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The best 15+ travel games for your phone that work offline

January 3, 2023 by Karen Turner 4 Comments

As someone with limited data, I’m always astounded how few apps work well offline and without data. I’m often toying with a new phone app that I can play while on the road.  After far too many apps that I’ve burned through during a long bus ride, I’ve asked my fellow bloggers for their favorite travel game apps for iPhone and Android that work perfectly offline, so even if you’re on a long plane ride, you can still enjoy playing on your phone!  I’ve tried to focus this list on thought-provoking games for your phone that challenge your mind, rather than games that just keep you busy (as they’re addictive).

• Monument Valley

Don’t Starve

Plague inc..

• Leo’s Fortune
• Alto’s Adventure

Reigns: Her Majesty

Old man’s journey, the escapists.

• Life is Strange

Lumosity: Train of Thought

Hit the light.

It’s good to note that not all of these apps are free and I strongly recommend buying a power bank if you’ll be playing a lot of travel games during your trip on your phone.  Games can really kill your battery, especially when the screen is bright.

• 1.1 Monument Valley (and its sequels)
• 1.2 Device6
• 1.3 Don’t Starve
• 1.4 80 days
• 1.5 Plague Inc.
• 1.6 Crossword
• 1.7 Heads Up
• 1.8 Leo’s Fortune
• 1.9 Alto’s Adventure
• 1.10 Blackbar
• 1.11 Broken Age
• 1.12 Solitaired
• 1.13 Reigns: Her Majesty
• 1.14 Old Man’s Journey
• 1.15 The Escapists
• 1.16 Life Is Strange
• 1.17 Framed
• 1.18 Lumosity: Train of Thought
• 1.19 Hearts
• 1.20 Wordescapes
• 1.21 Solitaire Bliss
• 1.22 Hit the Light
• 1.23 Minesweeper
• 1.24 What’s your favorite travel game on your phone?

The best game apps for travel for iPhone and Android

Monument valley (and its sequels).

From the moment I discovered this game in House of Cards, I was addicted to this elegant game. Its beautiful Escher-like concept together with its clever puzzles make it a joy to play.  I’ve bought the sequels as well. It has the feel of a puzzle game without the strain of doing a puzzle.     (My husband is begging me for a turn!)

Buy for iPhone / Android

Device6 is a clever and unique game only for iPhones. For game lovers who are looking for different and mind-bending, try out this game. It integrates literature with fantasy and puzzles. We don’t want to ruin the surprise!

Buy for iPhone

If you are looking for something to keep you occupied during an 8-hour flight, look no further than “Don’t Starve”. In its essence, Don’t Starve is a wilderness survival game. Your character is dropped in an unfamiliar wasteland and your task is, quite simply, not to die.

Unlike most other games today, Don’t Starve doesn’t come with a tutorial which means it’s 100% up to you to figure out how to play this game. It is challenging and engaging. You need to be strategic and creative.

You’ll need to figure out how to feed yourself, how to defend yourself against enemies, and how to find shelter. If you die, you will have to start over from scratch and the world you find may be entirely different from the previous.

Challenge yourself and see how long you can survive. With my best efforts, I haven’t made it past 8 days yet! It may be a paid game, but it is worth every cent and works perfectly without an internet connection! Just be warned, it’s almost impossible to put down 😉  – Jacky

I love this choose-your-own adventure game where you try to help your character get around the world.  Along the way, your character will get into all sorts of trouble (of course). 

Maybe it’s my love of travel, but I have an intense love for the Victorian steampunk world full of delight, splendor, and laughs.  It’s fun to play this with a friend sitting next to you–and you’ll not want to put this game down.

Ever dream of destroying the human race?  Want to destroy the human race without being labeled a mass murderer?  Try Plague Inc.  Plague Inc. is a strategy game where you become a small microbe and get to infect people around the world.  The goal is to spread quickly and kill of the humans before they notice and decide to start creating a cure.

This game is a major time killer.  The standard game has four different microbes you can become at 4 difficulty levels. Each microbe has different characteristics.  The different levels can make the game easy or hard.  Each game is different and that’s not just due to the microbe or difficulty level. 

You have to evolve your microbe.  How you chose to affect the humans can vary.  Do you go for the quick kill or a long drawn-out illness?  Should you start your illness in a populated country or one of the more remote islands of the world?   I love that each game takes less than 30 minutes and I am always experimenting new ways to destroy the world.  – Jennifer

This free app with a reasonable subscription to the New York Times Crossword is so worth it if you’re into crosswords. The Saturday and Sunday crosswords are my favorite although they’re generally the hardest. It’s especially fun to do it with a loved one as you can debate on who has the correct answer to the clue!

Before a plane ride, just remember to hit download on all the crosswords that you want to be downloaded for the flight–and you should be entertained for hours.  (This is even easier to use on a tablet.)

Heads Up was the perfect game to play as a group or pair when time was moving slower than a sloth getting out of bed on a Sunday. The premise is simple: one person holds their phone to their forehead while the rest of the group try to describe or act out the word on the screen. When they guess correctly, the player tilts the phone to get a new word described. While there doesn’t always need to be a “winner”, of course the person with the most correct guesses does the best!

There’s plenty to enjoy about the game; it doesn’t require much prior knowledge, involves everyone in a group, you can play as little or as long as you like, and often any language differences can add an element of hilarity to the game.

As a game that doesn’t invite too much serious competitiveness or over-challenging tasks, it’s a great way to have a laugh with new and old friends. I have extremely fond memories of this game from my travels, I associate it with meeting new people from all sorts of cultures, making great memories, and learning a thing or two about my acting and describing skills! – Suzy

Leo’s Fortune

Guide a green fluffball with a mustache through progressively more difficult levels of cliffs, forests, gears, levers, deserts, and more. Leo tells you his sad story as you try and help him recover his gold. His expressive eyes and fluffiness are so well-animated, it makes flinging him up on a branch that much more rewarding.

The developers spent some money on the voiceover for this game, and it shows, I genuinely missed Leo when I finished it! You will want headphones for this one to get the full experience. Lovers of platformers will particularly enjoy this game. – Erin

Alto’s Adventure

I’ve played this one off and on for years, as it’s a classic side-scrolling jumping game and perfect for killing time in short bursts. Alto is a snowboarder, and you’re attempting to get as far as you can while avoiding rocks, reindeer, posts and other obstacles.

There’s the added fun of trying to incorporate flips and tricks, and board sliding bunting. You eventually unlock other skiers with different skills too. It’s beautifully animated, with a minimalistic aesthetic, as you’re seeing pretty much everything in silhouette. I find it fun for short periods, but I don’t have a particularly obsessive gaming personality. Some people play this for hours! -Erin

This short, but fun game is great for puzzle lovers who are looking for something different.  The game is about censorship in its various forms–and it requires that you use your sleuthing skills to figure out the story behind the actions.

Buy on Google Play Store / iTunes Store

I got sucked into this point-and-click puzzle game so quickly.  Despite the childish drawings that made me initially doubt if this was for adults, this story-based game with two different characters has an engaging plot line and interesting puzzles.

I found the story very beautiful and funny.  I didn’t want to stop playing this one, so consider buying this prior to a long international flight if you’re into puzzle games.

Buy for iPhone & Android

Solitaired stands out as an exceptional online platform for card game enthusiasts, offering a wide variety of solitaire games and related card games, all accessible directly from your web browser or through their Google Play app. The website features an intuitive user interface, making it easy for players to navigate through different games and find their preferred version of solitaire making it perfect for travel. Whether you’re on a long flight, train ride, or just waiting around, the app provides a fantastic way to pass the time and enjoy classic card and board game action.

Download for Android or visit their mobile-friendly desktop site

A Tinder-like decision-making game, Reigns: Her Majesty puts in the place of the Queen in the center of an imaginary royal court, with many decisions to make.

Some are hilarious, like how to put up with your annoying husband, and others are about how to rule your kingdom. You have to walk the line between antagonizing your subjects too much and inspiring too much love –– either extreme will get you killed!

The writing here is witty, funny, and barbed, poking fun at the ways women are caught between impossible choices. It won a BAFTA award for best game, and I’m not surprised. This one can be played in short bursts or you can sink into an hour-long binge, it’s that good. – Erin

Old Man’s Journey is a thoughtful puzzle game where an old man looks back on his life and his memories. It’s subtle, beautifully drawn, and with dynamics that I haven’t seen in many games before this.  I found the whole experience very calming, even when I was frustrated with not getting to the next level.

Break your pixellated character out of prison! This game has won several awards, and for good reason. Incorporating an old-school gaming aesthetic with a bit of crafting and the occasional round of whacking people over the head with makeshift weapons, this game is more complicated than it first appears.

There are several ways to break out of any given prison level –– from causing full-scale riots to digging tunnels to making disguises. It’s compelling enough to entertain you during a long boring train ride, but quick enough to make a short wait entertaining. -Erin

Get for iPhone or Android

Life Is Strange

Life is Strange is a choose-your-own adventure game that is closer to a movie that you get to direct yourself.  It’s emotionally gripping, cinematic, and with a poignant story.  It’s fairly long, so you’ll get a lot of use out of it for a low cost (think how much you’d pay for a movie).  My husband and I spent  days playing this game together.

Get for iPhone only at the moment.

Framed is an amazing concept of an app where you create and rearrange comic panels in an attempt to help your spy succeed.  The gameplay is a bit fast, but it’s a blast to play and you’ll lose track of time while playing Framed. 

The animation of Framed is hand drawn and the music just adds another piece.  I’d consider it the perfect travel game for a long wait at the airport–although you shouldn’t get too invested in it. 😉

Get for iPhone / Android

Lumosity is an app featuring a variety of games that reportedly train your brain to become more agile in different ways. The free version of the app serves up three games from a collection each day for your brain workout. You can play each game as often as you want during the day. I love most of the games I have played so far, but my favorite by far is Train of Thought.

Train of Thought i s Lumosity’s most popular brain game. It has reportedly been played over half-a-billion times since it was launched in 2013. I am not surprised at all…Train of Thought is both addictive and aggravating like the best games always are!

So, how does it work? The game features a screen with a bunch of train stations in different colors, with tracks connecting each station to a starting point. When you are ready, trains are released onto the track from the start point one by one, and the goal is to throw switches correctly and in time for each train to head into its home station. 

It sounds simple…but it gets progressively more difficult with each level. On a recent ten-hour flight to Europe, I spent every waking minute playing it (and I barely slept!), but I still could not crack my current level of 11.  – Dhara

Get for iPhone & Android

The objective of Hearts is to accumulate as few penalty points as possible throughout the game, with players striving to avoid taking tricks that contain any Hearts or the Queen of Spades. In this trick-taking game, strategic planning and careful consideration of each move are essential, as players attempt to navigate through the intricacies of each round to maintain a low score. For those on the move, the online version available at hearts.land offers a convenient and engaging way to enjoy this classic card game, making it a great travel companion for entertainment during journeys.

Visit their mobile-friendly desktop site

Wordescapes

Who doesn’t enjoy a word game?! I love Wordescapes because it keeps my mind working especially when I’m on a long flight or connection and the internet is not available. Or simply when I’m working and need a break.

The app works this way, you have box tables like the ones in Scrabble, and you will get a set of letters where you need to create words that fit on the number of boxes. If you create a word that is not needed in the table box, it will go as a bonus word.

Every level have 16 set of games, once you finish every level you get free coins. Coins can be used as a “hint” when you are stuck. This app is completely free and the words will be in English. – Mary  

Solitaire Bliss

Solitaire Bliss is a gaming platform offering a wide array of solitaire and related card games, catering to a diverse range of preferences with an easy to use interface and high-quality graphics. The site features a vast selection of game variations, customization options, tutorials, score tracking, and is optimized for mobile devices, making it a fantastic travel companion.

These features collectively ensure an engaging and convenient gaming experience, accessible anywhere, making Solitaire Bliss a top choice for solitaire enthusiasts on the go.

Download for Android & Iphone

This game is the millennial take on Breakout (Bueller?). This fun game with a sleek design is fun to better played offline as the ads are far less of a nuisance. That said, if you love to cheat, you can watch the ads for additional ways to break the lights. I’ve found it delightfully addictive and fun to play late at night due to the dark colors.

I need to add the honorable mention of Board Game Arena , which works only online. This free platform with premium options features 100+ favorite board games digitized. You need to be online and at the time of editing, the app is still in Beta mode (and is best on a tablet/laptop). Still, I absolutely loved playing King of Tokyo and Ticket to Ride against strangers on my last train ride.

Minesweeper

Minesweeper is a timeless puzzle game where players navigate a grid filled with hidden mines, using numerical clues to safely reveal empty spaces and flag the mines. The game requires logical thinking and a sharp eye, as one wrong click could trigger a mine and end the game. At Play Minesweeper , you can enjoy this classic game through a user-friendly interface, with varying levels of difficulty to suit different skill levels. Its quick and engaging gameplay makes Minesweeper an excellent choice for traveling, providing entertainment during long journeys or waits without needing a continuous internet connection.

What’s your favorite travel game on your phone?

About Karen Turner

New Yorker–born and raised. Currently living in the Hague, the Netherlands after stints in Paris and Amsterdam. Lover of travel, adventure, nature, city, dresses, and cats.

Reader Interactions

July 11, 2018 at 11:06 am

I recently found a new game that is totally addictive! It’s called MixedUp Max and is a magic squares type of game – you can select different pictures and different shuffle levels and then slide rows and columns to re-arrange back to the original picture! There’s a free version but I’m not a fan of ads so went for the paid for version, and best of all, it can be played without internet access so I’ve been using it on my plane and train trips!

September 22, 2018 at 10:59 am

Really like Pictoword. I play this everytime I travel. There are ads that give out coins but if you’re offline it disables the ads. No free coins, but no ads either: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pictoword-fun-new-word-games/id600674056?mt=8

June 14, 2023 at 12:18 am

Trivia 360 can be played without wifi

July 3, 2023 at 2:01 am

Hi! I just want you to know that I like your review. Even though most of then aee not free and some are unavailable in my play store (idk why), I just love it that you suggest more unconventional games Thank you !

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Road Trip Games

Headed out on that long summer road trip or vacation? Don't leave home without loading up your iPad, iPhone, or iPod with these road trip games sure to keep your kids busy for the duration of your trip!

RoadTripBingo HD

Road Trip Bino HD is now a Universal App with this version 1.5 update which makes it playable on iPad, iPhone, and iPod. It's colorful UI fills the large iPad screen and makes the game a true shared play experience. Also interesting to note is the educational feature. While playing this bingo styled card, if a player needs a description of the item being searched for, just press and hold the item and you'll hear the descrition. In true bingo fashion, when you spot something on the card, touch it to drop a marker. Get markers all the way across, down, or diagnally and "BINGO" you win!

iPeeInABottle

OK, we've all done it. Well, I've done it. Not recently, but when I was a kid, my dad never stopped on a road trip. I still have a hard time looking at a Dr. Pepper Can in the eye! Though some may think it's crude, that's part of the fun of iPeeInABottle. As the road swerves and bumps beneath your stand in player, you'll have to maneuver your iPhone to keep the pee in the bottle and not all over the steering wheel! It's a fun game that scores each attempt to find out who is the most accurate "PEElayer"!

