Ace Every Assignment With 15 Go-To Productivity Apps for Students

It starts the same way every time. You sit down with the best intentions—open your laptop, maybe even a textbook—and then five minutes later, you’re somehow watching a video on how whales dream. 

Sound familiar? Staying on track feels like an impossible game between endless notifications and a growing list of assignments. 

That’s where student productivity apps come in. ✅

Whether you need a smarter way to organize to-do lists, plan your week with Google Calendar, or finally try the Pomodoro technique to beat procrastination, these tools are designed to make student life easier.

In this blog, we’ll learn about the 15 best productivity apps for students. Let’s begin! 

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What Should You Look for in Productivity Tools for Students?

Students often struggle with time management, finding it a key source of stress and overwhelm on a daily basis. In fact, 45% of American college students claimed to undergo “more than average stress,” while 33% of students reported “average stress.”

While not a comprehensive solution, Productivity apps can help tackle these issues to a huge extent by helping students save time, streamline tasks, and promote focus.

Here are the key features to look for in your go-to productivity app:

✅ Customizable to-do lists: Select productivity apps that organize tasks with options for setting priorities, deadlines, and recurring reminders

✅ Calendar integration: Pick productivity apps with the feature to sync schedules with Google Calendar or similar tools to avoid missed deadlines or overlaps

✅ Focus timers: Choose productivity apps with built-in Pomodoro timers or app-blocking features to minimize distractions during study sessions

✅ Cloud sync and backup: Go for productivity tools allowing access to notes, tasks, and files across multiple devices, ensuring you’re always connected

✅ Digital notebook options: Prioritize productivity tools for students that double down as note-taking apps for multimedia inputs like images, voice notes, and handwritten annotations

✅ Collaboration tools: Opt for productivity apps with shared task boards, file sharing, and communication channels for group projects

✅ Time tracking: Focus on productivity tools that log how you spend your hours, helping identify productivity bottlenecks in your student life

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The 15 Best Productivity Apps for Students

The right productivity app differentiates between surviving and thriving in your academic life. Let’s find out the 15 best productivity apps for students:

1. ClickUp (Best all-in-one productivity tool for students)

Try ClickUp

First up is ClickUp—your ultimate study buddy and all-in-one productivity app designed to make student life a breeze. Whether managing assignments, tracking class projects, or organizing your personal life, ClickUp has the tools to help you stay on top. 

ClickUp for Students is like having a personal assistant, project manager, and productivity guru all rolled into one. Perfect for time management in the university learning setting, ClickUp offers various features to streamline your academic workflow and stay organized. 

It includes features like task management—with customizable tasks, subtasks, and checklists to—break down assignments.  You can use it to set reminders for deadlines, track progress visually, and collaborate on group projects using shared task lists and documents.

ClickUp also facilitates note-taking, document creation, and goal-setting, keeping all your coursework centralized. 

Try ClickUp Brain

Besides, ClickUp Brain supercharges your time management by letting you create notes straight from the AI writing assistant. It also helps craft polished emails, essays, or outlines, while features like transcription and quick replies streamline communication. 

If you struggle with managing your focus time for study sessions, the ClickUp Time Tracker is a lifesaver. Log the time you spend on specific tasks—like reviewing lecture slides or working on assignments.

You can also implement time-blocking methods using the tracker to allocate study periods, like 25-minute focus intervals followed by 5-minute breaks, to stay productive and avoid burnout. 

Use ClickUp Tasks

Moreover, ClickUp Tasks is excellent for breaking down large assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks. Set deadlines, prioritize tasks, and add notes or resources directly to each one.

For example, if you’re writing a research paper, create tasks for outlining, researching, drafting, and editing, ensuring no step gets overlooked. 🛠️

ClickUp best features

• Map out ideas, assign tasks, and create a visual workflow with ClickUp Whiteboard so that everyone in the group can see and update it in real time
• Set up workflows through ClickUp Automation that handle repetitive tasks like weekly productivity plans or reminders for assignment deadlines automatically
• Organize your academic workload with over 15 custom views by visualizing your assignments in a List, tracking project deadlines on a Calendar, or curating your exam prep schedule with Gantt charts
• Use ClickUp Notepad and ClickUp Docs to jot down ideas or create comprehensive documents with nested pages
• Record your screen using ClickUp Clips to seek feedback or get clarity on specific assignments and related tasks
• Build a personalized dashboard on ClickUp to monitor your assignments, grades, and deadlines all in one place for a bird’s-eye view of your semester

ClickUp limitations

• Some advanced features, like certain views, aren’t yet fully functional on the mobile app

ClickUp pricing

ClickUp ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5 (9,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,000+ reviews)

2. Google Calendar (Best for simplified scheduling and task management)

Google Calendar is ideal for students who want to stay organized while managing a packed schedule. Its ability to align tasks, events, and appointments directly on a visual timeline makes it one of the best productivity apps for students to balance academic deadlines with extracurricular activities.

