Alternative China Apps to Almost Everything - The Full Guide for Travel, Fun, Work (2026)
Note from YenKid: I would argue that many of these apps are the best in the world in their category. Just that not many people are aware of them outside China or Chinese communities.
Hotels
Booking ➡️ Trip
Trains
Trainline ➡️ TrainPal for Europe+ 12306 or Trip for China
Flights
Skyscanner or Google Flights ➡️ Trip or Fliggy
Ride Hailing
Uber ➡️ DiDi 滴滴 or AMap 高德地图
Maps (in China only)
Google Maps ➡️ Amap 高德地图 or Baidu Maps 百度地图
Food Delivery (in China only)
DoorDash / Uber Eats / Just Eat ➡️ Meituan 美团 / Ele.me 饿了么 / JD 京东
Movie Reviews (in China only)
Rotten Tomatoes / IMDB ➡️ Maoyan 猫眼 or Douban 豆瓣
Restaurant Reviews (in China only)
Yelp ➡️ Dianping 点评
Online Payments (mostly in China)
PayPal ➡️ Alipay 支付宝 or WeChat Pay 微信支付
Translate
Google Translate ➡️ Baidu Translate 百度翻译 or Youdao 有道翻译
Online Shopping
Amazon ➡️ Taobao or Temu outside of China. JD 京东 / Taobao 淘宝 / Pinduoduo 拼多多 in China.
Messaging
WhatsApp ➡️ WeChat or Weixin 微信 (they’re the international and China version of the same app)
Social Media
Instagram + Pinterest ➡️ RedNote 小红书
Short Video
TikTok ➡️ Douyin 抖音 / Kuaishou 快手 / RedNote 小红书 / WeChat Channels 视频号 (a function inside WeChat)
Long Video
YouTube ➡️ Bilibili 哔哩哔哩
Community Forums
Reddit ➡️ Tieba 贴吧
Streaming TV / Movie
Netflix ➡️ iQIYI 爱奇艺 or Tencent Video 腾讯视频
Music
Spotify ➡️ QQMusic QQ音乐 or NetEase Music 网易云音乐
Search Engine
Google ➡️ RedNote 小红书 + WeChat 微信
AI
ChatGPT ➡️ DeepSeek / Qwen / Doubao / Kimi / GLM
Browsers
Chrome / Safari / Edge ➡️ UCWeb UC浏览器 or 360 Browser 360浏览器
Documents
Microsoft Office ➡️ WPS Office
Gmail ➡️ QQ.com or 163.com
Photo Editing
Photoshop ➡️ Meitu 美图
Video Editing
Premiere Pro ➡️ CapCut 剪映
Cloud Services
Google Drive ➡️ Alibaba / Tencent Cloud / Baidu Cloud / Huawei Cloud
Teleconference
Zoom ➡️ VooV
👉🏻Check out this App Finder for an easy to find summary
👉🏻Check out this article for apps you need as a tourist in China
Relevant articles by me👇🏻
Ultimate App Finder For China Tourists: What Apps Should I Use In China
What Are The Top Chinese Brands By Category?
What Apps Do You Really Need As A Tourist In China? Super-Apps and Mini-Programs Unpacked
How To
How To Make Payments As A Tourist in China?
How to Buy Tickets to Attractions in China?
How to Order Food and Drink in China? A Mini-Guide with Key Phrases
How to Order Food Delivery in China - A Simplified Guide
How to Find Great Restaurants in China - A Simplified Guide to Dianping and RedNote
How to Get a Robot or Drone to Deliver Your Food in China
How to Hail a DiDi Driver in China
How to Ride the Metro in China: Ultimate Guide to Getting Around the City
Essential Things To Know About Trains and High Speed Rail in China
How to Get The Best Deal For Hotels in China
Your First 24 Hours In China: The Ultimate Step By Step Guide For First Time Visitors
Prepare
Is China Expensive For Tourists? Full Breakdown For First Time Visitors
How Long Should I Spend In China On My First Trip? Example Itineraries from a Chinese Traveller
Do I Need To Know Chinese For My Trip to China? Or A Tour Guide? A Practical Take
