The table shows the Top 150 tools for Personal Learning (PL150) in 2021. It also shows their overall ranking on the Top 300 list, as well as their ranking on the Top 150 tools for Workplace Learning (WL150) and the Top 150 Tools for Education (EDU15). NEW tools this year are highlighted in YELLOW, tools BACK on the list this year, in GREEN. Analysis of this year’s tools lists appears in the sidebar on the Top 300 list.
PL150 | WL150 | ED150 | Tool | brief description | top 300 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | 1 | YouTube | video hosting and sharing platform | 1 |
2 | 3 | 5 | Google Search | search engine | 3 |
3 | 9 | – | professional social network | 7 | |
4 | 21 | – | social network | 8 | |
5 | 8 | 16 | Wikipedia | online encyclopaedia | 9 |
6 | 1 | 4 | Zoom | video meeting platform | 2 |
7 | 12 | 15 | messaging app | 10 | |
8 | 7 | 8 | Word | MS word processing tool | 12 |
9 | 10 | 2 | Google Docs & Drive | office suite/file sharing platform | 6 |
10 | – | 19 | social network | 14 | |
11 | 23 | 58 | WordPress | blogging/website platform | 21 |
12 | 2 | 13 | Microsoft Teams | enterprise collaboration platform | 4 |
13 | 4 | 3 | PowerPoint | MS presentation tool | 5 |
14 | 29 | 11 | Gmail | email client | 22 |
15 | – | – | photo sharing social network | 25 | |
16 | – | – | Feedly | RSS reader | 27 |
17 | 11 | 17 | Excel | MS spreadsheet tool | 15 |
18 | 17 | 67 | Dropbox | file sharing platform | 28 |
19 | 56 | 26 | Telegram | messaging app | 31 |
20 | 20 | 36 | OneNote | digital notebook from Microsoft | 32 |
21 | – | – | Spotify | audio/podcast platform | 33 |
22 | 48 | 7 | Google Meet | video meeting platform | 16 |
23 | – | – | Kindle Reader | e-book reader | 41 |
24 | 16 | 82 | Trello | project/team tool | 24 |
25 | – | – | Apple Podcasts | podcasts player/app | 45 |
26 | 22 | 6 | Canva | graphics tool | 13 |
27 | 39 | 20 | Google Chrome | web browser | 36 |
28 | 97 | – | Udemy | online course platform | 49 |
29 | 45 | – | LinkedIn Learning | online course platform | 51 |
30 | – | – | curation tool | 58 | |
31 | 91 | 35 | Google Maps | maps tool/app | 59 |
32 | – | – | Inoreader | RSS reader | 60 |
33 | – | – | Duolingo | language learning app | 61 |
34 | 73 | 55 | Grammarly | grammar checker | 64 |
35 | 40 | – | Coursera | online course platform | 65 |
36 | – | – | Diigo | curation/bookmarking tool | 68 |
37 | 58 | 27 | Google Translate | online translation tool | 47 |
38 | – | 52 | Google Keep | digital notebook | 72 |
39 | 54 | 23 | Genially | graphics tool | 40 |
40 | 59 | 85 | Apple Keynote | presentation software from Apple | 73 |
41 | 47 | 61 | OneDrive | file sharing platform from Microsoft | 74 |
42 | – | 51 | Google Calendar | online calendar | 77 |
43 | – | – | Readwise | article/book highlighter | 81 |
44 | – | = | DuckDuckGo | non-tracking search engine | 82 |
45 | – | – | Zapier | workflow automation tool | 85 |
46 | – | – | Safari | web browser from Apple | 89 |
47 | – | 72 | Evernote | digital notebook | 90 |
48 | 24 | 37 | Outlook | email client from Microsoft | 34 |
49 | 53 | 111 | WeTransfer | file sharing platform | 96 |
50 | 6 | – | Slack | team collaboration platform | 11 |
51 | 43 | 89 | Yammer | enterprise social network from Microsoft | 75 |
52 | – | – | Netflix | documentaries/films | 101 |
53 | 105 | – | edX | online course platform | 104 |
54 | – | – | Tweetdeck | twitter client | 105 |
55 | – | – | Pocket Casts | podcast player | 106 |
56 | – | 64 | Blogger | blogging platform | 109 |
57 | 30 | 76 | Skype | messaging and calling app | 48 |
58 | – | – | Google Alerts | alerts to new web resources | 110 |
59 | – | – | Audible | audio books | 112 |
60 | – | 32 | Wakelet | curation tool | 56 |
61 | – | – | Raindrop | bookmark manager | 114 |
62 | – | 57 | curation platform | 100 | |
63 | – | – | Discord | community app | 117 |
64 | 78 | – | Acrobat Reader | PDF reader | 122 |
65 | – | – | Omnigraffle | diagramming tool | 126 |
66 | – | – | Bublup | visual organiser | 127 |
67 | – | – | Firefox | web browser | 128 |
68 | 120 | 62 | Calendly | online scheduler | 107 |
69 | – | – | Overcast | podcast player | 131 |
70 | 76 | – | Mindstone | platform to organise/share notes | 132 |
71 | 92 | – | getAbstract | book summaries | 137 |
72 | – | – | Drops | learn a language in 5 mins/day | 138 |
73 | – | 39 | Viber | messaging app | 78 |
74 | – | – | Google Assistant | virtual assistant | 139 |
75 | – | – | Mindmanager | mindmapping tool | 140 |
76 | – | 40 | Prezi | online presentation too | 79 |
77 | – | – | Google Drawings | drawing tool at Google Docs | 148 |
78 | – | – | Apple Clips | video editing for iPhone | 149 |
79 | – | – | Highbrow | 5 min daily lessons | 151 |
80 | 60 | 54 | TED Talks | inspirational videos | 97 |
81 | – | – | Google Lens | image recognition app | 159 |
82 | 28 | 68 | Audacity | audio recording/editing tool | 44 |
83 | 85 | 14 | Padlet | organize & share content on bulletin boards | 26 |
84 | 112 | 65 | Piktochart | infographics tool | 113 |
85 | – | 83 | Jitsi Meet | video meeting platform | 160 |
86 | 99 | – | Anders Pink | curation platform | 162 |
87 | – | – | ilovepdf.com | PDF tool | 168 |
88 | 129 | – | Streamyard | live video streaming platform | 170 |
89 | 100 | – | Medium | blogging tool | 171 |
90 | – | – | Blubrry | podcasting platform | 174 |
91 | – | 50 | Google Scholar | academic search engine | 88 |
92 | – | – | Udacity | online course platform | 175 |
93 | – | – | Anchor | podcasting platform | 179 |
94 | – | – | Codecademy | online course platform | 182 |
95 | 32 | 45 | Whereby | video meeting platform | 53 |
96 | – | – | Todoist | information organiser | 183 |
97 | – | 79 | Mendeley | research organiser | 144 |
98 | – | 104 | Apple Mail | email client from Apple | 185 |
99 | 26 | 99 | Vimeo | video hosting and sharing platform | 39 |
100 | – | 123 | Start.me | start page/web organiser | 190 |
101 | – | – | Franz | all-in-one messaging app | 191 |
102 | – | – | Apple Pages | document tool from Apple | 192 |
103 | – | – | podcast.co | podcasting platform | 196 |
104 | – | 115 | Milanote | ideas/project organiser | 198 |
105 | 52 | – | DeepL | online translation tool | 95 |
106 | 113 | – | Blinkist | book summaries | 201 |
107 | – | 102 | Paint.net | image and photo editing software | 204 |
108 | – | 103 | Khan Academy | online course platform | 205 |
109 | – | – | Apple Notes | note taking app for iPhone | 208 |
110 | – | 100 | Slideshare | presentation hosting and sharing platform | 202 |
111 | – | 70 | Coggle | mindmapping tool | 119 |
112 | 108 | 124 | elink | build anything with Web pages | 195 |
113 | – | – | FutureLearn | online course platform | 218 |
114 | 62 | – | Degreed | learning platform | 111 |
115 | – | 105 | Scoopit | curation tool | 212 |
116 | – | 112 | Etherpad | online editor | 219 |
117 | – | 78 | Google Sites | website platform | 141 |
118 | – | – | Scrivener | writing tool for long documents | 227 |
119 | – | – | OmniOutliner | outlining tool | 228 |
120 | – | 136 | Wix | website development platform | 229 |
121 | – | – | IFTTT | workflow automation tool | 232 |
122 | – | – | German social network | 233 | |
123 | – | – | italki | language learning community | 234 |
124 | – | – | bitly | shorten, share and track web links | 235 |
125 | – | 84 | Mindmeister | mindmapping tool | 161 |
126 | – | 86 | Apple iMovie | video editing tool from Apple | 169 |
127 | 114 | – | Snip & Sketch | screenshot tool | 203 |
128 | – | – | Meetup | organise online groups for in-person events | 240 |
129 | – | – | Podcast Addict | manage podcast from a single app | 245 |
130 | 116 | – | Workplace by Facebook | enterprise collaboration platform | 207 |
131 | – | – | Dabble | online writing tool | 246 |
132 | – | – | Buffer | social media dashboard | 247 |
133 | – | 108 | Lino | sticky online pinboard | 215 |
134 | – | – | Ecosia | search the Web and help plant trees | 248 |
135 | – | – | ModelThinkers | work smarter through actionable mental models | 257 |
136 | 130 | – | Lucidchart | online diagramming app | 236 |
137 | – | – | E-Learning Heroes | community for Articulate developers | 259 |
138 | – | – | Zotero | collect, organise and share research | 260 |
139 | – | – | TikTok | video sharing social network | 261 |
140 | 119 | – | MS Edge | Microsoft’s web browser | 211 |
141 | – | – | message and calling app | 263 | |
142 | – | – | Obsidian | powerful personal knowledge base | 265 |
143 | – | – | GoBrunch | live webinars and virtual meetings | 266 |
144 | – | – | SelfControl | block access to distracting websites | 273 |
145 | 143 | – | Box | file sharing platform | 271 |
146 | – | – | tweetbot | twitter client for the Mac | 275 |
147 | – | – | Pinboard | bookmarking site | 285 |
148 | – | – | Double Commander | open source file manager | 289 |
149 | – | – | 1Password | password manager | 291 |
150 | – | – | Laracasts | screencasts for developers | 297 |