5 Of The Best Free Apple Watch Apps You Can Download Right Now

The Apple Watch may not be a necessity, but once it's on your wrist, it quickly becomes an indispensable companion. Acting as a natural extension of your iPhone, the Apple Watch lets you check notifications, use Siri for quick tasks, and even unlock your Mac, all without having to dig your phone out of your bag or pocket. Beyond convenience, it doubles as a powerful health and fitness tracker, monitors your sleep, logs workouts with detailed metrics, and surfaces insights that help you stay on top of your wellness goals. With the latest Apple Watch Series 10, the experience is more seamless than ever. 

But here's the catch: After spending a few hundred dollars on the watch itself, you probably don't want to splurge on premium apps. The good news? You don't have to. The Apple Watch App Store is packed with free apps that rival or even outperform their paid counterparts. From productivity tools to fitness companions, these apps let you unlock the full potential of your Apple Watch without spending an extra dime.

If you're wondering where to start, we've rounded up the five best free Apple Watch apps you can download right now. These must-have picks will help you get more from your Apple Watch from day one, and the best part? They're all free. 

Todoist is one of my favorite productivity apps that you can add to your Apple Watch. At a glance, you can view your daily task list right from your wrist, making it easy to stay on top of deadlines without constantly reaching for your iPhone. The app's intuitive interface is perfectly optimized for the small screen size, allowing you to quickly check off completed tasks, assign new ones with voice dictation, or reschedule items with just a tap. 

Notifications on the watch keep you in sync throughout the day, ensuring you never miss an important reminder or due date. What really makes Todoist shine on the Apple Watch is how it integrates with your broader workflow. Tasks update instantly across devices, so any changes made on your watch reflect on your phone, tablet, or desktop. I've been using Todoist for the past year, and it's made a difference in my workflow, helping to keep me on track throughout the day.

When it comes to tip calculator apps, many still have the same drawback: They aren't very discreet. Pulling out your iPhone at the dinner table to calculate a tip can feel awkward, especially if your server happens to walk over and catch you. That's why Tipsy for Apple Watch is one of the best apps to download if you dine out often. Instead of reaching for your phone, you can handle everything right from your wrist. Simply enter the total, use the digital crown to adjust the percentage, and let Tipsy's smart rounding feature ensure you're never left scrambling for change. 

Tipsy helps me feel more confident when dining out, knowing that I can quickly generate the tip simply from my wrist. While you could use the built-in Apple Watch calculator's tip function, I prefer the clean design and interface of Tipsy. 

If you've ever paused your reading to look up a tricky word, you know how distracting it can be. While e-readers like Kindle and Nook have built-in dictionaries, not everyone wants to be tied to those devices. That's why LookUp is one of my favorite Apple Watch apps. Instead of pulling out your iPhone and losing focus, you can check word definitions instantly from your wrist and get right back to reading. 

LookUp pulls directly from the Oxford English Dictionary, complete with example sentences and synonyms for deeper context. It even goes a step further by offering translations in more than 20 languages, making it especially useful for language learners. Every word you look up is also saved to a personal vocabulary list. Later, you can review or quiz yourself, ensuring new words actually stick. Whether you're studying for exams or just want to expand your vocabulary, LookUp turns quick lookups into lasting knowledge. 

Constellation-tracking apps have been around almost as long as smartphones have had gyroscopes, and Night Sky brings that experience to your wrist. The Apple Watch version works just like the phone apps, using the gyroscope to point you toward stars, planets, and constellations. Calibration is quick and automatic — no setup screens, no fuss. Just open the app, and you're ready to scan. 

As you move, Night Sky labels what you're seeing and highlights constellations with clean illustrations for easier recognition. You can even take a narrated sky tour, and the display shifts to a red-tinted night mode so you don't blow your dark adaptation during a star party. Twist the digital crown to enter a "space travel" view and jump through time to watch how the sky changes.

Beyond the casual stargazer, Night Sky is handy for anyone lining up a telescope. Because it lives on your wrist, both hands stay free, and you don't have to balance an iPhone while adjusting a mount. When the watch is face up, it switches to a compass view so you always know the general direction to aim. 

If you're looking for a budgeting app for the Apple Watch that fits in with the rest of your Apple ecosystem, check out MoneyCoach. It takes the budgeting power you set up on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac — with unlimited accounts, category budgets, and personalized "smart" goals — and makes it wrist-friendly for everyday spending.

On the Apple Watch, Money Coach gives you quick, glanceable control of your money habits right when it matters. Check your daily spending limit before you tap your card, see which budgets are trending, and skim recent transactions to spot anything off, all without ever having to pull out your iPhone. Those tiny check-ins add up, helping you stick to your plan at the grocery line, on a night out, or during travel days when budgets can slip.

Behind the scenes, everything syncs with your broader plan, including the app's real-time net worth tracker and smart budgets that you tailor on your iPhone. Set goals such as paying off a large debt, or creating an emergency fund, or just planning for a large purchase, and use the watch for lightweight, high-frequency accountability. A quick glance to stay under today's limit or a two-second check to confirm that you're still financially on track this week.