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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Apple unveiled the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards.
- The 17 winners span all different categories.
- There were an additional six cultural impact winners.
December is here, which means as the year comes to a close, companies carefully curate a nostalgic rewind of the past year with experiences such as Spotify Wrapped or, in Apple’s case, the release of the 2025 App Store Awards honorees.
The awards are designed to showcase the best apps and games available on the Apple App Store during the past year, with Apple’s App Store editors carefully selecting 17 apps from the nearly 2 million apps across various devices. These awards were presented across categories, including Best Apps for iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, and iPad, as well as games and cultural impact winners.
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While you may recognize some apps from your daily routine, many are lesser-known names or newer apps that can offer a lot of value to your life. I had the chance to chat with some developers and learn more about some of the winners.
Keep reading below to not only find the full list (and possibly your favorite app), but also learn a bit more about some of the winners.
2025 Apple App Store award winners
Apps:
- iPhone App of the Year: Tiimo, from tiimo.
- iPad App of the Year: Detail, from Detail Technologies B.V.
- Mac App of the Year: Essayist, from Essayist Software Inc.
- Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Explore POV, from James Hustler.
- Apple Watch App of the Year: Strava, from Strava, Inc.
- Apple TV App of the Year: HBO Max, from WarnerMedia Global Digital Services, LLC.
Games:
Cultural Impact Winners:
A closer look at some of the winners
Tiimo
The Tiimo app, which won the iPhone App of the Year award, is an AI-powered productivity and planning tool designed to help people with ADHD and other neurodivergent traits. Specifically, the app is designed to help reduce the cognitive load of planning for users by breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones, utilizing tools such as live widgets, a visual schedule planner, and even incorporating AI-guided reflections.
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Tiimo
The founders, Helene Lassen Nørlem and Melissa Würtz Azari, shared that they often get reviews and feedback from users that the app is more than just a planning tool, “change the way they work, the way they live, the way they thrive.”
The app is free to download and has been downloaded over 3 million times worldwide. There is also a Tiimo Pro subscription that provides users with access to all features across all platforms.
Detail: AI video editor
Detail
Whether you are a professional video creator who edits videos daily or someone who is just getting started, you know that editing video can be a very time-consuming task. The Detail app, which won iPad App of the Year, is designed to streamline the process, utilizing AI to automate edits. Users simply need to upload a video to receive cuts suitable for TikTok Shorts, Reels, Instagram Stories, and more.
“Most video editors look like they did 30 years ago, with a complicated timeline, disconnected steps, and a lot of friction. Video became the defining medium of this decade, but the workflow to record and edit hasn’t really adapted to the powerful combination of computing power and a world-class camera in your pocket, or to the speed at which we share video content today,” said founder Paul Veugen.
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Veugen added that the process is as easy as setting down your phone, hitting record, and having it automatically create an edit. Podcasts will have the added bonus of being both long-form and multiple short clips, with added transitions, captions, and background music. The app is also available for free download, with the basic plan offering users most features, and an optional Pro plan for additional extras.
Essayist: Academic writing app
Essayist
The Essayist app was named Mac App of the Year. The concept is simple: it’s a word processor geared toward academic needs, handling the most difficult and complicated tasks involved with structuring an essay. For example, it makes it easier to add references and insert citations, which can often be a tedious process. It also handles the page setup and footnotes.
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“Instead of a word processor with endless functions and tools, most of which are completely irrelevant to academic writing, we strip all of that away and build something focused and refined, a word processor designed for academic writing.
Unlike the other apps, Essayist does have a cost. The subscription options are $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. However, if you want to try it, the monthly subscription comes with a three-day trial, and the yearly subscription comes with a seven-day free trial.
