My iPhone is stuffed with over 100 apps — which is probably pretty normal. While my email, texts, and Chrome internet apps are my most used and essential, there are five others that are gamechangers for me:

1. Dashlane

Dashlane is a password keeper. I use it on my PC, iPhone, and iPad. It costs about $60/yr but is worth every penny IMO. It keeps all my passwords, credit card and bank information, and other personal info such as driver’s license and TSA Pre information. What this app allows me to do is have unique and robust passwords across all the different websites I use and not have to remember them. When logging in to a website or other app, with just a few clicks the Dashlane app fills in my username and password. This app is the number one app that makes my life easier (and more secure). There are other good password keepers out there such as Last Pass and 1password — here’s a link to a CNet article on password manager apps: CNet.

Link: Dashlane

2. Cozi

Cozi is a calendar app/family organizer that is designed for multiple users. While I use my Outlook calendar for work, Cozi is our family’s go-to calendar. Each member of our family can add things to the calendar. We add doctor appointments, travel, kid sporting events, planned social events, volunteering, work travel, and the like. I don’t know how we functioned as a family before having Cozi.

Link: Cozi

3. Spotify

Spotify is among my most-used apps. Having nearly unlimited music is amazing. Remember what it was like back in the day deciding whether to plunk down $$$ for an album, cassette, or CD? Sometimes it was a great album while other times that one song you heard on the radio was the only good song on the album. Then iTunes came along and allowed us to buy music song-by-song which was a huge improvement but still required a financial commitment and was limiting. Now Spotify allows unprecedented music discovery. For example, I’m reading the excellent memoir by Kathy Valentine, the bass player for the Go-Gos, and am able to check out all the songs and bands she talks about in her book. The curated playlists that Spotify creates for me have led to my discovery of great bands to which I would have never found without Spotify.

Link: Spotify

4. Shazam

Staying on the topic of music is the app Shazam which listens to whatever song is playing and identifies it. For example, the other night I was watching the totally moronic, somewhat offensive, yet very funny movie Tropic Thunder and I really dug one of the songs but didn’t know what it was. I pulled out my iPhone, fired up the Shazam app and it told me what it was. I use Shazam at bars, in shopping malls, and when I hear songs on TV shows. Another nice feature is that with just a few touches Shazam will add a tagged song to one of my Spotify playlists.

Link: Shazam

5. Vivino

I like wine quite a bit, but I’m not an oenophile. There are so many wines out there and it’s tough to know what’s good within a price range. Vivino allows you to take a picture of a wine bottle and then it identifies the wine. It tells you the price of the wine, provides ratings of the wine, as well as tasting notes. You can also take a picture of a wine list at a restaurant and it will provide you with ratings. It’s really cool. I use it when I have wine at a restaurant or friend’s house and I want to remember it so I can buy it.

Link: Vivino