Best Sports Apps for Scores and Live Games, Ranked
ESPN is the best sports app for most fans: scores, news, alerts and radio for every sport are free, and one plan, ESPN Unlimited at $31.99 a month, pu
Editorial Team · 2026-10-11
Best Free Utility Apps on Mobile, Ranked
By Editorial Team · published 2026-10-11 · updated 2026-10-11
Add ScoredApps as a preferred source on Google
Google Translate is the best free utility app: it translates text, speech and camera images, works offline once you download a language, and has no ads, purchases or account. We ranked six free utilities from our catalogue, from keyboards and VPNs to sign-in codes and speed tests, on how well they do their one job and what they ask in return. Four of the six show no ads at all, and Proton VPN is the free VPN worth trusting. Prices are as of October 2026.
How we picked
Utility apps are the ones you forget are installed until the day you need them: a translator abroad, a code generator at sign-in, a VPN on café Wi-Fi. We ranked the free utilities in our catalogue on how well they do that one job, what they ask for in return, and whether anything worth having sits behind a payment. Prices are as of October 2026 and come from each company's pages and store listings.
Most of the winners here are free with no ads, which is rarer than it sounds: in most other categories the free tier is a trial.
1. Google Translate — nothing to sell at all
Google Translate is our winner and our highest-scored app in the category, at 8.6. It translates typed text, speech, handwriting and whatever the camera points at, alternates between two speakers in conversation mode, and keeps a phrasebook of sentences you need again.
It shows no ads, sells nothing and needs no account. Download the languages you need before a trip and it works with no signal at all. The one caveat is data: Google's label lists seven collected categories. Our score: 8.6.
2. Gboard — a keyboard that keeps your typing on the phone
Gboard is Google's keyboard, and by Google's account the text you type stays on the device; searches, voice input and usage statistics are what leave it. On Android it handles more than 900 language varieties, with glide typing, handwriting and Translate built in, and it has no ads or purchases.
Its predictions are trained through federated learning, which improves suggestions without uploading what you type. Take it on Android, especially on a Pixel, where offline dictation and the writing commands live; 2026 reviews do describe dictation cutting off mid-sentence. Skip it on iPhone, where the app has not been updated since May 2022. Our score: 8.1.
3. Proton VPN — a free VPN without a data cap
Proton VPN is the rare free VPN worth trusting: no data cap, no ads, and a no-logs claim backed by five yearly public audits from a company based in Geneva, which says it has denied 458 Swiss court orders for user data. It is the one to turn on before using hotel or café Wi-Fi.
The free plan covers one device, uses servers in 10 countries and picks the server for you. VPN Plus opens more than 20,000 servers in over 140 countries for 10 devices, with Secure Core routing through privacy-friendly countries first and NetShield blocking ads and trackers at the DNS level. Many Play reviews describe dropped connections. Our score: 8.0.
4. Google Authenticator — sign-in codes that move with you
Google Authenticator turns a scanned QR code into six-digit sign-in codes that refresh every 30 seconds, for Google and any site offering an authenticator app, and it works with no signal. Since 2023 it can sync those codes to your Google Account, so a lost phone no longer locks you out.
Google describes that sync as encrypted in transit and at rest, not end to end, and the app has no push approvals. Recent reviews report failed QR scans. Our score: 7.9.
5. Speedtest by Ookla — proof for your internet provider
Speedtest measures download, upload, ping and jitter across several servers, and it now bundles Downdetector outage tracking, a Video Test and carrier coverage maps. Tests reach up to 10 Gbps and report ping under load, which is what makes a video call stutter. It is the evidence to gather before you call your provider about slow internet.
Testing is free with ads, and $0.99 once removes them. Ookla's privacy policy lets it license test results and location data to business customers, so deny location if that bothers you. Our score: 7.6.
6. Google Lens — search with the camera
Google Lens translates signs in more than 100 languages, copies text from paper, identifies plants and products, scans QR codes and explains homework problems step by step. Point, tap, and the answer comes back.
The standalone Android app has not been updated since August 2025, and reviewers say it leans on the Google app anyway, so if that is already installed, use its camera icon instead. Searches need a connection, and shopping ads sit next to matches. Our score: 7.5.
For the day you switch phones
Two free utilities do one job each and then can be deleted. Samsung Smart Switch copies an iPhone or Android phone onto a Galaxy; by USB-C cable it carries 14 kinds of data, from iMessage threads to the home screen, while Wi-Fi from an iPhone on older One UI moves only four. Move to iOS does the reverse for a new iPhone, including WhatsApp chats, but works only during the iPhone's setup; once setup is done, the iPhone must be erased to use it.
Neither moves music, paid apps or saved passwords. Our full checklist is in what to do before you move to a new phone.
Free with no ads, and where the money is
Four of the six apps above, Translate, Gboard, Authenticator and the free Proton plan, show no ads and sell nothing you need. Speedtest's ads go for $0.99, and Lens carries shopping ads you cannot remove. The paid upgrade that changes the most is Proton's VPN Plus, and only if you need to choose a country or protect several devices.
Bottom line
Install Google Translate first and download your languages before you travel, at home on Wi-Fi: it is free, ad-free and works offline. Add Proton VPN for public Wi-Fi and Google Authenticator for sign-in codes, and keep Speedtest for the day your connection slows down and you need numbers for your provider. On Android, switch to Gboard; on iPhone, keep Apple's keyboard.
