Updated: April 25, 2026 · Guide

48 apps to settle in quickly and live well in Germany

Your first weeks in Germany are full of everyday tasks: finding a place to live, seeing a doctor, figuring out transport, opening a bank account and simply knowing where to order dinner. We've put together 48 apps we use ourselves and recommend to clients. They'll help you settle in faster and feel at home in Germany.

The list has ten sections:

Food
Health
Shopping
Renting and housing
Transport
Sport
Travel
Entertainment and dating in Germany
Learning German
Finance and other utilities

Food

Uber Eats: a fast-growing delivery service for cafés and restaurants. Choose from many cuisines and delivery in under 30 minutes.
TheFork: table reservations. The special offer section deserves a mention: up to 50% off dinner at selected restaurants.
NeoTaste brings together restaurants with discounts and deals like "two main courses for the price of one". The first month is free, then a €4–7 subscription that pays off quickly if you don't like cooking.
Lieferando: food delivery and Uber Eats' main local competitor with similar features.
Knuspr: grocery delivery to your door, for anyone who'd rather not spend time in supermarkets.
Wolt: a Finnish company that entered the German food delivery market in 2020. You can schedule orders in advance so you don't have to think about dinner after a long day.
Yuka: a barcode scanner that shows how healthy a product is, with a clear rating.
Too Good To Go: a food-waste app: for a small fee (€3–6) you can pick up unsold food bags from nearby cafés and bakeries.

Health

Doctolib: book doctor's appointments. Filter by specialty and language, including English. Public health insurance is valid throughout Germany, so you can also book a doctor in another city.
Jameda: a Doctolib alternative for finding doctors and booking appointments, with ratings and reviews. Language filters are available too.
TeleClinic: online doctor consultations: get a sick note (Krankschreibung) and prescriptions without leaving home. You can search for doctors who speak foreign languages.
Lieferando: besides food, it delivers pharmacy products: over-the-counter medicine, vitamins and cosmetics.

Shopping

Check24: compare prices and sign contracts for insurance, internet and electricity. You can also book accommodation worldwide, often cheaper than on Booking.com.
Kleinanzeigen: Germany's largest classifieds site: buy or sell second-hand goods, electronics, kitchenware and furniture, or find someone for repairs, moving or furniture assembly. Communication is mostly in German.
Amazon.de: the main marketplace with fast delivery, from clothes and household goods to vinyl and contact lenses. We recommend Prime.
idealo: compare prices across online shops. Set price-drop alerts for products, and check "Deals of the day" for good discounts.

Renting and housing

ImmoScout24: the main portal for long-term housing. During an active search we recommend premium access to prepare your application documents (Mieterselbstauskunft, SCHUFA). The Wohnen auf Zeit section lists temporary housing.
WG-Gesucht.de: Germany's number one site for rooms and shared flats (WG). Great for affordable housing and very popular with students.
Kleinanzeigen: also lists flats for rent and sale. A good way to find a flat without an agent or a parking space near your home.
Immowelt: an alternative portal for finding and renting property, with flexible filters.

Transport

Bolt: one of Germany's main ride-hailing apps, usually cheaper than Uber. You can also rent e-scooters for short trips (alternatives: Dott, Voi and Lime).
FlixBus: a large bus operator with FlixTrain, helping you save on trips around Germany and Europe. Our favourite for Berlin–Prague.
DB Navigator: the Deutsche Bahn app: timetables, tickets, Deutschlandticket and live delay information.
MILES: car sharing by the minute or day. Rent a van for moving, try interesting cars and multi-day rates. A driving licence is required; if yours was issued outside the EU, check competitors such as Sixt.
Jelbi: a must-have in Berlin from BVG: combines public transport routes, taxis, scooters and car sharing from different providers.
Bliq: a taxi aggregator including Bolt, Uber and FreeNow, with its own fares and discounts for new users.
Omio: a European route aggregator that compares train, bus and flight prices and lets you buy tickets straight away.
BlaBlaCar: find drivers going your way who'll give you a lift for a small fuel contribution.

Sport

ClassPass: a fitness aggregator: classes at various studios with a monthly subscription. Slightly cheaper than Urban Sports Club, but with fewer partner studios.
Komoot: a tracker and large catalogue of hiking and cycling routes. A great way to explore Saxon Switzerland or the Heinrich Heine Trail in the Harz.
Bikemap: for cyclists: plan routes, share them with friends and get up-to-date road conditions.
Urban Sports Club: one subscription for gyms, sports and dance studios and swimming pools. Ideal if you like trying new sports.

Travel

GuruWalk: a wide choice of free walking tours in cities across Germany and Europe.
GetYourGuide: one of the largest platforms for booking tours and activities, very popular in Germany.
Visited: track the countries you've been to, with clear infographics.
KAYAK: searches hundreds of sites for flights, accommodation and rental cars, tracks prices and helps plan trips on a budget.

Entertainment and dating

Eventim: tickets for concerts and events, with alerts for your favourite artists.
RA Guide (Resident Advisor) — a must-have for electronic music fans: party listings, tickets and following your favourite DJs.
Bumble: a popular dating app in Germany where women make the first move.
RusDate: dating within the Russian-speaking community for people looking for someone who shares their language and mindset.

Learning German

Duolingo: one of the best apps for beginners, with daily goals and gamification.
Verben Lite: full conjugation of more than 14,000 German verbs.
Quizlet: flashcards for learning vocabulary: create your own sets or use ready-made ones.
Deutsch Hören und Lesen: short German audio stories and texts with comprehension questions after each one.

Finance and other utilities

WISO Steuer: prepare and file your German tax return (Steuererklärung) with step-by-step instructions and deduction tips.
Feather: online insurance in English: visa health insurance, dental insurance and personal liability insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung).
Post & DHL: buy postage for letters and parcels and track shipments.
Revolut: a neobank that has offered customers in Germany IBANs starting with DE since 2024.

The PDF guide

All 48 apps are collected in a handy 15-page RE-LOCATE guide (in Russian) that you can save on your phone and open anytime.

The guide is free: download the PDF and keep it on your phone.

Download the 48 apps guide (PDF) →

Apps won't replace a strategy

Apps help with everyday life in Germany; for visas, diploma recognition and residence permits you need experts. In a consultation we'll review your situation, choose the best route for your move and build a personal action plan.

FAQ

Which apps should I install right after moving to Germany?

A basic set is enough to start: Doctolib for doctor's appointments, DB Navigator for timetables, tickets and the Deutschlandticket, and ImmoScout24 or WG-Gesucht.de for housing. For money, Revolut is handy — a neobank that has offered customers in Germany IBANs starting with DE since 2024. Add the rest as you need them.

How do I book a doctor in Germany with an app?

With Doctolib you can search by specialty and city, see free slots and book online; the filters include language, such as English. Jameda is an alternative with ratings and reviews, and TeleClinic offers online consultations with a sick note and prescriptions. Public health insurance is valid throughout Germany, so you can also book a doctor in another city.

Which apps help save money on food and shopping?

Too Good To Go lets you pick up unsold food bags from nearby cafés and bakeries for €3–6, and TheFork's special offer section gives up to 50% off dinner at selected restaurants. NeoTaste is free for the first month and then costs €4–7 a month. For comparing online prices there are idealo and Check24.

Which apps are used to find housing in Germany?

ImmoScout24 is the main portal for long-term housing; during an active search it is worth paying for premium access and preparing your Mieterselbstauskunft and SCHUFA. Rooms and shared flats are found on WG-Gesucht.de, and flats without an agent often appear on Kleinanzeigen. Immowelt is another portal with flexible filters.