Material Design is hitting Android by storm. It’s bowling people over with its gorgeous transitions and smooth movements. The controls give users more power than ever. It’s still young but plenty of app developers have already begun using Material Design. Here are the best Material Design apps so far! Do note that to see the full Material Design awesomeness, you’ll need to be running Android L. It still looks nice on earlier versions of Android but don’t be sad if you don’t get the full effect!
Action Launcher 3
[Price: Free / $4.99 / $9.99]
Lights! Camera! Action!
PROS
Comes complete with a lot of Android Lollipop style.
Additional features like Quickdrawer, Quicktheme, Shutters, and Covers add something totally unique from other launchers.
Smooth and stable with a free version so you can try it.
Tablets fully supported.
Includes icon pack support.
CONS
There are Material Design and Lollipop elements, but it's far from an authentic stock Android experience.
Some features don't have an off button and require a Pro version to use which makes the free version feel more like a demo.
8.0
Action Launcher is a complete redesign and re-write of the popular Action Launcher 2 application from Chris Lacy. This new launcher contains a number of Android Lollipop elements to help make your home screens look good and it comes with additional features as well. It’s free to try, $4.99 to buy, and you can pay $9.99 as a donation if you so choose. Aside from a few bugs here and there, it’s a solid and great launcher.
Apex Launcher
[Price: Free / $3.99]
Authentic and awesome.
PROS
Gives a more authentic Lollipop experience with Material Design.
A long time trusted name in Android launchers managed to stay relevant which is always a plus.
Fully functional free version with more features on the paid version.
Multiple customization options, including icon packs and theme skins.
CONS
In terms of custom launchers, Apex doesn't stray too far from center. This is good if you want something basic but customizable but bad if you're looking for something more bold and different.
The latest update has a few bugs that have affected a few people.
8.0
Apex Launcher is an old mainstay in the Android apps world. It was one of the first really good launchers and has managed to stay “in the times” even to this day. It was recently updated with a Material Design overhaul that gives users a more authentic feel that is also totally customizable. There is a free version that is fully functional and a paid version which unlocks extra features.
Between – Private Couples App
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Just between you and your other half.
PROS
Private messaging for you and your partner.
Share voice, videos, images, and text.
Shared calendar and weather updates (for when you're apart) is a nice touch.
Set the app to lock after you leave it so no one sees what you and your lover talk about.
CONS
New updates have introduced some network-based bugs.
May be a little too much extra for some couples who prefer to keep it short and sweet.
7.0
This is a secure messaging service for couples. Essentially you could put the entirety of your relationship communications in here and they’ll be hidden from prying eyes. There are also some fun features like photo, voice, and video sharing that are quite nice. It’s Material Design and it’s highly rated!
Cabinet Beta
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Minimal file browsing is still cool!
PROS
Material Design makes this app both functional and good looking.
None of the bloaty features that casual users don't want.
Designed to 'just work' specifically for those casual users.
Free to download.
CONS
Minimal means it may lack some features of more powerful file browsers but you knew that already.
Beta means bugs!
Some small things like a progress bar while zipping things into a zip file would've been nice.
7.5
Cabinet is a minimalist file browser that is available for Android 4.0 and above. In terms of sheer features you won’t find all that much because that’s the definition of minimal. However, the Material Design makes it look fantastic and the little button makes finding things like cut and paste way easier than even some of the more popular and feature-filled file browsers.
Cerberus Anti-Theft
[Price: Free / $5.99]
A must-have in device security.
PROS
One of the most prominent, stable, and trusted anti-theft apps out there.
Includes advanced features like SIM checking, record audio remotely, auto-enabling GPS, and more.
Free version works perfectly fine with the pro version adding more features.
Material Design!
Multiple ways of controlling your device.
CONS
Cerberus is pretty much all menus so some of the impact of its Material Design update is lost.
If you use Android Device Manager (enabled by default on some devices), many of these features are redundant.
It's definitely a full-featured app so it's not for people looking for something lightweight.
8.5
Cerberus Anti-Theft is one of the biggest names in anti-theft apps on Android. It contains a metric ton of features and comes in a free version and a paid version for $5.99. It has been described multiple times as a must-have application and now it’s loaded with Material Design.
CloudMagic Email
[Price: Free]
Gmail shouldn't get to have all the fun.
PROS
It employs a more subtle Material Design for those who think Gmail's Material Design is 'too much'.
Multiple account support so you can manage all of your email accounts in one place.
Sign-in functionality allows you to easily sync across devices.
Totally free with no ads or in app purchases.
