For any on-the-go party planner, time is always the biggest enemy. The closer you get to crunch time the more valuable every second of your day becomes. So make sure you squeeze out every drop of productivity you can with these Top 20 Party Planning Apps for the Smartphone.

Get them on your mobile now so you can buy your supplies while you’re riding a cab, set your meetings while you’re on the elevator, tweet the location to your guests while you’re on the train and get the job done.

We all know that party planners are always swamped with work but luckily there are all types of apps to help you out.

1.   Event Planning Tools

The Event Planning Tools app was introduced by Party Aficionado, an event management firm. It is designed to aid party planners in narrowing down the best possible venue for an event based on the number of guests. Another helpful feature of the app is an event budget calculator that helps a planner to stay on course with regards to financial constraints. The tool has been custom made for Android smart phone users, although different versions for other phones may be released soon. The reason cited for choosing the Android over the iPhone is that the former supports open-sourced content.

Source – Download App ($0.99) Android

2. Fandango

Find out what’s showing in theatres near you NOW! If you’re setting up a movie party, this app will help you find the perfect location because it not only displays what is showing in your area by the hour but also sorts the list by distance. You can find out what’s “opening this week” and “coming soon” with just a tap of a finger. So watch trailers of upcoming movies, read reviews, use Google maps to find theatres and buy tickets online with this ultra useful movie lover’s app.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

3. YouTube for mobile

If you’ve run out of ideas for your party why not find inspiration at one of the biggest visual source online, YouTube. Log on to your account, watch videos, upload yours and rate the videos of others, basically the power of PC video surfing at the palm of your hand.

Download App (Free) Android and Apple

4. Facebook

If you need to constantly update your friends about the details of your party, why not let them know through Facebook. Let them know of the event by making it your status or send them a private message with the details. If you want to be more direct, you can even call everyone on your friends list and tell them to be there. So if you need to be in constant contact with your friends and guests you should definitely get this app.

Download App (Free) All

5. eBay

Need more stuff for your party? Why don’t you get them cheap on eBay. Just open up this app and you can bid, buy and watch your favourite items as the prices fluctuate real time. If you’re new to eBay you can also sign up and start searching for that perfect party item now. So don’t miss out on those deals when all you need is this little app to keep you updated all the time.

Download App (Free) Apple, Android, Windows and Blackberry

6. e-Mobile Notes

If you’re the type that is constantly in need of post-its or a notebook to keep your plans organized then this app is perfect for you. It can store your notes and arrange them by priority colour designations, group them to keep notes for different events separate and quickly let you scan through them for easy reference to things you need to do. If you have a Smart phone, you definitely must have this one on it.

Source – Download App ($19.99) Blackberry

7.  WeatherBug

Rain on an open party is the best cataclysm for failure, so always be one step ahead of nature with the WeatherBug app. Know the daily and hourly weather forecasts in your location, get severe weather alerts and view the weather in any location with a tap of the screen. The app also has advanced features like full radar animation, infrared satellite and additional map layers. So get the app now and never let the weather sneak up on any of your events.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

8. Google Mobile App

Everything is on Google and so are the things you need to find for your party. The Google mobile app lets you search for everything on your phone and a little more. Added features are the ability to search by voice, check your location, log on to Gmail, use Google maps and search through your messages, contacts and email. So if you need an app that can basically find anything and everything, this is the one you need to get.

Source (Free) Android, Blackberry, Apple and Nokia

9. Yellow Pages on Superpages.com

Do you need to find a caterer for your party? A flower shop maybe? Or is it a lighting and sound company that you are looking for? If you need to contact people with these services then you need to open the Yellow Pages. But don’t go and get that boring old book because there are hardly any more of them around. Pull out your phone and click on this little app. It gives you access to millions of businesses available on the Superpages website. You can also use the app to get directions, find movie and theatre listings, find a person, locate Wi-Fi hotspots and so much more.

