These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
SPECIAL MENTION: Students’ and teachers’ days of carrying heavy textbooks and binders may be numbered. Flexcil, a notetaking app available on iOS and Android, provides students, professors, and more the ability to seamlessly read, annotate, and take notes of PDF documents on their devices—a big improvement over similar apps, most of which can perform just one of these functions at a time. Selected as a featured app by Apple, Flexcil ($6.99-$8.99 for the standard version) is used by more than 4 million people worldwide. —Mariah Espada
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision