Navigating today’s stressful and unpredictable world can be tough. On the bright side, you can still rely on scoring paid apps for free! Each week, we hunt down three temporarily free apps and games from both the App Store and Google Play. Grab them quickly, though, because these offers are strictly time-limited. After all, this is where I take my bow as nextpit.com shuts its doors, and the curtains fall as the fat lady sings.

Free Pro Apps (Android)

  • Sky Wings VIP: Pixel Fighters ($0.99) – Do you love to challenge your reflexes? Well, things do not get any more sweat-inducing on your palms than a frantic, top-down shoot ’em up. Sky Wings offers exactly that as you dodge enemy fire while taking down swarm after swarm of incoming aircraft of all shapes and sizes.  (4.3 stars, 953 reviews)
  • Video Speed Editor ($4.99) – Are you a content creator who primarily works with your phone? Well, if you want an app that speeds up or slows down a particular video, this is it. It does exactly as advertised, and does not offer anything more than that basic function. Still, if it is good enough to do what it is supposed to, there’s no harm in trying it out, right? (4.9 stars, 168 reviews)
  • The Lonely Hacker ($2.99) – All those hacker movies that you watch on the big screen and on TV? Well, this game simulates the real deal, and not some fictionalized environment that is impossible to replicate in real life. Created by security experts, it is as real as it gets, but don’t go looking for trouble with the authorities after you complete the game! (4.3 stars, 18.2k reviews)

Free premium apps (iOS)

  • Classical Guitar Tuner Pro ($9.99) – Just because you’re an all-star musician or some sort of prodigy doesn’t mean you do not need any help. As for the rest of us mere mortals who have an inkling of musical capability, having an app that tunes our guitars is a great help. It removes any doubts and helps you play your favorite tunes with confidence. (4.5 stars, 40 reviews)
  • PDF Reflow  ($7.99) – Granted, our smartphones have grown by leaps and bounds over the years to offer amazing visual clarity and resolution. However, there is one thing that still constrains productivity — the screen size. Too large a size and the phone becomes unwieldy and impractical to use, hence the advent of foldable devices. However, this app aims to maximize reading Word and PDF documents on your smartphone’s limited viewing area in the most natural way. (4.1 stars, 18 reviews)
  • Scary Zombie Teacher Neighbor ($0.99) – A horror escape stealth game genre? Whatever will people think of next? Still, there is enough tension in this first-person title that requires plenty of work in your noggin to solve puzzles, remain quiet as you snoop around, while collecting relevant items around that will help you remain alive as you plot your escape. (3.8 stars, 50 reviews)

Free apps and their pitfalls

All the apps we feature here were available for free at the time of publication. Unfortunately, developers often don’t specify how long these offers will last. So, if you like an app, you shouldn’t wait too long and download it quickly.

Before downloading a free app, you should always take a look at the app’s page in the store. Sometimes, there are hidden pitfalls you should be aware of.

In-app purchases

Most free apps either contain advertising or offer in-app purchases. However, this is also true for some paid apps. It’s particularly important to pay attention to these aspects when dealing with games intended for children.

Permissions

Numerous apps collect user data and often sell it. If you want to be on the safe side, ensure you grant only the permissions the app needs. An alarm clock, for example, doesn’t need access to your cameras or contacts, and a flashlight shouldn’t be interested in your location data.

Which of the above apps do you think you’d install?