A question I get asked all the time is, “What are your favourite iPhone apps?”. Here is a comprehensive list of the best iPhone apps currently available.

1. Facebook
Come on let’s face it! Just about everyone has a Facebook account these days, well certainly the majority of people with an iPhone! The Facebook iPhone app has come a long way after many iterations. You can now pretty much do anything you would ever want to do with your Facebook account through a slick and clean interface. Personally, I prefer the application over the extremely cluttered website.

2. RunKeeper Free
Runkeeper uses your iPhone’s GPS technology to track your running data and provide you with an extremely intelligent analysis of your fitness. RunKeeper records your route, details of pace and calories burned. It also keeps a concise record of your previous runs, allowing you see your progress and set personal targets and goals. In my opinion RunKeeper is better than Nike+.

3. Dropbox
Let me just say, Dropbox is an essential service even if you don’t have an iPhone! However, with an iPhone you have a fantastic application for managing your stored files between computers and on the go. Dropbox is one of the best freemium services out there.

4. Skype
Skype for iPhone is an essential app for any Skype user. Even if you are not a Skype user you may be converted after realising the potential of this application. With Skype for iPhone you can make a free video call to any other Skype user for free, anywhere in the world! Now those chats to the family in Australia need not be expensive and a lot more fun than just speaking down the phone.

5. Twitter
Twitter (formerly Tweetie) is the very best application for using Twitter on your iPhone if you are a single account user. Twitter is a slick and beautiful user experience that makes managing your Twitterverse a breeze.

6. Evernote
Alongside Dropbox, Evernote is another of my favourite essential services that I couldn’t live without. Evernote allows you to store and record data that automatically syncs with desktop software and the web based service. Notes can be in the form of text, pictures or sound. One of the best features of Evernote is that it will automatically convert to OCR (Optical Character Recognition). What does this mean? Take a photo of a recipe, then the next time you’re at the supermarket you only need to search and Evernote will find it for you.

7. Gorillacam
Gorillacam offers a number of fantastic features for making the very most of your iPhone camera. Gorillacam also has a number of advanced features, but with the Free price tag, you can’t go wrong.

8. Stanza
Stanza is a great application for finding and reading electronic books. Stanza allows you to download books from various sources, many of which offer free titles.

9. TheTrainLine
For anyone who travels frequently by train, you will know that having the latest news and updates at your fingertips is vital for saving your previous time. TheTrainLine allows journey planning, offline results, timetables and location-aware features. The app is also slick and easy to use.

10. Movies
Movies will find you nearby cinemas, display times and much more based on any film you select. If you’re wanting to go to the Cinema, but need a little guidance, this is the app for you!

11. TonePad
TonePad is a great little app for killing time for the musically inclined. You can create some pretty impressive music with this app. You can then upload and share your creations with your friends, perhaps even score yourself a number one, eh?

12. Thomson Reuters News Pro
If you’re looking for a great little app for keeping up to date with breaking news this could be the app for you. You can also get the latest videos, pictures and stock coverage in one neat package.

13. Comics
Feed the child inside you and take a look at Comics. A must for any comic book fan and a great way to kill the time for anyone else. Comics is a slick and extremely usable device.

14. Wikipanion
You need to find the answer to a question whilst away from a computer. Come on guys, who hasn’t cheated at a pub quiz? Well instead of using Wikipedia through your iPhone’s browser, why not try Wikipanion. Generally using an application rather than a website offers a better user experience and I have to say, even though I love the Wikipedia iPhone site, I have to say I prefer the Wikipanion app.

15. Kindle
Kindle offers a huge selection of books that currently iBooks does not. Although the Kindle app is not quite as slick as iBooks, the vast selection of books makes the Kindle app a must.

16. Around Me
Around Me will point you in the right direction for a whole host of local amenities, an essential app if you regular find yourself out of the office and gasping for a cup of coffee of a bite to eat!

17. Dictionary.com
Ever need to quickly find the definition of a word or find a synonym on the fly? Dictionary.com will be your lifesaver! I personally use this app all the time!

18. Adobe Photoshop Express
A great app for quickly editing your iPhone pictures. If you’re looking for the power of the desktop software of the same name you won’t find it here. However this is one of the best photo editing applications out there.

19. iHandy Level Free
This is a great tool for the part time DIY “expert” in all of us. Who needs to find that dusty spirit level from the garage when you can just use your trusty iPhone?

20. Instapaper
Instapaper is a fantastic app if like me, you constantly find yourself discovering articles you don’t have time to read at that particular time. You can easy click a browser plug in that will send the article to your iPhone for you to read whilst having some down time.

21. PCalc Lite
PCalc Lite is the very best calculator app for iPhone. The app offers fantastic advanced and scientific features in a clean and easy to use interface. If you find yourself needing an advanced calculator but you don’t want another device to carry around, look no further!

