The Essential Apps to Survive in Shanghai as an Expat
Updated on |By QPSoftware
The best apps for Shanghai are WeChat for messaging and payments, Alipay as a second wallet, DiDi for taxis, Baidu Maps or Amap for directions, a metro app for the subway, Meituan or Ele.me for food delivery, Trip.com or Railway 12306 for train tickets, and Taobao for online shopping.
Key takeaways
- Install WeChat and Alipay first: most payments in Shanghai go through a QR code, and Alipay accepts foreign cards such as Visa, Mastercard or JCB.
- DiDi books taxis and can translate your messages to the driver into English.
- Use a Chinese map app, Baidu Maps or Amap, rather than Google Maps.
- Railway 12306 and Trip.com sell train tickets; foreigners register with their passport details.
- The apps in this guide work without a VPN, but Facebook, YouTube and other Western social media apps do not.
Mobile apps are an essential part of daily life in China. Are you planning to move to Shanghai, or to visit? This guide presents the most popular mobile apps in Shanghai: easy to use, and able to make your life much easier. Some details come from the first version of this guide, written in 2019, and are dated as such. Let’s have a look at the main apps.
WeChat is the app you will use the most when living in China. It is an all-in-one messaging app created by Tencent. Through its WeChat Mini Programs, it provides services such as online shopping, gaming, financial services and more. These mini programs run inside WeChat and are not downloaded from an app store: Tencent’s goal is to keep its users in the same app for as long as possible.
Another WeChat feature is WeChat Pay. You can activate it by connecting a Chinese bank account or an international card to your WeChat account. You will no longer need a wallet with cash: just scan the QR code with your phone and complete the payment. All this makes WeChat a very convenient, indispensable app in China.
For businesses, WeChat is also a marketing channel: see how to manage a WeChat Official Account.
Alipay
In addition to WeChat Pay, another payment system is well known in China: Alipay. Some people prefer Alipay because it takes fewer taps to pay, and it is very useful if you shop on Taobao (see below). So don’t hesitate to download Alipay, even if you already have WeChat Pay. Both payment systems are widely accepted in China.
Alipay also works for foreigners: you can register with an overseas mobile number, use the app in English, and bind an international card such as Visa, Mastercard or JCB. The payment service guide for overseas visitors published on the Chinese government’s English portal in April 2024 confirms that foreign users can link international credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard, to both Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Pleco
Struggling with a word? Use Pleco to find the translation. Pleco is a mobile Chinese dictionary that gives you all possible translations and synonyms of the word you are looking for. You can also handwrite a character to get its meaning in English: a fun and creative way to learn Chinese characters.
How to Get Around Shanghai: Bikes, Metro and Taxis
Shanghai is huge. Getting from point A to point B can be done in different ways, depending on the kind of transportation you prefer.
Shared Bikes
Do you want to explore the city by bike? Shared bikes are a popular way to get around: find a bike, unlock it by scanning its QR code, ride to your destination, then lock the bike. You can rent shared bikes from Alipay, and from map apps such as Amap and Tencent Map. When we first wrote this guide in 2019, the orange bikes came from Mobike and were paid with WeChat Pay, the blue ones were paid with Alipay, and there was no docking station to find.
Shanghai Metro App
Using the metro is easy with a metro app. In 2019, we used Metro Shanghai: type in your destination station, and the app finds the metro line that gets you there the quickest, the fare, and any transfers along the way. No need to get lost in the colorful and puzzling metro map of the station. Map apps such as Baidu Maps and Amap also plan routes on public transportation.
DiDi: The Taxi App in Shanghai
Is the metro station too far away, or can’t you find a bike? The DiDi app will get you to your destination. DiDi is a ride-hailing service: you can order a car at any hour of the day, and pay with WeChat Pay or Alipay. It lets you communicate with the driver in English through in-app translated messages, and it includes safety features such as trip sharing, emergency contacts and one-tap emergency assistance. The price of your ride depends on the type of car, the options you choose and the distance to your destination. DiDi is usually inexpensive, and it makes getting around the city simple and enjoyable.
Which Map App to Use in Shanghai: Baidu Maps, Amap and Tencent Map
Finding your way on your own can be challenging, especially when you have just arrived in China. You might open Google Maps first, but China has its own map apps.
Baidu Maps is one of them. In our experience, it is more accurate than Google Maps in China, and it loads faster. When we first wrote this guide, it had no English version: Baidu Maps now provides multi-language support, including English.
