Amazon’s Fire tablets offer tremendous value, especially if you’re entrenched in the Amazon Prime ecosystem for consuming books, music, videos, and more. We scoured the Amazon Appstore to find five of the best Fire, free tablet apps you can download today.
Amazon’s tablets have attractively low prices, but one caveat is that they rely on the Amazon Appstore. Not all of the most popular or best Android apps are in the Fire OS app store. Because Fire OS is based on a variant of an earlier version of Android (Android 11), the Amazon Appstore is more closely aligned with the Google Play Store in the mobile app ecosystem. (This may change, as there are rumors that Amazon is moving Fire OS from Android to a custom OS, but that hasn’t happened yet.)
Many apps on Fire OS are paid or subscription-only. Among the free apps, there are some great apps, but there are also many apps that haven’t been updated recently or apps from individual developers, and I found a lot of disappointing things. We’ve narrowed it down to five categories of free apps. However, streaming entertainment services are not included because they are targeted at specific customers.
Read on for the 5 best tablet apps every Fire tablet user should download.
Perfect for photo editing: Picsart
Picsart is an image editor with AI tools as well as fun backgrounds and effects that you can apply to your photos. Its primary navigation is locked in vertical mode. However, when I loaded a landscape image, the interface switched accordingly. You can access images stored locally as well as images stored in Dropbox and Amazon Photos. The app also allows you to create sketches and do basic video editing. Additionally, it generates Canva-like templates (not available on Fire OS), but this and other editing features require a Picsart Gold subscription ($55.99 after 3-month trial) is.
Best Feature Alternative for Google: Video For YouTube
If you purchase a Fire tablet, you won’t have access to Google’s suite of services. You can replace some apps with others (Microsoft Outlook for Gmail, MapQuest for Google Maps), but nothing comes close to YouTube. This is why Video For YouTube is so appealing. In addition to providing an interface to YouTube, you can also sign in with your Google account to access videos and viewing algorithms.
Best for weather: MyRadar
Think of MyRadar as a weather app on steroids. MyRadar allows you to zoom in and see weather details for any region of the country. View high-resolution radar views and temperature map overlays. Upgrade to see station-by-station details, track hurricanes, view historical data, and more. The app can also display air quality, which can be helpful on days when the air becomes dangerous.
Perfect for animation: stop motion studio
Stop Motion Studio is popular on iOS and Android, and also works on Fire OS. This app allows you to capture and create stop-motion movies. The free version is fully featured on its own, but if you want more advanced features, including image import, green screen, remote camera, 4K support, rotoscoping, title themes, and more, the app costs 5.99 There is a one-time fee of $.
Perfect for handwriting: INKredible
If you like to handwrite your notes, INKredible works well. The free version features lined paper and palm rejection for your basic writing needs (whether you use a stylus or your finger). Upgrade to the paid version for $4.99 to get more note paper styles, unlimited notes, and no ads.
Best app for kids: Khan Academy Kids: Learning!
Khan Academy Kids: Let’s learn! is a collection of various educational tools packaged into a free Android app. Children ages 2 to 8 can participate in Khan Academy’s wide range of educational activities to learn reading, language, math, and communication skills. This app contains games, books, songs, and other activities aimed at expanding your knowledge. This app is completely free and there are no upsells.
Perfect for personal music streaming: Pandora
Like many Android tablets, Pandora makes it easy to customize your stations to your favorite artists and music genres, making your mixes more satisfying than some competing services. You can also find music based on category, mood, and activity.
Free accounts have music sprinkled with ads (Plus and Premium versions start at $4.99 per month and remove ads, improve sound quality, and offer more customization). You can choose the artists and songs you want to play, and create personalized “stations” in Pandora that feature songs based on specific artists.
Great for tracking tasks: Microsoft To Do
Microsoft’s free to-do list helps you organize your day in a visually appealing way. You can assign tasks to specific dates, create multiple lists under different categories, and set reminders and due dates. You can create tasks from flagged Outlook messages and attach files and notes to specific tasks. The holistic view shows what’s due, what’s past due, and what’s scheduled for the future.
Best for email and calendar: Microsoft Outlook
The third Microsoft app, Outlook, is another addition to the free Fire tablet app toolbox. There are other email apps on the Appstore, but Outlook is the most established and most versatile option. This is a great choice if you’re already an Outlook user, and it’s an easy way to use Outlook even if you’ve never tried Outlook with other email accounts.