Ad Libs! It's better than [noun] - ON SALE NOW!

Nothing helps more to keep you awake on that long road trip than a chuckle. The iPhone App "Ad Libs! It's better than [noun]" is a classic wacky story builder! Just fill in the blanks according to their part of speech, and Ad Libs creates a funny little story based on the words you selected. Ad Libs promises that you'll never run out of wacky stories because new ones are added each week. One of the benefits of this app is that it's not only good for road trips, but any party, gathering of friends, or simply amuse yourself. Easy to use and group friendly. Ad Libs can help make that long road trip a little more fun.

Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

As another "spot it" game, Road Trip Scavenger Hunt delivers a true multiplayer game. You can fill out the names of all the passengers playing and it keeps track of their individual scores. It's very similar to the old fashioned "I Spy" game where someone calls out an object and everyone tried to be the first to spot it. You can choose to look for objects or words, or a combination of both. Just tap the name of the first person to spot the random item and their score is updated. Then a new object or word pops up and the game continues. Play as long as you like and Road Trip Scavenger Hunt will tally the scores to determine the winner.

Road Trip Fun

If you're looking for a repository of games to play while traveling, Road Trip Fun might just work. It's not as pretty as it is functional. This app also leaves much of the gameplay up to you since it basically just gives the idea of the game, short list of rules, and lacks the beaty of other apps in this category.

Ice Breakers Road Trip

A variation on the other offerings from Ice Breakers, this one focuses on the open road. The idea is to help break the ice when you're traveling and get passengers to talk to one another. Questions like, "What instantly makes you smile" to objectives like, "Look inside the vehicle and the first person to spot something yellow wins", should get weary travelers communicating.

Q road trip

Q is a set of games designed to get people talking. In the process you may just learn something new about your traveling companions. Specifically designed for the road trip, Q Road Trip is very similar to the other Jelly Pants question based games. To be honest, you may actually like one of the other apps better. There's Q Friends, Q Chill, and Q Dates that may be just as entertaining on a long road trip. If you're not sure Q is for you, you can download the free "Lite" version of Q Friends to see for yourself.

Road slot provides a new twist on road trip scavenger hunts. This app uses your location device to give a real time map of where you are, but the twist is the fruit! Along the route different "slot machine" styled fruit appear. As you drive by these fruit, their point value is added to your total. The real purpose of the game is to compete with other Road Slot app runners by getting combinations of fruit that add up to more than theirs. So you're actually playing other drivers around the country. Not sure, but it seems like Road Slot may actually add time to your trip, especially if you're trying to pick up that banana a few streets over for a sweet combo!

Little more than a scratch pad to keep scores on, Car Games doesn't offer much if you're looking for a fun, graphic interface. It's a nice score keeper and offers a few suggestions for road trip games, but it certainly dosen't take advantage of the iPhone's colorful display. If .99 cents is all you can afford, you might want to try something else.

Rules of Shotgun

It's happened to us all, we shout "Shotgun" only to find out that another passenger has called it already! Rules of Shotgun's the unofficial guide for solving all front seat passenger fights. Not really a game to play during a road trip, but it might help decide who gets shotgun for the trip!

Slug Bug Counter

Tired of getting hit in the arm everytime your kid spots a slugbug? Hand them your iPhone with this app running and they'll actually be able to keep track of how many slugbugs they see on the open road. Add a reward for their effort and it might just keep you from getting a bruise!

Road-Trip Bingo

Road Trip Mayhem

Card counting apps, first person shooters, endless running games.

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Take A Successful, Fun Road-Trip With These iPhone and iPad Apps [Feature]

By Rob LeFebvre • 12:00 pm, June 23, 2012

It’s our inalienable right as citizens of the modern world to take a vacation or a holiday, right? Well, instead of packing your whole family off to an all-inclusive Club Med vacation or Disney cruise, how about taking on one of the most time-honored summer vacation traditions, the road-trip. Long drives through scenic countryside with loving families and family pets are some of the best memories we all have, right? Right?

Well, at least we have iOS devices with us these days to both combat boredom and make sure we arrive where we want to. Here’s a veritable cornucopia of apps and ideas for road-tripping this summer, iOS-style.

Teach The Kids Classic Car Games On Summer Road-Trips

So, you’ve got that big road-trip planned this summer, right? Got everything packed, maps apps at hand, ready to see the world from the point of view of your car, up close and personal in a way jet travel will never be. Pile in the dog and the kids and hit the road!

Of course, once the initial excitement wears off somewhere down the road, the kids are gonna get whiney. Instead of numbing them out with cartoons or video games, how about a bunch of classic car games? Of course you can use your iOS device! Here are a few fun apps that will teach the whole family some great ways to stay interested in the world outside the windows while staving off boredom.

Road Trip Fun is less a game app and more a car-game discovery app, with almost 30 different games you and your family can use to while away the long hours of auto travel. Launching the app brings you to a list of roat-trip games like 20 Questions, Spelling Bee, Road Trip Math, A is for Armadillo, and our family’s all time favorite, I Spy.

The app itself isn’t much to look at, but it’s worth the $0.99 to have all of these in one place to help you remember ones you haven’t played since you were a kid yourself.

SlugBug Roadtrip brings the car game classic to the iOS generation. Launch this $1.99 app once downloaded and add player names and photos for up to four SlugBuggers. You can then set whether to have music and how long the game will last. You get different points for different Bugs found, one point for modern Bugs, two for classic Bugs, and 5 for a padiddle Bug (one that’s missing a headlight). This one’s great fun and easy on the eyes.

Finally, where would a good road-trip be without a license plate game? State Plate Bingo! is a great way to track all those license plates you find along the way. Launch the game, then tap on the state of the licence plates you see along the highways and byways of your automobile vacation. Tap on the My Plates button to see all the license plates you’ve collected. If more than one family member has a copy of the app, it’s time for some competition for the most states found in a day, or who can get to 10, 20, 50 states first. Great family fun, right in the car, yeah?

Use These Apps To Road-Trip With Even Less Planning

Planning, sheesh, who needs it? Maybe you’re young, fancy free, and willing to take a risk on things like hotels and fuel being available when you get there? Maybe you’re just taking a zen-like trip in your car, and planning really messes with your mojo. Either way, there are apps for that, as you’ll quickly see.

HotelsByMe is an app that will help you find that last minute place to lay your head when you roll into town much later than you anticipated, or when you just can’t drive much longer and need to find a place to park and sleep. HotelsByMe lets you view a list of hotels by location or landmarks, sort by price or star rating, and even filter by the type of amenities the hotels nearby are offering. There’s even a 24/7 call center for booking snafus and customer support should you get stuck. It’s a universal app for the very nice price of free, so you don’t have much to lose if it works. Via IntoMobile

Another app that might help you with your plan-less travel is Cheap Gas! Heck, it’s an app that could probably help us all regardless of our organization or planning abilities. Cheap Gas! uses location data from your iPhone to help you find nearby gas stations, sorting by distance, or price. It uses the GasBuddy.com website to, ahem, fuel the data it returns to you, and allows you to add info on gas stations you visit that aren’t already there. Once it finds the data, it will help you get there with routing information as well. For a free app, it certainly sounds pretty nice. Via IntoMobile

I’m a big fan of just typing a place into the Maps app on my iPhone, like “coffee shop” and finding what’s nearby. However, that does take a certain amount of tapping and typing and such. Map Buddy helps you do the same thing, only with less time and effort, and that can’t be a bad thing. Downloading this app, currently on sale for $0.99, will let you find the nearest location using pre-defined lists in the app itself. You can, when you feel like doing a little pre-trip effort, customize the lists, add new ones, and even organize the locations into categories. Cool feature? It even works with an iPod touch if you’re in a metropolitan area with Wi-Fi in some areas of the US, Europe and Japan. Nice! Via Mashable

Road-Trip Off The Beaten Path

Road-trips are tons of fun, but it’s easy to forget that the journey itself is just as important as the destination. Sure, you may be driving across the country to head to a resort or amusement park, but there’s fun to be had along the way as well.

Here are three apps that will help you get off the highway and deeper into the joys of traveling the road this summer.

According to the iTunes app description, Roadside America will make sure you “never miss another giant twine ball, crazy museum or hilarious statue.” This is a neat looking app that will give you one of seven “oddity-rich” US or Canadian regions, with an option to unlock all regions available for in-app purchase. You can search by location, zip code, address, city, or attraction name, and then filter with over 70 categories, like Atomic, Music, Celebrities, and more. The app hooks into RoadsideAmerica.com and provides editorial commentary and ratings on the various oddball places along your route.

Rest Stops Plus seems like an ideal companion if you’re heading down the open road on the United States or Canadian highway system, at least. It has over 4,000 places in its database: turn outs, scenic vista stops, rest areas, etc. You can filter the list of available stops by amenities like picnic tables, accessible parking, restrooms, and even travel direction (only northbound stops, for example) to make sure you’re getting what you need.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you knew what was at the next exit off the highway? I always end up seeing the signs for places I want to stop AFTER I’ve wooshed by the actual exit for them. That problem is solved with iExit , an app that tells you what’s coming up at the next exit, in real time. It look spretty slick, and it’ll make sure you don’t miss things you want to see rather than having to settle for things you happen upon when you drop off the interstate.

Use These Map-Enabled Apps To Make Your Road-Trip Go Smoothly

Gone are the days of folding and unfolding huge maps that you get from the gas station or the Automobile Club, what with GPS, Maps apps, and the like. Using the built-in Maps app is a great way to get where you need to go, but what if you want to take your navigation to the next level? What if you need to make sure you don’t get a speeding ticket? What if you want to get your kids excited about the National Park you’re all going to see? Maps app won’t do any of that justice. Here are three apps that will, though.

Turn by turn navigation is really the best way to get around, especially when road-tripping through unfamiliar cities and towns. There are a ton of apps out there, but why spend all the cash on those when you only need it for one trip? AT&T’s own navigation app, AT&T Navigator , is a free download, and will simply add a $10 to your AT&T bill, saving the hassle of signing up for another service. When you’re not gadding about the country, you simply turn off the feature, and don’t have to pay another cent.

Speeding tickets are kind of a bummer. It’s hard not to speed, though, when you’re jamming along the highway, cranking the tunes, headed for who knows where far away from here. Luckily, Trapster is here to help you avoid those speed traps along the way. The app will alert you when there are road hazards ahead of you as well as letting you know when you are going too fast for the posted speed limit, using the accelerometer in your iPhone. There’s also live traffic reports from NAVTEQ, and some great crowd-sourced info from other Trapster users. It’s also free, so you don’t have anything to lose by checking it out.

Google Earth may seem like an odd addition to this list, but boy is it fantastic if you want to show your kids (or other passengers) where you are headed. Going to the Grand Canyon? Simply search for it and zoom into the beautiful satellite imagery provided by Google’s amazing app. You can have it label things for you, or turn them all off for an unfettered flyover of your destination. Slick, fun, free, and gorgeous on the new iPad.

Road-Trip With Your iPad, Too

We’ve spent a good deal of time on apps that will work on your iPhone, what with its built in cell-data capabilities, but wanted to find some great ones for you iPad-only owners as well. Yes, apps made for the iPhone or iPod touch can run in enlarged mode on the iPAd, but we’re kind of iPad snobs and really only want to run iPad apps natively. That’s why you’ll only find Universal or iPad-only apps in the next list for road-trips with your iPad.

The Weather Channel for iPad This one is for the iPad only, and contains all the weather info you might need for your road trip planning and while on the road. It’s gorgeous as well, and full of neat little touches for weather geeks, like an interactive world weather globe, radar weather maps that move, pollen information for the U.S., and some storm and breaking news footage. It’s really gorgeous on the new iPad as well.

Trip Time – Are We There Yet? Here’s the phrase that strikes terror into the hearts of parents everywhere: “Are we there, yet?” The lucky ones who have an iPad (or an iPhone, this one is Universal) can use this app to help the little terrorists their kids in the backseat to visualize where tehy are at in their trip, and how much longer it might take to get there. Simply start the app, set the destination, and the travel method, and Trip Time will display the distance and duration left in your trip. Sweet mercy!

Goby Ever get to where you’re going, then realize you have no idea what to do there? No clue where to go eat, what to check out in your free time, where the best selection of beers on tap is? Well, universal app Goby has you covered. Download it, connect to your Facebook account,a nd it will immediately start showing you things to do in your local area based on your Facebook preferences. Search across 350 categories like Live Music, Children’s Museums, Yoga Studios, and – obviously – Brewpubs. Never be bored again, on a road-trip or in your own backyard.

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The best apps for road trips with kids: Map apps, entertainment apps, even restroom finder apps!

by Caroline Siegrist | Nov 12, 2021 | Best Apps | 0 comments

I’m grateful for this list of the best apps for road trips with kids, because it turns out, I’m not allowed to put my kids in a hilarious sidecar by themselves during long drives. So I’ve been prepping my phone and the kids’ iPad for the long interstate hours ahead, in hope that there will be less screaming-out-of-boredom, and fewer gross public bathroom stops.

(Yes, these apps can help with that too!)

So download these, our picks for the best apps for road trips for the kids, whether you’re in need of entertainment, food, gas, restroom breaks — and did I mention entertainment? Because this mama has played all the I Spy she can for one lifetime.

– This post has been updated for 2021 – Top image © Caroline Crawford for Cool Mom Tech

Related: 5 must-have apps for holiday dinner planning 

The best apps for road trips with kids

Google Maps app  to get you where you’re going

Of course I couldn’t leave this OG driving app off my list of the best apps for road trips with the kids. Thanks to plentiful updates over the years, I still rarely use anything else besides the Google Maps app to navigate. I love the intuitive design, the warnings when a turn is approaching, and the feature that allows you to search for gas stations and restaurants to add easily to your drive — without exiting the navigation screen.

Waze app  for up-to-the-second roadside alerts

Yes, two map apps!

While I usually rely on Google Maps for driving, I still pull out Waze when a traffic jam arises.  Waze crowdsources traffic data in real-time, and it’s scrappier and more creative than Google Maps at coming up with workarounds for accidents and letting you know about them nearly immediately.

Plus, I still like that Waze warns you about speed traps, hidden police cars, and stalled-out cars and other hazards on the side of the road, making it an essential road trip app for lots of us.

Apple Maps app … especially for Apple Watch

Shall we go for three map apps? Apple Maps has made some outstanding updates in recent years, and a lot of people prefer it for an interface that’s large, and easy to read without taking your eyes off the road. Speaking of which, the connectivity with your Apple Watch is a fabulous benefit — getting that haptic vibration when it’s time to get off the exit or make a sharp left, is incredibly helpful. Especially if you’e got a noisy crowd in the back seat.

Note that you can even use the “Listen for Directions” mode to combine tones and haptic feedback. And it’s kind of nice just to occasionally say “Hey Siri, how long will it take me to get home?”

