Whether you’re planning an exciting adventure or moving abroad, this list shares the best apps in Korea that’ll help make your life and travels easy.
South Korea is a vibrant and bustling country with much to do and see. Whether you’re a tourist exploring its bustling cities and rich cultural heritage or an expat navigating life in a new country, technology can help your visit go smoothly.
Korea is a hub for tech and app development (Samsung is from South Korea, after all!), which means many are designed specifically for travelers and expats. From language learning and transportation to food and entertainment, countless apps can enhance your travel and expat experience in South Korea.
This list shares some of the best apps in Korea that’ll help you navigate your life and travels throughout the Land of the Morning Calm.
Read more: An Ultimate Korea Itinerary: Where to Go, What to Do, and What to Know
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17 Best Apps for South Korea Travel and Life Abroad
Coming prepared with helpful Korean apps downloaded on your phone can be the difference between exploring Korea like a local and feeling lost! Here are the apps I couldn’t live without while teaching English in Daegu and exploring South Korea.
1. Visa Waiver to Enter South Korea: K-ETA
The Korea Electronic Travel Authorization, or K-ETA, is an electronic registration for travelers entering South Korea on a tourist visa. It’s essentially an electronic visa waiver for eligible countries, including the U.S., U.K., many EU nations, etc.
The application is easy to do, costs only 10,000 KRW (about $10), and must be done before boarding the plane. Travelers can complete the application on the official website on a desktop computer or conveniently on the K-ETA app.
2. Best Korean English Translator Apps: Papago, Google Translate, WayGo
Having a translation app on your phone is extremely necessary for navigating the country. Some of Korea’s most popular translation apps include Papago, WayGo, and Google Translate, which, while not the best, does a pretty good job.
Papago is an app by Naver, a Korea-based company, and is known to provide accurate translations of Korean to English and other languages. With the Papago, you can use your phone’s microphone to listen and translate speech as well as translate written text.
WayGo is an app specializing in translating Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, designed to translate menus and printed text, and can be used offline.
Read more: How to Spend a Perfect Three Days in Seoul
3. Taxi App in South Korea: KakaoT
KakaoT is the Uber of Korea (because Uber doesn’t exist here). It’s super easy to use, and the app can be switched to English for easy use by those who don’t speak Korean. KakaoT makes it possible to call a taxi whenever needed while ensuring you pay a fair and metered price.
KakaoTaxi Download: iOS | Android
4. Best Navigation Apps in Korea: KakaoMaps, Naver Maps, Waze
Google Maps only works well in South Korea for public transportation and isn’t even always accurate. So it’s best to use Korean navigation apps like KakaoMap (my preferred navigation app in Korea), Naver Map, and even Waze, which, although not Korean, works.
These are Korea’s GoogleMap apps. They are both only in Korean, but they are very useful and much more accurate than Google regarding navigation around Korea. They even show the bus routes and bus stop information! I found KakaoMaps much easier to use than Naver, but it’s good to have options.
5. Navigating the Subway in Korea: Subway Korea, Seoul Subway, Kakao Metro
Public transportation in South Korea is a convenient and affordable way to get around Seoul, Busan, and other Korean cities. While you can easily use the country’s popular navigation apps listed above (KakaoMap, for example), these apps are specifically dedicated to sharing metro and city bus info.
- Subway Korea Download: iOS | Android
- Seoul Subway Download: iOS | Android
- KakaoMetro Download: iOS | Android
- KakaoBus Download: Android | iOS
6. Booking National Train or Bus Tickets: Korail, Bustago, KakaoBus
One of my favorite things about living and traveling in South Korea was how easy it was to travel between cities via high-speed trains or affordable slow trains (Korail) and cheap/frequent national buses (Bustago).
While these platforms have apps, I recommend booking all national train and bus travel on a desktop for ease and convenience. The apps aren’t programmed the best, and the web browsers make booking easier in English (or at least translate quickly to English). Not to mention the app may only be available for download in certain countries.
But the apps may be a convenient option for some!
Read more: How to Buy Bus Tickets in South Korea
7. Best for booking accommodation in Korea: Booking, Agoda, Airbnb
Booking accommodation and staying on top of reservations is a big part of any trip, and having top accommodation apps on your phone can help. The leading hotel and hostel booking websites you’re familiar with work in Korea, like Booking.com, Hostelworld, and Airbnb.
However, Agoda tends to be the leading website for hotels in Asia and may provide more options and better pricing. It’s worth comparing across platforms!
