15 Best AI Apps for iPhone & Android in 2026
The best AI apps for your smartphone in 2026. From ChatGPT to Perplexity, discover AI-powered apps for writing, photos, productivity, health, and creativity.
Best AI Tools 2026
February 16, 2026
Your smartphone is the most powerful AI device you own. With the right apps, you can access world-class AI for writing, image editing, research, and productivity β right from your pocket. Here are the 15 best AI apps for 2026.
Chatbots & Assistants
1. ChatGPT (iOS & Android) β Best Overall AI App
OpenAI's official app gives you access to GPT-4o and GPT-5 with voice mode. Talk to ChatGPT like a friend, upload photos for analysis, and use it for everything from recipe planning to code debugging.
- Price: Free (Plus $20/mo)
- Best for: General AI assistance on the go
2. Claude (iOS & Android) β Best for Long Conversations
Anthropic's Claude app excels at nuanced, detailed conversations. Its 200K context window means it can remember your entire conversation history and analyze long documents you share.
- Price: Free (Pro $20/mo)
- Best for: Deep analysis, writing assistance, research
3. Perplexity (iOS & Android) β Best AI Search
Perplexity replaces Google for quick research. Ask any question and get a sourced answer in seconds. The Discover feed surfaces interesting AI-curated content daily.
- Price: Free (Pro $20/mo)
- Best for: Quick research, fact-checking, staying informed
Photo & Video
4. Lensa AI β Best AI Photo Editor
Transform your selfies with AI-powered editing. Lensa offers background removal, face retouching, and artistic style transfers that look genuinely impressive.
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Best for: Portrait editing and artistic photos
5. CapCut β Best AI Video Editor
CapCut's AI features include auto-captions, background removal, style transfer, and smart editing suggestions. It's become the go-to video editor for social media creators.
- Price: Free
- Best for: Social media video editing
6. Remini β Best Photo Enhancement
Upscale old, blurry photos to stunning clarity using AI. Remini can restore decades-old family photos, enhance low-light shots, and improve video call quality in real-time.
- Price: Free (Pro $10/mo)
- Best for: Photo restoration and enhancement
Writing & Productivity
7. Grammarly (iOS & Android) β Best Writing Assistant
Grammarly's keyboard works across every app, fixing grammar, suggesting tone adjustments, and offering AI-powered rewriting. It's essential for professional mobile communication.
- Price: Free (Premium $12/mo)
- Best for: Error-free writing in any app
8. Notion AI β Best AI Workspace
Access your AI-powered workspace anywhere. Summarize meeting notes, generate content, and ask questions about your entire knowledge base from your phone.
- Price: Free (Plus $10/mo)
- Best for: Team productivity and note-taking
9. Otter.ai β Best Meeting Transcription
Otter automatically transcribes meetings, lectures, and conversations in real-time. AI-generated summaries and action items make it invaluable for busy professionals.
- Price: Free (Pro $17/mo)
- Best for: Meeting notes and transcription
Creative Tools
10. Suno β Best AI Music
Create full songs with vocals, instruments, and lyrics from a text prompt. Suno's mobile app makes music creation accessible to anyone, anywhere.
- Price: Free (Pro $10/mo)
- Best for: Music creation and background tracks
11. ElevenLabs Reader β Best AI Audiobook
Turn any text into a natural-sounding audiobook. Paste articles, PDFs, or web pages and listen in ultra-realistic AI voices during your commute.
- Price: Free tier available
- Best for: Listening to articles and documents
Health & Fitness
12. Whoop AI β Best AI Health Tracker
Whoop uses AI to analyze your sleep, recovery, and strain data, providing personalized recommendations for training and rest.
- Price: $30/mo (includes device)
- Best for: Athletes and health-conscious users
13. Calm + AI β Best AI Meditation
Calm's AI features generate personalized meditation sessions, sleep stories, and breathing exercises based on your mood and goals.
- Price: Free (Premium $70/year)
- Best for: Mental wellness and sleep
Utility
14. Google Lens β Best Visual AI
Point your camera at anything and get instant AI analysis. Translate text, identify plants, solve math problems, and shop for products β all through your camera.
- Price: Free
- Best for: Visual search and instant answers
15. Microsoft Copilot β Best Free AI Assistant
Microsoft's free AI app gives you GPT-4 access without a subscription. It's integrated with Bing search for real-time information and can generate images with DALL-E.
- Price: Free
- Best for: Free access to advanced AI
How to Choose the Right AI Apps
Focus on your daily pain points:
- Write a lot? Grammarly + ChatGPT
- Research often? Perplexity + Otter.ai
- Create content? CapCut + Suno + Canva
- Manage a team? Notion AI + Otter.ai
Frequently Asked Questions
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Lens all offer excellent free tiers. ChatGPT is the most versatile, Perplexity is best for research, and Google Lens is best for visual AI tasks.
Most AI processing happens in the cloud, so AI apps don't drain battery more than regular apps. However, apps that use on-device AI (like photo editors) may use more battery during processing.
Major AI apps from reputable companies (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic) follow strict privacy practices. Always review app permissions and avoid sharing sensitive personal data unnecessarily.