The GasBuddy app  for saving you bucks when you fill up

Especially these days, we love the GasBuddy app which lets you track the least expensive gas station en route — and yes, it really works! I like that it can also help me figure out exactly at what point I’ll need a refill, so I can try to plan around my kids’ nap and snack schedules. Can’t make a list of the best road trip apps — for families or not — without this money-saving option.

Roadtrippers app  for leg-stretching breaks

The Roadtrippers app can not only help you navigate to your destination, it can help you find colorful roadside attractions along the way. Like, I hadn’t ever realized how close we were coming to Graceland on our yearly pilgrimage to see my grandmother in Mississippi before I started using the app — which, hey, why not?

It also shows you all the nature walks and hikes along a route, so that you can let kids get their wiggles out on a longer journey.

The Flush app  for finding the nearest restroom

No, it’s not the sexiest road trip app you’ll download this holiday, but Flush comes in handy right when you need it so of course it’s on our list of the best roadtrip apps.  It displays available nearby bathrooms so you’re never left to the elements so to speak. Bonus:  each one is conveniently tagged with whether or not they’re disability-friendly.

iExit app  for a little bit of everything pitstop-related

If you want to save storage space on your phone, grab a great multitasker app like iExit . This app is a real-time, go-to list of the nearest restaurants, rest stops, hotels and more on every upcoming exit on your route. While not as specific as Gas Buddy, Flush, and Roadtripper, it’s got enough info help you find the basics without having to download three new apps.

Netflix app  for backseat entertainment

Maybe this seems like a “duh,” inclusion as one of the best roadtrip apps, but I appreciate how  Netflix makes it so easy to download favorite episodes through the Netflix app before you start driving, so you don’t have to panic if you lose WiFi. I also like that Netflix has become less strict over the years about which shows and movies can be downloaded for offline viewing, so that we can all pick our favorites.

Besides, it doesn’t just have to be a movie “for the kids” — there’s probably something there you wouldn’t mind listening to from the front seat.

Audible app for family story time

If you’d rather listen to something with the kids, instead of handing over the video apps, you can’t go wrong with any of these 5 audiobook apps  that we’ve recommended in the past. Audible of course is the biggest and most used, but also check out Libro.fm which supports indie bookstores with your audiobook purchase; and Hoopla, which lets you borrow the books from your library. Free.

Related: 15 awesome podcasts for kids that you’ll enjoy, too, parents

Pinna app  for kid-friendly podcasts

We’ve been fans of this just-for-kids podcasts app for years, and their content keeps getting better and better, if you ask me. The app mainly features podcasts, but they’ve expanded to audiobooks recently, and you can search either by age and interest. It’s subscription-based, which is a drawback since there are so many free kids’ podcasts in the world, but for me, it’s worth it to have a bunch of well-vetted, family-friendly podcasts all in one place.

Related:  These 4 excellent mindfulness podcasts for kids help soothe the scaries of the world

Amazon Alexa  for road trip games with the kids

Car fax app …just in case.

While I sincerely hope you don’t break down on your next road trip (or ever), I know it  happens. And I’ve been there! Which is why I recommend having a car maintenance and repair app like Carfax on your phone. It keeps track of when you had your last oil change, when you need to update your registration, and where you can find local repair shops if you’re a long way from home when the alternator (that’s a thing, right?) dies.

Check out more road trip planning tips and apps in the  Cool Mom Tech archives . Happy Thanksgiving, and safe travels! 

Written by Caroline Siegrist

Caroline Siegrist is a brand new mom, a proud aunt of 5, and a writer and hospital chaplain based in Nashville. She has a fondness for children's literature, female-led indie rock bands, cooking international cuisine, and encouraging her nieces' and son's growing obsession with Star Wars. Bio Twitter Instagram

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5 Awesome Apps for Family Road Trips

Guaranteed road trip fun there’s an app for that., by jamie pearson, family road trips.

Mad Libs are always the right way to go with kids. (iTunes/Penguin Group USA)

Nothing says summer like piling your kids, your dog, and 300 pounds of luggage into the family car and heading out on an inadvisably long road trip. And yet millions of us do it every year. Unfortunately, all too often the euphoria lasts about as long as it takes to get out of our driveways.

If you’ll be road tripping this summer, consider downloading a few new iPhone and iPad apps to help the miles fly by. Here are five tried-and-tested apps guaranteed to keep everyone busy and happy.

Mad Libs | Ages: 4 and up | free

If your kid likes silly sentences—and really, what kid doesn’t?—then this app is a slam dunk. Even very young kids can get in on the action with a little help. The app itself is free, but the books (which contain 21 stories each) cost $1.99 as in-app purchases. Just so you know, the funniest noun in the English language is “hamster” and the funniest adjective is “hairy.” You’re welcome.

State Plate Bingo! | Ages: 6 and up | $0.99

State Plate Bingo is a great car game for kids 6 and up! (iTunes/Winter Graphics North)

Can you find all 50 states in a single road trip? There’s only one way to find out. This app is an ongoing quest for the entire family. Note: The iPhone version works on an iPad, but isn’t optimized for it.

Road Trip Bingo | Ages: 4 and up | $0.99/1.99

Got two kids? Download the only travel-themed bingo app that lets two players compete head to head, not to mention side by side. Your kids can scour the landscape for everything from white cars and road signs to snow-topped mountains and airplanes.

StoryLines | Ages: 8 and up | free

This creative multi-player game lets everyone but the driver get in on the fun. Player One types a well known phrase, such as “The early bird gets the worm.” Player Two illustrates the phrase with a fingertip drawing. Player Three captions Player Two’s drawing without seeing the original phrase. And so on. It’s a lot like the telephone game we all played when we were young, and absolutely hilarious.

Geography Drive USA | Ages: 8 and up | $3.99

Geography trivia is one of the many great road trip games you can play. (iTunes/Spinlight Studio)

Despite the fact that only one child can play at a time, this very polished educational app is well worth the relatively high price tag. Players road trip around country, earning fuel and money for correctly answering state trivia questions. Between rounds, they can return to the garage to get a new paint job, upgrade their car, or just admire their trophies. And if all that driving gets to be too much? They can cash in their chips for an airline ticket instead!

Prefer to keep your car fun unplugged and old school? Try MiniTime’s free printable car games.

Jamie Pearson of TravelSavvyMom.com and BestKidsApps.com contributed this to www.MiniTime.com.

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The 10 Best Road Trip Planner Apps for 2024

Save time, money, and energy with these apps so you can focus on the fun instead

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We love road trips! Planning them can be fun but, let's be honest, also stressful. The right road trip planner apps can take some of that stress away by helping you plan, organize, and manage travel before and during your trip. We've researched and tested these apps to help give you peace of mind so that you can spend more time enjoying your trip.

The Ultimate Map App for Planning Your Route: Roadtrippers

Access to free and convenient travel guides.

Share-ability so friends can join in on the planning process and suggest places to visit.

The app can use up the battery life of your device quickly. Take a car USB charger with you.

Built for travelers, Roadtrippers helps you create your route while allowing you to discover great places as you plan it out. Add a new place to your itinerary to work it into your trip.

The app features an easy-to-use interface. In addition to covering the U.S., it also covers Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Download For:

Automate Your Trip Planning and Organization: Google Travel

Automatic trip organization via Gmail integration. 

Offline access so you can see your trip information even when you don't have an internet connection.

Limitations with customizing some day trips exactly the way you want.

You can count on Google to make your trip planning a breeze. Pre-constructed day plans are available for hundreds of the world's most popular destinations, which you can customize to your liking.

It's one of the most versatile travel planner apps out there, giving you one convenient place to see your hotel, rental car, and restaurant bookings.

Find and Book a Last-Minute Place to Stay: Hotels.com

A fast, easy-to-use booking feature.

For every 10 nights you book through Hotels.com, you get one night free, provided it's the average daily rate of those 10 nights.

No option to easily cancel if you change your mind.

Whether your road trip itinerary changed, or you haven't decided on a place to stay yet, Hotels.com can help you find a place and book it when you're on the go, even when it's super last-minute. You can sort and filter hotels, see the amenities they have to offer, compare prices, and catch a glimpse of how many rooms are available.

This is the app you'll want to have handy if you want to see in-depth hotel details at a glance and need to find a place to crash ASAP without breaking the bank.

Find Local Restaurants, Read Reviews, and Make Reservations: OpenTable

Lots of great filter options and suggestions.

Access to gorgeous, high-quality images of menu items and informative reviews from other users.

Reported problems and inconveniences with their built-in reward system.

Searching for specific restaurants is more difficult than simply looking at what's around in the area.

Deciding on a place to eat in a new area is quick and hassle-free with OpenTable. See what's nearby, filter restaurants by cuisine, see photos of what's on the menu, make reservations, and get personalized recommendations based on your preferences.

OpenTable is known to be one of the top  location-based food apps  available, so you know you can trust its information when you're dying for something to eat.

Navigate Like a Local: Waze

Hands-free navigation with voice commands.

Alerts-only mode for road hazards and police.

Share up-to-date ETA with friends.

Spotify and Apple Music widgets get in the way.

Cluttered maps can be confusing.

Higher battery usage than Google Maps.

Waze  is a community-driven travel app that shows you the shortest possible route to your destination. Like Google Maps, Waze makes real-time adjustments for traffic jams and other obstacles—but Waze is often more accurate since it caters specifically to drivers.

The app syncs with your Google Calendar and can tell you when you should leave for appointments based on traffic. There's also a cool option to record your own voice and use it for directions .

Know Exactly When and Where to Make a Pit Stop: iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Access to detailed summaries of what's at the next exit (including gas prices at nearby gas stations).

Search for the next 100 exits from your location.

The app can only be used on major U.S. exit-based highways.

No offline access, so you'll use your data plan while you're on the road.

Making a pit stop for food, gas, or a bathroom break is easy when you have the iExit app. Using your device's GPS, the app offers helpful suggestions for when and where to stop based on your location along the highway.

Whether you're looking for well-known franchises like Starbucks and Walmart to convenient amenities like free Wi-Fi and truck or trailer parking, this app has you covered.

Find the Cheapest Fuel Nearby: GasBuddy

An in-app gas payment feature.

Opportunity to save 10 cents per gallon on your first fill-up and five cents per gallon on every fill-up after.

The app can take up a lot of data and battery life as it runs in the background.

GasBuddy is an app specifically designed to find nearby gas stations and save money on gas. Use it to find the cheapest gas in your area and filter gas stations by amenities like car washes, restaurants, and bathrooms.

It's the app you want to have if you're serious about finding the cheapest gas around. Information comes from users like you, so you have the most up-to-date prices.

Download For :

Never Forget an Item: PackPoint Premium Packing List

Access to a built-in library of items to pack with the ability to add or remove items as needed. 

An elegant, intuitive app interface.

Can't input multiple destinations for a single trip.

Not a free app.

PackPoint helps you make sure you have everything you need based on where you're going and what you're doing. In addition, the app takes into consideration the length of your trip and the expected weather conditions. Perhaps best of all, this app turns a mundane chore into something that's actually quite fun.

Find Out Where to Park and How Much It Will Cost: Inrix ParkMe

ParkMe is the only app that also includes street parking and parking meter rates where available, in addition to parking lots.

Real-time updates on available parking spots.

Rates and hours may be inaccurate in some areas.

ParkMe claims to be the world's largest and most accurate parking database. It allows you to purchase your parking spot through the app and compare prices across parking providers to help you save more money.

If you're road tripping around major cities in the U.S., Canada, or Europe, this app can be a huge help. You can even compare parking options and prices so that you always get the best deal.

Automate Your Itinerary: TripIt

Automatically creates itineraries from your inbox.

Widget displays trip details on your home screen.

Annoying amount of alerts by default.

If you're planning a trip, you'll likely have a lot of confirmation emails for hotels, appointments, restaurants, and attractions. TripIt syncs with your inbox and uses that information to compile an itinerary so that you don't have to scramble for it.

The free version is fine for road trips, but if you ever fly, the premium version gives you the option to upgrade seats and track reward miles.

In addition to your phone, laptop, and tablet, other travel tech essentials include chargers, headphones, travel adapters, cameras, luggage trackers, and off-grid communications

Yes. You can use Google Maps as a trip planner through the “Places” and “My Maps” features. Both the Google Maps website and app let you save locations to lists and get directions.

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The Best Apps for Planning a Road Trip

This arsenal of apps will upgrade any road trip. easily find hotels, restaurants, secret swimming holes, day spas, restrooms, and gas stations so you can fully enjoy the freedom of the open road..

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Paper maps are classic, but with these apps, you can plan your best road trip yet.

Courtesy of Unsplash.com

Remember when planning a road trip meant busting out your best paper maps and highlighting various routes with multicolored pens? Today, road trips still bring out the old-school adventurer in all of us—whether it’s a winter or fall foliage trip or a cross-country or EV-charged drive—but planning them has certainly become more streamlined. Thanks to these travel apps, there are more ways than ever to maximize planning for your next long drive.

1. Google Maps

• Download : Apple App Store | Google Play

Let’s begin with the free Google Maps app. It’s the most multifunctional road trip map app out there, whether you’re looking for directions, the quickest route, a nearby hotel or restaurant, grocery stores, pharmacies, ATMs, gas stations, or EV charging stations. You can type or talk a term in the search bar, or filter by the categories just underneath that field (scroll over to the “More” button to see dozens of additional options).

Once you’ve put in your search term, additional filters are offered. For example, to find a place to eat, you can narrow your search using options such as cozy restaurants, group-friendly dining, new restaurants, and cheap eats. When you search for nearby gas stations, the app will tell you how much gas costs at each place, allowing you to select the cheapest fuel. And when you search for EV charging stations, the app will tell you how many chargers each has, how fast they are, and if they’re compatible with your car. (Pro tip: Learn these other secrets to using Google Maps for travel too.)

Google Maps gives you so much more than directions.

Photo by AngieYeoh/Shutterstock.com

But while Google Maps is incredibly convenient, it doesn’t do everything. Add these fun, functional, and free road trip planning apps to your collection for your best road trip yet.

2. Drive Weather

Weather can make or break your road trip adventure. While you can’t control Mother Nature, you can stay safe by downloading the Drive Weather app to anticipate when and where inclement weather is expected to strike and adjust your plans accordingly—whether that means planning to stop for a few hours until a storm abates or altering your route. The free version of the app allows you to compare weather forecasts along different routes and offers up to two days of National Weather Service forecasts, so you can plan for snow, rain, thunderstorms, haze, and other natural phenomena that could affect road conditions. Upgrade to the paid pro version for up to seven days of forecasts and an icy pavement indicator.

3. Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is a do-it-all, know-it-all website and app that asks you to enter your destinations and calculates the best route. It shows you everything you can see and do along the way, including parks, restaurants, and hotels. Essentially, this road trip planner deals in logistics—making it a perfect option for those who need a plan but hate doing the legwork.

