This post is part of our “Best Apps of 2014″ series! The series highlights the finest apps of the year — either released in 2014 or heavily updated. You can follow along with all entries in the series HERE.
We’re approaching the end of the year, so what better time to bring together all of the best apps from the last twelve months? We’ve been racking our brains and asking our lovely readers for help in order to try and whittle down all the App Store had to offer in 2014 to a few simple lists.
We kicked off the Best Apps of 2014 series with Games and Productivity and now we’re getting into the nitty gritty with useful Utilities.
The App Store is chock-full of amazing little tools and nifty apps, so compiling this list was no mean feat. Regardless, here are the best utilities of 2014…
DataMan Next
If you’re on a limited data plan, you’ll know all about the fear of staying within your allocated amount of monthly data. Some carriers are better at keeping you informed on how close you are to your data cap, but the process is pretty opaque in most cases until you’ve reached the end of your data allowance and you get cut off or, worse, charged an arm and a leg for data overage.
If that’s you, go get DataMan Next. It allows you to accurately track your monthly data usage and with its new Notification Center widget, that info is only ever a swipe away.
$1.99 — Download now for iPhone
1Password
You already know about how awesome 1Password is at managing your passwords so you don’t have to, allowing you to create super secure logins and keep all your private info, well, private.
But in 2014, thanks to iOS 8, 1Password came on leaps and bounds with the addition of Touch ID support, integration into third-party apps via its extension, multiple vaults and sharing functionality, plus a beautiful redesign.
FREE — Download now for iPhone and iPad
Deliveries
Ever been waiting on a parcel to arrive only for it to turn up during the 15 minutes you were out of the house? We’ve all been there and ordering things for delivery online is a lot less convenient when you have to drive out to the depot to collect them… With Deliveries from JuneCloud, you won’t have to, though.
It’s a parcel tracker that can keep track of deliveries from UPS, FedEx, Amazon, USPS, DHL, Royal Mail, DPD and pretty much any other courier you can think of. It’s been around since 2009 but in 2014 it became super useful — apart from looking delightful, it got a Notification Center widget that allows you to quickly see when you can expect your packages plus iCloud sync with the Mac app.
$4.99 — Download now for iPhone and iPad
Screeny
Screeny launched late last month but has already proven to be an invaluable utility for a number of people (myself included). The app has a super simple purpose — to enable you to find and delete screenshots that are clogging up your available storage.
If you’re a blogger or designer or in any other profession where you often find yourself taking screen grabs, you’ll understand how these can build up and eventually take up storage space on your device. It’s also a pain to go through your Camera Roll and manually find and delete them. Not a problem with Screeny — it does it for you.
$0.99 — Download now for iPhone
Numerical
The Calculator app on iOS is one of the most useful apps but it is not the best at its job nor is it the best looking. In 2014, we saw the introduction of Numerical — a stunning calculator app with functionality way above its stock iOS counterpart.
As you type, it displays your answer (no need for a = key), has simple swipe gestures for undoing or saving, has context aware buttons, and much more. If you’re after a calculator that looks and performs better than Calculator.app, 2014′s answer was Numerical.
