The Apple App Review Site

    Apps with Mac, iPadOS and iOS versions

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    PDF Editor

    PDFexpert

    Full review

    Another Apple recommended app from Readdle. Read, annotate and edit PDFs, change text and images, fill forms and sign contracts all with smooth scrolling and rapid search.

    $79.99

  • Yomu

    Task Management

    GoodTask

    Screens

    This is how Apple should have delivered Reminders! GoodTask wraps around Reminders to enhance its functionality

    $39.99

  • Yomu

    eBook Reader

    Yomu

    Screens

    Yomu only does one thing (eBook reader) but does it in just a brilliant way across all your devices whilst destroying the idea that you cannot read a book on an iPhone!

    Free (£4.49/Pro)

  • Enpass

    Password Manager

    Enpass

    Screens

    The best by far; desktop version is free; iPadOS and iOS versions available on subscription or one-off purchase*. Easy to customise.

    $*60.00

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    Graphics

    Pixelmator Pro

    Screens

    As feature rich as Photoshop at a fraction of the cost and feels more like a Mac app! Companion iPad app very easy to use.

    $27.99

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    Leisure

    River Thames Guide

    Screens

    An interactive map, journey planner, lock guide, safety notes, weather, current river conditions and more; this is the perfect app for leisure pursuits on the River Thames and Wey Navigation.

    Free

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    Note Taking

    Goodnotes

    Screens

    With handwriting search, iCloud sync, PDF annotation, multi-window support, built-in document management and more, this is truly a great buy!.

    $7.99

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  • Copyright © Jeff Maynard - All Rights Reserved

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PDFexpert PDF Editor - more info


Even before you start wanting to edit a PDF, this app offers a great reading experience: day, night or sepia modes; comprehensive search including history; annotate any part of any PDF (using Apple pencil on iPad).

Editing extends not just to text but to images and links as well.

With or without an Apple pencil you can fill in and sign forms and documents; signatures are legally binding so no need to print, sign and post!.

PDFExpert woks across all your Apple devices (signed in to the same Apple Id): start editing on your Mac, read on your iPhone and complete and sign on your iPad.

As well as the option to rearrange the pages of a PDF document PDFExpert will combine two or more PDF documents into a single new one.

Individual pages from a PDF document can be removed, rotated or extracted.
About

This site was created by Jeff Maynard to review the best-in-class of a variety of apps for Apple devices (Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, TV, Watch).
In each category I have reviewed a number of apps (anything from two to ten) and selected the one I think is best - this is the one reviewed.
My process is simple (but comprehensive): use each app for weeks in 'normal' working and doing every day stuff. In this way I can better understand the nuances of use and don't rely on the PR stuff from the app developer.
I do not review apps I am not planning to keep...
Help

This Apple app review site does not really need a Help section. From the Home page choose the category of app you are interested in (Mac, iPadOS, iOS - iPadOS, iOS only - Mac only) and read the details of the app in which you are interested.

You can click on the link following to see screenshots or click on the brief description to see more details.

See the About tab for details of how the apps are chosen and reviewed.
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River Thames Guide - more info


The ultimate leisure guide for the River Thames (tidal and non-tidal) and the Wey Navigation

Everything you need to know for any leisure activity on the river: cruising, paddle-boarding, canoeing, kayaking, walking (the Thames path), camping, fishing and more.

Whether you have a motor yacht, narrow boat, sailing barge, paddle board, canoe, kayak or just like to stroll along the bank you will find everything you need before and during your trip.

An interactive map can be overlaid with any combination of locks, marinas, boatyards, pump-outs, fishing, slipways, pubs, camping grounds and much more.

The Journey Planner lets you pick any two of 102 locations on the Thames (or 46 on the Wey) and will calculate the sailing distance and time as well as the number of locks to transit. The route of your journey can be overlaid on the map.

River Thames Guide is available in two versions: regular which includes the maps (so is a big download) and Lite which needs an active Internet connection to use the maps.
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GoodTask - more info


GoodTask does not replace Reminders but wraps around it to provide a lot more functionality; GoodTask syncs (both ways) with Reminders and Calendar.

The improved UI provided by GoodTask makes Reminders so much easier to use as well as providing simpler ways to start complex tasks (such as repeated ones).

The price shown is for the Mac version; adding iOS and iPadOS costs another $9.99 (although a limited free version is also available) .
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Yomu eBook Reader - more info


Without a doubt this is the best software to use to read your eBooks on a Mac, iPad and/or iPhone!.

To illustrate how well Yomu copes with reading on an iPhone all the screenshots are from an iPhone 12.

Unlike the Kindle app, Yomu can handle an enormous book collection and keep, not just your library contents, but every book's reading position up-to-date (thanks to iCloud).

Yomu has been developed only for the single purpose of reading eBooks and, as such, is the one-to-use and the free version provides all the basic functions; upgrade to Pro for iCloud sync and more.

Yomu can read eBooks in a variety of formats including: epub, mobi, prc, azw, cbz and pdf.
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Enpass password manager - more info


A great starting point with Enpass is it's ability to import existing password info from other apps.

Once data is imported or entered it is easy to add customised icons or let Enpass use the target site favicon; either way it is then easy to find the detail you are looking for.

Keeping password data safe is clearly a must-have in a password manager; Enpass can use Face or Touch Id on an iPhone or iPad and a long password on your Mac (after entering you can elect to open the app with a PIN).

Enpass uses your iCloud account both to sync between devices and as a backup location; no data is sent to any Enpass servers so providing maximum security for your data.

You can, of course, use Enpass to store data other than just passwords and you can set up multiple vaults (for example: one for work and one for home).

Although not tested by me, Enpass is available for Android, Linux, Windows and more.
Pixelmator Pro - more info


Designed and engineered exclusively for the Mac, Pixelmator is immediately at home despite its enormous range of options, tools and creative opportunities.

Intelligent, intuitive tools for moving, resizing, and arranging layers, make Pixelmator Pro incredibly easy to put every object in your composition exactly where you want it; smart guides are shown automatically when needed to help arrange all your graphic items.

Colour has always been a strength of the Mac and Pixelmator Pro builds on that with a collection of powerful, nondestructive colour adjustments.

At a fraction of the price of Photoshop this is not just cheaper but easier to use, more intuitive and better suited to a Mac environment.
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Goodnotes - more info


Billed as "Leave Paper Behind' Goodnotes truly lives up to the claim.

Even your handwritten notes can be fully searched and intermingled with typed and imported text and graphics.

And with iCloud synching between all your devices (logged into the same Apple Id) you can create, read, update and enhance any of your Goodnotes documents anywhere, anytime.

A single purchase makes Goodnotes available on your iPad, iPhone and Mac; a new version of write once, read many!

Goodnotes also serves as a PDF annotator - just import the PDF and mark up as needed.

iPad users can take advantage of Goodnotes' multi window support to work on two documents or two parts of one document at the same time.