Best and Most Popular iPhone Apps in 2024

Earlier this month, Apple has released its choices for the best app and video games of 2024 and revealed some of the hottest trends on the App Store. Over the years, we’ve seen how apps shape the everyday life of iPhone and iPad users, through innovation, entertainment and creativity.

The current trends on App Store show a growing interest in applications that unleash creativity and make recording images or sounds easier. So, if you are looking for an app that can take you a step closer to becoming a successful podcaster or video content creator, we have great news for you because currently, there are so many powerful apps to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the best and most popular iPhone apps that left their mark in 2024.

• Part 1: Apple Pick: Best App for iPhone in 2024
• Part 2: Most Trending & Popular Apps for iPhone of the Year [Full Checklist]
• Part 3: Most Popular and Trending Photo & Video Apps for iPhone [+Review]

Part 1: The iPhone App of the Year: Spectre Camera

Social networks have made photography more popular than ever. However, the quality of pictures taken with Smartphones still cannot be compared to the quality of images produced on DSLR cameras.

The iPhone app of the year provides a solution to this issue by employing the latest computational photography techniques. The Spectre Camera is equipped with an AI that can easily create long-exposure photographs, remove crowds from images and detect scenes automatically. The app saves all pictures it takes during a long-exposure and generates live photos by merging all images into a single breathtaking shot.

Optionally, you can apply live effects to each image you take with Spectre Camera if you would like to enhance its colors or highlight a particular detail. Image stabilization features are designed to keep all photos you shoot handheld sharp, while Spectre Camera also offers the automatic tripod detection option. The app’s machine learning algorithms detect scenes and provide all the help you need to produce professional-looking photos with your iPhone.

As the popularity of social media platforms continues to grow, so does the demand for photo and video applications that are compatible with iOS devices. That’s why it is hardly surprising that Spectre Camera is the iPhone app of the year because it is packed with industry-leading technologies that simplify the image-taking process.

You can check the detailed review below of Spectre Camera App from YouTube Channel TinyShutter to learn more.

Part 2: Most Trending & Popular Apps for iPhone of the Year [Full Checklist]

Besides the best app for iPhone of the year, Apple also picked up some most trending apps for simplifying and empowering storytelling. Here is the complete list of these apps.

App Trend of 2024	Publisher	Category	App Size	Price	Ratings	User Rating	System Requirement
1 Second Everyday: Video Diary	1 Second Everyday Inc.	Photo & Video	132.4 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	30.6K	4.8	Requires iOS11.2 or later
24FPS - Video Filter & LUT	Polarr.Inc	Photo & Video	89.9 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	943	4.7	Requires iOS 12.0 or later
Anchor	Anchor FM INC	News	109.6 MB	Free	40K	4.8	Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Canva: Stories & Video Maker	Canva Pty Ltd	Photo & Video	309.2 MB	Free	1.4K	4.8	Requiers iOS 11.03 or later
Filmr - Video Editor & Filter	Stei App,ltda	Photo & Video	203.6 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	4.9K	4.5	Requires iOS.11.0 or later
FlipaClip: Cartoon Animation	Visual Blasters LLC	Entertainment	109.5 MB	Free,In-App Purchases	51K	4.6	Requiers iOS 10.0 or later
快手 (Kwai - Video Social Network)	JOYO TECHNOLOGY PTE.LTD	Photo & Video	235.8 MB	Free,In-App Purchases	13.5K	4.5	Requires iOS 9.0 or later
Lifecake Family & Baby Photos	Lifecake Ltd.	Lifestyle	114.3 MB	Free,In-App Purchases	27K	4.8	Requires iOS 12.0 or later
Magisto Video Editor	Vimeo, Inc.	Photo & Video	194.2 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	79.4K	4.6	Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Mojo - Stories Editor	Archery Inc.	Photo & Video	98.5 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	15.6K	4.9	Requires iOS 11.4 or later
Nizo	Image Mechanics Pty Ltd.	Photo & Video	29.5 MB	$4.99	78	4.5	Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Noisy Book	Lunen Digital Ltd.	Books	244.5 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	20	3.8	Requires iOS 13.0 or later
Over: Design/Flyer/Story Maker	Over, Inc.	Photo & Video	262.8 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	59.3K	4.8	Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Spark Camera - Video Editor	Dayworks	Photo & Video	229.6 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	5.6K	4.8	Requires iOS 11.1 or later
Steller	Expedition Travel Advisor, Inc.	Photo & Video	74.4 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	773	4.8	Requires iOS 9.0 or later
StoryBoost: Story Editor	Lightricks Ltd.	Photo & Video	208.4 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	575	4.5	Requires iOS 11.0 or later
Tayasui Sketches	Tayasui.com	Productivity	326.9 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	22.4K	4.6	Requires iOS 9.0 or later
Typic 2: Fonts & Text on Photo	Hi Mom S.A.S	Photo & Video	408.7 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	588	4.5	Requires iOS 12.1 or later
Unfold — Create Stories	Unfold Creative, LLC	Photo & Video	152.9 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	89.5K	4.9	Requires iOS 10.0 or later
Vostok	Dmitry Mashkin	Photo & Video	121 MB	$0.99	4	5	Requires iOS 12.0 or later
VUE - Video Camera and Editor	VUE VIDEO CO., LTD.	Photo & Video	155.3 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	617	4.9	Requires iOS 9.0 or later
Wattpad	Wattpad Corp	Books	154.2 MB	Free, In-App Purchases	286.4K	4.7	Requires iOS 10.0 or later
WIDE	Xiamen Meitu Technology	Photo & Video	158.6 MB	Free	10K	4.9	Requires iOS 9.0 or later

