The Best New Apps for Entrepreneurs

Although it seems the realm of business-minded apps would be saturated, app designers are harnessing innovations in artificial intelligence and data to create the next generation of productivity apps that will help small business owners. Here are some standout new apps for entrepreneurs.

Adobe Scan

The concept of a smartphone as an ad hoc scanner has been around for years, but in 2018, Adobe released a powerful new scanning app named, simply enough, Adobe Scan (available for Android and iOS). The free app uses machine learning to recognize text and easily convert documents into PDFs. It is a sensible way to keep track of receipts, contracts, and other documentation, but it is also great for capturing information from whiteboards, business cards, or printers. Once you download the app, you’ll also save space on your desk because it works so well you’ll throw your old scanner away.  

US Trademark Search Tool

In the digital age, it can be easy to forget about the importance of intellectual property. Still, a trademark is an essential protection for any branding strategy. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has now made finding out about trademarks easier than ever with its US Trademark Search Tool app available for free for both Android and iOS. The design of the app is simple, but it remains a fantastic source of information for any entrepreneur.

Notion

The App Store is awash with productivity apps, but Notion (available for Android, desktop, and iOS) is seizing the limelight because it allows users to build website-like Wikis to house information along with documents, to-do lists, and calendars. Unlike its competitors, Notion is extremely customizable for laying out and understanding tasks. The app is free for personal use, and there are inexpensive tiers of subscription pricing for teams.  

Otter

Powered by artificial intelligence, Otter (available on Android, iOS, and the web) is a transcription tool that is about as close to perfect as we can hope for right now. Even in the age of Siri, voice transcription remains difficult. However, Otter predicts what the future will look like for this field. The app can sense different voices automatically, making it terrific for meetings. Otter can even pick out keywords, a feature that can turn a spoken meeting into searchable computerized data. The company offers a free tier of 10 hours of recording per month. Monthly subscriptions cost $10, and annual subscriptions cost $80.

Edgar

Edgar (available here with social media integrations) efficiently handles your social media posts, making it a great automated social media manager for a beleaguered entrepreneur. Edgar scans your content to come up with social media posts for platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. What sets Edgar apart from other social media scheduling apps is that it finds ways to post repeatedly about your evergreen content, ensuring none of it goes to waste. The app will post across up to 25 social media accounts for a monthly fee of $49.