As we reach the end of the year, we at Thunkable wanted to reflect on all the amazing apps and creators we’ve seen this year. In 2022 alone, we had nearly 470,000 new Creators join the Thunkable community from all over the world — from the United States to Ukraine, to Brazil, Sweden, and everywhere in between! 

Thunkable Creators have created a total of 1.3 million app projects with more than 225,000 apps published to the App Store, Google Play Store, or as a mobile web app. This year, we expanded to nine categories and asked our community to submit to our annual Apps of the Year awards. Boy, did they deliver!

After careful review from the Thunkable team, we are excited to announce our 2022 Apps of the Year! 

The Nine App Award Categories 

• App Creator of the Year: The app creator of the year is selected by the number of apps built as well as the impact their apps have on users.
• Game of the Year: The best game app built on Thunkable, including animations, interactivity, and fun!
• Social Good App of the Year: The no code app that benefits its users and solves for a specific problem that would otherwise be unaddressed without this app developer’s effort.
• Best Tooling App of the Year: The best no code app benefiting users in their productivity, efficiency, and/or the app that helps make life easier overall.
• Best Health & Wellness App: The best health and wellness app is selected based on the app’s ability to improve the overall well-being of the user.
• Best Educational App: The best app built to improve the overall educational experience or make learning fun.
• Best Lifestyle App: The best no code app that is highly interactive and aims at improving one's lifestyle.
• Highly Anticipated App Releases: This is awarded to a not-yet-published Thunkable project the world will benefit from being released.
• App of the Year: The best overall no code app based on design, complexity, novelty, and purpose.

App Creator of the Year

With nearly 10 published apps to this name, Carlin McLellan is Thunkable’s 2022 App Creator the Year!

A music therapist by profession, McLellan began building his own apps when he couldn’t find any for people of different abilities. He saw there was a deficit of inclusive apps and decided to build them himself.

McLellan enjoys the creativity he’s found in app building, stating,  “It feels like writing a song. It feels like drawing a picture or something. Like, it's such a creative process. When you finish an app, it feels like when you release a song. Here's something that I've made, I'm sharing with the world. I hope people find something in it. This is my expression gone into the cosmos. It feels amazing.”

Learn more about McLellan and the apps he’s built, here. 

Game of the Year

Creator Name: Yoshiyuki Hongoh

App: Cat Catcher Light

If you like cats, you’ll love Cat Catcher Light! This action packed game is a race to the finish in which players click the bouncing cats to erase them. Every time you successfully tap a cat, they meow! But you better watch out for the black cats which reduce your time. With three modes - easy, normal, and hard - you’ll have a blast catching as many cats as you can!

For adults and kids of all ages, we think Cat Catcher Light is an amazing game.

iOS Link: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/cat-catcher-light/id6443713356

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.indepa.support.catcatcherlight

Social Good App of the Year

Creator Name: Swasti Singh

App: Recycle Pal

Made by the “Code of Change” team of 12-year-old girls (shoutout to Swasti, Dhriti, Sara, and Jazaa!), Recycle Pal aims to tackle e-waste problems in major Indian metro cities, allowing users to easily find your local e-waste vendor. The app also allows waste recycling vendors to register themselves so users can find them.

We love to see young people making apps that impact their communities! 

iOS Link: n/a

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmail.djsstechkno22.recyclepal

Best Tooling App of the Year

Creator Name: Maurizio Polverini

App: TeamTime

Gone are the days of manually tracking employees' work time; TeamTime aims to make life easier for business owners! The TeamTime app provides a free QR code to be posted anywhere in the office. Employees scan the code upon arriving at work and scan upon the completion of their work day. Every scan is registered into an Airtable, where the business owner can keep track of who’s working when and where.

TeamTime is an app that saves people time and makes life easier!  

iOS Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/teamtime-registro-presenze/id6443974498

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmail.mauriziopolverini89.teamtime

Best Health and Wellness App

Creator Name: Lauren Kelleher

App: Fluffy Cloud Kids

It’s no secret that meditation is good for your mental health, and the sooner you start, the more benefits you reap. Fluffy Cloud Kids aims to make meditation attainable for kids aged five to 11, with short recorded breathing exercises and guided meditations. Upon completion, kids are rewarded with a cute sticker for their sticker chart.

We’re already feeling calmer and grounded! 

iOS Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fluffy-cloud-kids/id6444319229

Google Play Link: Stay tuned! 

Best Educational App

Creator Name: Rodrigo Amador

App: Funmath

Funmath is an immersive game-style app created to help kids in Honduras learn and practice their math skills. Available to use with or without internet access, Funmath provides exercises, prizes, messages of encouragement, and more.

If you’d like to learn more about Funmath and its creator, check out our case study here. 

iOS Link: Stay Tuned

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmail.funmathapp.funmathoriginal

Best Lifestyle App

Creator Name: Skulteti Balazs

App: MyRelationship

Gone is the worry of missing an anniversary or special milestone with MyRelationship! Created to help couples connect, the app allows couples to create a unique timeline of their relationship, log memories, special events, and more.

With fun date wheel prompts and challenges, MyRelationship will leave you feeling more connected to your partner. 

iOS Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myrelationship/id1571373042

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmail.skultetibalazs.myrelationship

Highly Anticipated App Release

Creator Name: Finbarr McCarthy

App: SafeAmigos

SafeAmigos aims to keep users safe and anxiety free when walking home alone, going for a jog, taking a rideshare, spending a night out, going on a first date, and more. Users are able to utilize the timer feature that, unless canceled by the user, lets their trusted network know to get in touch and check on their wellbeing. An urgent alert feature lets your network immediately know that you don’t feel safe and need to be contacted.

Creator Finbarr McCarthy says to expect the app in both the App Store and Google Play store in early 2023. 

App of the Year

Creator Name: WhatsCar Transportation Group Limited

App: WhatsCar

Our App of the Year is WhatsCar! Initially built on Thunkable, this peer-to-peer rideshare revolutionized the industry in Hong Kong. The app offers rides, car rental, truck rental, and ride share services. WhatsCar users can provide rides for people, cargo, and more. WhatsCar also recommends itineraries based on a user's history.

Congratulations, WhatsCar! You are Thunkable’s 2022 App of the Year!   

iOS Link: https://apps.apple.com/hk/app/whatscar/id1554601409?l=en 

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatscargroup.whatscarcustomer&hl=en_US&gl=US

Final Thoughts

A big THANK YOU to the incredible Thunkable community of Creators. We are in awe of the amazing things you created, built, and published in 2022. Onto 2023 and all the new ideas it will bring! We can’t wait to see what you build! 

If you’re inspired by any of the aforementioned amazing apps or aspire to be featured in next year’s roundup, start building your own app today!