Amap, established in 2002, is the other major choice. It plans routes for driving, walking, public transportation and cycling, shows real-time traffic, and offers offline maps as well as taxi-hailing and bike-sharing services. If you spend your day in WeChat, Tencent Map is also available as a mini program.
Trip.com and Railway 12306: Train and Plane Tickets
Want to plan a trip, but don’t know how? Traveling through China is not complicated at all. With Trip.com, the international edition of Ctrip, you can easily book train or plane tickets and find a hotel that suits your preferences. You can pay for your tickets with WeChat Pay or with your foreign card. When we first wrote this guide in 2019, you then received a bar code that you took, with your passport, to the ticket booth to collect the paper tickets.
For train tickets, you can also use Railway 12306, the official platform of the China State Railway Group, on its website or its app. Foreigners register with their passport details before booking. It is a fast and easy way to start your Chinese adventures.
Food Delivery Apps: Meituan and Ele.me
On almost every street corner, you can try some of China’s most delicious dishes, served in no time, and you can even take them home. Yet sometimes you might not feel like going out to get food. So what better place than China to order delivery? Plenty of restaurants work with food delivery services, and two very popular ones are Meituan and Ele.me. They offer a large variety of mostly Chinese restaurants, where you can order cheap but very delicious food. In 2019, if you craved more international cuisine, Sherpa’s was the service to try.
Restaurant Reviews: Dianping and Bon App
But don’t get too lazy with food delivery apps: explore the many restaurants outside. For inspiration, Dianping, founded in Shanghai in 2003, built its reputation on user reviews of restaurants, and now also covers hotels, travel, movies and other local services.
When we first wrote this guide in 2019, we also recommended Bon App, a bilingual app dedicated to connecting people and providing honest venue reviews, with pictures and price categories, written by people who had already visited the restaurant. You could create a personal account, add the things you like to do and the cuisines you love, and meet locals, expats or other internationals at a place you both liked.
Grocery Delivery: Mei Ri You Xian (每日优鲜) and Meituan
In 2019, the Mei ri you xian WeChat Mini Program was very useful when you had no time to go to a physical grocery store. You browsed the product pages, added the products you needed to your cart, paid with WeChat Pay, and your groceries were delivered to your door in no more than one hour. Meituan also lets you buy supermarket goods and fresh produce.
Taobao
Taobao is one of the most popular mobile apps in China, with over 800 million monthly active users in 2024. It is the Chinese equivalent of Amazon, where you can order whatever you want and get it delivered to your place. Founded in 2003, it is one of the online shopping platforms with the largest consumer base in the world, so you will definitely find what you need.
VPN
Last but not least, you will need to install a VPN (Virtual Private Network) before you visit China, unless you prefer to detox from Western social media. The apps above do not require a VPN, but if you want to use Facebook, YouTube or any other Western social media app, choosing the right VPN is a must, because China’s “Great Firewall” blocks access to these apps. There are different VPN providers, so choose wisely before entering China.
What Should You Do Next?
Now that you know which apps to have on your smartphone, don’t wait to download them. They will make your daily life in China easier and more convenient. It doesn’t take long to get used to them, and as a nice extra, some of them will help you learn Chinese.
These apps also show what Chinese users expect from any app. If your company plans its own app for this market, talk to our app development company in Shanghai.
Frequently Asked Questions
What map app should you use in Shanghai?
Use a Chinese map app: Baidu Maps or Amap. In our experience, Baidu Maps is more accurate than Google Maps in China, and it now supports English. Amap plans routes for driving, walking, public transportation and cycling, with real-time traffic and offline maps. If you spend your day in WeChat, Tencent Map is also available as a mini program.
What is the best taxi app in Shanghai?
DiDi is the leading ride-hailing app in China. You can order a car at any hour of the day, pay with WeChat Pay or Alipay, and communicate with the driver in English through in-app translated messages. It also offers safety features such as trip sharing, emergency contacts and one-tap emergency assistance. Amap also offers taxi-hailing inside its map app.
How do you get around in Shanghai?
Take the metro for most trips, and plan your route with a metro app, Baidu Maps or Amap. For short distances, unlock a shared bike with Alipay or a map app. When the metro is too far, order a car with DiDi. For trips to other cities, book train tickets on Trip.com or on Railway 12306, the official railway platform.