Want to plan your entire week? Drag and drop events on the timeline to see where to squeeze in that much-needed library session or coffee break. Additionally, color-code your calendar to differentiate between classes, study sessions, and downtime. 🎨

Google Calendar best features

• Add and track tasks directly on your calendar for clear deadline alignment
• Schedule and share appointment slots for study sessions or meetings with booking links
• Enable daily agenda emails to stay updated on your schedule each morning

Google Calendar limitations

• Some features are too simplistic for complex time and project management

Google Calendar pricing

• Free version
• Business Starter: $6/month per user
• Business Standard: $12/month per user
• Business Plus: $18/month per user
• Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing

Google Calendar reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.6/5 (42,600+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.8/5 (3,300+ reviews)

3. Google Drive (Best for collaborative file management)

Google Drive is the most accessible tool for students managing group projects, sharing assignments, or organizing study materials. The platform’s cloud storage and collaborative features allow you to access, edit, and share files in real time across devices.

From storing lecture notes to co-editing presentations with classmates, Google Drive keeps everything in one accessible place. Use Google Docs to write essays together, Google Sheets to create to-do lists, and Google Slides to create presentations and store them all in the Drive! ⭐

Google Drive best features

• Store and organize class notes, projects, and files in the cloud
• Collaborate on and scan physical documents and upload them to the Drive for other teammates to access instantly
• Forget the hassle of saving and uploading new and important updates to a cloud with Drive automatically saving all changes

Google Drive limitations

• Free storage limit of 15 GB is restrictive for students with heavy file needs
• Basic features when compared to other productivity tools for college students

Google Drive pricing

• Free (up to 15 GB)
• Basic (100 GB): $1.99/month per user
• Premium (2 TB): $9.99/month per user
• AI Premium (2 TB): $19.99/month per user

Google Drive reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.7/5 (42,620+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.8/5 (4,200+ reviews)

4. Forest (Best for staying focused through gamification)

Forest uses gamification to help students stay productive and minimize distractions. By planting a virtual tree every time you focus, the app incentivizes you to stay off your phone.🌳

Over time, your productivity translates into planting virtual trees in a lush virtual forest and contributing to a sustainable cause. That’s right, you can use the virtual coins from Forest to help plant real trees! This makes it perfect for students who thrive on visual motivation and enjoy turning tasks into fun challenges.

Forest best features

• Plant virtual trees that grow while you focus on turning hard work into a visual reward
• Stay off distracting apps, as leaving the Forest app causes your tree to die
• Build a personalized virtual forest over time, reflecting your focus and productivity

Forest limitations

• Limited integration with external productivity tools like task managers or calendars
• The Chrome extension is limited and a bit glitchy

Forest pricing

• One-time purchase: $3.99/user

5. Microsoft OneNote (Best for versatile and collaborative note-taking)

Microsoft OneNote is a powerful note-taking app that adapts to your unique note-taking style. It helps you seamlessly organize lecture notes, brainstorm ideas, and sketch diagrams.

The voice transcription and sharing features are especially useful for capturing lectures on the go and collaborating with classmates on projects. Coupled with this, its integration with Microsoft Office ensures a smooth workflow. Accessible on any device, OneNote is a great tool for staying organized and boosting productivity. 📝

Microsoft OneNote best features

• Use digital ink to sketch, annotate, and highlight notes for a personalized learning experience
• Record and transcribe lectures directly within the app for easy review later
• Collaborate with classmates or teachers by sharing and editing notes in real-time

Microsoft OneNote limitations

• Syncing might be unreliable when switching between devices or working offline

Microsoft OneNote pricing

• Free Version
• Microsoft 365 Personal: $6.99/month per user
• Microsoft 365 Family: $9.99/month per user (up to 6 users)

Microsoft OneNote reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.5/5 (1,800+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (1,790+ reviews)

6. Cold Turkey (Best for distraction-free productivity)

Cold Turkey is the ultimate tool if you struggle to focus due to distractions from websites, apps, or games.

By allowing you to block websites, applications, or even the entire internet, Cold Turkey creates a disciplined work environment that’s hard to cheat. This tool is especially valuable if you constantly battle procrastination—it forces you to prioritize tasks and reclaim your productivity. 

