The Best Apps for Bloggers

Here is our list of the BEST apps for Bloggers!

WordPress

Anyone that uses WordPress as their blog platform (even those of us that are self-hosted) NEEDS this app! We didn’t have it for a while, which was a big mistake. We use it mainly to check our stats, as it’s much more convenient than logging in on the computer. You can also publish posts, which is useful when you’re traveling. A few weeks ago we going home to Wisconsin, and knew we had to post our Friday Freebie bright and early Friday morning. Our plane landed and I was able to post while I waited to get off. It was perfect!

Wunderlist

This one might not seem necessary but it might be the most underrated app! Wunderlist allows you to create simple lists. There is a check box next to each item so you can easily delete it from the list once it’s completed. There is also a “star” option to mark more important items. We have so many lists: Blog Post To-do, Blog Post Ideas, Blog Post Supplies,  etc. This will help keep you organized and save you time!

Dropbox

Dropbox is such a lifesaver. A lot of times one of us will edit photos on our computer, using Lightroom. Instead of emailing such large files, we upload to our shared Dropbox account, so that we both have access to the photos. The app makes it possible to save the photos onto our phones, to post to Instagram. Dropbox is so easy to use and uploads relatively fast!

PayPal

A lot of the websites that pay us for sponsored content use PayPal. These websites usually require you to have a PayPal account and the app makes it easy to cash out, check your statement, or make a payment.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a huge traffic driver for our blog. Since people share our content we like to share theirs! We try to go on Pinterest multiple times throughout the day, whenever we have down time. It’s easier to pin on the go using the app. Pin while you’re waiting at the dentist or while you’re cooking dinner! It’s easier to find the time to pin when you can do it from your phone!

Bloglovin’

We discovered Bloglovin’ about a year ago and it’s a really great website! It’s similar to Pinterest but each user has their own profile, and they can also make a profile for their blog. So you have your followers, and you blog has its own. You can also create boards, like on Pinterest, and save other blogger’s posts to your boards. Similar to Pinterest, it’s much easier to scroll through Bloglovin’ on the go!

Instagram

I think it’s safe to say most of you reading this have an Instagram account. So if you’re a blogger make sure you are using it to promote your blog! One way to brand your photos is to stick with one filter. We have two we like to use from PicFx. Also, don’t post your exact blog post thumbnail to Instagram every time. Try to “tease” the post, with one photo from your blog post. We also find that photos with no words get more likes!

Photo Editing Apps: 

WordSwag

This app is basically graphic design in the palm of your hand. Sometimes we will use PicMonkey or Canva for our blog post thumbnails, but about 90% of the time we use WordSwag. All of the font is very clean and bold, which is just our style.

Facetune

This app is great for the Photoshop impaired (guilty). We like to use the “smooth” tool to give us that flawless face look. There is also a “whiten” tool that is great for brightening white backgrounds. We take most of our DIY pictures on a white table, so this tool makes the table look extra white and bright. Tip: Don’t try to use it on a background that isn’t white, because it will look terrible.

Afterlight

Afterlight is definitely the best photo editing app for BASIC edits. You can easily adjust the clarity, brightness, contrast, saturation, exposure, highlights, and more! They also have some very subtle filters, which is nice when you don’t want to “over edit” a photo (P.S. You should NEVER want to over edit a photo).

Squareready

Our blog layout makes it so that our “featured image” needs to be a square. The easiest way for us to do that is to “squareready” (yes I’m making this a verb) the main image in the blog post. We still haven’t found a program on the computer that does this, so until then we will use this app!

Featured image from @shopsonix