apps that fall into the official productivity or business app categories are on the iPad list, rather than in the iPhone list. The larger iPad screen is really much better for work than the comparatively tiny iPhone one. Still, the iPhone list contains reference and communication tools that everyone who works on the go can use.(~ May 6, 2013

Skype for iPhone and iPad (Free)

Skype

It’s no surprise Skype made the Top 25 All-Time Free iPhone Apps list (rank: #5) and the Top 25 All-Time Free iPad Apps list (rank: #1). This voice, video, and text messaging app helps millions of people communicate over mobile data or Wi-Fi without spending a dime. Skype tops the free iPad list, up from #4 last year (which was held by Angry Birds HD Free). Though listed as a social networking tool and used for non-work purposes too, remote workers, travelers, and productive people of all kinds can save on having to pony up for a second phone line at home by using Skype to call other Skype users around the world, and can also use the app to easily video chat with the office.

Dropbox for iPad (Free)

Dropbox

File syncing and online storage service Dropbox is listed under the Productivity category and ranked 18 out of the top 25 iPad apps in terms of downloads. Dropbox is hugely popular for a few reasons: it’s a dead simple way to keep your files in sync across your devices, it integrates with a ton of other services, and there are a whole lot of ways to get free storage space on Dropbox (everything from referring friends to turning on automatic uploads). Dropbox didn’t make the top 25 for iPhone, but if you’re a Dropbox user, it’s a no-brainer to download Dropbox for your smartphone.

Adobe Reader for iPad (Free)

Adobe Reader

Most of us come across PDF documents regularly, whether they’re financial statements or forms. Adobe Reader is the biggest brand name for managing and accessing PDF files, since Adobe is the company that developed the specification for this file type. The Adobe Reader app is 19 out of the top 25 iPad apps. With it, you can view PDF documents, annotate and comment them, fill out PDF forms, electronically sign documents, and store them online at Acrobat.com. And it’s free!

Pages for iPad ($9.99)

Apple Pages

Is it a surprise that the top all-time paid app for the iPad is a word processing app? Perhaps it shouldn’t be. If there’s one thing most professions have in common, it’s the need to type things into documents for others to read or edit. Pages syncs with Apple’s iCloud service, edits and views Microsoft Word and plain text files, and is an elegant alternative to Microsoft Word (which as of this writing is not available on the iPad). It’s a $10 investment, but if your work depends on word processing, this Apple-made app is the most popular solution.

Keynote for iPad ($9.99)

Apple Keynote

Keynote, Apple’s Microsoft PowerPoint alternative, hits the iPad paid list at number 10 out of 25. Dubbed (by Apple) “the most powerful presentation app ever designed for a mobile device,” Keynote comes with the animated charts and transitions required to wow a crowd. You can edit graphics, use Apple-designed themes, include photos and videos in your presentation, mirror a presentation from your iPad to an external projector or display, and other essential presentation tricks. You might even be able to leave your laptop behind and just use Keynote for your next meeting.

Numbers for iPad ($9.99)

Apple Numbers

Rounding out the iSuite is Numbers, Apple’s Microsoft Excel alternative. This spreadsheet app can view and edit CSV and Microsoft files, access formulas with over 250 functions, and turn table data into informative charts.

GoodReader for iPad ($4.99)

GoodReader

GoodReader is a feature-rich reader for PDFs, text files, Office documents, and more. The app helps you manage files, annotate them, sync them with popular cloud storage services, and find what you’re looking for within the files.

Notability for iPad ($1.99)

Notability

Taking notes is an essential task for many of us, and the iPad, despite its stylus-free design, can be a great tool for note-taking, thanks to apps like Notability. Coming in at number 17 out of the top 25 paid iPad apps, Notability features retina ink handwriting for precise capturing of your writing, PDF annotating, text styling, and auto-syncing with cloud storage services. It’s about as robust as my favorite note-taking tool, OneNote, and very inexpensive at the time of this writing–just $1.99.

Quickoffice Pro HD for iPad ($19.99)

Quickoffice

Just because Microsoft hasn’t ported Office to the iPad yet doesn’t mean you can’t create or edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations in the Office formats. Quickoffice, now owned by Google, is the most popular office suite for the iPad (and ranks 19 out of 25 for all paid iPad apps). At $19.99, it isn’t a cheap app, but it costs less than Pages, Keynote, and Numbers combined, and it includes the features you expect in a Microsoft Office substitute, with compatibility with Office 2010 files.

Honorable Mentions

Other apps in the Top 100 of all time don’t technically fall in the productivity or business categories but may still be worth installing if you want to stay connected and work on the go.

These include: (Soon we’ll publish about these Apps)

The Best Productivity and Business Apps for iPhone iPad