Part 3: 10 Most Popular and Trending Photo & Video Apps in 2024

Apps from gaming, entertainment, and books categories were gaining momentum throughout the year, but the photo and video category that makes the storytelling easier is by far the most popular. If you are looking to record voices, create podcasts, take photos or record videos, you’ll find the app that meets all your demands effortlessly. Here are some of the most popular apps from the Photo & Video category on the App Store in 2024.

1. Canva: Stories and Video Maker

Price: Free

Supported OS: Requires iOS 11.03 or later

Building social media following can be a daunting task if you don’t have the right tools. Canva: Stories and Video Maker enables you to design stories you share on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. The app offers a selection of more than 700 story templates that are organized into categories such as Food, Business or Travel and it lets you choose photo templates for all images you want to publish on social media. In addition, this iPhone app, features a set of video editing tools, so that you can use different templates to edit them or trim and preview each video before exporting it from the Canva: Stories and Video Maker.

2. Magisto

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS 11.0 or later

In 2017, Magisto was selected as the number one video editing app for iPhones and a few years later it is still one of the best apps in this category on the App Store. Digital marketers who don’t have the skills or the time to edit their videos with professional video editing software can benefit from this AI-powered editor. In order to create a new video, you just have to choose a video editing style such as kids or pets, import the media assets into your project and let Magisto work its magic. If you opt for the monthly Business subscription plan you will gain access to more than 3 million stock videos and 25 million photos.

3. Mojo

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS 11.4 or later

The 4.9 User Rating on more than 15.000 reviews speaks volumes about Mojo’s capabilities. Even the free version of the app lets you choose from more than a hundred fully customizable templates. So, once you pick an animated template you just have to add the video and audio files you want to include in the final version of the video and wait for Mojo to generate a new story you can share on social media. However, you must upgrade to the pro version of the app if you want to choose the aspect ratio for all videos you edit with this app or be able to use all of the text styles and templates Mojo offers.

4. Over: Design/Flyers/Story Maker

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS 11.0 or later

Producing brand content that drives the sales of the products and services your company offers doesn’t have to take hours or even days of hard work. In fact, if you install Over on your iPhone you can add logos, text layers and other graphic elements to photos and videos in just a few quick taps. There are hundreds of templates and fonts to choose from, and you can use any of them to design a flyer, a poster or a social media post. Sharing your creations to social networks directly from the app won’t take much more than a few moments of your time, which makes Over a perfect choice if you want to produce and share new content regularly.

