Apps are back, or maybe they never left in the first place.
While some debate that people will Move away from the app a AI agents Making access to online services more efficient, we found that the App Store is alive and well, with an explosion of tools, experiences, experiences and other cutting-edge indie efforts.
Some of the more recent releases may be due to the rise of AI coding, which allows people to deliver software faster, and allows. Novice to participate In the app ecosystem. According to one report, new app launches have increased in 2026, worldwide new app releases increased by 60% year over year in the first quarter across both the Apple App Store and Google Play. In Apple’s iOS store alone, that number is over 80%.
While there are valid concerns that specific vibe-code apps may clutter the App Store with low-quality content, there are plenty of interesting apps worth exploring, and those that resonate with consumers will rise to the top. Many people still use AI under the hood to perform their magic – they just aren’t promoted as “AI-powered.”
Below is our latest collection of App Store gems, which we’ve added to our home screen. You can also check out TechCrunch’s previous app roundups, like our look at the next generation of social apps, Apple Watch, and iPad productivity tools, and apps for decluttering your life.
Or
Or (Previously sortedBut not That Sortd) is an excellent tool for anyone who regularly bookmarks content from social media, then immediately forgets about it. With Albo, the idea is that you will share a link to TikTok, Instagram Reel, YouTube videos or other websites to the app. Albo will then automatically pull details from the post and categorize and save ideas for you. That post and its archive will remain available on Albo, even if the original content creator deletes their post or video at some point in the future.
The app works with various social apps, including Pinterest, X, LinkedIn, Threads, Reddit, and Facebook, plus browsers like Chrome and Safari. You can also add screenshots to Albo.
This makes it easy to save inspiration online for easy access, whether it’s travel ideas, local spots to try, movies or shows to watch, books to read, recipes, or exercises to do. Your collection can also be shared with friends.
Albo hails from App Studio in London feel good project, which focuses on technology that makes users feel inspired and satisfied rather than drained by doomscrolling.
The app is free to use with advanced features available through subscription. However, we don’t like the heavy-handed way of encouraging trial applications during startup.
Available in iOS And Google Play.
Fish tank
The recent outbreak of parasites in the United States has people thinking carefully about where their food comes from. Buying from local growers and bakers may be a safer option — and better for the community — but not everyone has time to make it out to the weekend farmers market.
Fish tankThe app’s offer options through its local market, where you can buy handmade and authentic products from people near you, even from a farm down the street that provides fresh eggs, or neighbors who are willing to exchange their goods for you. The idea is to allow local commerce, while helping people turn their gardens, fields, or crafts into additional sources of income.
In Coop, you can search and discover nearby sellers, track your favorite items, see how far they are from you, and buy from them through the app’s Stripe integration. Then the seller receives the order and prepares for receipt.
Available in iOS And Google Play.
PI.FYI by Perfectly Imperfect
A colorful and chaotic app, PI. FYIIt promises to bring the “old internet”, where you find recommendations through a network of friends, not an algorithm. Born from a Religious newsletterThe app has been around for a few years, but still feels fresh and modern and more like the social media option it aims to be.
In PI.FYI, you can follow what you’re into, share your tastes, and search by category or “scene” such as music, mood, era, and literature, to find your community, read interesting articles, create lists, collect local tips, and play games with friends. The app gives off a retro feel to itself, like it was created when the internet was a little more polished, too.
Available in iOS And Google Play.
letter
OK, it might not be as fun as sharing letters over the air, but the app for pen pals, letterAlso embrace the fun of snail mail in digital form. This writing app lets you start new friendships with pen pals around the world, discover through the app or with anyone whose email address you already know. Unfortunately, letters are sent digitally via an app or email right now, but the company’s FAQ suggests that it’s considering postal options for the future, which would be fun.
Available in iOS only
Sofa time
While not a new app, Sofa time is one of the few that is picking up where the TV Time app recently shut down. The app has an easy-to-use, seamless interface to keep track of the movies and TV shows you’re watching, organize your watch list, discover what’s streaming next and get notifications about new releases.
While Sofa Time’s comments section isn’t yet a competitor to TV Time, the social component of the app allows the community to grow, as it supports the ability to interact with GIFs or images along with your text, and includes a built-in translation feature to support a global audience.
Available in iOS And Google Play.
ThingsBook
ThingsBookA new writing-focused app from South Korean internet giant Naver’s A subsidiary of the United StatesHardly an indie effort, but it’s an interesting place for the future of social media. Instead of doomscrolling, ThingsBook provides a flexible space where you can collect what interests you, whether through journaling, journaling ideas, or collecting things like books, travel, food, hobbies, and goals into a structured list that you can review and expand.
The company explains that the purpose of the app is not to focus on “quick trends” but to become “a life record of who you are and what you love.”
Available in iOS And Google Play.
Pressed petals
Apps or art projects? Pressed petals Yes both. An indie effort from the designer Cynthia ChenThe app turns photos of flowers you find on your walk into pressed illustrations, like the ones you’d find in “ancient botanical magazines.” The app will automatically record the location where you saw the flowers, and the date and time, making your nature walk an interactive experience. It also identifies the flower by name, both its scientific name and its common name.
You can try the app to click two flowers for free, then pay a one-time fee of $4.99 to unlock the full experience. This can be a fun app to entice your little ones to go outside, as it gives them something else to do besides the hike itself.
Available in iOS only
The mood is faster
We’re a sucker for well-built single-purpose apps. The mood is faster by Nick Leith is a perfect example, as it offers a way to record your feelings for monitoring in Apple Health with just two taps – one to select the mood and the second to save it.
You can choose between recording your current mood or your overall mood for the day, and can also choose to add information about the situation and emotions you are experiencing at the time of recording. In the settings, you can choose between different color schemes for your profile, although some are paywalled.
At $1.95 per month, it’s a reasonably priced subscription for anyone who regularly tracks their emotions and moods for mental health purposes.
Available in iOS only
Enable exercise
Originally pitched as a way to encourage children to exercise, Enable exercise It recently expanded its on-screen monetization app to include the whole family, which, frankly, makes it even better. (Children will only hate their parents for using this method. Also, it can turn outdoor time or exercise into a dreaded chore in the child’s mind, which defeats the purpose.)
For adults, the app can allow you to accomplish your personal goals, like there’s no procrastination until you move into the day.
Available in iOS only
This post was published on July 28, 2026.
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