TORONTO – Apple and Google are ringing in the New Year early by celebrating some of the best apps for smartphones and tablets of 2013.
Apple released iTunes’ “Best of 2013” list Tuesday, revealing some of the biggest trends the App Store has seen over the last year including “Split second video” apps – which included six second video platform Vine – and “Fitness revolution” – which included fitness tracker “Moves.”
Language learning app “Duolingo” – which helps users learn new languages by playing games – earned the Editor’s Pick for iPhone App of the Year.
Photo editing tool “VSCO Cam” and kid’s spelling app “Endless Alphabet” were runners up for App of the Year.
Apple awarded “Ridiculous Fishing” – a fishing game with retro video-game-style graphics – with the editors pick for iPhone Game of the Year.
Disney’s animated film vault app “Disney Animated” took the Editor’s pick for top iPad App of the Year, alongside “Badland” which won the Editor’s pick for top iPad Game of the Year.
READ MORE: Top apps to entertain the kids this holiday
Apple also released its list of Canada’s top paid and free downloaded apps for iPhone and iPad in 2013.
Popular gaming app “Candy Crush Saga” took the top spot on the free iPhone apps list, followed by social networking app “Snapchat” and Google’s “YouTube” app.
BlackBerry even managed to make its way onto Apple’s Top Free iPhone Apps list this year – earning the number 10 spot for its free iOS app for BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).
“Candy Crush Saga” also earned the number one spot on the top free iPad apps list, followed by YouTube and Skype for iPad.
Google compiled its list through user votes in it’s first annual “Players’ Choice Awards.”
“Duolingo” took another prize – this time from Google Play Store users – for the “Best app for enhancing the everyday.”
Users voted YouTube the best Google app of 2013. Movie tracking app “Flixster” was voted the “Best app for booking and buying,” and “Bejeweled Blitz” was voted “Best franchise game” of 2013.
See the complete lists below.
Google Play’s top apps and games of 2013
- Most addictive game: Knights & Dragons (Gree)
- Best franchise game: Bejeweled Blitz (Electronic Arts)
- Best game based on a movie: The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth (Kabam)
- Best app for enhancing the everyday: Duolingo: Learn Languages Free (Duolingo)
- Best app for booking and buying: Flixster (Flixster, Inc.)
- Best Google app: YouTube (Google)
Apple’s App Store
Top Free iPhone Apps:
1. Candy Crush Saga, King.com Limited
2. Snapchat, Snapchat, Inc.
3. Youtube, Google, Inc.
4. 4 Pics 1 Word, LOTUM GmBH
5. Google Maps, Google, Inc.
6. Temple Run 2, Imangi Studios, LLC
7. Vine, Vine Labs, Inc.
8. Facebook , Facebook, Inc.
9. Instagram, Instagram, Inc.
10. BBM, BlackBerry Ltd.
Top Paid iPhone Apps:
1. Minecraft – Pocket Edition, Mojang
2. Heads Up!, Warner Bros.
3. Angry Birds Star Wars, Rovio Entertainment Ltd
4. Wipeout, Activision Publishing, Inc.
5. Plants vs. Zombies, PopCap
6. Plague Inc., Ndemic Creations
7. Scribblenauts Remix, Warner Bros.
8. Afterlight, Simon Filip
9. Temple Run: Oz, Disney
10. Bad Piggies, Rovio Entertainment Ltd
Top Free iPad Apps:
1. Candy Crush Saga, King.com Limited
2. YouTube, Google, Inc.
3. Skype for iPad, Skype Communications S.a.r.l
4. The Weather Network for iPad, Pelmorex Media Inc.
5. Temple Run 2, Imangi Studios, LLC
6. Netflix, Netflix, Inc.
7. Facebook, Facebook, Inc.
8. Despicable Me: Minion Rush, Gameloft
9. 4 Pics 1 Word, LOTUM GmbH
10. Calculator for iPad Free, International Travel Weather Calculator
Top Paid iPad Apps:
1. Minecraft – Pocket Edition, Mojang
2. Plants vs. Zombies HD, PopCap
3. Angry Birds Star Wars HD, Rovio Entertainment
4. Angry Birds Star Wars II, Rovio Entertainment
5. Bad Piggies HD, Rovio Entertainment Ltd
6. Wipeout, Activision Publishing, Inc.
7. Survivalcraft, Igor Kalicinski
8. Temple Run: Oz, Disney
9. Toca Hair Salon 2, Toca Boca AB
10. Scribblenauts Remix, Warner Bros.
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