22. iBooks
iBooks is essentially iTunes for books, offering you a great selection of titles and a back end system with integrated payment features you probably already use. Although the title range is not quite the same as other electronic books services. You will find iBooks a beautiful and essential app.

23. Red Laser
Red Laser is now Free thanks to the acquisition by eBay. Red Laser allows you to scan barcodes and find the best price.

24. eBay Selling
You might be wondering why eBay acquired Red Laser. Well Red Laser is the perfect accompaniment to eBay Selling an app that allows you to quickly capture and upload what you’re selling straight to eBay.

25. eBay Mobile
eBay have gone to great lengths to ensure their mobile experience is slick and easy to use. I have to say they have exceeded this target with their eBay Mobile app. Personally I prefer the eBay app to the cluttered web experience.

26. Google Earth
Google Earth is a great tool for viewing the lay of the land. With a number of features that make it easy to find local amenities you will find Google Earth really useful if you tend to travel around a lot. Personally I’m going to paint a big blue square in by back garden so people think I have a swimming pool.

27. XE Currency
Often the best applications are the ones that do one job perfectly. XE Currency is an app like that. This application allows you to set a list of currencies and view conversion rates at the tap of a finger.

29. Shazam
Ever find yourself hearing a song but not having a clue who sings it or even what the song is called? Shazam is an extremely clever application that will distinguish the song and give you the appropriate song title and artist.

30. Bump
Ever find yourself leaving a meeting or a business networking event without a slick way of exchanging contact information with the person you’ve been talking to? Bump offers a fantastic way for swapping details by literally just bumping your phones together. Bump even allows you to have a personal and a business account to keep your details separate.

31. Yell.com
We all know the power of Yell.com. Well, imagine that, put in the palm of your hand with integrated GPS technology? Find local services and use the map to find your way there. Now who needs a Yellow Pages?

32. BBC News
BBC News is another website that has went to great lengths to ensure that their website is still a great experience even on an iPhone. However as I mentioned with Wikipedia, you will often find that an application is still a better way of consuming the same information. One downside to the mobile version of the website, is that you don’t have the ability to view videos, this is fixed in the mobile application.

33. Find My iPhone
Find My iPhone is an essential application/service for any iPhone user. Basically it allows you to find the location of your iPhone on a map, remote lock and remote wipe it should you lose your device. Go and set this up now in case you happen to lose your phone, you can thank me later. Search our blog for information on how to set this up.

34. Dragon Dictation
Dragon Dictation is a great speech to text application that will allow you to speak into your iPhone and have the speech converted into text. You can then use the text for Facebook, Twitter or even for an Email. A great tool if you find yourself needing to write messages whilst on the road.

35. iHandy Torch Free
Need to use your iPhone as a torch? You’ll not find much of a better app than iHandy Torch Free! There’s nothing much more to say about this application, other than it just works.

36. TV Guide
This is one of the little applications I find myself using every single day. You can set yourself reminders to catch your favourite TV show or simply just browse what’s currently on or plan your evening’s viewing.

37. Zoopla Property Search
Although there is a number of Property Search applications out there, probably the best is Zoopla. You will find a wealth of information all in this one application. Including comprehensive listings, real time local data and market values.

38. IM+
Often I find myself needing to contact someone but an email or a text just don’t feel right. Instant Messaging has grown huge over the last couple of years and spurted a whole host of platforms for use. It is pretty essential to have an application that allows you to connect all these different platforms and accounts into one app. IM+ does a great job of this connecting GTalk, Yahoo, MSN/Live Messenger, AIM/iChat, ICQ, Myspace, Twitter, Facebook and Jabber.

39. Foursquare
Foursquare has finally hit the mainstream and become big business. Foursquare is basically a service where you can “check in” to various places and earn badges and rewards. For example, if you visit your local Starbucks on the way to work every day you might find that soon you become the “Mayor” of this venue which entitles you to certain privileges and rewards. You will find these type of rewards at many restaurants and places of interest, but one of the best features is the social validation of reading people’s reviews and tips. Imagine this, you’re at a new restaurant but you’re unsure of what to choose. Flick open Foursquare and you will have access to a multitude of tips and reviews for real customers.

40. Gowalla
Very similar to Foursquare in its execution but with a slightly different spin on the “check in” Gowalla puts emphasis on discovering, memories and finding new exciting places. Gowalla allows you to collect pins in a virtual passport to keep track of your adventures.

41. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the business man’s Facebook. Imagine waiting for a meeting or an interview and being able to access a database of information regarding the people you are about to meet. LinkedIn also offers a huge range of opportunities to connect with business people and acquire new business partners and find the latest talent for your business.