4. GasBuddy

• Download: Apple App Store | Google Play

Gas prices inevitably spike every summer as travel demand increases. Fortunately, GasBuddy is a great way to stay on top of your road trip budget and take advantage of the best gasoline deals in your area, wherever you might be. The app provides real-time price information for more than 150,000 gas stations in the United States and Canada. GasBuddy also has a function that allows you to estimate how much gas you’ll need on your travels based on your planned destination and make and model of your car, making it one of the most convenient and practical road trip gas calculators out there.

5. PlugShare

If you’re cruising around in an electric vehicle, you know all too well that finding a charging station can be a source of stress. Eliminate the uncertainty by downloading the PlugShare app, which displays public charging stations across North America and Europe that are compatible with your car brand and model. Use this free app ahead of your departure to identify charging stations along your expected route, or reference it during your trip to locate nearby stations. PlugShare’s filter allows you to tailor your search results based on criteria such as connector type and charging speed, as well as additional amenities like food or bathroom availability.

This is the traffic app to beat all traffic apps. While other route-planning apps like Apple Maps and Google Maps can tell you when traffic is about to get bad, the community-sourced Waze provides more of-the-moment information. Users give and receive real-time updates on accidents, speed limits, hidden police cars, and road conditions. The app also provides a variety of navigation routes, which can be especially handy when you need to take back roads to avoid a brutal traffic jam.

7. HotelTonight

If, after a long day of driving, you suddenly hit a (figurative) wall and need to stop and rest, this is the service for you. HotelTonight specializes in same-day booking at quality boutique hotels. You can reserve rooms in advance, but because hotel prices often drop as it gets closer to your stay, you’ll likely end up saving money when you book at the last minute. If you use the app instead of the website, you’ll save even more with exclusive mobile deals.

8. Flush Toilet Finder

As any seasoned traveler knows, a good, clean restroom can be hard to find on the road. But with a database of more than 200,000 bathroom options across the world, the Flush app can take some of the edge off of the nail-biting urgency of finding a toilet in an unfamiliar place. Flush also makes it easy to see whether restrooms are accessible to people with disabilities, require a fee to use, or need a key to access. Simply open the app and Flush will search for nearby restrooms using GPS, providing directions using Apple Maps or Google Maps. Users can also add newly discovered toilets to the app and rate washrooms they come across on their travels.

9. The Dyrt: Tent and RV Camping

As anyone who’s tried to orchestrate a camping trip knows, finding a decent place to camp can be one of the most difficult parts to plan. The Dyrt app gives campers a way to research potential campgrounds in depth without the guesswork of solely using traditional park websites, all from the comfort and convenience of a phone. You can browse reviews of potential campgrounds you’d like to visit, use the app’s “near me” function to find nearby places to hunker down when you’re on the go, or even connect with other campers for tips and feedback on campgrounds you’re thinking of visiting. Though the app is available to download for free, the premium version ($35.99 per year) will also give you access to downloadable maps, a trip planner, and big discounts on gear and campgrounds.

The Outbound app allows road trippers to find outdoor activities along their route.

Courtesy of Outbound

10. The Outbound: Hike, Camp, Roadtrip

Being cooped up in a car for hours on end can often be the worst part of a road trip. One solution? Consult this GPS-based, crowd-sourced app that gives local recommendations for nearby outdoorsy activities. The app will point you to national parks , good hiking trails , secret swimming holes , and more—and the user reviews are fact checked by the Outbound Collective staff, so you can trust the advice (especially important if you’re hiking in an area you don’t know well).

11. DayPass

Similar to the Outbound, DayPass helps you find activities when you absolutely can’t be in the car any longer. However, it’s not a hiking app —instead, DayPass focuses on pools, beach clubs, gyms, and spas at hotels and resorts around the world. Just type in the destination (or let the app pull up a current location based on your GPS), and you can see all of the hotels and gyms that offer day passes to their facilities. Some properties don’t allow booking through the app, so you may have to call instead.

12. Psych! Outwit Your Friends

Can you even call a road trip a road trip if you don’t spend hours playing pointless games ? From the creators of Ellen DeGeneres’s popular Heads Up! , this game app tests your ability to pick real answers to trivia questions—and avoid the fake answers made up by the other players. There are four styles of play: the word game “Word Up!” the classic trivia game “Is That a Fact?,” the truth-telling game “The Truth Comes Out,” and the movie trivia game “Movie Bluff!”

Part of the fun is trying to guess who wrote which answer based on everyone’s sense of humor. There’s even an option to “play with Ellen,” which means an Ellen bot will also contribute hilarious answers. The game requires some screen time, so it’s not driver friendly—but if you read the questions and answers out loud, whoever is behind the wheel can certainly join in on the laughs. (It’s another reason to regularly rotate drivers, too.)

13. Magic Hour

• Download : Apple App Store

One perk of a road trip is that you can pull over somewhere beautiful for Magic Hour, or Golden Hour: the term professional photographers use to describe the hour after sunrise or before sunset when the light is at its prettiest for taking pictures or video. This app lets you know exactly when Magic Hour begins and ends each day based on your location, helping you time your stop—and your cinematography—just right. If you pay $0.99, you can add locations, allowing you to plan for future Magic Hours, too. (Magic Hour is only available for Apple devices, but Google Play offers similar apps for Android users.)

14. SoundHound

Although there are many ways to find and stream new music, turning on the radio during a road trip adds an element of fun. Not only is it nostalgic, but listening to what the local DJ has to say and play also helps you get a feel for the local culture. When you hear a song you like but don’t know, open up SoundHound, hit the orange circle, and the app will tell you its name. Bonus: The app keeps a dated history of the tunes you identify.

If you have Spotify or Apple Music, you can even sync your accounts with SoundHound, and all of your discoveries will automatically show up in a playlist called “SoundHound.” By the end of the trip—especially if it’s a road trip to a famed music destination —you’ll have a curated playlist of your song discoveries that you can enjoy long after you’ve returned home.

Mr. D’s Diner, an old Route 66 staple that has been open since 1978, serves homey American cuisine.

Photo by Heidi Kaden on Unsplash

15. Roadside America

Sometimes the best part of a road trip isn’t even the final destination but the stops made along the way. The Roadside America app can help you find all of the kitschy highway attractions the country has to offer. Giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Ox? Sure, why not. The world’s largest garden gnome or a museum dedicated entirely to hammers? Yes, please. A clown motel in Nevada ? Well…maybe. Available on the Apple App Store (starting at $2.99), the app points users to hundreds of quirky locations across the United States and Canada organized by city, state, or province. Users can plot their route in the Roadside America app to learn about all the fun stops that might be worthy of a pit stop on their journey.

16. Star Walk

To catch some truly spectacular, au natural nocturnal sights, download the free Star Walk app. The Star Walk app gives users an easy way to see what constellations will make an appearance whenever and wherever they are. This astronomy program is simple to use—just point your phone at the sky and see which stars, constellations, and planets drift above you.

This story was originally published in 2019 and was most recently updated on April 30, 2024, with new information. Mae Hamilton and Nathalie Alonso contributed original reporting.

All products and listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Download Now: The Best Apps for Your Next Road Trip

Any road trip begins with a three-point check: keys, wallet, cell phone. And on any well-prepared road trip, that cell phone should be loaded with a ton of travel apps to help make getting lost just a bit more organized. And fun. We've found 10 that you won't want to leave home without…

Co-Pilot Live

A few good reasons to pony up the $9.99 for CoPilot Live ($9.99; iOS , Android ) instead of relying on Google Maps: You'll score the usual (voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions that account for real-time traffic conditions), plus enjoy offline maps and navigation for when cell service is spotty. Take advantage of pre-trip calculators, speed limit warnings, and monthly map updates, too.

Sure, you probably already use Pandora at home. But its app (free; iOS **, ** Android ) really shines on the road: No need to spend precious vacation time curating playlists…or repeating the same tune again and again. Just in case you don't know the drill: Share a few of your favorite songs and artists with the app, and it creates a personalized radio station that plays only music you'll love—and might introduce you to a few new artists in the process. Just be sure to include Roger Miller's "King of the Road" as one of your picks. What would a long car ride be without it?

With gas prices averaging about $3.49 per gallon, it can be well worth driving a little bit out of your way to fill up for cheap(er). GasBuddy (free; iOS , Android ) crowd sources from some 30 million app users who share the best gas prices they've found throughout the U.S. and Canada. That means you can spend money on things you really want to see…like the world's largest Pez dispenser .

Wi-Fi Finder

Wi-Fi Finder (free; iOS , Android ) pinpoints the nearest places to find both free and paid Wi-Fi hotspots in more than 650,000 locations in 144 countries. Because if you're listening to Pandora on 4G the whole drive, you'll want to conserve some of that data.

Roadside America

Want to see the world's smallest police station (a telephone booth in Carabelle, Florida)? Or perhaps the world's largest sundial (in Carefree, Arizona)? Enter the Roadside America app ($2.99; iOS ), a database of more than 9,000 oddities. The best part: A built-in Sunset Alert warns you if you’re about to lose a photo op, and its Tourist Interruptus feature places a call to your cell phone to let you know when you’re approaching one of your intended pit stops (no matter how itty bitty the destination may be).

There’s no need to add a $250 speeding ticket to the cost of your travels—especially with gas toppling the $4 mark in some areas. And while we’d never condone perfecting one’s NASCAR racing skills on the open road , we will admit that Trapster (free; iOS , Android ) is one handy-dandy piece of software if your foot tends to be made of lead. The app alerts you to speed traps, traffic light cameras, speed cameras, congestion, traffic accidents, and other hazards that might get you caught.

i-Exit Interstate Exit Guide

You’re jonesing for a venti soy caramel macchiato, but haven't spotted a single Starbucks. iExit Interstate Exit Guide ($.99; iOS , Android ) eliminates the need to play off-ramp roulette, letting you know exactly which establishments await you at the next exit, whether you’re looking for fast food, gas, or a scenic place to stretch your legs.

As long as you know what an adverb is, you’re fully equipped to play Mad Libs (free; iOS ), that raucous, fill-in-the-blank word game that had you doubled over with laughter as a kid and still has the ability to entertain all ages today. Even better, unlike those notepads from back in the day, the app version integrates your mobile device’s photo and audio abilities, allowing your Mad Libs to be a multimedia affair. And then share the results with all your social media networks, directly from the app.

Hotel Tonight

Not the type of road-tripper who pre-plans every activity, right down to the bathroom breaks? Hotel Tonight (free; iOS , Android ) might reward your tendency to procrastinate; unsold rooms can be reserved the day-of at discounts of up to 70 percent in some 80 locations worldwide, from Atlantic City to Amsterdam.

A day spent eating McDonald’s and Subway deserves a dinner where a fork and knife are required. OpenTable (free; iOS , Android ) lets you check out menus, diner reviews, and photos from nearby restaurants wherever you're spending the night, and helps you reserve the table, too.

**More road trip tips:

Best Drives: Iconic American Road Trips Worth the Gas Money

Photo Ops: A Massive Pez Dispenser, a Huge Yo-Yo, and Other Giant Attractions

The 26 Travel Apps That Will Change Your Life

Photographs courtesy of the app stores

Family-Friendly Road Trip Games: Apps To Keep Kids Happy In The Car

Looking for the best Road Trip games for iPhone and iPad that the whole family can play together? As summer rolls into high gear, more and more of us are going to be hitting the road for summer trips with our families. One of the challenges with these long road trips is keeping the kids occupied and happy. There are the old standby car activities and games, of course, but if you’ve got an iPhone or an iPad, then you also have the option of downloading a more modern way to keep the kids busy and entertained.

We’ve gathered a collection of classic road trip games that have been updated for the iOS generation and optimized for the iPad and iPhone. The best thing about many of these fun road trip apps for kids is that the games are designed to get people talking, so they’re also a great way to help the family grow closer together. After all, isn’t that what taking a family vacation is all about?

Classic Road Trip Games for iPad and iPhone

Minesweeper Developer: VM Mobile Team Price: Free

The objective of the classic computer game Minesweeper is to clear a grid of tiles without detonating hidden mines, utilizing numerical hints on the tiles to infer where the mines are located. You can enjoy Minesweeper on an iPad or iPhone through sites like Play Minesweeper , which offer touch-friendly interfaces that are well-suited for mobile devices. The game’s quick rounds and engaging puzzles make it an ideal choice for keeping entertained during car rides. Additionally, the Play Minesweeper offers the addicting game in beginner, intermediate, and expert modes, making it accessible for players of all skill levels.

License Plate Game HD Developer: Matthew Lilius Rated: 4+ Price: 1.99 $ Download on the App Store iOS & Google Play

The license plate game has been played by children on every highway and byway in the United States. Now, this ubiquitous road trip game is getting organized. Move beyond keeping track of the states on a scrap of paper with the License Plate Game app (available for iPhone or in HD for iPad), which lets your kids easily keep track of each state license plate they see. In addition, the iPad version of the app has direct links to Wikipedia articles for each state, so the game becomes an educational experience for the kids as well. As a bonus, this app isn’t limited to a single trip. You can also use this app to play an ongoing license plate game to keep your kids occupied while doing your errands around town or as a summer-long competition — assuming you don’t get too many out-of-state visitors.

Road-Trip-Bingo HD Developer: Bright Bunny Rated: 4+ Price: 1.99 $ IOS & Google Play

Another fun travel app for kids is Road-Trip-Bingo . Once you start the game, your kids get a bingo-style card with 25 different items to find. The items range from different types of cars and signs to horses and cows and trees that you might see along the road while travelling. The items are common enough that your kids won’t get frustrated trying to find anything too rare.

Road Trip Scavenger Hunt Developer: Shanti Miller Rated: 4+ Price: 0.99 $ IOS & Google Play

The popular road trip game iSpy is made even better with an app like Road Trip Scavenger Hunt ($0.99). The app is loaded with many different things to look out for, and the first person to spot the designated item gets a point. Up to six people can play, and it’s a great way for parents and kids to play the same game on equal footing. In addition, because the app has such an extensive list of things to look for, you can avoid the sometimes frustrating part of playing the old-fashioned way, namely, trying to come up with the next thing to look for.

Road Trip Mini Games Apps

For especially long road trips, siblings who can’t agree or kids with eclectic tastes who like to play lots of different games, you’ll want to invest in an app with multiple road trip games. Several apps include a variety of mini-games such as Road Trip Fun or Family Car Games. Each of these apps is loaded with easy-to-follow instructions for dozens of different games, so even fidgety five-year-olds won’t have time to get bored.

Road Trip Fun Developer: Scott Falbo Rated: 4+ Price: 0.99 $ IOS & Google Play

Road Trip Fun doesn’t actually have any games to play in the car. Instead, this app is a guidebook with rules to the most popular road games so families and friends can play anytime, anywhere — whether or not there is an Internet connection or even a cell tower nearby. Can’t remember the rules for Slug Bug? Tired of playing iSpy? Road Trip Fun has ideas and tips for enough classic road trip games to keep your family occupied from California to New York and back again.

Family Car Games Developer: Todd Greenwood Rated: 4+ Price: 1.99 $ IOS & Google Play

Road trip books and guides for ios devices.

Whether you want to let the kids help plan which roadside attraction to see next, or you’re tired of hearing, “Are we there yet?” nothing is better for inspiring a fascination with the open road like a good travel guide. Download a few guidebooks for your trip that cover the states you’ll be travelling through or your final destination. You’ll soon find the kids engrossed with travel trivia and interesting information. They’ll get an education, and you’ll get a few miles of peace and quiet.

Roadside America Developer: This Exit LLC Rated: 9+ Price: 2.99$ Download on the App Store

With a Roadside Amercia, you’ll never have to worry about driving by the world’s largest rubber band ball or missing the Tiger Truck Stop. Find nearby oddities, share your adventures through Facebook and Twitter or submit your own road trip pics to RoadsideAmerica .com.

Best Road Trip Ever! Developer: Propaganda3, Inc. Rated: 12+ Price: 3.99 $ Download on the App Store

The Best Road Trip Ever ! Lists offbeat attractions, memorable sights and places to eat from sea to shining sea. The app features photos and videos from the PBS television show Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations, with hand-picked locations designed to make taking the back roads much more interesting. The video clips probably won’t work too well (if at all) from the open road, so be forewarned. However, if you want something more than your typical list of fast-food restaurants and chain attractions, this is a great app to explore.

What games do you consider must be downloaded when planning a road trip for your family? Do your kids have any favourite car games for the iPad or iPhone? Let us know!

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The Best Road Trip Apps That Help You Find Cheap Gas, Avoid Traffic, and More

Download these before you hit the highway.

Elizabeth Rhodes is a special projects editor at Travel + Leisure , covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to New York City from London, where she started her career as a travel blogger and writer.

Carmen Martínez Torrón/Getty Images

Technology has revolutionized the way we travel in countless ways. Paper maps and GPS navigation systems have been replaced by Google and Apple Maps, old-school CDs by music streaming services, and guidebooks by apps that can notify road-trippers of roadside attractions in real time. One thing is certain: the smartphone has made road trips infinitely easier and, arguably, cheaper.

Whether you need a digital road trip planner to map out your next journey or something to help you avoid traffic jams, here are 11 of the best road trip apps to download ahead of your next adventure.

Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is one of the most practical and popular road trip planning apps out there. Maybe you want to see national parks or the quirkiest roadside attractions. Perhaps you want to stop for the night at an iconic or underrated hotel. You can plan your stops right in the app, adding up to three waypoints for free or 150 with a Roadtrippers Premium account. There are also Basic and Pro memberships that allot you 20 and 50 waypoints per trip, respectively. The higher-tier memberships allow you to collaborate with friends and family and use navigation. The app features lodging, sights, outdoorsy destinations, restaurants, activities, shopping, fuel, and more all around the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The app is free, but you have to upgrade to a membership plan to enjoy all the bells and whistles. The Basic plan costs $40 a year, the Pro plan $50 a year, and the Premium $60 a year. It's available on iOS and Android .

Google Maps

Every road-tripper needs a trusty navigation app in their arsenal, and Google Maps is consistently one of the most — if not the most — downloaded in the U.S. every year. Its dominance can be attributed to how comprehensive its data is, which allows it to generate the very best directions based on distance, road conditions, and traffic patterns.

Google Maps gives you route options and provides accurate estimates of how long it takes to get from A to B. Plus, you can plot several waypoints along your route — be it a mid-morning coffee stop or a hotel for overnighting (you can see reviews right in the app).

Google Maps is free and available on iOS and Android .

Waze is another one of the top navigation apps. With real-time updates that help you avoid traffic jams, construction, and more, it will have you navigating new cities and unfamiliar streets like a seasoned local. It's perhaps a little more proactive than Google Maps in changing up a route when problems arise, and that means Waze users should prepare for their drive to be a little unpredictable.

No one wants to spend hours sitting in traffic instead of exploring, so the fact that Waze collects data from other drivers to streamline the driving experience is a huge help. The app is free and available on iOS and Android .

Paying for fuel can eat up a good chunk of your road trip budget, but GasBuddy can save you a few bucks. The app crowdsources up-to-date fuel prices for more than 150,000 gas stations around the U.S. and Canada. The app also tells you how recent the submission is so you know whether it's outdated.

GasBuddy is not just helpful for finding cheap gas but also for finding gas stations in general (and parking), which can be difficult in foreign territory. The app is free and can be downloaded on iOS and Android . While using it, be a good road-tripper and submit gas prices you see as you travel.

Roadside America

Barry Winiker/Getty Images

The offbeat and kitschy roadside attractions you can find throughout the U.S. are often some of the most delightful parts of a road trip. The Roadside America app helps you find the most unique attractions worth stopping for, like the large sculpture of a cartoon mouse holding a cheese platter in Plain, Wisconsin — where else? — or the decidedly odd larger-than-life-sized three-way electrical plug that rests on a lawn in Philadelphia. The app features museums, murals, tours, quirky restaurants, and photo ops.

Roadside America costs $3 to download, which gets you access to one region in the app. You can purchase more regions for $2 or get access to all of the U.S. and Canada for an extra $7. The app is available only on iOS .

iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Knowing where to stop for road trip snacks, a drive-through latte, or a public restroom can be challenging with all the exit signs whizzing by at 70 mph, but iExit Interstate Exit Guide takes the guesswork out of it. The app will list which exits are coming up on your route, what's there, and what they offer — including food, lodging, fuel, and even hospitals. It pulls fuel prices from OPIS (the Oil Price Information Service) and displays Yelp reviews for businesses.

The app is free to download. Find it on both iOS and Android .

HotelTonight

Even if you've planned out all your stops ahead of time, you might find that you need to pull over for a night unexpectedly. Driving is tiring, and unplanned naps can be life-saving. HotelTonight can help you find accommodations in a pinch. The app offers day-of deals on unsold rooms, and the user-friendly interface means you can book a discounted room in minutes. There are well over 1,000 properties to choose from in cities all over the world, from Mexico City to Jakarta (in case you happen to take your road-tripping global).

It's free to download and available on iOS and Android .

If staying in a tucked-away A-frame cabin, a yurt, or a private guest house in someone's garden is more your travel style than bouncing between hotels, then Airbnb is the ticket. On the Airbnb app, you can search properties (millions in the U.S. alone) on a map and read reviews before you book, which you can do in advance or at the last minute.

The app features not just vacation homes but also activities, so if you're keen to experience a city like a local you can do so via a pottery class or a guided walking tour, for example.

The Airbnb app is free. You can download it on iOS or Android .

Patchareeporn Sakoolchai/Getty Images

Travelers who dream of camping out under the stars should download The Dyrt , a free app that helps you find tent, RV, and cabin sites across the U.S. One of the top camping apps on iOS and Android , it has more than a million registered users who submit reviews, pictures, and tips. On The Dyrt, you get real intel on campsites and a built-in community that makes camping on a road trip especially fun and safe. You can even book some of the campsites right on app.

The app is free, but there's a premium version for $36 a year that allows you to plan trips and search campsites while offline — convenient for remote regions.

What is a road trip without a perfect playlist? Whether you're keen to create a soundtrack of nostalgic singalongs, modern pop songs, or music inspired by your destination, you'll find even the most obscure tunes on Spotify , a catalog of more than 100 million tracks. When you tire of Taylor Swift, you can turn to podcasts or an audiobook to keep you company. Road trips are a great opportunity to delve into a docuseries like "Serial," an all-time favorite.

Spotify is free to download and listen to, but the ad breaks are annoying and streaming can chew through your phone data. A better option is to purchase a premium membership for $11 a month. It's ad-free and you can download music to listen to offline. The Spotify app is available on iOS and Android .

Electric vehicles are increasingly commonplace and great for more environmentally friendly road-tripping. The problem is often finding charging stations, as most EVs can go 100 to 300 miles before they need to be plugged in. PlugShare lists 700,000 charging stations across North America, Europe, and beyond. Users share their reviews of the stations, helping to guide EV drivers to the best, fastest, and most reliable charging spots.

PlugShare is free and available to download on iOS and Android .

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Best road trip apps for iPhone and iPad in 2024

Smartphones have transformed our road trips. From replacing paper maps to changing the way we book a place to stay, they have made our life extremely easy.

If you are busy making the next travel plan or thinking about hitting the roads for some fresh air, we have the perfect tools for you. Here’s a list of the best road trip apps for iPhone and iPad to help you plan, manage, and enjoy your upcoming road trip hassle-free.

• Google Maps
• Tomorrow.io
• Day One Journal
• Toshl Finance
• Google Translate

1. Google Maps: For smooth navigation

No surprise here. Google Maps easily tops the list with industry-leading navigation and street-by-street guidance. Even though both the iPhone and iPad come with Apple Maps by default, everyone knows about Google Maps’ superior functions over Apple’s solution. 

Get approximate time for your destination, traffic details, share location with others, and use turn-by-turn navigation for a smooth ride. Google Maps also shows places to visit nearby. Use the discover menu and start exploring new places. 

Price: Free

2. Tomorrow.io: Best weather forecast app

This is a must-have tool for anyone planning a long road trip. ClimaCell’s (the parent company of Tomorrow.io) innovative ways to gather data allow the app to deliver astute weather details before the day. 

ClimaCell’s weather predictions are a step ahead as well. Planning a trip to Istanbul? ClimaCell can warn you about the possible rain in 25 minutes around the Grand Bazaar area. 

Apart from that, ClimaCell offers iOS 14 widgets , UV index, live radar map, AQI levels, and more on top of beautiful UI and animations. 

Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $2.99)

3. Day One Journal: Best text editor

Want to jot down all those beautiful road trip memories? Look no further than Day One. It offers an excellent UI with all the relevant options. For starters, the text editor is rich and offers enough add-ons to create the perfect memory. 

I really like the map’s functions. It’s useful for long road trips. You can see exactly where you created the entry on the map. Over time, you will see a clear map of all your memories. 

Other functions include templates, Siri shortcuts, iOS 14 widget support, reminders, and a cool timeline view. 

Price: Free (Premium monthly subscription starts at $5.99)

4. Toshl Finance: Track your traveling expenses

You need to take care of all the expenses during the road trip. Toshl Finance allows you to register every possible expense while traveling. The app offers an innovative gesture-based UI which is a joy to use. 

What’s more? With Toshl Finance, you can connect with up to 13,000 banks around the world. The app also supports over 200 crypto-currency, in case you plan to pay with Bitcoin on the go. 

Toshl Finance is full of export options. You can simply select the date range and export the expense report in PDF, Excel, or OFX format. 

Price: Free (Premium monthly subscription starts at $2.99)

5. GasBuddy: Find and pay for the gas

Let me get this clear. GasBuddy is only available in the US and Canada. It gives you more ways and more places to save on gas than any other app. 

First, you need to link your bank account to the app. GasBuddy will offer you a free GasBuddy card that you can swipe at any station in the country and save up to 25¢/gal. 

Other functions include tips for driving, the ability to find nearby gas stations and restrooms, view live gas prices, gas rewards, and more. 

6. Airbnb: Find a budget place to stay

Available in more than 200 countries, Airbnb allows people to rent out their space for travelers and tourists. For hosts, participating in Airbnb is a way to earn some income from their property. 

For guests, it offers a relatively cheaper way to enjoy the vacation. The cost is usually less than the hotel on Airbnb.

What’s more? Users can narrow down the search on the Airbnb database—not only by date and location, but by price, type of property, amenities, and the language of the host.

I have been using Airbnb for quite some time and can personally vouch for the positive experience with the service. 

7. Groupon: Get the best coupons

Groupon is a US-based e-commerce company that offers virtual coupons for popular digital services, hotel chains, and more. Simply download the app, give relevant location permission, and start exploring mouth-watering deals around you. 

Coupons are neatly divided into categories like electronics, toys, entertainment, fashion, pet supplies, and more, as well as by companies like Amazon, Apple, Hotels.com, Target, Vistaprint, Nike, Marriot, Walmart, and BestBuy.

Groupon also delivers notifications when you are around a store where it can help you save some bucks. You can use the virtual voucher to save some money before shopping. 

8. Spotify: Your perfect music companion

A road trip is incomplete without music. There are plenty of music streaming services in the market, but our pick narrows down to Spotify for obvious reasons. 

The app boasts a beautiful gradient-style interface with top-notch music recommendations for the road trip and offers an ideal way to keep the mood and tempo in check while driving.

Spotify also bundles a capable Podcast section to get you through long traffic routes. Go ahead, download the app, and save some music for offline use. 

Price: Free ($9.99 per month)

9. Adobe Scan: Best mobile PDF scanner

On every road trip, you need to keep essential documents such as a driving license , personal identification document, car insurance paper, hotel receipts, and more. Creating a physical file to store all the documents is not sufficient today. 

Instead, you can use Adobe Scan and scan every necessary document for the road trip and save it on Adobe cloud or device storage. The end results are flawless, with spot-on border detection for a clear scan process. 

Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $9.99)

10. Google Translate: Best translator

A must-have app for anyone visiting a place that speaks or uses a non-native language. Once again, the default Apple Translate app might work for you, but Google Translate is leagues ahead with more language support. 

Google Translate also offers a handy hand-writing tool and camera add-on that captures signboards along your way and translates the warnings on the go. 

Conversation mode is another useful feature that helps you communicate with others who don’t speak or understand your language. 

11. TickTick: Best task management app

TickTick is the best task management app out there. Before planning any road trip, you can create a checklist or list in the TickTick app and make sure everything is in place before you hit the road. 

The functionalities don’t end here. TickTick also offers Pomodoro, a habit tracker, and Google Calendar support. My favorite part of the app is theming engine. It’s not limited to boring black and white only. TickTick offers multiple theming options based on the popular cities around the world. 

In short, TickTick is the Swiss Knife Army of productivity apps that deserves a place on your home screen. 

Price: Free ($35.99 per year for premium functions)

Are you all set for your next road trip? Let us know which apps ended up being on your iPhone or iPad after a refreshing break in the comments below!

You may want to take a peek at:

• Travel apps for iPhone and iPad
• 12 Must-have travel accessories for iPhone
• iPhone and iPad apps to organize your closet
• Time Zone converter apps for iPhone and iPad

Parth previously worked at EOTO.tech covering tech news. He is currently freelancing at iGeeksBlog, Guiding Tech, iPhonehacks, and TechWiser writing about apps comparisons, tutorials, software tips and tricks, and diving deep into iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows platforms.

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Road Trip USA 2 - West 4+

A classic hidden object game, designed for ipad.

• 4.7 • 401 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

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Description.