Cold Turkey best features

• Take breaks at predefined times with timers based on the Pomodoro technique that alternates the block on and off while you work
• Block embedded content that is loaded in an iframe like YouTube videos
• Lock settings to prevent changes during active blocks, ensuring accountability

Cold Turkey limitations

• Mobile devices are not supported due to OS limitations

Cold Turkey pricing

• One-Time Payment of $39 per user

7. Quizlet (Best for interactive and personalized study tools)

Quizlet is your go-to study tool for learning through interactive flashcards, practice tests, and AI-powered tools like Q-Chat that make learning efficient and engaging. It’s especially useful for students preparing for exams across any subject, allowing them to create custom content or access expert-curated sets.

With features like Learn Mode and personalized progress tracking, Quizlet adapts to your learning style and pace. The collaborative tools and expert-verified content ensure effective preparation for exams, quizzes, or everyday classwork. 

Quizlet best features

• Memorize and internalize concepts more accurately with retrieval practice
• Use personalized practice tests that move from simple to complex questions as you progress
• Enhance classroom engagement with live in-class games like Quizlet Live

Quizlet limitations

• Repetitive questions in certain sets become annoying over time
• More of a learning app than a productivity app to help students to stay focused

Quizlet pricing

• Free Plan: $0
• Quizlet Plus: $7.99/month per user

Quizlet reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.5/5 (280+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (130+ reviews)

8. RescueTime (Best for automatic time tracking and focus enhancement

RescueTime helps you track your time automatically and build productive habits. By providing detailed insights into your day, it identifies distractions and highlights areas for improvement, ensuring you stay on top of your academic goals.

With features like Focus Sessions, goal setting, and automatic activity tracking, RescueTime helps you manage study schedules effectively. Identify and understand your study pattern to stay on top of your goals by maximizing productivity, minimizing procrastination, and creating a better balance. 🕒

RescueTime best features

• Block distracting websites and apps while setting dedicated focus periods
• Gain real-time insights into your daily activities with automated tracking
• Set personalized goals and track progress with detailed trends and insights

RescueTime limitations

• Limited integration between mobile and desktop apps

RescueTime pricing

• Lite: Free forever
• Premium Solo: $12/month
• Premium Team: $9/month per user

RescueTime reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.1/5 (85+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (130+ reviews)

9. Anki (Best for mastering material through spaced repetition)

Anki is your best bet for retaining information efficiently and in the long run. The platform employs spaced repetition to enhance long-term retention, making it ideal for mastering complex subjects.

Anki’s customizable, media-rich cards support text, images, audio, and video, catering to diverse learning styles and making them indispensable for learning a new language or memorizing complex concepts.

Whether it’s preparing for exams, mastering vocabulary, or retaining detailed concepts, Anki helps you focus on what matters most. 💾

Anki best features

• Optimize your study times with Anki’s intelligent scheduling system for maximum efficiency
• Resourceful and active user forums to help out with snags during usage
• Synchronize decks across devices with AnkiWeb for seamless study anywhere

Anki limitations

• Notifications for AnkiDroid are sometimes inconsistent, often requiring manual app checks
• The learning curve on Anki is a bit steep compared to other productivity apps for students

Anki pricing

• Free 
• Mobile iOS app: $24.99 (one-time buy)

Anki reviews and rating

• G2: 4.7/5 (25+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (20+ reviews)

10. Todoist (Best for simple and intuitive task management)

Todoist is ideal if you’re looking for a clean, user-friendly tool to effectively organize your tasks and priorities. It stands out for its simplicity, offering features like natural language input to add tasks and powerful filters for easy categorization quickly.

The platform’s intuitive interface allows you to break down tasks into manageable to-dos, set deadlines, and prioritize what’s most important to ace your studies.

Whether you’re planning assignments, tracking extracurricular activities, or setting reminders for group projects, Todoist’s flexibility makes it an essential tool for busy students. With cross-device syncing and smart features, it’s excellent for staying productive on the go. 🗃️

Todoist best features

• Set recurring reminders for daily habits, like reviewing notes or attending class
• Organize and prioritize tasks using labels, filters, and boards for better focus
• Track progress with productivity insights and goal-setting features

Todoist limitations

• Limited collaboration features compared to full project management tools and other apps

Todoist pricing

• Beginner: Free
• Pro: $5/month per user
• Business: $8/month per user

Todoist review and rating

• G2: 4.4/5 (800+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (2,500+ reviews)

11. Notion (Best for all-in-one organization and workspace customization)

With its highly customizable interface, Notion helps students create tailored setups for note-taking, assignment tracking, and project management, allowing them to streamline their study routines. From building to-do lists to maintaining a digital notebook, Notion adapts to fit every learning style and need.

The app enables collaboration, making it ideal for group projects and study sessions. With productivity templates for every use case, Notion adapts to your workflow and helps organize your academic calendar. ✍️

Notion best features

• Build personalized dashboards with a combination of tasks, notes, and databases
• Create dynamic relationships between notes, schedules, and resources through linked databases
• Collaborate with classmates in real time with shared pages and version histories

Notion limitations

• Advanced customization options feel overwhelming for new users
• Limited offline capabilities are a challenge without consistent internet access.

