Your favourite free phone and tablet apps

Evernote

Feedly

Productivity | Android | iOS | Recommended by @rhian82 and @MrRobinson

This RSS reading app takes any website and turns it into a readable eye-friendly format - and has proven a god-send in these post-Google-Reader days. As @MrRobinson puts it, Feedly is "dependable, smooth and functional".

Feedly

Flipboard

Productivity | Android | iOS | Recommended by@segunsazo

Magazines may be dying but Flipboard is at least harking back to the heady days of print publication. It pulls in articles from various publications and websites based around categories you choose - like, oh we don't know, technology? - as well as social updates and the like, and displays the whole lot in a classy, easy-to-read magazine format.

Flipboard

Grumpy Bears

Gaming | Android | iOS | Recommended by Venkatesh Palepu

Grumpy Bears is a fun survival-based game. You're a honey mogul trying desperately to protect your sweet nectar from the grumpy bears in hot pursuit. You can buy weapons to fend them off - which you might want to do now that mummified-bears, pharoah-bears and god-bears have been introduced.

Grumpy Bears

Letterpress

Gaming | iOS | Recommended by @callumsewell15

Letterpress is basically an app version of Boggle but about 74,000 times more addictive.

Letterpress

Opera Mini

Browser | Android | iOS | Recommended by Ahsan Naseer

Maybe you've decided to make do with your phone's default browser - that's fine, that's absolutely your prerogative. But if you decide to dip your toe into the exciting new pool of third-party phone browsers, Opera Mini won't steer you far wrong. It's fast and reliable and we like features like fast-scroll shortcuts The homescreen widget on Android shows you news, weather and your most-visited sites - both a tip and a warning.

Opera Mini

Paper Toss 2.0

Gaming | Android | iOS | Recommended by Bryant Windom Sr.

Anyone who has ever been bored at their desk has amused themselves by chucking paper into a bin. Paper Toss 2.0 takes that concept and runs with it, chucking an office fan into the mix. Hours of fun. Well, "fun".

Paper Toss

Pocket

Productivity | Android | iOS | Recommended by @victorypigeon

Another reader app but one that's perfect for longer reads. The real beauty of Pocket, aside from its visual nous, is that you can save links to it from other apps and web browsers - be they on your phone, tablet or even the desktop.

Pocket

Real Racing 3

Gaming | Android | Recommended by Justin Gorka

It's real. It's a racing game. And it's the third one. Yes, this is Real Racing 3, the track racing freemium where you race in some of the worlds best cars on some real circuits. You know, like Silverstone. Unlike real racing, it's totally free - unless you decide to upgrade your automobilic bits and pieces, that'll cost you. Just like real racing!

Real Racing

The Simpsons: Tapped Out

Gaming | Android | iOS | Recommended by Darren Cullen

It's another strategy game but this time it's got a whole lot more Simpsons. After yet another blunder by Homer, can you rebuild Springfield from scratch? May we suggest a Monorail! Monorail! Monorail!? The gameplay and animations are smooth, and you don't need Mr Burns' bank balance since the game doesn't rely too heavily on items that have to be bought with money. Monorail!

The Simpsons

Soundcloud

Music | Android | iOS | Recommended by @segunsazo

Where did Beyonce choose to share her latest official track? What streaming service gets all the best mixtapes? Where do MKS upload all their tracks first? Not Spotify, not iTunes - not even YouTube: it's Soundcloud and if you're not on there, you're missing out on the best new music. The mobile apps have a nice simple interface, and although there's no offline caching (boo) the streaming is generally of a high quality over Wi-Fi.

Soundcloud

Subway Surfers

Gaming | Android | iOS | Recommended by Ahsan Naseer

If your daily commute isn't exciting enough, maybe Subway Surfer can jazz things up. Can you escape from the grumpy inspector and his dog? Dodging trains and tunnels, you'll be collecting coins to customise your character or upgrade items. A fast and fluid game with enough in-game features to motivate you to keep on playing even when you get to work. Sorry boss.

Subway Surfers

Trid

Gaming | Android | iOS | Recommended by Kenn Salinas

A visually effective puzzle game in which you have to recreate the patterns as quickly as you can, The more you complete, the more time you gain to get stuck into the harder levels. If you seem to be slacking, the puzzle will rotate just to keep things spicy. Fiendish.

Trid

And the rest...

You know about these guys already, come on:

Angry Birds: still angry - recommended by@callumsewell15

Candy Crush Saga: just keep your progress to yourself, yeah? - recommended by Michele Boyle, @SPBuk

Facebook: duh doy - recommended by Shilton Lilvoy Jr.

Google Now: your personal PA, Mountain View style - recommended by @RockyDayaraman

Skype: free video calls, free IMing, freeeeeedom - recommended by Saqib Khan

Wordpress: blogger's delight - recommended by @TechMitchell

YouTube: say no more - recommended by @MuhdRaziq99

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.