Enjoy this game for FREE – or unlock ALL Original Stories games with unlimited play by signing up for a GHOS Subscription! Road Trip is back with another amazing tour of the United States! You'll get to explore beautiful locations across the Western states while hunting for hidden objects. The beautiful hi-resolution scenes combined with more than 2,200 hidden objects to locate will delight hidden object fans! Try your hand at 8 fun mini-games to test your puzzle-solving skills! We invite you to join us on this once-in-a-lifetime trip! Road Trip USA 2 - West hits the road for an exciting new Hidden Object game. Take a trip across the beautiful western United States to visit dozens of locations. Find hidden objects in multiple search modes, including the new Alpha Sort! Can you imagine what you will discover on this thrilling road trip? Find out today in Road Trip USA 2 - West! - Explore 30 gorgeous locations across the western US - Find hidden objects and unlock bonus puzzles - Immerse yourself in beautiful graphics - Enjoy hours of relaxing hidden object gameplay - NEW Finale: test your knowledge of US trivia *NEW!* Enjoy all GameHouse Original Stories with a subscription! As long as you’re a member, you can play all of your favorite story games. Relive past stories and fall in love with new ones. It’s all possible with a GameHouse Original Stories subscription. Subscribe today! More about GameHouse Original Stories subscriptions: - You can subscribe to unlock and remove advertisements from this game and all other GameHouse Original Stories games - GameHouse Original Stories offers a choice of two subscriptions: monthly and yearly - Monthly subscriptions will be charged at $9.99/month* - Yearly subscriptions will be charged at $89.99/year* - You will be able to access all GameHouse games for the duration of your subscription - Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal up to 24-hours prior to the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable * Prices are equal to the value that 'Apple's App Store Matrix' determines is the equivalent subscription price in $USD By using GameHouse Original Stories, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Terms of Service: https://www.gamehouseoriginalstories.com/static/terms-of-service.html Privacy Policy: https://www.gamehouseoriginalstories.com/static/privacy-policy.html

Version 2.0

THANK YOU! A big shout out for supporting us! If you haven't done so already, please take a moment to rate this game – your feedback helps make our games even better! What's new in 2.0? - General SDKs Update

Ratings and Reviews

401 Ratings

Challenging and fun

Love this hidden object game. It is great you can change difficulty level in several ways. Also love the variety of mini games. Can play this a lot without getting bored.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for the awesome review!!! Do share the game on your social media pages as well.

but you guys have gotten so greedy. It’s not enough to pay 9.99 for the full game. NOW you guys want us to pay for “packets”? Let me guess, inflation right? Gth outta here with that crap. I’ve been playing GH games for years! LOVE the Emily series and the connections to it, but I’m about to just leave your greedy as$es alone. Period

Road trip USA 2

I want to give this game a better rating but I cannot purchase it after multiple attempts. I keep getting error messages. The game has crashed on me several times. I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled. I’ve checked for updates etc. Will enjoy the game once these issues are resolved

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The 8 Best RV Navigation Apps For A Smooth And Safe Road Trip

These eight robust RV navigation apps offer additional features that can make your drive smoother and safer.

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When setting out on an RV road trip, the journey should be part of the fun! Thankfully there are many high-quality, useful apps that will help you enjoy a smooth, stress-free drive to your destination.

While you can hop in your car for a traditional road trip without much planning, it’s better to do some navigation research in advance for an RV trip, especially if you’re a new RVer . Your route might include roads, bridges, and tunnels with height and weight restrictions. Additionally, some bridges and tunnels have regulations regarding onboard propane. 

RELATED:  Tips For First Time RVers

It’s also important to note that getting gas, food, and other supplies may be more challenging while towing or driving an RV. Some parking lots won’t accommodate larger vehicles. The larger your rig, the more advance planning is recommended. Some RVers prefer to stop at truck stops or certain chain gas stations, thanks to the larger lots. RV navigation apps can help you see what options are along your planned route.

Without a good RV navigation app, you might find yourself in a sticky situation. Many RVers have gotten themselves in jams that can be time-consuming, scary, or potentially dangerous. At best, you’ll simply have to turn around or reroute. At worst, you could damage your RV. Advance planning and useful apps can truly save the day.

Leave the spiral-bound truckers’ atlas behind and use one of these seven recommended RV navigation apps:

Best for Easy-to-Use Navigation: Google Maps

GOOGLE MAPS may be the most familiar app for most travelers. That familiarity makes it a good choice because you won’t have to spend any time learning a new app. Also, many other apps and websites feature the ability to open routing in Google Maps with a single click. Another bonus? It’s free. 

The downside is that Google Maps doesn’t take your RV dimensions into account when mapping a route and can lead you to restricted or difficult-to-navigate roads. You’ll be on your own to watch for low-clearance bridges, weight and length limits, and propane restrictions while driving. Google Maps also assumes you’ll be driving the speed limit when calculating arrival time, while many RVers find they drive more slowly. Some RVers use Google Maps for basic routing suggestions, but then double check that route using height, weight, and propane restrictions found in the other RV navigation apps found in this article. 

Best For Awesome Roadside Attractions: Roadtrippers

ROADTRIPPERS  has long been a favorite for travelers looking for amazing roadside attractions. The website has cultivated a collection of the best cultural, historic, and natural sites, each with colorful descriptions. The app offers navigation and allows you to also search for campgrounds and a variety of RV service locations. Upgrading to the Pro version gets you extra features, including the ability to save maps offline, collaboratively plan trips and avoid ad pop ups.

Best For Customized RV Routes: RV LIFE Trip Wizard And RV LIFE RV Safe GPS

RV LIFE TRIP WIZARD and RV LIFE RV SAFE GPS allow you to customize your route based on your RV’s restrictions. RV LIFE Trip Wizard is web-based, and it works hand-in-hand with the RV LIFE RV Safe GPS app. You can also download your route to navigate in Google Maps, which is convenient for those who prefer using a familiar app. 

The suite of RV LIFE tools offers additional trip-planning features, including campground searches and trip budgeting. If you’re a member of any camping clubs (such as KOA or Good Sam), you can prioritize those options when searching for an RV park. The RV LIFE Pro subscription costs $65 per year after your 7-day free trial and includes access to a suite of features. There’s a monthly subscription option that’s also available for $19.99, but doesn’t include a free trial. 

RELATED:  10 Tips for Saving Money On RV Trips

Best For Different Map Styles: CoPilot GPS

COPILOT GPS features an app specifically designed for RV navigation. Simply input information about your rig, and CoPilot will find an appropriate route for your RV weight and height. Maps are available in both 2D and 3D versions and include detailed information about road signs and turn lanes. Clear, simple audio navigation and speed limit indicators make it easy to safely use CoPilot while driving without looking at the screen. Note that the current lack of CarPlay integration is a downside for some subscribers.

You can store offline maps on your device, meaning you’ll never go without a map, even when driving in remote areas. You can also easily search for and add roadside stops to your route. A 14-day free trial is available, and an annual subscription costs $29.99. You can subscribe to the app in the App Store or Google Play. 

Best For White-Knuckle Drivers: inRoute

INROUTE shares many features with other RV navigation apps, but it has one unique feature RVers might especially appreciate: This app allows you to devise a route based on various options, including curviness and elevation. So travelers to mountainous regions will especially appreciate this to avoid white-knuckle drives.

inRoute also checks the weather, giving you a heads up about severe weather ahead. You can plan a trip with up to eight stops for free or test out a free 7-day trial for access to all features. A subscription costs $39.99 per year or $4.99 per month. The app is currently only available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. CarPlay integration is available for iOS users.

Best For Finding RV-Friendly Amenities: AllStays

Though the name “AllStays” sounds as though it focuses on places to stay, the ALLSTAYS CAMP & RV app includes so much more. In addition to 37,000 campgrounds, the app lets users search for big box stores, parking, truck stops (with fuel prices listed), rest areas, and RV stores. The dump station filter is particularly helpful for boondockers and dry campers who need to find locations to empty their tanks.

As you drive, the map continually refreshes to show locations that fall within your filters, making it easy to plan on the go. Then, simply click a button for turn-by-turn directions to your selected destination. You can also check for weather and driving conditions. Expect to pay $34.95 for an annual subscription that renews at $32.95 per year. Note: AllStays isn’t currently available on Android devices.

Best For Finding Gas Stops: GasBuddy

While GASBUDDY can’t be used to plan your whole route, it shines in helping you find one of the most important things you need while driving – gas. Pull up the app to find gas stations within a range of your current location, and easily find nearby options. As an added bonus, GasBuddy displays fuel prices, helping you to find the most affordable station on your route. 

RELATED:  5 Areas to Control Your Costs When Planning a Budget RV Trip

GasBuddy can also help you save money by earning “GasBack” whenever you use the app to pay for purchases. This app is free to download, but a premium subscription costs $9.99 and adds benefits like gas station deals and roadside assistance.

Best For Planning Pit Stops: iExit

Available for both iOS and Android platforms, iExit is a user-friendly app that enhances your road trip experience by providing real-time information about services and amenities at upcoming highway exits.

The app's intuitive interface allows you to easily browse through a comprehensive list of services such as gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more, all conveniently organized by exit number. What sets iExit apart is its ability to display these amenities well in advance, giving you ample time to plan your stops and make informed decisions on where to refuel, grab a bite, or take a break.

iExit is compatible with CarPlay and free to download, making it an affordable and valuable companion for any road trip. Whether you're on the open road or navigating through unfamiliar territory, iExit will prove to be an invaluable tool for maximizing convenience.

Before your next big road trip, download and explore any app of interest in advance, taking advantage of available free trials. That way, you — and your copilot — can get a feel for the app’s functions, strengths, and limitations before you drive or tow your RV. When it’s time to hit the open road, you’ll be confident that your navigation won’t lead you astray.

Author and co-host of the RV Atlas podcast

Jeremy Puglisi is the co-host of the RV Atlas podcast and the co-author of See You at the Campground: A Guide to Discovering Community, Connection, and a Happier Family in the Great Outdoors , and Where Should We Camp Next: A 50 State Guide to Amazing Campgrounds and other Unique Outdoor Accommodations. He loves nothing more than hitching up and heading out to the next campground with his family.

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Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs FREE MLB live stream: Time, channel

• Updated: Jul. 02, 2024, 4:31 p.m. |
• Published: Jul. 02, 2024, 4:29 p.m.

Philadelphia Phillies' Trea Turner (7) hits an RBI single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, April 8, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane) AP

• Dustin Hockensmith | [email protected]

The Philadelphia Phillies kick off a six-game road trip Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The game is scheduled to start at 8:05 p.m. ET (7:05 p.m. CT) with TV coverage on TBS and streaming on-demand .

• Watch: Live streams of the Phillies-Cubs game are available with offers from DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (1st month discount) . The game will also stream on Max ($9.99+/mo.) .

Philadelphia Phillies (55-29) at Chicago Cubs (39-46)

MLB matchup at a glance

When: Tuesday, July 2 at 8:05 p.m. ET (7:05 p.m. CT)

Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Ill.

TV channel: TBS

Live streams: DirecTV Stream (free trial) | SlingTV (1st month discount) | Max ($9.99+/mo.)

The Phillies come off a four-game series split at home against the Miami Marlins, where the final combined scoring margin was nearly even (Marlins 16-15). Philadelphia salvaged a split in Sunday’s Game 4 and got a day off on Monday to make the trip to Chicago. The Phillies offense pounded out 14 hits to beat the Marlins, 7-6, in the finale, with Trea Turner’s two-run single in the seventh proving to be the game-winner.

Watch live streams of Major League Baseball on TBS: DirecTV Stream (free trial) | SlingTV (1st month discount) | Max ($9.99+/mo.)

The Cubs are a last-place team in the National League East entering Tuesday’s matchup at Wrigley, falling to 39-46 with a 7-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. That was Chicago’s third straight series loss, over which the team is just 2-7. Righthanded swing man Hayden Wesneski (2-4, 3.60 ERA) will get the start for the Cubs, while the Phillies counter with rookie righty Michael Mercado (0-0, 0.00 ERA) in his first career start.

The Phillies and Cubs are set for an 8:05 p.m. ET start on TBS. Live streams are available from DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (1st month discount) . The game will also stream on Max ($9.99+/mo.) .

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Rickwood Field road trip -- Part III

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Birmingham’s Rickwood Field – the oldest professional baseball stadium in America, standing since 1910, and the former home of the Negro American League’s Birmingham Black Barons – hosted Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball games this week, and on the way to the hallowed ground, MLB Pipeline took a

Birmingham’s Rickwood Field – the oldest professional baseball stadium in America, standing since 1910, and the former home of the Negro American League’s Birmingham Black Barons – hosted Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball games this week, and on the way to the hallowed ground, MLB Pipeline took a road trip through Florida and Alabama in search of more stories that tell the history of Black baseball in the South. Part I of that trip, covering stops in Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, is available to read here . Part II, covering Mobile and Montgomery, is here .

BIRMINGHAM, NEGRO SOUTHERN LEAGUE MUSEUM

Opened in August 2015, the Negro Southern League Museum sits one block north of Double-A Birmingham’s home ballpark Regions Field, making baseball squarely a focus of the city’s Southside neighborhood.

The museum works as a joint effort by the Center for Negro League Baseball Research (headed by Dr. Layton Revel), which provides most of the artifacts on display, and the City of Birmingham. While the city isn’t in the official name itself, it might as well be with the way the entire experience tells the story of Birmingham baseball from the Industrial League of the 19th century through the Negro Southern League’s Birmingham Black Barons to modern times with local Black athletes like Bo Jackson and Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson.

“If I had to choose one location in the United States, it would be Birmingham, Alabama for the following reasons,” Revel said. “Number one, the Birmingham Black Barons played more Negro League baseball games than any other team that played in the Negro Leagues. Secondly, we have Rickwood Field here, of course. From 1910 to 1963, it was the home field to the Birmingham Black Barons, and it's still here. Third reason is we had the Birmingham Industrial League here. The Birmingham Industrial League was started in the early 1890s, and it sent more players to the Negro Leagues than any other organizations in the country.”

Visitors can stand inches away from the signatures of legends like Hank Aaron, Buck O’Neil and Jackie Robinson. They can gawk at a game-used uniform from Satchel Paige, and feet away from that, they can use a light-based pitching simulator that shows just how fast the right-hander threw his hurry-up ball, hesitation pitch, wobbly ball and midnight rider. An exhibit on women in the Negro Leagues houses a game-used hat, game-used glove and Indianapolis Clowns jersey from Toni Stone. Another highlights the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons – arguably the best in team history that made that year’s Negro League World Series.

There is one corner that will catch a lot of attention this week – the one devoted to Rickwood Field itself. There’s even a broadside advertising the stadium’s first matchup from Aug. 18, 1910 between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Climbers.

“It's just a great time to start looking back and try to reclaim some of this history and forge a new path,” said director Anthony C. Williams. “Because we can't really explain why there was a Negro League and a regular league. How do we tell that story to our kids? But it's the truth. So I think now is the time to look back and try to make sense of and to recognize these players who may have gotten left out and to really tell their stories.”

In truth, interest in the Negro Leagues is hitting a 21st-century high.

The “MLB: The Show” video game series has brought new, interactive attention to that period in the game’s history, allowing fans young and old to play as the legends they may have read about or seen in old pictures. Stone, for instance, took on a new level of fame when she was included alongside Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard and Aaron (whom she replaced on the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953) in “Storylines 2.” Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has expanded to have a national presence, and its president Bob Kendrick served as players’ guide through history in this year’s edition of the game.

Between the Rickwood games and the growing popularity elsewhere, the National Southern League Museum is ready to take its place in the conversation at every level.

