Get inspired with our favourite apps for learning something new.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Looking for the best apps for learning a new skill? We're here for you. This is the perfect time to learn something new, and your mobile phone or tablet can help massively with that. Maybe you would like to learn something as a hobby, pr there's a topic you've always been curious about. Perhaps it would help your career, or maybe you're one of the millions of people strongly considering a new profession once we're clear(er) of the pandemic danger. Whatever it is, these apps can set you on the right path.
We've listed our six favourite apps below, available for both Android and iOS, too. If you want more app-spiration, check out our list of brilliant iPad Pro apps and, for something more specialised, see this pick of the best video editing apps as well.
01. Udemy
Pay per course with over 100,000 options to choose from (Image credit: Udemy Inc)
Udemy offers over 100,000 video courses created by experts. Lots of its options are practical and work-focused, but there are plenty that are more creative or even fitness- and health-related. As well as the video courses, you can also chat with instructors and other students if you're feeling a little confused. You pay per course, which keeps it simple.
02. Skillshare
A creativity-focused learning app (Image credit: AJNS New Media GmbH)
Price: Free (IAPs)
Requirements: iOS 11.2 or later/Android 5.0 and up
This is another video learning app, like Udemy, but Skillshare is subscription-based, so for a monthly or annual charge you get all you can learn. It's also focused more on creativity, so you can learn not only the nuts and bolts of creative tools, but also get guidance on best practice and core principles while studying a new creative pursuit.
03. LinkedIn Learning
Advanced leadership training in your pocket (Image credit: LinkedIn)
Price: Free (IAPs)
Requirements: iOS 12.0 or later/Android 5.0 and up
Looking to level-up in the office? LinkedIn's video-learning app has some really deep and gritty training for management and effective working (among other skills ranging from programming to audio creation and beyond). It's like advanced leadership training, but you can also learn some fun hobbies on it, so it's not all about the career ladder.
04. Knowable
10 minute daily insights (Image credit: Bit Kitchen)
Price: Free (IAPs)
Requirements: iOS 11.4 or later/Android 5.0 and up
Knowable is an audio-learning platform, so you can follow courses on your commute or while you work on something else. Its subjects range from self-improvement to life skills to advice on things like launching your own business. Featuring impressively experienced experts, each course also has lesson summaries and a companion e-textbook.
05. Blinkist
Learn big ideas, fast (Image credit: Blinks Labs GmbH)
Ever feel like if you had time to read more books you'd be more effective at... everything? Blinkist takes 3,000 big non-fiction tomes and condenses each one into 15-minute summaries, which you can listen to or read. Obviously, you can pick up the book afterwards to dig into the details, but with Blinkist you can easily learn a dozen big ideas per week.
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06. Kitchen Stories Recipes
Enhance your culinary understanding (Image credit: AJNS New Media GmbH)
Price: Free (IAPs)
Requirements: iOS 12.4 or later/Android 5.0 and up
We like Kitchen Stories Recipes because it embraces how personal cooking and food preferences are. You can be inspired by tips and stories while also finding and following recipes, so you get the context behind what you're making. Every new recipe you try (with step-by-step videos) is more than just a guide – it's a whole new layer in your culinary understanding.
Matt is Managing Editor at TechRadar.com, and previously worked on T3, MacLife and MacFormat. He's been testing technology for over a decade, working in specialist Apple publications as well general technology and creative journalism, and has charted Apple’s ups and downs since his student days (but still hopes to hear “one more thing”). By day, you can find him covering TV, audio, smart home gear and more at T3.com, as Home Tech Editor. By night, he's probably updating or pairing or installing some new piece of technology in the quest for the perfect setup.
