13 Helpful Work-From-Home Apps to Try

Rashida Beal
Jan 15, 2023

According to recent reports, the number of people working from home has more than tripled since the year 2019. In fact, in 2019, the percentage of folks working remotely was 5.9, and in year 2021 grew to 17.9%.

While the number of people working from home has increased, there has also been an increase in the number of phone and computer applications that are specifically made to help with remote work.

These apps are beneficial for anyone that works from home full-time or has a hybrid position, but which apps are the best of the best?

These WFH apps offer a multitude of benefits for anyone doing remote work.

Best Video Conferencing Apps

While one may work from home, that does not mean that all work is done independently or does not communicate with other people within the company organization.

Video calls have been one of the most popular forms of communication for professionals as it allows them to meet in real time without having to leave home. These apps can connect those working in an office to those that are working remote jobs with just a few clicks.

Zoom

It’s hard to deny the value and quality of having Zoom in your back pocket. Zoom has the capability to host meetings and video conferences just about anywhere and with anyone.

Zoom has the ability to host 100 individuals at a time in a video conference and have 50,000 viewers at any conference.

On top of that, it is a password-protected system and can have the ability to hold people in a waiting room before entering the meeting room to ensure another layer of security.

Record meetings as files, which you can share, and use to give presentations or presentations save to a cloud storage system for easy access. These meetings are easy to download and share.

Share and upload the files for additional benefits. For example, use Maestra’s video-to-text converter to easily transcribe your file. This makes sending meeting minutes to colleagues a breeze!

This can also assist in hiring. After reviewing responses from a job search apps, invite some applicants to interview via video conference. Save the interview to later transcribe with Maestra. This makes it easier to compare interviews and remember what each prospect said.

Microsoft Teams

Teams is very similar to Zoom, it can be the cheaper option when looking for the benefits of premium plans. This is true for both individual and large-team usage.

Teams also has great data and security features that make it a good option for looking for protection.

On top of that, Teams has the capability to collaborate with and be integrated with most, if not all, of Microsoft’s other platforms, such as Word, Powerpoint, Access, and Publisher due to its collaboration with Office 365.

Similar to Zoom, you can record and save meetings. Through the capabilities of Mircosoft Word, one could use the transcription feature, but it’s not the most accurate solution. Maestra’s audio-to-text converter tool can make transcription easy while ensuring accuracy in transcription.

Google Meet

Also similar to Zoom and Teams, Google Meet is a video conferencing platform that has extended capabilities with paid premium plans.

However, one major difference between Google Meet and other platforms is live closed captioning during meetings.

Google Meet also is compatible with additional Chrome extensions to provide options such as whiteboards. Project teams that primarily use Google Drive may find this option a better fit than some other video conferencing ones.

Best Apps for Teamwork, Collaboration, and Keeping on Task

Work-from-home jobs require teamwork. Employees complete individual tasks to work towards a larger goal. Project management can be a difficult task, but there are apps on the market that are able to assist.

Communication and collaboration are key factors in ensuring the success of any team, especially those that work from different locations remotely. There are work-from-home apps designed to assist with teamwork and collaboration efforts, as well as keeping a healthy work-life balance.

These apps help make sure that those who have remote team partners are able to communicate, collaborate, and stay organized with individual jobs.

Basecamp

Basecamp is an app that can assist with direct collaboration efforts between colleagues, teammates, or even clients.

It allows one to streamline collaboration on a project. Features include emails directly forwarding through the Basecamp client messaging, and to-do list sharing. However, there are features that allow you to mark some things that only team members can see. This can help individuals and team members keep focused and on top of project due dates.

Stay Focusd

Stay Focusd works to keep you on task by limiting outside distractions online and blocking out websites so you are not wasting your time scrolling through social media. This can be a difficult task to manage when working remotely. Stay Focusd can helps stay on track with the work in progress, limiting distractions.

Just specify which websites are a distraction when on the clock and Stay Focused will block them out for the workday. In the end, this will help you stay focused and get your work items done during work hours. In the long-run, this kind of app can help with employee mental health.

nTask

nTask software helps to manage tasks and processes while keeping track of any freelancers. This is a great way to keep track of project progress and handle agile project management. It also helps the enter team with project management methodology in a way that they can visualize work easily.

The app’s design is unique and intuitive with an easy-to-navigate interface. It is user-friendly and is easy to learn

Some of the features it offers to help with organization and collaboration:

Due date tracking
Calendar management
Cost Estimating
Timesheets and time tracking
Slack, Google Calendar, Zapier, Zoom, etc. integrations
File sharing
Issue management
Meeting minutes tracking and meeting management and agendas
Grid view, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, list view
Risk management

Best Apps for Cyber Security While Working from Home

One of the most important things to protect when working with technology is professional and personal information. Work-from-home jobs may ask employees to use their personal devices that hold their personal information, including passwords, banking information, etc.

It is important for remote workers to protect their personal information, especially when they use devices for both personal and business use. These apps are the best way to protect any device that is used for professional purposes.

1Password

Experts recommend that every password should be strong and not repeated across platforms. For example, passwords for a social media account should not be the same as business login passwords or personal banking information. This ensures overall security and protection.

Password managers are great tools to securely keep track of each individual password that one needs. 1Password works to manage and protect each individual password on any site visited or account made that needs password access.

All you need to do is create a ‘Master Password,’ in the app. Once done, add passwords for all additional accounts or websites.

1Password has capabilities on platforms such as Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Android, macOS, Windows, Web, and iOS.

Private Internet Access (PIA)

Private Internet Access (or PIA for short) is a great resource for working online. It is an open-source VPN service that can assist when using public Wi-Fi.

For example, if you need to use a public Wi-Fi network for any reason, visit a non-encrypted website, or access websites or personal streaming services that are not available in your country, this is perfect for protecting anything on the devices being used.

On top of personal protection and privacy protection, PIA can run on ten devices simultaneously and block malware, ads, and trackers. This can also assist in making devices run more efficiently.

VIPRE

VIPRE puts the security of any device first by safeguarding it from 20,000+ known malware and viruses specifically for Androids.

It ensures quality protection with an up-to-date Malware Scanner that includes the most recent intel on different viruses. It automatically scans all apps after installation to ensure there are no harmful viruses or malware.

This is great for both personal and professional use, as it also has an Autopilot feature that can offer deep insights into the status of your device at any given time.

Improve Your Remote Work Life Today!

The apps above can help streamline remote work for individuals and teams. They help with project plans, organization, focus, collaboration, and more!

Maestra is able to help with transcription, translation, and voiceovers. We want to help make all your work easy! If you want to learn more about Maestra and what we can do for you, contact us or sign up for a demo today or try us for free today!