Must Have Apps for Nepal: The Complete List (2026)

The apps Nepal actually runs on: ride hailing, QR wallets, food delivery, messaging, eSIMs and offline trekking maps, plus what to install before you fly and what to wait until you land for.

Nepal runs on apps more than most visitors expect. QR payments are everywhere, ride hailing has replaced haggling with taxi drivers, and food arrives to your hotel door. Here is what to download.

Download everything on wifi before you fly. Some app stores load slowly on Nepali networks.

Getting around

• Google Maps. What everyone actually uses, and it works well in Kathmandu, Pokhara and every major town.
• Pathao. The main ride hailing app for bikes and cars. A bike across Kathmandu costs a fraction of a taxi.
• inDrive. You set your own fare and drivers accept or counter, which usually works out cheaper than Pathao.
• Uber. Launched in Nepal in 2026 and worth having as a third option, especially for airport pickups.
• Yango. The newest entrant, and often the cheapest for short bike rides.

More on the newest option in our Uber in Nepal guide.

Digital payments

• eSewa. The most widely accepted digital wallet in Nepal. Its QR code is on the counter of almost every shop.
• Khalti. Does the same job and is worth having as a backup, since some vendors take one and not the other.
• IME Pay. A third option, common for remittances and some utility payments.

Registration usually needs a Nepali phone number, so set these up after you land.

Food and delivery

• Foodmandu. The best known food delivery app, covering Kathmandu, Pokhara and a few other cities.
• Bhoj Deals. The go to app for restaurant discounts and deals. Locals use it to decide where to eat.
• Pathao. Also does food and parcel delivery, inside the same app you already have for rides.
• Kacrow. Ours, and a website rather than an app. Verified restaurant deals in Kathmandu and Pokhara, with every code checked before it goes live.

Shopping

• Facebook Marketplace. Where Nepalis actually buy and sell everything from bikes to trekking gear.
• Daraz. Nepal's main online shopping platform, delivering most orders within a couple of days.
• Kacrow. Discount codes for shops and gear hire and a directory of listed businesses across Nepal, most of them small places you will not find on Daraz.

Staying in touch

• WhatsApp. How hotels, guides, drivers and trekking agencies will contact you, so expect no email replies.
• Viber. Unusually popular in Nepal, and plenty of businesses use it instead of WhatsApp.
• Messenger. Still widely used, because Facebook remains the default platform here.

Connectivity

• Ncell. Faster data in cities, and its app lets you top up with an international Visa or Mastercard.
• Nepal Telecom (NTC). Better coverage in the mountains and rural areas, so many people carry both.
• Airalo or another eSIM provider. Gets you online the moment you land, with plans starting around five US dollars.

Everyday useful

• Hamro Patro. The Nepali calendar, festival dates and news, which matters because the year here is 2083.
• Google Translate. Handles Nepali offline, and camera mode reads Devanagari signs and menus.
• Windy. Hourly cloud cover, which decides whether you see the mountains and whether your flight leaves.
• XE Currency. Converts rupees offline so you know when a price is fair.
• Kacrow. Save kacrow.com to your home screen for current deals, experiences across Nepal.

You can also check today's rate in our Nepali rupee converter.

For trekkers only

• Maps.me or Organic Maps. Store trail data offline, and unlike Google Maps they show footpaths, teahouses and village names in the mountains.
• Mountain-Forecast. Weather by altitude for specific peaks, rather than a general area forecast.

Heading into the hills? Read our short treks guide and compare trekking deals before you book.

Two things no app fixes

Power. Charging on treks is paid per device per hour, and it gets more expensive the higher you go. Bring a power bank of at least 20,000mAh.

Signal. Coverage drops behind ridges and at altitude on every network, so tell someone your route before you set off.

App availability and pricing in Nepal change quickly. This guide reflects the position in August 2026.

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