Source – Download App (Free) Blackberry

10. Dragon Dictation 2.0

Want to be as efficient as possible? Then stop typing your notes, your emails and your Facebook updates on your phone, talk to it. With Dragon Dictation you can work up to 5 times faster as compared to when you type all your messages. It converts your speech to text and feeds them directly to your notes, text messaged, emails, blogs and even your Facebook status. Match the app with a Bluetooth headset and you’ll step into the next level of multi-tasking.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

11. Groupon

You never know when the price for those supplies you need will go down or if a local restaurant has just announced a price drop when you need an impromptu venue for a quick party. So get the Groupon app and never miss out on local deals again. Groupon lets you know if there local business deals which you can take advantage of or send to your friends. If you find one you like just head to the store and show the groupon on your mobile to get the deal.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

12. Mint.com

Make sure you never go over your budget with mint.com. If you need an app that will help you budget your expenses for an event, this could just be what you are looking for. The app consolidates all your financial accounts and tracks your expenses so that you always know if you have cash to spare or need to keep the wallet closed. The app also lets you save all your transaction history on a folder for later assessment.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

13. ShopSavvy 3.6.6

Need to find the best deals for the things you need for your party? Get this useful app and scan the item’s bar code to instantly get price comparisons for the same item from local and online stores. A new feature of the item called “Deals” helps users find the cheapest priced items by letting them know of weekend sales, coupons, rebates and shipping promos. The app also conveniently keeps track of the items you’ve scanned so you can send them to your friends through twitter or facebook and let them know of your newly discovered deals.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

14. 12000 Recipes Party Planner On-the-Go

If you don’t know what to serve your guests at your party then why don’t you look some recipes up? This app has a varied collection of recipes you can choose from. You can either look up the food you need alphabetically or do a keyword search and let the app narrow the list down. So find the perfect appetizer, main course, salad and dessert by doing a quick search on your phone.

Source – Download App ($1.40) Blackberry

15. Remember The Milk

Make a to do list for all your parties/events and never miss anything again. RTM lets you create to do lists and synch it with its online counterpart to keep it updated. Set priorities to your tasks, due dates, time estimates and many more. With RTM you can also be reminded of your tasks through text, email and instant messengers. The app also has a search feature that lets you find your tasks quickly for easier reference.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

16.   TweetCaster for Twitter

Make sure your friends and guests are always updated about your party by tweeting them. If you’re constantly on the go then TweetCaster is definitely the app you need to stay connected with everyone. Users are claiming that it is the best twitter app available because it supports multiple accounts and widgets. It is also very fast and features a twitter list and tweet search. Reading tweets is made very easy because of the conversation thread view and users will love the ability to customize the twitter notifications.

Source – Download App (Free) Android

17.    BigOven

Make sure that you pick only the best food for your guests. If you’re looking for the perfect main course or dessert for your party then BigOven can help you find it. It has over 170,000 recipes in its database and searching for particular recipes is easy. The app also has a convenient feature that lets you type in 3 ingredients and it lest you know what you can make with them, so no more wasted leftovers. You can also create a favourites list and a try soon list which can be synched up to your PC or laptop. Another useful feature that the App has is the ability to convert all measurements to either metric or US. So whatever system of measurement you use, BigOven can adjust to your preference.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

18.  How to Cook Everything

Once you know what food you need served, find out how to cook them with this app. It has 2000 recipes and 400 easy and simple to understand “how-to” illustrated guides which are all taken from Mark Bittman’s bestselling cookbook. The app makes it very easy to search for recipes as well as browse through them because of the user friendly interface. So if you’re one of those people who always want to carry their cookbooks with them wherever they go, this is what you’ve been looking for.

Source – Download App ($4.50) Apple

19.  OpenTable 3.0.2

If you constantly need to find restaurants where you can hold your parties/events then this is the app you need to get. It not only lets you browse through more than 15,000 restaurants in the US, Canada and UK but also lets you read reviews on those restaurants so you can be 100% certain that it is the perfect place for you and your guests. Searching for restaurants has never been easier and you can do so by just typing in the name or using the map to find out what is near you. You can even refine your search and only display those within a certain price range, cuisine and reservation time. Table availability is displayed real time and reservations done through the app are free.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple

20.  Google Latitude

This app is the perfect addition to your mobile if you’re looking for a way to find out where your friends are and let them know where the party is at. It’s a new feature of Google maps that tracks the users that have shared their location with you. All you need to do is log on to your Google account and add your friends. It is synched to Gtalk so this powerful app will let you know where your friends are while you are chatting with them.

Source – Download App (Free) Apple