If you’ve never heard of Grab and Eatigo, this list of must-have apps in Thailand is for you.
These apps are for anyone who’s coming to Thailand.
Whether you’re coming as a backpacker for a week or relocating to the beautiful land of smiles, you need them on your phone.
These apps will help you get around, save money and time, and make your life a lot easier.
Let’s jump into the list of apps you need to have in Thailand.
Google Maps
Google Maps should always be on your phone, no matter where you go.
It’s easy to use, works really well to help get around anywhere, including in Thailand, and it even has reviews and information about the places around you.
If like me you try to have as few apps as possible on your phone, Google Maps is like Yelp, Tripadvisor, Waze, and *insert your favorite travel app* altogether.
Don’t forget to download maps offline when you go to new places to access the map even when you don’t have access to internet.
Google Translate
Thai is a tough language for translator apps and I’m yet to see one that does a perfect job.
Like the other translator apps I’ve tried, Google Translate isn’t perfect with Thai but it does a good enough job to get around.
And it has one feature that even the best Thai translator app doesn’t have, it does a live translation using your phone’s camera.
If you want to translate a street sign or a menu, all you have to do is pull out your phone, open Google Translate and point the camera at it so the app can translate it in real-time.
It can also translate what’s written in Thai on your photos and screenshots.
Booking.com
My go-to app for booking hotels now (and even flights sometimes) is Booking.com
The app is super easy to use, you have a wide range of options, and you have a lot of great “mobile-only” deals when you book through the app.
In Thailand, they have a large selection of hotels, resorts, villas, and a good range of apartments like on Airbnb.
And while you’re traveling in Thailand and Asia, make a lot of different bookings to reach the Genius 3 Level (the highest level of their loyalty program).
That’s when things get really interesting.
When you are a Genius 3 customer, you have
- 🤑 Better deals
- ⬆️ Frequent free upgrades
- 🥐 Free breakfast (sometimes)
- and more…
Just use the link below to book your hotels on Booking.com and download the app.
Airbnb
I love Airbnb for its clean design and the variety of their listing.
Where Booking or Agoda can be confusing with all the options they have, it’s always easy to find what you want on Airbnb.
But the main reason to use Airbnb in Thailand, other than to find a place to stay, is all the “experiences” they offer on the site.
They have all sorts of unique ways to visit Thailand, from “Instagram tours” with pro photographers to cooking classes and even nightlife tours.
Grab App
Grab is the Asian equivalent of Uber, but even more powerful.
Grab has different types of cars, motorbike taxis and in some cities, you can even rent a car.
The app also has food delivery, chauffeurs, package delivery, and offers a ton of special rewards and coupons that you can buy with the points you earn with each booking.
Ling App
Speaking just a few basic words and phrases in Thai can save you a lot of time, and money.
And it will help you connect with Thai people, and that’s priceless.
Ling app is the best app I’ve tried to learn these basic words and phrases.
And it’s free.
AirAsia
When possible, I prefer to stick to AirAsia to fly in and around Thailand.
And there are a few reasons for that :
- They have really good rates. Not always the cheapest, but really close most of the time.
- They have a good quality of service, especially for a low-cost company.
- They always have special deals with really cheap flights, in and around Thailand.
- Their app works great and allows you to book flights, do your online check-in, check your flight status, and even work as the boarding pass for some flights, all from your phone.
Overall, their app and service are way better than other local companies so whenever possible, fly with AirAsia.
Eatigo
Eatigo is by far the best app ever invented and it’s as essential as Grab or Line if you’re in Thailand.
Eatigo is the best app to find discounts for restaurants.
It has a selection of restaurants with discounts of up to 50% on the whole menu.
That’s it. There’s no catch.
The app is free to use and gives you huge discounts on all types of restaurants including some of the best high-end hotel buffets in Thailand.
Chope
If you don’t find the restaurant you want on Eatigo, at least book your table with Chope.
Chope is also free to use and gives you rewards for every meal you book through the app.
Foodpanda
Everybody in Thailand has a love and hate relationship with Foodpanda.
On one side, they have an amazing selection of restaurants and always offer special deals and discounts.
On the other hand, the order tracking system kind of suck and their customer support is almost non-existent.
But as long as they keep offering great deals and send discount coupons, it is still a must-have app in Thailand for your Netflix and chill nights.
You can find other food delivery apps and a list of recommended restaurants to order from in my post here
If most of the world use Messenger or WhatsApp to chat, in Thailand everybody uses Line to message their friends, family and even colleagues.
If you hear someone ask you for your line ID, they want to know your username on Line to “Add you”
You can get by without it if you’re just traveling in Thailand, but if you live here or if you’re single, you’re gonna need it.
The app is also becoming more like Wechat and is constantly adding new features like LinePay that let you pay with your phone at some retailers or LineMan, a messenger and delivery service.
CyberGhost VPN
You want to have a VPN when you travel to:
- 🔒 Protect your connection when you use public wifi
- 📍 Change your location to access content you can’t access in the country where you are (like some p*rn websites in Thailand 😅)
There are a lot of good VPNs out there, but my favorite is CyberGhost.
It’s simple to use, fast, and it’s cheap.
It’s only $2 per month when you take a 3-year subscription.
And you can use it on up to 7 devices.
Currency Converter
It’s easy to think everything is cheap in Thailand, so I like to convert prices in Thai baht to USD.
And sometimes you’ll be surprised to see things aren’t so cheap.
I also like to see how much things cost in Bitcoin.
On my Android phone, I love to use an app called CoinCalc.
It has all the currencies you can think of, and crypto and it’s super fast and easy to use.
No matter which app you prefer, get a currency converter on your phone.
