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Best Business Apps for Work and Job Hunting, Ranked
By Editorial Team · published 2026-10-11 · updated 2026-10-11
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Microsoft Authenticator is the best business app on a phone: it approves work sign-ins by number matching, which is safer than a single Approve button, and it is free, ad-free and collects almost nothing. We ranked seven work apps from our catalogue, from team chat and video calls to scanning and job search, on what the free version covers and where the paid line falls. Indeed is the job app to start with, because most listings show the pay. Prices are as of October 2026.
How we picked
These are the apps a working week runs through: signing in, talking to the team, meeting, scanning a contract and, when it is time, finding the next job. We ranked the business apps in our catalogue on what the free version covers, where the paid line falls, and how much data each one collects for a work tool. Prices are as of October 2026 and come from each company's pages and store listings.
Payroll apps from your employer are a separate case, covered near the end, because you do not get to choose them.
1. Microsoft Authenticator — the sign-in app work accounts need
Microsoft Authenticator wins because almost every company account now asks for a second factor, and it does that job better than most free rivals. Instead of a single Approve button it shows a number to match, which stops you approving a sign-in you did not start, and the prompt says where the request came from.
It also holds 30-second codes for other services and stores organisation-issued Verified ID cards. It is free, ad-free and collects almost nothing. Since August 2025 it no longer keeps passwords, which moved to Microsoft Edge, and its backup leaves work accounts to be re-added by hand. Our score: 8.1.
2. Indeed — job listings with the pay printed on them
Indeed is the job search app to install first, because most cards show pay, such as $40 an hour or $45,000 to $50,000 a year, and mark the jobs whose requirements your profile already meets. That alone cuts the number of postings worth opening.
Its AI tools are useful: a career coach in chat, a résumé rewritten for each application with the generated lines in bold, and a five- to ten-minute mock interview. It is free, with sponsored postings in the feed; check the profile visibility toggle before you start. Our score: 7.8.
3. Google Chat — the team messenger inside Gmail
Google Chat is free on any personal Google Account, ships with every Google Workspace plan and runs inside Gmail. Direct messages, group chats and topic spaces cover a small team without another subscription.
Workspace raises spaces from 8,000 to 500,000 members and adds huddles; Gemini summaries start at the $14 Business Standard tier. On a work account, admins can still read messages even with history turned off. Our score: 7.4.
4. Microsoft Teams — work and clubs in one app
Microsoft Teams runs meetings, chat and shared channels, and since its free tier gained Communities it also organises a sports club or a parents' group, with events and photos. Free group calls stop at 60 minutes and 100 people, with 5 GB of storage per user.
Its data label is long for a chat app: precise location, contacts and in-app messages all appear on it. Communities is the part that sets it apart from Google Chat: a club organiser with threaded posts and a calendar, free for members who already have a Microsoft account. Install it when your workplace or club already lives there. Our score: 7.4.
5. Zoom Workplace — still the easiest call from a link
Zoom Workplace remains the quickest way to get a dozen people onto a video call, and it now adds team chat, a whiteboard, docs and an AI Companion that summarises meetings.
The free Basic plan hosts unlimited meetings for up to 100 people but cuts each group meeting at 40 minutes; chat and whiteboards have no timer. Pro, at $16.99 a month or $159.99 a year through the app, lifts the limit to 30 hours per meeting and adds cloud recording. The data label lists twelve collected categories, and the Android rating of 4.1 sits half a point below Apple's. If the 40-minute limit is your only problem, our guide on how to cancel Zoom Workplace Pro shows how to stop paying once the project ends. Our score: 7.3.
6. Adobe Scan — clean PDFs from paper
Adobe Scan straightens and cleans up a photographed page and saves it as a PDF without a watermark, for free. It is the fastest way to send a signed contract or a receipt from a phone, and the cleanest result comes from laying the page on a dark surface so the edge detection finds all four corners.
Free text recognition stops at five pages, an Adobe account is required, and every saved scan uploads to Adobe Document Cloud. Premium at $9.99 a month adds 100-page recognition and Word export. Our score: 7.1.
7. LinkedIn — necessary rather than enjoyable
LinkedIn earns its place for the job listings, which show salary ranges and applicant counts, and for a profile that works as a public CV. Applying and networking are free.
The feed, the notifications and the Premium prompts, from $29.99 to $69.99 a month, are the reasons for its low Android rating. Read the data label before uploading a CV: it lists fourteen categories. Our score: 6.7.
Apps your employer chooses for you
UKG Pro and ADP Mobile Solutions show pay statements, W-2s, time punches and time off, but only if your employer runs payroll on that platform and gives you an access code; the employer also decides which features appear. Both are free. Sign-in loops lead recent complaints for each, and for a once-a-year W-2, ADP's website in a browser is often quicker than the app.
Bottom line
Install Microsoft Authenticator first, before your next password reset, because number matching is the safest free way to approve work sign-ins. For a job search, start with Indeed, where pay is on the card, and keep LinkedIn for the profile. For the team, use whatever your company already pays for: Google Chat inside Workspace, Teams inside Microsoft 365.