- Booking Download: iOS｜Android
- Agoda Download: iOS｜Android
- Airbnb Download: iOS｜Android
- Hostelworld Download: iOS | Android
8. South Korea Tourism Apps: Visit Seoul, Visit Korea
Visit Korea and Visit Seoul offer a wealth of travel information. Their apps provide guides, maps, events, and recommendations for things to do in the city and across the country. They’re the perfect tourist companion for those looking for top Korean attractions on the fly or visitors seeking important travel information regarding visas and customs. Both apps are available in English and a handful of other languages.
Read more: 101+ Unique Places to Visit in South Korea
9. Best Tour Apps in Korea: Klook, Trazy, GetYourGuide
Klook and GetYourGuide are platforms that make it easy to book tours, activities, and things to do worldwide. Klook (Hong Kong-based) is more geared towards the Asian market and may have more options for South Korea travel, but GetYourGuide (German based) is also an option!
Trazy is another activity platform that caters explicitly to travel around South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
10. Finding Restaurants in Korea: MangoPlate, Happy Cow
MangoPlate is a wonderful place to find exceptional restaurants and places to eat throughout Korea. In the app, you can see reviews, star ratings, photos, and menus, and even save restaurants to a personal wishlist.
Happy Cow makes it easy for vegetarians and vegans to find suitable places to eat while traveling around South Korea. This handy tool is a must because Korea isn’t considered a very veg-friendly destination.
Read more: A Survival Guide for Being Vegetarian in South Korea
11. Korea Food Delivery Apps: Yogiyo, Baemin
Yogiyo and Baemin are popular food delivery apps in Korea. Both apps are only in Korean, so you’ll need to figure out how to set up an account and what the buttons mean, but once you have it down, it’s easy. This guide breaks down the general gist of ordering on these apps. You can also order from these places on your computer, where you can translate to English via a browser extension.
12. Best Korea Messaging Apps: Kakaotalk, Line, Whatsapp
When traveling or living in a new country, having a way to communicate with friends and family over the internet is essential! And apps like KakaoTalk, Line, and Whatsapp make it possible to call, text, send photos, and more online and from your phone.
KakaoTalk is a popular messaging app and social media platform that most Koreans and foreigners use while living in Korea. It’s very similar to Whatsapp but has many cool and unique features that make it stand out, not to mention super cute emojis. Line is another popular messaging app similar to KakaoTalk.
13. Air Pollution Check: Plume, AirVisual
Air pollution is a daily concern in South Korea, sometimes making the skies smoggy and the air unpleasant. Air pollution apps like Plume Labs or AirVisual can alert you when the air quality is exceptionally bad.
It’s essential to stay informed for the sake of your health. When pollution levels are very high, it’s a good idea to avoid strenuous outdoor activity (like running) and to consider wearing a filtering mask if necessary.
14. Shopping in Korea: Coupang, GMarket
Shopping apps in Korea are an excellent tool for those living in Korea or spending long periods of time in the country. Big companies like Coupang and GMarket make it easy to pick up various items from skincare to clothing and everything in between.
Coupang is best for those who can read Hangul, as the app and website are unavailable in English. You can also use a translation extension on your desktop. However, Gmarket is more English-friendly.
Read More: Best Things to Buy in South Korea
15. Best Dating Apps in Korea: Bumble, Tinder, MEEFF, KoreanCupid
Looking for love in Korea? The usual suspects for dating apps are used in Korea like Bumble and Tinder, as well as a few local options like MEEFF and KoreanCupid. There are also LGBTQ dating apps in Korea available—again, most are the usual suspects you likely already know.
16. Korean Language Learning Apps: DuoLingo, Learn Korean!, HelloTalk
Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is a point of pride across the nation. Invented by King Sejong in the 1400s, it was designed to be easy to read to improve the country’s literacy. That means, unlike other languages like Chinese or Japanese; it’s reasonably easy to learn to read. And once you master reading Hangul, it can make your life and travels in Korea easier because you’ll be able to do little things like read signs, menus, etc.
Some of the best Korean language learning apps are Learn Korean!, Write it!, and DuoLingo. HelloTalk is a language exchange app that allows you to connect with people who speak the language you wish to learn and chat. Be warned, some use it as a dating app too.
- Learn Korean! Download: iOS
- Write it! Download: Android
- DuoLingo Download: iOS｜Android
- HelloTalk Download: iOS｜Android
17. Misc Apps in Korea
As if that weren’t enough, here are more apps that may prove useful to you in Korea.
- Webtoon Korean comics: iOS | Android
- Everland Amusement Park App: iOS | Android
- XE Currency Converter App: iOS | Android
- AllTrails Hiking App: iOS | Android