Integration with tools like OneNote, Evernote, Asana, Todoist, and others helps improve productivity.
CONS
It's not very colorful or bright.
Some occasional bugs dealing with mail not sent and reauthoritzation have popped up occasionally.
Not full Material Design.
8.0
CloudMagic Email is one of the better email applications to come out over the last few years. It allows you to easily sign in with a multitude of accounts and manage them in an interface that is familiar and simple. Its Material Design update wasn’t as bold as others, but it’s definitely still there. Also, this app is totally free to use.
Google Chrome Browser
[Price: Free]
Yep, that Chrome Browser.
PROS
All of the Google Chrome goodness most people already know about.
Latest update also has improved Incognito Mode.
Material Design for the win.
Installed on most phones by default so many of you already have this browser even if you don't use it.
Free with no in app purchases.
CONS
It can be a little clunky sometimes.
Material Design change has moved some useful features to not-so-useful places.
8.0
The venerable Chrome Browser was updated fairly recently to include some Material Design goodness. It still has all the same awesome features it’s always had but it is now wrapped in the latest design standard. There are other browser that claim to have Material Design that really don’t. This one does, try it.
Google+
[Price: Free]
Because someone will get angry if we don't mention this.
PROS
As far as social media apps go, this one is pretty fantastic.
Chromecast support.
Material Design which also lets you navigate the various parts of Google+ more fluidly once you learn your way around.
It's a Google app which means it gets plenty of Google updates.
CONS
Getting around the app may be confusing at first for newcomers.
Like all social media apps with hundreds of millions of users, there are some bugs here and there.
9.0
If you haven’t signed up for a Google+ account yet, perhaps knowing that its official app was among the first Material Design apps ever will help. Feature for feature it remains above pretty much all of the rest and it likely won’t stop there. It also recently got Chromecast support.
LocalCast (Media 2 Chromecast)
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Put it on your TV!
PROS
Lets you cast images, video, and PDFs to your TV.
Cloud storage and social media supported (some). Also supports DLNA.
Zoom and rotate lets you control how your stuff is displayed. Pan mode on images is self explanatory.
Free to use to see if it works for you!
CONS
Some subtitles aren't supported.
Small bugs here and there. Nothing bad but it keeps the experience from being perfect.
7.0
LocalCast allows you to take what’s on your device and put it through your Chromecast to your TV. It supports images, music, videos, and PDFs if you need those things. It also allows you to cast things from cloud storage like Google Drive and social media like Google+. It’s free to try so why not?
Messenger
[Price: Free]
Simple but elegant.
PROS
Full on Material Design mixed with simplicity makes this a great texting app for anyone but the most hardcore of texters.
Light customization options available to let you change colors.
Totally free.
Search through conversations to find a specific thing you (or someone else) said.
Audio messages, emoji support, and archiving give it a more complete experience.
CONS
Many people have had MMS issues with this app.
If you need a more full featured texting app, this isn't for you.
This + Hangouts = redundant.
7.5
Google’s Messenger application seemed like an app without a place. With Hangouts handling SMS, there didn’t seem a point to its existence. However, it turned out to be a very solid text messaging app with some great Material Design elements and even some customization features. As with most Google apps, this one is totally free.
Nova Launcher
[Price: Free / $4.00]
It's still rocking after all this time.
PROS
It's a trusted, stable, and popular launcher used by millions.
The developers have added in a metric ton of Lollipop and Material Design elements.
Customization options includes icon packs, themes, and plenty of in-app stuff.
Includes the popular 'OK, Google' hotword functionality.
Additional fun features include gesture controls, unred counts, icon swiping, and scroll effects.
CONS
Aside from a few bugs here and there, there isn't much wrong with Nova Launcher
9.0
Much like Apex Launcher, Nova Launcher has been around since “the good old days” and remains of the most stable, popular, and trusted launchers available on Android. The developers spent a great deal of time updating the launcher for Lollipop and Material Design and the effort shows. You can use the free version or get the pro version for $4.00.
Numix Calculator
[Price: Free / $1.50]
Material calculators rock!
PROS
Basic calculator is free. Advanced stuff costs $1.50 so you can at least try it out first.
Material Design looks wonderful and allows you to swipe through the app to find the functions you need.
You can change the theme if you want to.
According to reviews, it seems to work well for almost everyone.
CONS
It's a young app which means there are bugs.
While it has as many of the Material Design guidelines as possible, it's not 100% Material Design.
7.5
Numix Calculator is a basic calculator that has a few advanced functions. Its Material Design allows you to swipe through the various functions and we thought that was pretty neat. There is a free version and a pro version. The pro version comes with theming options if you don’t like the colors. It’s also open source!
