We've shown you the 100 best apps in the world, and now it's time to take a look at the most innovative ones on the list.
These 10 apps are changing the way we communicate, get things done, travel, and learn. They're pushing the boundaries of what can be accomplished through software, whether it's something as complex as revolutionizing the shipping industry or making us feel more connected to people we care about.
WeChat
If you live outside of China, it's unlikely that you use — or perhaps have even heard of – WeChat. But with more than 600 million users, it's one of the largest messaging apps in the world.
One of the keys to WeChat's success is that it's actually much more than just a messaging app.
You can use WeChat to do just about anything — play games, send money to people, make video calls, hail a taxi, order food, buy movie tickets, read the news, book a doctor appointment, and more. For millions of people in China, it's the first app they open in the morning and the last one they look at before bed.
WeChat is the all-in-one app experience done right, and it "points to where Facebook and other messaging apps could head,"according to Connie Chan, a partner at the prominent venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Price: Free
Available on:iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Snapchat
With more than 100 million daily active users and a primary audience of 18 to 24-year-olds, Snapchat is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon.
The app’s premise (and Snapchat is just an app — there is no web interface) is the idea of ephemeral messaging: once a message, or “snap,” is viewed, it disappears forever.
Its 25-year-old CEO Evan Spiegel has a portrait of Steve Jobs hanging in his office, and he has a grand vision for his multi-billion dollar startup. In essence, “It’s all about talking with pictures and expressing yourself in the moment."
But Snapchat is also about consuming media. The app’s Discover section features interactive content from a range of publishers, including BuzzFeed, Mashable, CNN, People, and Vice. The goal seems to be keeping Snapchat’s users in the app as long as possible — and it’s working.
Price: Free
Available on:iOS, Android
Uber
No app exemplifies the burgeoning on-demand app economy more than Uber, which made hailing a ride with a smartphone app go mainstream. Tap a button to summon a car, type in where you want to go in the app, and pay for the ride with your credit card you have stored.
If the company has its way, Uber could eventually become the way we get everything from our packages to our groceries.
The app can get you a ride in 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide, but it's also experimenting with other services in a smaller number of cities.
UberEATS, the company's meal delivery service, is already delivering lunch in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto, and the UberRUSH delivery service works in San Francisco, New York, and Chicago.
Price: Free
Available on:iOS, Android
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