Microsoft has finally become a full-fledged player in the app market. Going head-to-head against current market leaders in 2013, the Apple app store and the Google play store, One of the best and unique selling points for windows apps is that they have the ability to integrate multiple apps into one, for example simple apps like Facebook, twitter, etc., can be grouped into one “social” app that will keep everything nice and organized for the user. Another key feature of the windows store apps is the fact that they are built using Windows runtime which allows developers to use various programming languages such as C, C++, VB.NET, C#, HTML5 and JavaScript. As a result of all these unique features it is no surprise that the windows app store has turned out some truly incredible apps this year. Found below are the top 5 windows apps in 2013.

Fhotoroom App

This app is Windows’ take on Adobe’s Photoshop. While it obviously does not provide the same level of functionality as Photoshop, it does have all the basic features such as rotation, cropping, resizing, etc. This app like many others in the Windows store has both free and paid versions. The free version of Fhotoroom only allows for images up to 3 megapixels and basic editing features on the other hand the paid version of Fhotoroom has a lot of advanced editing tools along with a few extra features.

Mine for Facebook App

Mine for Facebook is basically the Facebook app for devices running on the windows 8 operating system. It provides the user with all the usual features of the Facebook app like posting pictures, writing on walls, etc., while at the same time giving them much more. One of the additional features is that one can set the app to provide a timeline feed on their main windows screen thus never having to open the app to check Facebook; one can also tailor the feed to what he or she specifically needs. This app is available for free in the app store.

Tile a file App

The main screen of windows 8 OS is composed of “tiles”, these tiles represent apps or groups of apps. While by default the OS allows users to “tile” any executable file or app it does not allow the tiling of documents, pictures or other important files. This is where Tile and file comes in, this simple and useful app allows the user to tile documents and other files to the main screen. This app is available for free in the app store.

Holiday Inn App

The name of this app describes it best; it is an app that allows users to find the nearest holiday inn, make reservations, etc. It also sometimes lets customers get special rates at the hotels. This app is available for free in the app store.

iCookbook App

If you are a fan of cooking then this is the app for you. This app brings to your phone or tablet thousands of recipes from around the world. The recipes are categorized and contain pictures, list of ingredients and instructions on preparation. This is a paid app available in the app store.