Plume for Twitter
[Price: Free / $4.99]
Still better than the official Twitter app.
PROS
Material Design update makes this app look very sleek.
Includes cross-platform features such as Facebook posting and multiple Twitter accounts.
Includes light theming options.
Pretty much all of the standard Twitter functions.
The free and pro versions are identical except that the pro version doesn't have ads.
CONS
The large Material Design update has created bugs that haven't been fixed yet.
May be a tad clunky for casual Twitter users.
7.5
Plume is a long time favorite of many Twitter users and recent updates helped the app stay in the mix of apps worth talking about. It contains Material Design along with a number of unique features and there’s a free version that you can use as long as you don’t mind ads.
Reddit News Free
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Looks better than actual Reddit.
PROS
Material features help improve navigation and it looks sharp.
Inline video and image viewing helps keep everything streamlined.
Allows access to pretty much all of the important Reddit features and interaction functions.
Free to use (with in app purchases).
CONS
Material Design elements aren't all that prevalent on non-Android L devices.
Some of the full screen ads can cause issues.
8.0
Reddit News Free has updated their app to include Material Design elements and it has been for the best so far. It’s a highly rated Reddit app with a bunch of features and a lot of happy users. If you’re looking for a modern Reddit experience, this is it!
Root Check
[Price: Free]
Do you have root?
PROS
Checks your device to see if you have root.
Gorgeous interface for such a simple app. Kudos.
Also includes a sort of guide, terminology and a bunch of other useful tools for upcoming root users.
Optimized for both phones and tablets.
CONS
Some people have had trouble with it but otherwise nothing really.
9.0
Root Check is a free app that simply checks to make sure your device has root access. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s totally free with no in app purchases and does what it says it does. Could come in handy, right?
S Converter
[Price: Free]
Converted!
PROS
Material Design makes this app look 100% more interesting than it rightfully should.
Boat loads of conversion options.
Free with no in app purchases and no advertisements.
Different themes for different folks.
CONS
While it does support a ridiculous amount of everything, there are a few things missing here and there that will likely be added in future updates.
8.5
S Converter is a free application that allows you to convert almost anything. It has mathematical stuff, physics stuff, currency, and various other units of measurement. Converting stuff like pounds to grams or something like that is one of those tasks we don’t do often but it’s always a pain to find a place to do it when we have to. This app solves that problem and it looks nice to boot!
Sliding Explorer
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Another good looking file explorer.
PROS
Includes all of the basic features like adding files to archives, copy/paste, and external SD card support.
Material Design makes looking at things nice.
Printing support (KitKat only)
Free (with in app purchases).
Some extra features like Dashclock and root support.
CONS
Not as 'Material Design' as the other file manager on this list but that's okay.
Many users have noted the very slow copy/paste.
7.0
Sliding Explorer is the second file manager on this list. Much like the first, it focuses on design and ease-of-use rather than hardcore features. That means you hardcore file manager users out there are out of luck again, sadly. For casual users, this is a great (and themed) way to browser some files and it’s free!
Soundcloud
[Price: Free]
A great source of free music.
PROS
Loads upon loads of music to listen to and check out from independent artists.
App lets you record, upload, and manage your own Soundcloud page.
Google+ and Facebook login support.
Listen to, create, and manage playlists.
CONS
Still no Chromecast support.
Lack of mainstream music makes it difficult to compete with Google Play, Spotify, iTunes, etc.
It's only partial Material Design similar to CloudMagic
7.5
Soundcloud is one of the best ways to get into independent music and is also a haven for EDM fans. A recent update has added some Material Design flair without losing the charm and functionality that makes Soundcloud so much fun. It’s also totally free with no in app purchases.
SwiftKey Keyboard
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Still going strong.
PROS
One of the best predictive engines available in any third party keyboard.
Plenty of themes to choose from, including Lollipop themes.
Have the app 'learn' how you type using Facebook, Gmail, text messages, and Twitter.
Above average auto correct.
Several different keyboard formats available, including a number row, tablet style thumb keyboard, and one-handed keyboard.
CONS
Has a history of performance issues even on newer devices for some.
Takes some time before prediction and auto correction function well. This isn't necessarily bad but don't expect it to get your lingo right off the bat.
8.5
SwiftKey Keyboard has been on the forefront of third party keyboards for a long time. The developers recently released a set of Lollipop themed keyboards that allow you to have the look and feel of the stock Google Keyboard while still enjoying the many features SwiftKey has to offer. The keyboard is also totally free to use with the themes priced at a couple of bucks.