42. Reeder
If you’re like me and subscribe to a vast array of RSS feeds you will find that you don’t always want to read them on your computer, especially after being at work all day! Reeder is unquestionably the best RSS reader for iPhone. Beautiful and extremely usable, this app is one of my personal favourite apps of all time.

43. Momento
Do you wish you kept a diary of your activities and thoughts but never really seem to find the time? Momento is a beautiful app that pulls in data from your Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Flickr accounts plus many more and records them in a calendar of events. You can also add entries to your diary. Want to keep your diary secret? Momento can ask for a password on entry to keep your thoughts private.

44. Quick Office
Any business person will have found at one time or another that they need to access Microsoft Office documents whilst outside the office. Quick Office is the best way of opening, editing and saving Office documents straight from your phone. Quick Office is also integrated directly with DropBox!

45. Friends
Friends is a great application for keeping track of your contacts social networks and latest updates. Friends does this by aggregating all of your contacts details into one slick application.

46. Sky Sports
Big sports fan? You will want to get this app. Sky Sports gives you a huge range of sports stats, fixtures and latest results from one great app.

47. Path
Path is the personal social network. Forget having a million Twitter or Facebook friends. Path only allows you to have a maximum of 50 friends. The emphasis here is keeping this social network to your close friends and family.

48. TomTom
TomTom is the world leader in satellite navigation and so it makes sense that you would want the best application for your phone. It’s a nightmare when you use a poor quality sat nav and end up totally lost so look at the price tag of the TomTom app as more of an investment. I personally use this app and have found that it has always taken me directly to the front door of wherever I want to go.

49. Google
Google offer a range of amazing services through their Google application. If you use even just a couple of Google’s services you will find this app essential. One of the most quirky features is if you take a photo of a Sudoku puzzle you’re stuck on, this app will find the solution for you.

50. WolframAlpha
If you ever find yourself needing the answer to anything, forget Google and just use WolframAlpha, seriously! WolframAlpha gives you access to a huge database of information. It is mind-blowing and well worth the £1.99 pricetag.

51. Instagram
Instagram brought the social to photography. Basically Instagram is an application that allows you to add advanced filters to your photographs and then share those photographs with your social graph. Suddenly Twitter and Facebook lit on fire with Instagram photos. Even if you don’t wish to share your photo’s Instagram offers a wide range of filters to make your pictures look really cool and artsy!

52. Camera+
Camera+ is basically an extension to your built in camera application. Similar to Instagram with the filters and effects you can added to photos, Camera+ is a great tool for getting the most from your photographs.

53. Fruit Ninja
What would an ultimate list of iPhone applications be without a few games? The iPhone is not only a great business tool but it’s also a great way to unwind or keep the kids entertained. Fruit Ninja is one of the most fun games for iPhone. The extremely intuitive game mechanics keep this game exciting beyond the average mobile game. I personally love it!

54. Cut the Rope
Another fantastic game is Cut the Rope. I think the best mobile games are those in which you have a single objective across different levels of difficulty. I find these a great way for killing time when I have a couple of minutes to spare. Another notable example of this type of game is of course Angry Birds.

55. Tumblr
For those of you who use Tumblr, the blogging platform that is kind of in between Twitter and WordPress, you will want to get your hands on the Tumblr iPhone app. This is a great example of what can be achieved when a service creates an application that is as good, if not better than the web experience.

56. WordPress
If you’re like me and you’re a lover of WordPress you will find that the WordPress app is vital to keeping your blogs up to date while on the go. WordPress have made a beautiful and extremely usable app that allows you a similar feature set as the web experience.

57. Amazon
I love buying things from Amazon. Whenever I’m looking to buy something, the first place I go is Amazon. The combination of unbeatable prices, free delivery and such an easy experience make it the best way to shop online. Amazon also have a brilliant application that will allow you to complete every action that you could complete as if you were sitting in front of your computer or laptop. Warning! You may find yourself using this app too much!

58. GoDaddy
Another site I use quite a lot is Go Daddy for domain name registration. Go Daddy is a great site for registering domains and this application makes it so easy to do whilst out on the go. Never miss an opportunity to snatch a domain whilst away from your PC.

59. Essentials
I’m teaching myself Chinese at the minute, but as you might know, reading Chinese from a book is extremely hard when you don’t know how to pronounce the word. The iPhone offers a number of apps to help with learning a new language, but this is an app that I have used for a while and I love it. It makes learning Chinese easy and fun!

60. Google Docs
And finally! Not technically an app, but I thought it was worth a mention. Google Docs offers a fantastic mobile experience for opening, editing and sharing documents. Google Docs is a great way for a team to work collaboratively on a document, and Google have done a great job on their iPhone and iPad compatibility.

This article is copyright © 2013 Mike Bowers.