Apps are back — though, truth be told, they never really left.
While some people debate whether users will drift away from apps as AI agents make accessing online services more efficient, we’ve found the App Store to be alive and well, with a recent explosion of fun, creative, and innovative tools, experiences, and indie efforts.
Some of the more recent launches can be attributed to the rise of AI coding, which has enabled people to ship software faster and allowed beginners to participate in the app ecosystem. According to one report, new app launches soared in 2026, with worldwide new app releases up 60% year-over-year as of the first quarter across both the Apple App Store and Google Play. On Apple’s iOS store alone, that figure was an even higher 80%.
While there’s legitimate concern that vibe-coded apps in particular could be cluttering the App Store with lower-quality content, there are plenty of interesting apps worth exploring — and those that resonate with users will rise to the top. Many also use AI under the hood to create their magic; they’re just not promoted as being “AI-powered.”
Below is our latest collection of App Store hidden gems, which we’ve added to our Home Screen. You can also check out TechCrunch’s previous app roundups, like our looks at next-generation social apps, Apple Vision Pro, and iPad productivity tools, and apps for digitally decluttering your life.
Albo
Albo (formerly Sortd, but not that Sortd) is a handy tool for anyone who frequently bookmarks content from social media, then promptly forgets about it. With Albo, the idea is that you share the link to the TikTok, Instagram Reel, YouTube video, or other web page with the app. Albo then automatically pulls the details from the post and categorizes and saves the note for you. That post and its notes will remain available in Albo, even if the original content creator deletes their post or video down the road.
The app works with a range of 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 any kind of online inspiration for quick access, whether that’s travel ideas, local spots to try, movies or shows to watch, books to read, recipes to cook, or workouts to do. Your collections can also be shared with friends.
Albo hails from the London-based app studio The Feel Good Project, which specializes in tech that makes users feel inspired and happy rather than drained by doomscrolling.
The app is free to use with advanced features available through subscription. We didn’t love how heavy-handed it was in pushing the trial subscription during onboarding, though.
Available on iOS and Google Play.
Coop
The recent parasite outbreak in the U.S. has people thinking more carefully about where their food comes from. Buying from local growers and bakers may be the safer choice — and better for the community — but not everyone has time to make it to the farmer’s market on the weekend.
Coop’s app offers an alternative through its neighborhood marketplace, where you can buy handmade and homegrown items from the people close to you — even from the farmhouse down the road that sells fresh eggs, or a neighbor willing to barter their goods for yours. The idea is to keep commerce local while helping people turn their own backyard, garden, or craft into an extra income stream.
On Coop, you can browse and discover nearby sellers, follow your favorites, see how far they are from you, and buy from them through the app’s Stripe integration. The seller then receives the order and prepares it for pickup.
Available on iOS and Google Play.
PI.FYI by Awfully Nice
A bright and slightly chaotic app, PI.FYI promises to bring back the “old internet,” where you discovered things through a network of friends rather than algorithms. Having emerged from a cult newsletter, the app has been around for a couple of years but still feels fresh and modern — and very much like the alternative to social media it aims to be.
In PI.FYI, you can track what you’re into, share your taste, and browse by category or “scenes” like music, whimsy, retro, and literature to find your community, read interesting articles, make lists, get local recommendations, and play games with friends. The app exudes a retro vibe itself, as if it were built when the internet was a little less polished, too.
Available on iOS and Google Play.
Lettre
OK, it may not be as fun as sending a letter by carrier pigeon, but the pen pal app Lettre embraces the joy of snail mail in digital form. This letter-writing app lets you start new friendships with pen pals around the world, discovered through the app, or with someone whose email address you already know. Unfortunately, letters are sent digitally through the app or email for now, but the company’s FAQ suggests it’s considering a physical mail option for the future, which would be so much fun.
Available on iOS only.
Couch Time
While not a brand-new app, Couch Time is one of several picking up where the recently shuttered TV Time app left off. The app has an easy-to-use, uncluttered interface for tracking the movies and TV shows you’re watching, organizing your watchlist, discovering what to stream next, and getting reminders about new releases.
While Couch Time’s commenting section doesn’t yet rival TV Time’s boards, the app’s social features leave room for the community to grow, as it supports the ability to react with a GIF or photo alongside your text, and includes built-in translation features to serve a global audience.
Available on iOS and Google Play.
ThingsBook
ThingsBook, a new writing-focused app from South Korean internet giant Naver’s U.S. subsidiary, is hardly an indie effort, but it’s an intriguing premise for what the future of social media could look like. Rather than doomscrolling, ThingsBook offers a flexible space where you can capture what you care about — whether that’s through journaling, logging ideas, or collecting things like books, travels, meals, hobbies, and goals into structured lists you can revisit and grow.
The company explains that the app’s purpose isn’t to focus on “fleeting trends” but to become a “living document of who you are and what you love.”
Available on iOS and Google Play.
Pressed Petals
App or creative project? Pressed Petals is both. An indie effort from fashion designer Cynthia Chen, the app turns the photos of flowers you find on your walks into a pressed specimen, like one you’d find in a “traditional botanical journal.” The app automatically saves the location where you spotted the flower, along with the date and time, turning your nature walks into interactive experiences. It also identifies the flower by name — both its scientific name and its common name.
You can try pressing two flowers for free, then pay a one-time fee of $4.99 to unlock the full experience. This is a fun app for luring your little ones outside, as it gives them something else to do beyond the hike itself.
Available on iOS only.
Moods Faster
We’re suckers for single-purpose apps that are built well. Moods Faster by Nick Leith is a great example, as it offers a way to log your moods for tracking in Apple Health in just two taps — one to pick the mood and a second to confirm it.
You can choose between logging your current mood or your overall mood for the day, and optionally add data about the context and emotions you’re experiencing at the time of logging. In the settings, you can pick between different color schemes for your moods, though some are paywalled.
At $1.95 per month, it’s a reasonable subscription for someone who regularly tracks their moods and emotions for mental health purposes.
Available on iOS only.
Trigger Fitness
Originally pitched as a way to encourage teenagers to exercise, Trigger Fitness has recently expanded its screen-time-earning app to include the whole family, which frankly makes it better. (The kids will just hate their parents for using it, otherwise. Plus, it could turn outdoor time or exercise into a dreaded chore in kids’ minds, which defeats the purpose.)
For adults, the app could help you stick to your own personal goals — like no doomscrolling until you get your steps in for the day.
Available on iOS only.