Talon for Twitter
[Price: $1.99]
Twitter but better.
PROS
Boat loads of features. Just a metric ton of them.
Classy, easy-to-use design that is just a joy to use.
Theme engine available for developers if they want them.
Talon Pull feature always listens for Tweets and Mentions.
Widget and Dashclock support.
CONS
If you enable all of the live feed features, your battery will hate you.
There have been bugs reported which means there could be problems based on your device.
8.5
Talon for Twitter is one of the better Twitter clients out there. It’s had some amazing Material Design updates but unfortunately you can only see a few them without Android L. Even so, it’s a gorgeous Twitter client and worth all $1.99 they’re asking for it.
Textra SMS
[Price: Free]
Better looking than your stock SMS app.
PROS
Looks gorgeous and is well organized.
Multiple themes, plenty of emoticons, GIPHYs, and other fun stuff for texters.
It does what it says it does and really, there is no bigger pro than that.
CONS
It doesn't cook you breakfast?
If you use something like Hangouts, you probably won't be replacing it with this.
9.0
Textra SMS is a free SMS replacement app that, well, allows you to send text messages. It was updated recently with a much more Material Design and if you want your text messages to have more Material Design then this is the app to do it for you.
TuneIn Radio
[Price: Free]
One of the best radio apps ever.
PROS
Over 100,000 stations available that cover sports, talk, comedy, and music.
There are also podcasts available.
TuneIn Radio is totally free to use.
Trending and other discovery tools help you find fun stuff to listen to.
CONS
Bug reports include stream dropping and random channel switching. Thankfully, it's infrequent but it's there.
Radio is a medium that is desperately trying to hang on and thus many people may opt for something like Spotify or Pandora.
7.5
TuneIn Radio is a great application for radio fans. It currently streams over 100,000 radio stations that play everything from sports to talk radio, comedy, and even music. It also supports podcasts. It’s immensely popular with over 50 million downloads to date and its Material Design will keep that number rising.
Unclouded
[Price: Free]
You still log into multiple apps?
PROS
Log into a number of services to manage all of your cloud storage.
Great design with muted colors is easy on the eyes.
Easy to use.
Free to try (with in app purchases)
CONS
If you have a lot of pictures, thumbnails can take a while to load.
Will find multiples of the same file in the same account, but not cross account.
8.0
Unclouded is a free (with IAPs) app that allows you to browse, manage, and control your various cloud storage accounts. Think of it like a file browser for your cloud storage. It has a beautiful design and is really the best way to manage everything at once without logging into several apps to do the same thing.
Wally
[Price: Free]
Everything a wallpaper app should be.
PROS
Tons of wallpaper options.
Gorgeous Material Design.
Ability to sort by color as well as by name and category (e.g. Space or Cars)
Free without in app purchases!
CONS
Some users have reported network issues since the app went mainstream.
8.5
Last and certainly not least is Wally. Wally is a wallpaper application that’s powered by Wallpaper.cc. It adheres to Material Design about as closely as you can possibly get, contains a ton of wallpapers, and is a must have for Material Design fanatics. It’s free without in app purchases. Does it get any better than that?
WeMail
[Price: Free]
Email but different
PROS
A unique take on email where organization and formatting is similar to messaging apps instead of email apps.
Clean, solid design.
Multiple account support.
Some additional unique features like audio emails.
One of the best in-mail searches ever. Search for email or for attachments.
CONS
Fans of the traditional email paradigm may not like this.
Not full Material Design.
It does support multiple accounts from multiple sources, but if you don't use Outlook, Gmail, or Yahoo, you may be out of luck.
7.5
WeMail is a newer email application that tackles email from a different perspective. Instead of treating it like email, WeMail treats it like a messaging app. The unique premise allows for easier categorization and faster responses depending on how you use your email. It’s also totally free.
YouTube
[Price: Free]
Duh
PROS
Duh, it's YouTube!
Create playlists or enjoy playlists others have done.
Music Key gives Google Play Music integration and ad-free music as well as offline videos (only for Google Play Music All Access subscribers)
I mean really, it's YouTube.
CONS
No version of YouTube is perfect and this one is no exception. There are some small bugs here and there.
Multi-account support is pretty bad.
Video uploading is still about as minimal as it was on day 1. Content creators should still use the website.
8.0
Last and certainly not least is YouTube. This must-have app received its Material Design update much later than originally expected but it was worth the wait. You know why YouTube is awesome so we don’t have to explain it.
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