Notion pricing

• Free: $0/month per user (limited 5MB file uploads)
• Plus: $12/month per user
• Business: $18/month per user
• Enterprise: Contact for pricing

Notion review and rating

• G2: 4.7/5 (5,800+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (2,200+ reviews)

12. Habitica (Best for gamifying your habits and productivity)

Habitica is a unique productivity app that transforms task management into an engaging role-playing game. Such gamification makes it ideal for students seeking to build habits and stay organized. Track your habits, daily goals, and to-dos, and earn rewards like battle gear, pets, and magic skills as you level up.

If you miss tasks, you’ll face penalties, adding a playful sense of accountability.

Plus, team up with friends to defeat monsters and tackle quests together. This interactive approach promotes accountability and consistency, effectively helping students manage their academic workload and personal commitments. 

Habitica best features

• Build custom habits, daily tasks and lists, earning experience points and unlocking achievements as you progress
• Create and join guilds for accountability and social interaction with others
• Personalize avatars to reflect progress and achievements

Habitica limitations

• The user interface could benefit from updates to improve clarity and customization
• Always require high-speed stable internet connectivity for smooth functioning

Habitica pricing

• Free Plan
• Monthly: $4.99/month per user

13. Freedom (Best for managing digital distractions across all devices)

Freedom is a productivity app designed to help students minimize digital distractions by blocking access to specific websites and applications across multiple devices. By creating a focused, distraction-free environment, Freedom enables students to concentrate on their studies and enhance overall productivity.

With Freedom, schedule focused study sessions, synchronize blocking preferences across devices, and utilize ambient noise features to maintain concentration. This comprehensive approach assists in developing effective study habits and achieving academic goals. 🛡️

Freedom best features

• Block distracting websites and apps across all devices with cross-device syncing to maintain focus
• Plan and automate blocking sessions to align with study schedules
• Enable Locked Mode to prevent ending block sessions prematurely

Freedom limitations

• Android users can currently only create one default blocklist, limiting customization

Freedom pricing

• Premium: $8.99/month per user
• Forever: $199

14. Grammarly (Best for enhancing writing quality with AI assistance)

Grammarly isn’t just about fixing grammar—it’s an intelligent AI writing assistant designed to elevate every aspect of your communication. Its advanced features assist in crafting well-structured essays, research papers, and assignments, ensuring polished and effective academic writing.

Through seamless integration across multiple platforms like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and web browsers, Grammarly helps students maintain high-quality writing across various applications. 📚

Grammarly best features

• Provides advanced grammar, spelling, and tone suggestions for polished communication, along with plagiarism checks
• Offers AI-powered tools for sentence rewrites, vocabulary enhancements, and auto-citations
• Automatically generate and format citations directly from the browser

Grammarly limitations

• Occasionally overly aggressive with suggestions, leading to distractions
• The subscription for advanced features might be high for budget-conscious students

Grammarly pricing

• Free
• Pro: $30/month per user
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Grammarly reviews and ratings

• G2: 4.7/5 (9,700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (7,100+ reviews)

15. Pomofocus (Best for structured time management and focus)

Pomofocus is a straightforward yet effective Pomodoro timer designed to help you stay productive and manage your time efficiently. With features like task tracking, customizable timers, and visual productivity reports, Pomofocus is perfect for creating a structured workflow without distractions.

Accessible via desktop and mobile browsers, it assists users in managing tasks such as studying, writing, or coding, promoting sustained concentration and efficient time management. ⏱️

Pomofocus best features

• Use a customizable Pomodoro timer to set focused work and break intervals tailored to your needs
• Track task progress and view detailed daily, weekly, and monthly reports to monitor productivity
• Save web articles and repetitive tasks as templates for quick and easy setup

Pomofocus limitations

• Lacks comprehensive task management and time-tracking functionalities found in some of the best productivity apps for students

Pomofocus pricing

• Free
• Premium: $3/month per user

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Take the First Step Toward Productivity With ClickUp

Choosing the best free productivity apps depends on your unique needs—managing tasks, tracking time, or enhancing focus.

While specialized tools like Forest or RescueTime are great, having an all-in-one solution like ClickUp simplifies everything. ✅

From collaborative whiteboards to AI-powered automation, ClickUp’s versatility means you don’t need multiple tools to stay productive. It’s the ultimate app to help students plan, organize, and execute efficiently in one space. 

Ready to transform the way you manage your academic life? Sign up for ClickUp today and take charge of your productivity!

Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.

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