“As long as I’m here, my pursuit will be to get this information to as many as possible,” Williams said. “To invite youth organizations, schools, tours, whatever it may be – youth baseball organizations especially – to be able to know these stories. I think once people learn just how important baseball was to this region and how rich the history is, I think the youth will have a different idea of their area. … I think they’ll walk with their heads a little bit higher.”

Those raised heads might pick up one more detail, a quote from Ted Williams about one other local legend and former Black Baron.

“They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays."

BIRMINGHAM, RICKWOOD FIELD

Rickwood Field is a cathedral, a museum and a big, beautiful baseball diamond rolled into one.

Tuesday’s MiLB at Rickwood game between Birmingham and Montgomery – the first Minor League contest held at the historic park since 2019 – served as a table-setter for the big week to come. But make no bones about it, it was not simply a dress rehearsal for the MLB game between the Cardinals and Giants two days later.

Rather, it was Rickwood’s first opportunity to show off the improvements that made this whole week possible. A new playing surface that brought it up to MLB standards. A shorter backstop. Improved dugouts over the previous editions that, as Friends of Rickwood chairman and executive director Gerald Watkins, could “fit 12 people on a good day.” New outfield dimensions, most notably bringing in center field from 478 feet to 400. New foul poles. Different lighting.

For this week’s events alone, Major League Baseball installed a Fan Plaza, adorned with signs and graphics celebrating Negro League stars like Cool Papa Bell and Rube Foster.

But one thing that never needed replacing was the aura.

A popular picture spot for fans was in front of the green facade at the original main entrance into the park, throngs wanting to prove they stood on the same grounds as so many of the game’s greats. By one count, 181 Hall of Famers have appeared in games at Rickwood Field, whether it be as Minor Leaguers, Negro Leaguers, barnstormers, Major Leaguers making their way north from Spring Training, etc.

This was where, legend has it, Babe Ruth homered onto a train headed for Atlanta. It’s where Reggie Jackson may have gone even deeper (if we don’t account for locomotive travel). It’s where Fairfield, Alabama’s own Willie Mays suited up for the Birmingham Black Barons. In a statement earlier this week, the 24-time All-Star said, “The first big thing I ever put my mind to was to play at Rickwood Field.”

On Thursday – just before the MLB game – Jackson, speaking on FOX’s pregame show , reminded the audience that baseball in Birmingham doesn’t have as rosy a history as its Rickwood all-time roster would indicate. The first integrated team in Alabama history didn’t play in Rickwood until 1964. Three years later while playing for Birmingham A’s, Jackson was still being told he couldn’t eat in certain restaurants or stay at certain hotels because of the color of his skin.

By 1988, the Southern League club moved to the suburb in Hoover, and while Rickwood was falling into disrepair, production on the 1994 movie “Cobb”, which wanted to use the site for filming, injected new life into the ballpark. High-school and college games became regular affairs, and Minor League Baseball returned for one-off contests called the Rickwood Classic from 1996-2019.

But with the latest effort, locals have been hopeful that Rickwood’s latest revitalization can uplift the entire region.

“For the city of Birmingham, this is like a TV commercial or documentary about the city,” Watkins said. “Citizens past and present, we couldn’t afford to by the attention we’re getting. Not only are people going to be coming to Birmingham, they’re going to coming to grips with Rickwood Field and other sites as well. It’s going to say a lot and do a lot to show how this city changed from the image it had in the ‘60s.”

As for the game itself, it served as the opener in MLB’s Tribute to the Negro Leagues with Montgomery and Birmingham wearing Gray Sox and Black Barons uniforms, respectively. Birmingham natives and Negro League alumni Clinton Forge, Alphonse Holt, Joseph Marbury and Ferdinand Rutledge met with players from both sides and threw out ceremonial first pitches.

The Rays and White Sox prospects weren’t just reading about the history of the game’s oldest professional ballpark; they were direct participants.

“I had to take a couple laps around the field just to see the atmosphere,” said Montgomery center fielder Chandler Simpson, “feel the energy, just to be in the presence of all those greats that came before me.”

The moment was especially not lost on Tampa Bay’s No. 10 prospect, the son of two Atlanta-area educators who had told him about the Negro Leagues beginning when he was around eight years old. His father, Dr. Ralph Simpson, traveled the two hours from Atlanta to Birmingham to witness his son leading off for Montgomery, thus becoming the first official batter in Rickwood’s new-look state.

“We’re all just here to support it,” said the elder Simpson. “He’s embracing what all of this means but knows and understands that he has to go out and produce. A lot of kids, not just African-Americans, are going to follow him because some of those same kids have aspirations and may have a similar-type game. They want to look at him and know that their game will translate.”

Simpson’s game, referenced by his father, is one of a slap-and-dash -- get on base with dinks and dunks into the outfield and keep the pressure on the defense with blazing speed. True to form, the outfielder, who spent two years in Birmingham at UAB before transferring to Georgia Tech, singled to right on the game’s second pitch and stole second and third within the next at-bat. He’d finish the night 3-for-4 with three stolen bases before being lifted for a minor calf injury, pushing his average to .375 and his SB total to 51 – both tops in the full-season Minors.

With Mays being talked about all week as the game’s quintessential five-tool player, Simpson showing off his elite hitting and running skills was no mistake.

“I was sleeping on that last night, and I was dreaming about that and visualizing that today,” he said. “When I got that first hit, I knew I was going to take off no matter what, and I was going to take third.”

Many remained locked into the old-school feel of the Rickwood opener for much of the evening, but murmurs began to spread around the later innings. Mays – the all-time great who roamed this very outfield as a teenager nearly seven decades earlier – had died at 93. An announcement on the newly built electronic scoreboard in right-center confirmed it to those who hadn’t heard.

But instead of giving a Giant of the pastime a moment of silence, the crowd organically turned to what he had more typically heard during his Rickwood days instead – back when folks arrived at the ballpark straight from church in their Sunday best to catch an afternoon game, when Mays and his fellow ’48 Black Barons earned bigger crowds than their white counterparts. They clapped. They cheered. They tipped their hats toward the field.

Willie’s field.

“He was definitely here in spirit throughout the whole game,” Simpson said.

“It definitely hits you a little bit,” Birmingham manager Sergio Santos said. “I think it gives you feedback on what an honor it is not only to wear the jersey but to participate in a game like today. Obviously, baseball is big, but life and death is something bigger. Willie Mays, what a legacy we’re all trying to fulfill and play the game the way he played.”

And so the teams played on, Montgomery holding off a late Birmingham charge to win 6-5. A “Barnstorm Birmingham” celebrity softball game on Wednesday and the Cardinals’ own 6-5 victory over the Giants on Thursday kept the Rickwood festivities going, but our trip ended with the Tuesday opener.

A three-day journey through Florida and Alabama – with stops relating to Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, the Major Leagues, the Minor Leagues, the Negro Leagues, the history of the game, the present of the game, the future of the game – came to an end. It was always culminating in the longtime home of baseball in Birmingham, but Magic City made sure that diamond sparkled for all to see.

“This whole week,” Watkins said, “has made Rickwood Field the center of the baseball universe.”

Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB .

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The road map for the Rangers’ quest to follow up a Presidents’ Trophy-winning season has been revealed. 

Beginning against the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9 and ending at home at Madison Square Garden against the Lightning on April 17, the Blueshirts will be tasked with maintaining – or ideally exceeding – the consistency they displayed in the NHL standings last season in the upcoming 2024-25 campaign. 

The Rangers have another 82-game slate in front of them to best set themselves up to get back to the conference final and take that next step that has evaded the organization for a decade.

Afternoon Special

A primetime team in a market like New York, the Rangers are usually scheduled for later game times more often than not.

There are 16 afternoon games on the Blueshirts’ upcoming schedule, including a back-to-back slate that features a noon start in Washington on Jan. 4 and a 2 p.m. puck drop in Chicago on Jan. 5. 

First Trip to Utah

The Rangers will make their way to Salt Lake City for the first time on Jan. 16, after the Coyotes organization was forced to relocate to Utah amid issues with Arizona’s ownership group.

It will come at the end of the Vegas-Colorado leg. 

Break for Four Nations Face-Off

Instead of the usual All-Star break, the Rangers’ pause in game action from Feb. 9-21 will be for the Four Nations Face-Off tournament, in which teams representing the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden will play each other.

Two Rangers – Adam Fox (USA) and Mika Zibanejad (Sweden) – have already been named to their respective country’s roster. 

California in March

Despite getting their longest road trip of the season early in November, when they venture to Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton over a week, the Rangers will have to power through their California trip later in the season in March.

Depending on how the season goes, there could be playoff implications for every game. 

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#WeArePlay | Meet the people creating apps and games in Australia

Last year #WeArePlay went on a virtual tour of India , Europe and Japan to spotlight the stories of app and game founders. Today, we’re continuing our tour across the world with our next stop: Australia

From an app helping people during natural disasters to a game promoting wellbeing through houseplants, meet the 50 apps and games companies building growing businesses on Google Play.

Let’s take a quick road trip across the territories.

Tristen's app gives accurate information to people during natural disasters

Meet Tristen from Canberra, founder of Disaster Science. When Tristen was stranded by a bushfire with friends during a holiday, he realized the need to have accurate information in a crisis situation. Moved to help others, he leveraged his software development skills to create his app, Bushfire.io . It collects data from multiple sources to give people an overview of fires, floods, road closures, and vital weather updates.

He has recently added real-time satellite imagery and has plans to expand further internationally, with coverage of region-specific events like cyclones, earthquakes, evacuations and heat warnings.

Christine and Lauren's promotes wellbeing through houseplants

In the game, players enter the comforting, botanical world of houseplants, home decoration, steaming hot coffee, and freshly baked cookies. Since going viral on several social media platforms, the app has seen huge growth.

Kathryn's app helps reduce stress and anxiety in children

Kathryn from Melbourne is the founder of Courageous Kids. When Kathryn's son was anxious and fearful whenever she dropped him off at school, as a doctor, her instincts for early intervention kicked in. She sought advice from pediatric colleagues to create stories to explain his day, making him the main character. Friends in a similar situation began to ask her for advice and use the stories for their own children so she created Courageous Kids .

A library of real-world stories for parents to personalize, Courageous Kids helps children to visualize their day and manage their expectations. Her app has become popular among families of sensitive and autistic children, and Kathryn is now working with preschools to give even more kids the tools to feel confident.

Discover more #WeArePlay stories from Australia , and stories from across the globe .

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It's a Good Idea to Download Google Maps Offline. Here's How to Do It

You don't want to get lost, do you?

Use Google Maps without internet service.

You're driving somewhere you've never driven before, and suddenly your internet stops working. When it comes to directions on Google Maps, it's usually fine to not have internet, because whatever route you're following will continue to work, even with no service. 

But if you need to stop somewhere or reroute, you're going to have problems.

In the US, you won't always have good service, or any internet at all, especially at national parks or during long highway stretches of remote areas. No internet means you can't add a stop, like a gas station or market, to your route. No internet means you can't find a new route, in case you're lost. No internet means you can't go somewhere else other than your current destination. You're stuck to the route you're going to -- and that's that.

If you're traveling in an area you don't know very well, and you want to get there without an issue, internet is almost required, for all the reasons I mentioned above. 

That is ,  unless you have offline maps .

If you are planning a road trip or heading somewhere where internet might not be strong or available, you should know how to download a map of the area on Google Maps.

Here's what you need to know.

Want to check out other Google Maps tips and tricks? Check out  how to blur your house on Google Maps  and  three Google Maps  features you'll definitely want to know about.

How to download Google Maps offline

First off, you won't download all of Google Maps in its entirety. Instead, before your trip, you'll want to download a specific area, which could be a city, county or region where you'll be spending time and might not have service on your phone.

To download a map in Google Maps offline, open the Google Maps app on iOS or Android and tap your profile picture on the top right (you must be logged in to your Google account for this to work). In the menu that appears, tap Offline maps > Select Your Own Map.

You can download multiple Google Maps areas offline.

Use your fingers to place the map you want to download within the confines of the rectangle border. Use one finger to move across the map, and a two-finger pinch to zoom in and out. As you move around the map, you'll see how much storage space the download will take up on your phone. Once you're happy with the area, tap Download . 

Note : Alternatively, you can type a city or other area into Google Maps and then hit the  Download  button that appears in the pull-up window to download the map offline, but this only works on the iPhone.

Read more :  Google Maps Cheat Sheet: Most Useful Tricks

You must be connected to Wi-Fi to download the map. If you want to download over cellular, go to the Offline maps page, tap the gear icon on the top right, tap When to download offline maps and select Over Wi-Fi or mobile network . Once your map is downloaded, you'll be sent back to the Offline maps page, where you can see all your offline maps.

You can only download a map that's a maximum 250 MB (what will appear in the selected map as roughly the size of Maine). 

Now you'll be able to use Google Maps even when you're offline in the area you downloaded -- and in that area only. You won't get extremely accurate travel times or alternate route options because traffic and other road issues are not accounted for, but you will get a general ballpark idea of how long your trip should take. Transit, bicycling and walking directions are also not available offline -- only driving directions. 

You'll know you're using your offline map when you see a little cloud icon with a line through it in Google Maps.

If you want more tips on Google, make sure to read which Google Home settings you need to change ASAP and our picks for the best Pixel phones .

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• Best Budgeting Apps

Compare the Top Budgeting Apps

• Budgeting App Reviews
• Introduction
• Features to Look for
• How to Choose an App
• Setting Up and Using an App
• Pros and Cons
• Alternatives
• Why You Should Trust Us

Best Budgeting Apps of July 2024: Manage Your Finances Efficiently

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate products and services to help you make smart decisions with your money.

Budgeting can already feel difficult, but with the right money management tool, you should be able to track your spending habits, find ways to spend less and save more, or budget effectively as a couple.

50% off for new customers (offer ends July 14, 2024)

$3.99 monthly subscription or $47.88 annual subscription

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Connect all your bank accounts, investments accounts, and credit cards
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Help you save for individual savings goals
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Create a budget
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Track expenses
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. 30-day money-back guarantee
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Must buy a subscription (no free option)

Quicken Simplifi is a great budgeting tool if you want to create a detailed monthly spending and savings plan and don't mind paying for a subscription. If you would rather get a budgeting app that doesn't have a subscription fee, you'll have to consider other options.

• Up to 50% off on Simplifi for all new customers
• Stay on top of your finances in under 5 minutes per week.
• Check your custom budgeting plan — anytime, anywhere!
• Track your spending
• See where your money is going and discover places to save.
• Keep your bills in check
• Find subscriptions you don't use and start saving from day one.

Check out our picks for the best budgeting apps, and read more about how we chose the winners.

Best Budgeting Apps of July 2024

• Rocket Money : Best overall for reducing spending and creating a budget
• Monarch Money : Best for saving toward financial goals
• Quicken Simplifi : Best for robust budgeting features
• Honeydue App: Best for couples

The top budgeting apps have a straightforward sign-up process, a decent fee structure, strong budgeting tools, and an overall positive user experience. Learn more about the best budgeting apps, below.

