You just spent $3,500 on a headset. The last thing you want is to spend another $200 on apps. Good news — there are genuinely excellent free apps for Vision Pro. Not “free trials that expire after a week” or “free but useless without the premium tier.” Actually free. Actually good.

I’ve installed probably 150 visionOS apps at this point. Here’s what survived on my Home View without costing me a dime.

Productivity

Apple Freeform

Criminally underrated. Freeform is Apple’s infinite canvas app and in spatial computing it becomes something special — pin it to your wall, draw with your hands, organize research, brainstorm. You can have multiple boards open simultaneously, floating in your space like physical whiteboards.

For early-stage thinking — before things are organized enough for a document — Freeform is where I start everything now.

Safari

Yeah, the browser. But hear me out — Safari on Vision Pro with multiple windows arranged in a 180-degree arc is a productivity tool that doesn’t exist anywhere else. I regularly have eight to ten browser windows open during research sessions, each pinned to a specific spot in my field of view. No alt-tabbing, no window management headaches. Just look and focus.

Apple Notes

I tried fancy note apps. Came back to Notes. It’s fast, syncs everywhere, supports markdown-style formatting, and the visionOS version is perfectly responsive to eye and hand input. Sometimes the simplest tool wins.

Pages, Numbers, Keynote

Apple’s iWork suite is free and the visionOS versions are fully featured. Pages for writing, Numbers for spreadsheets, Keynote for presentations. Are they as powerful as Microsoft 365? No. But they’re free, native, fast, and for personal use they’re more than sufficient.

Entertainment

Apple TV+

If you’re buying a Vision Pro, you probably already have an Apple ecosystem going. Apple TV+ is included free for a limited trial and the spatial video content is — I mean, it’s the best visual experience on the platform. The immersive videos of nature, sports, and music are jaw-dropping.

Actually, wait — the app itself is free. The subscription isn’t. But there’s enough free content and trial period to get started.

Spatial Experiences on YouTube

YouTube’s visionOS app is basic but functional, and the 360/180 video content is genuinely worth exploring. Travel vlogs, concert footage, nature documentaries — all watchable in an immersive format. Not as polished as Apple’s spatial videos but the variety is enormous.

Free. Ads, obviously.

Shazam

This is a small one but I use it constantly. Shazam on Vision Pro lets you identify music playing nearby with a simple tap. When I’m working with music on and want to save a song, I don’t have to reach for my phone. Tap Shazam, done.

Creativity

Reality Composer Pro

If you’re interested in spatial computing development, this is Apple’s tool for building 3D scenes and it’s free with Xcode. Not an everyday app for most people, but for anyone curious about creating spatial content, it’s where you start.

GarageBand

Yep, GarageBand works on Vision Pro. Making music in spatial computing is oddly satisfying — the interface spreads out, the virtual instruments feel more tangible, and the spatial audio engine makes your compositions sound incredible on the built-in speakers.

Free, no strings attached.

Utilities

1Password (Free Tier)

Password management is critical on any platform and 1Password’s visionOS app is one of the best-designed utilities on the platform. The free tier covers basic password management. Eye-tracking autofill is a thing and it works beautifully.

Settings & Accessibility Features

Not an app, strictly speaking, but Apple’s built-in accessibility tools deserve mention. VoiceOver works in spatial computing. Pointer Control lets you use alternative input methods. Dwell Control lets you interact without hand gestures. All free, all built in, and a reminder that Apple takes accessibility seriously even on a $3,500 device.

Widgetsmith

Customize your visionOS Home View with widgets from various apps. Free version is limited but useful. It’s one of those quality-of-life apps that makes the platform feel more personal.

What’s Missing

The gaps in free Vision Pro apps are pretty clear:

No free fitness apps. Everything that tracks workouts or offers guided exercises costs money. This feels like a missed opportunity.

Limited free games. The Apple Arcade trial gives you access to tons of games, but once it expires you’re looking at $6.99/month or buying games individually. There aren’t many truly free games on visionOS worth playing.

No free video editing. iMovie isn’t on visionOS yet. There’s no free option for video editing in spatial computing. This seems like an obvious gap Apple could fill.

The Vision Pro Free App Strategy

Here’s what I tell people who just got a Vision Pro and don’t want to spend more money immediately:

Start with Safari + Freeform + Notes. These three apps cover most productivity needs and they’re all free and excellent.
Explore Apple’s built-in immersive content. The Environments, spatial photos, and sample content Apple includes with the headset are worth spending time with.
Install YouTube for entertainment. Not perfect, but free and vast.
Try Apple Arcade if you want games. The one-month free trial gives you access to everything. Cancel before it renews if you don’t want to pay.
Add specialty apps as you need them. Don’t install fifty apps on day one. Add things as you discover specific needs.

You can have a genuinely productive, enjoyable Vision Pro experience spending exactly zero dollars beyond the headset itself. The free app ecosystem isn’t deep, but the apps that are free tend to be excellent — because they’re mostly Apple’s own apps, and Apple doesn’t cut corners on their platform showcase apps.