5. Spark Camera

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS 11.1 or later

Apple included the Spark Camera app in their selection of the best storytelling apps in 2024, and a brief look at the app’s features shows why. Besides recording videos in Full HD and 4K resolutions you can also use Spark Camera to create voiceovers, remove any segment of a video clip you want or change a clip’s playback speed. In addition, you can set the preferred frame rate for each video you record with Spark Camera and utilize its image stabilization options while shooting under difficult light conditions. Applying a filter to a video you recorded with this app requires you to just swipe left or right while you can adjust their intensity by simply moving your finger up or down.

6. Steller

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS 9.0 or later

It has already been five years since Steller was named as one of the best apps on the App Store by Apple, but very little has changed in the meantime. You don’t have to be a professional storyteller in order to create engaging visual stories with this app since you can select a theme you like and let Steller do all the heavy lifting for you. There just ten text styles to choose from and the app doesn’t offer even the basic video editing tools, which limits your options throughout the video editing process. Nonetheless, you can share all video content you edit with Steller directly to your Instagram Stories. 

7. Unfold

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS 10.0 or later

Creating Facebook or Instagram Stories that attract the attention of thousands of daily viewers is what Unfold does best. You can apply ten different filters and effects to all videos you record with this app and then choose from over 150 video templates. Unfold also grants you access to advanced text tools that enable you to customize the messages you want to distribute through social media channels. The free version of Unfold offers only a limited range of options, and you must upgrade to Unfold+ if you want to access all of the themes, fonts, and stickers this app provides. Despite the great user rating, Unfold still lacks video and audio editing tools that would allow its users to manipulate their footage without any restrictions.

8. 24 FPS – Video Filter & LUT

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS 12.0 or later

iPhone owners in need of a video editing app that allows them to record and edit their footage with professional tools should consider installing 24 FPS. In addition to excellent video recording capabilities, this app features a plethora of options you can use to enhance the colors in the videos you edit. Importing LUTs into 24 FPS is a routine operation that can reduce the amount of time you have to spend on giving a video a particular cinematic style. Skin-thinning and skin smoothing filters enable you to beautify the people in your videos and make them more visually appealing to the online audience. The app’s video editor also contains audio editing options that make creating a video’s soundtrack fun and enjoyable.

9. VUE – Video Camera and Editor

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS 9.0 or later

Recording and editing social media videos from your iPhone enables you to produce visually impressive content wherever you are. An app like Vue is a perfect option if you don’t want to post unedited footage on your social media accounts, but don’t have the time to use a professional video editing software. Besides offering more than twenty filters, Vue also lets you change a video’s playback speed, merge or split multiple clips and enhance the colors of each clip you edit. The seemingly endless library of royalty-free songs offers you all the resources you are going to need while creating a soundtrack for your video, and you can also control the volume of video’s original sound and audio files you added to a project.

10 1 Second Every Day: Video Diary

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Supported OS: Requires iOS11.2

Simple, routine activities like capturing a single moment every day can help you create a collection of all the exciting things you do on a daily basis. 1 Second Every Day app is designed to help you create a video diary that sums up the most important moments of your day. You can either create Freestyle videos you take at different types of events and your journeys or capture standard Timeline videos that have the form of a classic video diary. The app can also auto-fill your timeline if you are struggling to find a good idea for your daily diary entry, and it supports unlimited mashing so that you can combine videos over a five-year or one-month period without any video length restrictions.

Conclusion

According to Apple, some of the most popular apps for the iPhone are built for storytellers, and this trend is going to continue in 2024 as the demand for video content can only increase. Consequently, some of the best iOS apps can be found in the Photo & Video category as they provide the tools that simplify the process of creating social media videos. Which app are you using to create your stories? Leave a comment and let us know.