Free to create a budget. Subscription fee applies to premium services.

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Connect all your bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts to track spending
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Bill negotiation feature
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Free plan available
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Limited features available with free plan
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Limited customer support availability

Rocket Money is featured in our best budgeting apps guide. While the Rocket Money app is free, there is a subscription fee if you want to use Premium features, like concierge services or premium chat.

Offers a 7-day free trial

Premium Plan with a 7-day free-trial, then $14.99 per month or $99.99 annually

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Link bank accounts
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Create unlimited budgets and make customizable categories
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Track individual savings goals
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Graphs and charts that track your spending and savings
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No free plan

Monarch Money is an overall solid option if you prioritize creating monthly budgets and saving for individual savings goals. The main downside of the app is that it doesn't offer a free plan. You'll have to a monthly or annual subscription fee.

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Budgeting app for couples
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Can have individual and shared finances
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Create monthly bill reminders
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Can discuss finances through chat feature
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Only available through mobile app

Honeydue is featured in our best budgeting apps guide as the best option for couples. It's a great option if you don't want to pay a fee. It also allows you to have individual and shared finances.

Top Budgeting App Reviews

Budgeting looks different for everyone, so we selected four picks for budgeting apps. We selected a well-rounded budgeting app, one designed for couples, another that's appealing for setting goals, and lastly one with more detailed budgeting features.

We have a mix of free budgeting apps and ones that have premium plans with subscription fees, so you can choose an option based on your financial needs and priorities.

Best Overall: Rocket Money

Rocket Money (previously known as TrueBill) is our best budgeting app overall because it has a variety of tools to help you save and limit spending.

Rocket Money has both a free plan and a premium plan. With the free plan, you'll be able to link bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts to track spending and you'll also be able to create a budget .

The premium plan includes concierge services, which review your bills and subscriptions to help you cancel or get refunds for these services on your behalf. It also includes premium customer chat, unlimited budgets, customizable budget categories, a savings account, real-time updated syncing, and a credit score report.

The app's standout feature is Bill Negotiation. You'll upload a copy of your bill, and Rocket Money will determine whether you can get the same service with the company for a lower price. Rocket Money may also help you get refunds if you're charged bank overdraft fees or late fees.

When Rocket Money negotiates a bill, you'll have to pay a percentage (you may choose any amount from 30% to 60%) of whatever it will save you for the year. If you plan to change your internet, cable, phone, or wireless provider in the next year, you could end up losing money, though.

Pricing: You may choose how much to pay each month through a sliding scale. Rocket Money has a free plan that's $0. The Premium plan has a 7-day free trial; after the free trial, you'll have to pay around $6 to $12 per month (the lower-price plans are billed annually instead of monthly).

Rocket Money Review

Best for Couples: Honeydue App

Honeydue is a budgeting app designed specifically for couples. The sign-up process is short and simple — you'll create an account by setting up your email, then invite your partner to Honeydue.

Honeydue allows you to see both your individual and shared finances in one place. You also have to option of setting limits to how much your partner can see. When you connect a bank account to the app, you may choose to share both balance and transaction information, share information only, or share no information.

With Honeydue, you can organize your finances by creating monthly bill reminders or discussing personal financial information through the app's chat feature.

If you would like an additional place to store money for a common goal, like a holiday budget or a couple's vacation.

You won't be able to access Honeydue through your computer; it's only available through a mobile app. Some of our other top picks have both online and mobile platforms for more convenience.

Regular Pricing: Free

Best for Saving for Financial Goals: Monarch Money

Monarch Money may be worthwhile if you are looking for a budgeting app that helps you save for financial goals and create a budget. It's also become one of the most hyped-up Mint alternatives among Redditor users since Mint shut down.

Through Monarch Money, you'll be able to make unlimited personalized savings goals . You can customize goals, organize them by order of importance, and link them to bank accounts. The app also helps you create a zero-based budget, track your net worth, and analyze your cash flow.

Monarch Money doesn't have a free plan. You can try out a 7-day free trial. However, after that, you'll need to pay a subscription fee. If you do not want to pay a subscription fee for a budgeting app, you'll want to consider one of our other picks.

Regular Pricing: Premium Plan with a 7-day free-trial, then $14.99 per month or $99.99 annually

Best for Robust Budgeting Features: Quicken Simplifi

Quicken Simplifi might be a good choice if you want a budgeting app that provides a detailed breakdown of your spending and savings.

In addition to letting you create budgets with customizable categories and make individual savings goals, Quicken Simplifi analyzes your spending and savings through charts and data.

You can receive monthly reports for spending, general income, income after expenses, savings, and net worth . You can also now check your credit score through the web application if you have early access (This feature is currently only available to U.S. residents). Checking your credit score through Simplifi won't affect it.

The one major downside to this app is that it doesn't have a free plan. You'll have to pay a subscription fee, although you can try the app for 30 days with a money-back guarantee.

There's also a special promotion available right now — 50% off for new customers (offer ends July 14, 2024).

Regular Pricing: $3.99 monthly subscription or $47.88 annual subscription

Quicken Simplfi Review

Budgeting App Trustworthiness and BBB Ratings

We review the ethics of each company so you can see if a specific financial institution aligns with your values.

We also include the settlement history of the last 3 years so you're aware of any recent public controversies involving the bank.

We include ratings from the Better Business Bureau to evaluate how companies address customer issues and handle transparency.

Rocket Money has a B rating due to a high volume of customer complaints.

Honeydue has an F rating because it hasn't responded to three customer complaints and it hasn't been in operation for a long time.

Quicken has an F rating because it has received a high volume of customer complaints filed, and failed to respond to 13 customer complaints.

A good BBB rating won't guarantee you'll have a good relationship with a company. You also might want to read customer reviews or talk to current customers before making your decision.

Intuit does have some public issues surrounding its tax-filing software, TurboTax.

Introduction to Budgeting Apps

Why use a budgeting app.

A budgeting app can help you understand where you spend your money. It's also useful for building and maintaining an effective budget.

The top budgeting apps let you create a monthly budget using customizable categories.

Many also help you save money effectively . For example, budgeting apps use your transaction history to make charts and graphs. You can use this information to analyze your spending patterns and figure out where to make adjustments in your budget.

Key Benefits of Budgeting Apps

The primary benefit of using a budgeting app is that it gives you a big-picture view of your financial situation.

Many budgeting apps let you link different types of bank accounts, investment accounts, credit cards , and loans. You'll be able to see all your accounts in one place and see how you're spending versus saving.

Budgeting apps also help you build better money habits. If you've struggled to maintain a budget in the past, it might be easier to track your spending on an app than completely on your own. Budgeting apps do the work for you by syncing all your accounts — you just need to make sure everything is synced correctly and make small adjustments when they aren't.

Features to Look for in a Budgeting App

User-friendly interface.

A good budgeting app has a design format that's easy to use. The app should load quickly and make it easy to get started. You should be able to create a budget on your own without much help. If you encounter technical difficulties, you should also easily be able to contact a customer representative through the app.

Syncing with Bank Account

Many easy-to-use budgeting apps for beginners allow you to sync savings accounts, checking accounts , investment accounts, or credit cards.

Apps often use Plaid to link bank accounts. Plaid can connect more than 11,000 U.S. banks and credit unions, including the best banks .

Expense Tracking

Once bank accounts are linked, your spending will be updated on the app so you have up-to-date information. A strong budgeting app will provide updates frequently, and during the same day so you can stay on top of your budget.

Customizable Budgeting Categories

Many budgeting apps allow you to create a zero-balance budget. With a zero-balance budget, you're figuring out where every dollar of your income is going. You can create budget categories for every expense. You can also create savings goals if you're setting aside money for a specific purpose, like a down payment on a home or a future vacation.

A good budgeting app allows you to make customizable budgeting categories rather than pre-set categories. That way, you can make a budget that's tailored to your life and make categories as broad or specific as you want.

Charts and Visual Analysis Features

A top budgeting app analyzes your habits so you can see how you manage your money over time. Some apps provide charts of your monthly budget so you can see how your categories compare to one another. Others might have visuals to indicate how much money you have left to spend in a certain category for that month.

Several budgeting apps also provide reports for broader areas of your finances. For example, you might be able to view your cash flow balance over several months or how your money in your retirement plans has grown over time.

How to Choose the Best Budgeting App for You

To find the right budgeting app, you need to know what features you're looking for. Are you looking for ways to cut back on spending? Do you want a free plan or a subscription plan for your budgeting app? Do you want a detailed breakdown of your finances or more of a general overview? Knowing the answers to these questions can help narrow down your options.

If you have your eye on a few budgeting apps, you can try out the free trials or free versions of each before settling on the right one. That way, you can see if the interface is also user-friendly and manageable for the long-term.

Setting Up and Using a Budgeting App

Step-by-step guide to setting up your budgeting app.

To use a budgeting app, you'll have to download it through the Android or Apple store. To set up most budgeting apps, you'll enter your name and email address. If the app charges a subscription fee, it will prompt you to sign up for a plan or free trial.

The best budgeting apps will walk you through the app's different features and help you get started. You'll typically be prompted to link accounts. Then, you can create a budget or set savings goals.

Tips for Effective Budgeting with the Apps

If you're new to budgeting apps, it may be helpful to start off with some structure.

For example, you could use a popular savings method like the 50/30/20 rule or pay-yourself-first strategy.

The 50/30/20 rule breaks down your budgeting, so 50% goes to needs, 30% goes to wants, and 20% goes to debt or savings. The pay-yourself-first strategy focuses on savings — you'll automatically transfer money from your paycheck to some of your savings and then distribute what's left over to your expenses.

Another tip for effective budgeting is to look at your expenses to see if they reflect your financial goals and values. If you have certain goals that are of higher priority than others, find ways to reduce spending in categories that aren't a priority for you. That might mean waiting before making a purchase, creating a meal plan or grocery list to limit spending on food, or auditing your subscriptions to see if there are any you can cancel.

Common Mistakes to Avoid on Budgeting Apps

Experts recommend trying out a budgeting app's free plan or free trial before committing to an annual plan.

There are many budgeting apps out there, so you want to try to find the one that best aligns with your financial needs. Testing a few apps can help you decide the best one, and it also keeps you from paying too much for a budgeting app that you won't end up using.

Pros and Cons of Budgeting Apps

Alternatives to budgeting apps, budgeting apps vs. spreadsheet or diy budgeting methods.

You may prefer building a spreadsheet budget if you don't want to link all of your bank accounts or credit cards in a mobile app. However, setting up and maintaining your budget will primarily hinge on how much work you're willing to put into it.

A budgeting app does the tracking for you. With a spreadsheet, you'll have to either start from scratch or use a template. Either way, a budgeting app still offers more comprehensive features.

Budgeting Apps vs. Personal Finance Software

Budgeting apps and personal finance software share the same features. The best option for you will depend on whether you have preferences on the tool's accessibility.

A budgeting app is primarily designed for mobile experiences. Some apps also have an online dashboard which you can access through your computer, but it is always something that's offered.

Meanwhile, personal finance software is designed for computer access. You'll either download the software to a desktop or use an online platform. Some will also have apps, but some features might not be available.

Budgeting Apps vs. Savings Accounts with Goals Features

Some of the best online banks have added unique features to their savings accounts to help customers with goal-setting.

If you're specifically looking for a way to save for goals, it may benefit you to get a savings account with buckets . Buckets are customizable tools that separate your savings so you can save for specific goals. Since they are an integrated bank account feature, they also might be easier to manage than a budgeting app.

If you would rather have more robust budgeting tools, a budgeting app will likely still stand out to you. Budgeting apps also connect investment accounts, credit cards, and loans, so you'll be able to see everything in one place.

Budgeting App FAQs

A budgeting app is beneficial for tracking expenses and sticking to a budget. It can also help you save for financial goals and prevent lifestyle creep .

To choose the best budgeting app for your needs, consider what your financial goals are and how a budgeting app can best help you achieve them. If you need help cutting back on expenses, you might consider a budgeting app with bill negotiation features. If you need help with savings, you might prioritize an app that helps with goal-setting features.

Most budgeting apps have encryption to store data, making them secure to use if you're linking your accounts. To keep your username and password safe, budgeting apps might also have multi-factor authentication so they can verify your identity when you're logging in.

A budgeting app can help you understand your financial situation so you can create a budget that saves you money over time. These apps can help you find areas where you can reduce your spending. Some also offer a bill negotiation feature so you can see if you can save money on subscriptions.

Yes, there are free budgeting apps available in the Apple and Android stores, though they typically have more limited features than apps with paid subscriptions. The best free budgeting app is Honeydue, which is specifically for couples.

Mint shut down in March 2024. You'll have to switch to Credit Karma if you want to continue using an Intuit personal finance platform, or you can switch to an alternative budgeting app.

In most cases, the best budgeting app for beginners will be one that makes budgeting easy — this means it has an easy-to-use interface and links to your accounts, so you don't have to enter every transaction manually. It can also be good to have an app that teaches you about money.

Rocket Money is our best budgeting app overall, and it has a free plan. If you're in a couple, our top pick is Honeydue which is also free to download.

Why You Should Trust Us: Experts' Advice on the Best Budgeting Apps

We consulted banking and financial planning experts to inform these picks and provide their advice on finding the budgeting app for your needs.

• Sophia Acevedo, banking editor, Business Insider
• Mykail James, MBA, certified financial education instructor, BoujieBudgets.com

Here's what they had to say about budgeting apps. (Some text may be lightly edited for clarity.)

What should I look for in a budgeting app?

Mykail James, MBA, certified financial education instructor, BoujieBudgets.com :

"My best tip for people who are looking to start using a budgeting app is to figure out what you're missing in your financial system. For example, if you are a person who knows that you want to stick to a zero-based budget, and you've been doing that manually, but you need maybe a little bit more help with the organization, then you can center your focus on searching for apps specifically solve your problem."

Sophia Acevedo, banking editor, Business Insider :

"I would look for features that would help me with my goals. Like if I'm trying to curb spending, I would look for a budgeting app that helps me minimize payments in certain spending areas."

How do I know if a budgeting app is right for me?

Mykail James, MBA, CFEI:

"Give it time. Every budgeting app is going to feel uncomfortable during the first month. Give it at least three months before deciding if it's not something for you. Actively try and use it before considering a switch."

Sophia Acevedo, CEPF:

"I would first try out the free version and see how it works. Some budgeting apps are entirely free, while others have different plans or trials at a variety of price points."

Methodology: How Did We Choose the Best Budgeting Apps?

At Business Insider, we aim to help smart people make the best decisions with their money. We understand that "best" is often subjective, so in addition to highlighting the clear benefits of a financial product, we outline the limitations, too.

First, we compiled a list of 18 popular budgeting apps available in both the Google Play Store and Apple Store.

Then, we reviewed each budgeting app for a week. To determine our top picks, we reviewed the initial sign-up process, pricing, budgeting tools, and user experience. We also considered whether each app accomplished everything it advertised, and how regular users reviewed the product on the Apple and Google Play store.

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