Not so long ago, the only homegrown products Singaporeans could be proud of were Creative MP3 players and the True Singapore Ghost Stories series.
But now there’s a whole bunch of Singapore-made mobile applications that not only make our lives better, but also help us save money. Here are our favourites (Note: Links are for the Google Play Store):
Carousell
This buy-and-sell app is so easy to use and has been so widely adopted that Singaporeans have pretty much abandoned other platforms like eBay. The best thing about Carousell is that there are thousands of people browsing it every day, so your response time is much faster than it would be on just about any general buy-and-sell platform on the web. It’s also a lot less frustrating to use than, say, Qoo10. This is our top pick by far for selling unwanted stuff to raise cash.
Airfrov
Singaporeans can’t get enough of products from overseas—whether it’s face masks from Korea or macarons from France, there’s always some guy who shamelessly begs his friends to help him buy stuff when they go on holiday. Airfrov lets Singaporeans who’re going overseas fulfil the requests of others, and earn a bit of cash while they’re at it.
[email protected]
Stop exceeding your mobile data limit every month by connecting to free wifi whenever you can. The [email protected] app is admittedly not the most user-friendly app out there but if you manage to get it to work, you’ll be able to access free wifi at Wireless@SG hotspots islandwide. You can also set the app to auto-connect each time you’re within range of a hotspot. For the full list of hotspots, click here.
Summon Auntie
It’s safe to say that there isn’t a single driver in Singapore who doesn’t sometimes participate in a bit of illegal parking, or who “forgets” to place their parking coupons on their dashboards. That’s why Summon Auntie is essential—the app lets road users alert their fellow motorists when the summon auntie is in the area, and hopefully avoid a few fines.
The Entertainer / Cheers
Dining out is one of our national obsessions, but that just means you’ll get to save even more money with The Entertainer and Cheers. The Entertainer enables subscribers to enjoy one-for-one deals on mains at a whole bunch of restaurants. You also get one-for-one deals on things like manicures, five star hotels overseas and yoga classes. Sister app Cheers works in a similar fashion, but gets you one-for-one drinks (mostly alcoholic) instead. If you don’t have either of these apps, get your subscription here and you’ll save $20 on each one.
Happy Go Wild
It appears sky high alcohol prices are driving many Singaporeans to the poorhouse. Happy Go Wild addresses that by offering real-time happy hour updates. You can hop from happy hour to happy hour to maximise your money, as well as search for bars in the area.
MyTransport
Trying to get one Point A to Point B in Singapore ignites an internal struggle in many of us—should you stick it out on public transport in order to save money, or just take Uber? With MyTransport, you’re that much more likely to take public transport, since you can check bus arrival times and bus routes, as well as estimate the amount of time it would take you to get from one stop to another on the MRT.
Coupark
Those of you who are Groupon addicts will probably start foaming at the mouth once you download the Coupark app. Coupark alerts you to deals from a selection of sites including Groupon and Deal.com.sg. This saves you a bit of time as you don’t need to check every site individually.
What’s your favourite local mobile app? Tell us in the comments!