The best free iPad apps for 2025

If there’s one thing we all love as much as the latest and greatest gadgets, it’s free apps. And when it comes to the best free iPad apps for 2025, there’s a ton to explore. In today’s age, apps are what bring our devices to life, shaping how we work, play, and connect.

Apple’s iPhone might get all the attention, but the iPad can do just as much, and with the right apps, it can help you stay productive, unleash your creativity, and enjoy endless entertainment.

Whether you’re using the slimmer iPad Air or the powerful iPad Pro, there’s an app for every need, be it work, fitness, photography, or gaming. But, what can you expect if you’re sticking to free options? Actually, a lot!

The App Store is packed with free iPadOS apps that offer impressive features without asking for your wallet. Here are the best free iPad apps for 2025 that prove great things don’t have to come with a price tag.

The best free iPad apps for 2025

1Password

Managing passwords across multiple devices can be a hassle, but 1Password makes it simple for iPad users. It lets you easily store passwords, credit cards, secure notes, and even sensitive information like medical records across all your devices. With features like Touch ID and Face ID support, your data stays secure with strong encryption. 1Password’s built-in password generator creates strong, unguessable passwords accessible on any device, eliminating the need to remember multiple login details. 

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It also supports autofill for usernames and passwords, making signing into websites and apps quick and easy. Another great feature is its two-factor authentication (2FA) support, which integrates directly into 1Password, so you don’t need a separate authenticator app. Furthermore, it offers expanded passkey support for a secure, convenient alternative to traditional passwords, and you can even unlock the app using passkeys. Travel Mode is another useful feature, letting you protect sensitive information while on the go.

CapCut

CapCut is quickly becoming a top choice for iPad users looking for a powerful yet easy-to-use video editor and for good reason. Whether you’re a beginner or someone with more experience, this app offers everything you need to create impressive content all for free. At its core, CapCut provides simple tools for basic editing like trim, split, and merge clips effortlessly, and adjusting your video’s speed from 0.1x to 100x using its smooth speed curve tool. 

Beyond the basics, CapCut offers advanced features to take your edits to the next level. You can animate video clips with keyframe precision, remove backgrounds using its chroma key, and stabilise shaky footage for a polished, professional finish. Additionally, CapCut’s optical flow tool creates smooth, seamless slow-motion effects, making your videos look cinematic and polished. The app also includes smart features like Auto captions and text-to-speech in multiple languages to help make your videos more accessible, while background removal and motion tracking provide endless creative possibilities.

Delta Game Emulator

When it comes to gaming nostalgia, few iPad apps can match Delta’s all-encompassing appeal. Building on the success of its predecessor, GBA4iOS, Delta now supports a wide range of systems, including NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, GBA, and DS, with more on the way. What makes Delta one of the best free iPad apps isn’t just the variety of games it offers, but its powerful features that make it super user-friendly and customisable.

One of Delta’s biggest draws is its controller support, which works with major gaming controllers like Nintendo Switch Pro and PS4. You can easily pause and resume games with save states, and Delta Sync keeps your game saves and settings synced across devices for added convenience. On top of that, Delta supports cheat codes, custom controller skins, and features like fast-forwarding to enhance your gameplay even further.

Crouton

Crouton is the recipe manager made by people who love to cook. This app makes it super simple to collect, organize, and cook your favourite dishes, no matter where they come from. Found a recipe online? Crouton imports it instantly. Have an old family recipe in a cookbook? You can use the OCR feature to scan and save it. Even handwritten notes are easy to digitize. When it’s time to cook, Crouton’s step-by-step mode guides you through each recipe like having a personal chef.

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You can switch between steps hands-free, so you’re never juggling your iPad while your hands are covered in ingredients. If timing is your downfall, Crouton pulls out timers from recipes and starts them with just a tap. Grocery shopping is just as smooth, with automatic lists created from your meals and synced directly with Reminders. With cloud syncing, Crouton ensures your recipes are always at your fingertips, no matter which device you’re using. Additionally, AI-powered recipe imports from images and text make it easier than ever to grow your collection.

Notability

Notability remains one of the top free note-taking apps for iPad in 2025, offering a great mix of versatility, intelligence, and ease of use. With a smooth, natural writing experience, especially when paired with the Apple Pencil, Notability makes note-taking seamless. Its palm rejection technology allows you to rest your hand on the screen while writing, just like using a pen on paper. The app comes packed with a variety of tools, including pencil, highlighter, text, and audio to help you mix media seamlessly. 

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What really sets Notability apart is its ability to record audio and sync it with your handwritten or typed notes, making it perfect for lectures, meetings, or brainstorming sessions. Recently, Notability introduced its AI-powered Learn feature, which generates study aids like note summaries, quizzes, and flashcards, helping you quickly review key information. Other features include importing, annotating, and sharing various file types, such as PDFs, DOCs, and images.

GIFwrapped

If you’re a true GIF lover, GIFwrapped is the app you didn’t know you needed. Made for anyone who can’t get enough of looping animations, this app is a GIF enthusiast’s dream come true. With a powerful Giphy-powered search engine, GIFwrapped gives you access to an endless library of GIFs. You can also easily import your own GIFs, Bursts, and Live Photos, which can be saved to your local library or synced across devices using iCloud or Dropbox. Sharing is easy too with the built-in iMessage app that lets you send GIFs directly from your library. You can also drag and drop GIFs effortlessly, and even use an extension to quickly add images to your collection. Additionally, with a retina-quality preview feature, you can view your GIFs in all their pixelated glory.

Sandbox – Physics Simulator

Sandbox – Physics Simulator lets you explore physics through fun, hands-on experimentation and wild creations. You can build anything from simple structures to explosive setups using a variety of materials like soil, water, and chemicals. From crafting floating platforms to creating thunderstorms, the possibilities are endless. 

The real excitement comes when you start combining different elements to see what happens. Ever wondered what lightning would do to fireworks, or how a bomb might impact a peaceful garden? The results are just as unpredictable and entertaining! The game also recently introduced two exciting new modes: Planet Destroy, where you can obliterate entire planets using powerful weapons, and Life Box, a mode that simulates real-life cycles, allowing you to create and observe nature’s progression.

Chrome Remote Desktop

For iPad Pro users with a Magic Keyboard (or something similar), turning your tablet into a powerful productivity tool is easier than ever. While iPadOS is great for media consumption and handling casual tasks, it sometimes falls short when you need to tackle more serious work. That’s where Chrome Remote Desktop comes in. With Chrome Remote Desktop, you can instantly access your Mac or Windows PC from your iPad, giving you full access to all your desktop apps and power.

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Setting it up is simple and all you need to do is just install the Chrome Remote Desktop Host on your computer, grant the necessary permissions, and you’re ready to go. From there, you can connect by visiting Chrome Remote Access in Safari or Chrome on your iPad. While the app doesn’t make the most of the iPad’s Retina display (so things may look a little fuzzy), it’s still super handy for handling tasks that require full desktop capabilities. You can even wake your computer remotely, giving you full control of your desktop on a sleek, mobile interface.