Twitter

Probably the most favorite app of mine in the entire iPad App Store (well, can’t decide between Airvideo and this one). People are in love with the iPad version more than the iPhone version, thanks to a fabulous user interface that spreads across the entire touchscreen canvas. I wish it updated automatically in the background and didn’t have a limit on the number of unread tweets on display.

Price: Free
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: Twitter, Inc.

Facebook

After a cat and mouse game and making a couple of indie developers pretty rich, the Facebook app showed up just a few weeks ago. But it was worth the wait. I would say the app is more user friendly and fun to use than the web version. Bigger photos with better resolution make the experience wholesome. Ability to chat with friends is nice, but offering only a tiny area cripples the overall experience.

Price: Free
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: Facebook, Inc.

IntoNow

IntoNow is from Yahoo! and it makes TV watching a social experience. It’s one of those apps that work like magic! Turn on TV and tap on the green button in the app. The app will listen to the program, determine the show and will offer additional information about it in addition to personalized recommendations. You can chat with friends and peers watching the same show as well!

Price: Free
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: IntoNow.

Skype

Skype hardly needs an introduction. It is one app that is a crowd favorite among both the casual users and the enterprise crowd alike. Even with a minimalistic, two column interface, Skype for iPad is still the good old communication powerhouse we all love. It works over both Wi-fi and 3G and the fullscreen video calls are an absolute delight!

Price: Free
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: Skype Limited.

Yahoo Messenger

I wasn’t planning to include instant messengers that supported only one network in this list. But Yahoo IM has been around for a long time and has a huge fan following. The app comes very close to Skype when it comes to the featureset and is perfect for audio and video chats. Based on your geographical location, Yahoo IM can be used to send free International SMS and avail the Phone Out option.

Price: Free
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: Yahoo!

MyPad+

MyPad ruled the roost as the unofficial Facebook client of choice up until a few weeks ago. Surprisingly, the app is still showing up in the top grossing charts indicating how popular it still is. The chat mode is better in comparison to the official Facebook app and supports cheerful emoticons from Emoji. MyPad connects with both Facebook and Twitter.

Price: $0.99
Lite Version: Available
Developer: Loytr Inc.

Fring

Fring is a bundle of joy. The developers always try to innovate and stay ahead of the rest of the herd, which is clearly evident from the four way video chat. Skype isn’t supported anymore, but Fring is still good for voice calls via their affordable phone out feature. And you can chat with friends from all popular IM networks too.

Price: Free
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: fringland Limited.

Tapatalk

Supported by 20,000 forums across various categories and with about 300 new ones added every week, Tapatalk is the undisputed King of the iOS forum reading apps. Even with the advent of social networks with the ability to stay in touch in real time, forums still hold sway for their ability to facilitate deferred, asynchronous conversations.

Tapatalk helps you login to multiple forum accounts, upload images, connect your Facebook account, add custom signatures, full screen image viewing, private messaging and more. A universal binary would be nice, however, team Tapatalk!

Price: $2.99
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: Quoord Systems.

Tweetcaster

Given the fact that the fabulous official client is available for free, $4.99 is a pretty hefty price tag for a third party app. But Tweetcaster isn’t your garden variety Twitter client. The app leverages the advantages of a multi column layout when it comes to miscellaneous features like trending topics, search, nearby tweets etc.

For timeline view, it morphs into a spacious two column layout. A free, ad supported version is available for those who want to try it before buying.

Price: $4.99
Lite Version: Available
Developer: Handmark Inc.

Beejive

Beejive is a universal chat client for those who want to chat in style. At $9.99, you would expect a truck load of customization options and desktop like chatting, which the app delivers dutifully. Did I mention that the app supports almost all IM networks known to mankind?

Price: $9.99
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: Beejive Inc.

Hootsuite

Right from the web app to the iOS versions, Hootsuite is a Twitter client for power users. Through its trademark multiple columns, the app pumps the social adrenaline to all the social junkies. On top of being a dynamite Twitter client, the app lets you stay on top of your Foursquare, Facebook, LinkedIn connections and lets you bump to add followers!

Price: Free
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: Hootsuite Media Inc.

Find My Friends

Find My Friends is an interesting one that blurs the line when it comes to social networks. It is a great way to locate all your friends and family. You can’t spy on people willy nilly, though, they have to accept your request first – and there is an option to make the location disclosure only for a limited time.

Price: Free
Lite Version: Not Available
Developer: Apple, Inc.