GadgetByte Nepal

Apps are the soul of any smartphone. They are the ones that make a smartphone “smart.” Feature phones failed because the things we could do with them were limited. We are all surrounded by apps, but what makes an app great? While designing and developing an app, it should be clear who the target audience is. That way, the users will feel more at home, making them productive and engaged. Today, we are listing the best Nepali apps that, we think, are a must-have for all Nepalese.

Best Nepali Apps [2020 Summary]

Best Essential Nepali Apps

1. Hamro Patro

Hamro Patro is an easy way of keeping track of dates in Bikram Sambat. The app also notifies users of upcoming festivals, events, and holidays. You can even add notes and reminders. It has made date conversion between Bikram Sambat (BS) and Iswi Sambat (AD) a lot simpler. And the features don’t end here. Today, Hamro Patro is more than just a “Patro.” This app can update you with the latest relevant news.

The app has sections for blogs, podcasts, games, and even videos. Hamro Community lets users with similar interest form networks. The best part? The app doesn’t look cramped. Everything is in the right place (even the ads).

Key Features:

• Nepali Patro
• Nepali FM and Radio
• News, Podcasts, Blogs, Personal notes
• Foreign Exchange Rate
• Gold and Silver Rate
• Horoscope
• Support for seven different languages
• App Widgets, and more

2. Hamro Nepali Keyboard

Back in the day, Android keyboards didn’t have support for the Nepalese language. And it is where Hamro Nepali Keyboard excelled. It was among the first keyboard that was designed entirely for Nepali typing. Using the app, you can type in both English and Nepali. If you find it difficult to type in Nepali using the Nepali keyboard layout, the app also allows transliteration. You can use your Romanized Nepali skill, and the app will convert it to Nepali text. As you type, the keyboard gives suggestions based on what character you have typed. It even makes Nepali typing faster.

Key Features:

• English and Nepali typing
• Unicode Transliteration
• Different keyboard layouts
• Words suggestion
• Customizable theme
• Support for emoji and stickers

3. Nepali Patro

Nepali Patro is the second Nepali calendar app on this list. Like Hamro Patro, Nepali Patro is also slowly releasing other features like news, movies, etc. The homepage displays the current month with a list of upcoming festivals and events. Each event has a count of remaining days right beside it.

It even has a list of all the government holidays along with different sections for news, blog, movies, forex, etc. Hamro Patro or Nepali Patro? It all boils down to personal preference. The two apps differ in their layouts and the features that they pack. The one thing that bothers me about this app is the placement of ads.

Key Features:

• Nepali Patro
• Personal reminders
• Suva Saits, Horoscope
• Foreign Exchange, Date Conversion
• Personal Reminders
• Blogs

Best Educational Apps 

1. Likhit: Nepal Driving License Preparation

Likhit is an app that is for people preparing for the license examination. The UI of the app is simple yet effective. Here, you can test your knowledge by taking the sample examination, which is time-bound. I didn’t stumble upon repeated questions (within a test) during the time I used the app. Questions are divided into different categories. This app isn’t ad-free. You will have to watch a 5-second watch every time you complete a sample examination.

Also Read: Likhit Review

Key Features:

• Time-bound examination
• Section-wise question collection
• Information about different trial centers
• Tutorials for trials

2. Edupatra

Edupatra is a Nepali news portal system dedicated to education. It is powered by Edusanjal, which happens to be one of the biggest education portals in Nepal. Other than news, it also publishes notices, interviews, cartoons, and blogs – all centered around the education system.

Key Features:

• Latest news and notices related to education
• Featured stories and cartoons
• Interviews and blogs

3. Programiz

Programiz is an app library that includes a variety of apps for various programming languages. You can choose any of them as per your preference. Every app in this library has a nearly identical and user-friendly interface. It walks you through each step of the programming process. With these apps, you can learn programming even if you are a beginner.

Key Features:

• Dedicated app for every in-demand programming language.
• Detailed step-by-step tutorial for each programming language.
• Hundreds of challenges to test your programming skills.

4. mySecondTeacher Nepal

mySecondTeacher is a one-stop solution for students up to grade 12. This app includes every subject from the CDC curriculum, as well as text-based and video-based tutoring. There is also a collection of test papers available for students who want to put their knowledge to the test. However, in order to access the majority of the features, you must purchase a subscription.

Key Features:

• Collection of various subject materials for up to grade 12.
• Text as well as Video-based Tutoring.
• A bunch of test papers is available for self-assessment.

5. MiDas eCLASS

This app is similar to mySecondTeacher Nepal, but with some improvements. Classes are available from Nursery to Masters level. The best part about this app is that it includes animated videos for each chapter. There are also options for live and recorded classes, tests, and so on.

Key Features:

• Skills-oriented courses along with academic courses are available.
• Animated videos for each chapter.
• Students are awarded gifts based on their performance.

Best Food Apps

1. Foodmandu

If you want to enjoy meals from your favorite restaurant inside the comfort of your home, Foodmandu is the way to go. It is a food ordering and delivery service with over 170 restaurants. It delivers foods inside Ringroad, and the nearby areas from 11:00 am to 8:30 pm. Foodmandu doesn’t add cost to the table menu price of the partner restaurants. But you do have to pay a delivery charge. Moreover, it has a cash-on-delivery option too.

Key Features:

• Over 170 partner restaurants
• Service hours from 11:00 am to 8:30 pm
• Cash on Delivery
• Coverage inside Ringroad
• Minimum Order Requirements

2. Bhojdeals

Bhojdeals is similar to Foodmandu in a way that it lets user order from the selection of restaurants and delivers it to their home. As of now, it can deliver foods to Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur. The neat thing about this app is that the restaurant listing comes with user ratings, and there are no minimum order requirements. You can pay cash on delivery or use online payment methods such as Esewa. Bhoj also has its own wallet, which gives you credit for every payment made.

Key Features:

• Restaurants listing with user ratings
• Pay using Cash on Delivery, Esewa or Bhoj wallet
• Coverage inside Ringroad
• No Minimum Order Requirements
• Dine-in service

3. Foodmario

Foodmario has a different approach to online food delivery service in Nepal. Instead of restaurants, Foodmario users order food from home chefs. This way, you can have homemade food even while you are away from home. As of now, Foodmario provides service within the Kathmandu Valley only. You can browse through food or nearby chefs. Once you select the food that you want to order, you can even drop a note for the chef.

Key Features:

• 100+ home-based chefs
• Coverage over Kathmandu Valley
• No minimum order requirements
• Weekly and Monthly subscription are also available

4. FYMO

Unlike other apps on this list, FYMO doesn’t provide any food delivery services. It is like a social media platform for foodies. You can sign up using your Google account, and all you need to do is choose a unique username. Search for popular dishes and restaurants and apply multiple filters for the best result. You can discover places where you can earn FYMO coins by scanning the food bill. You can use the coins by browsing through spend in the deal section. Currently, it is limited to Kathmandu, Pokhara, and a few other cities in Nepal.

Key Features:

• Search for popular foods and restaurants through the map.
• Make your decision based on photos and reviews.
• Connect with fellow foodies.
• Earn FYMO coins by scanning food bills.

5. Toastman

Toastman is an app similar to FYMO. Upon logging in, the app automatically searches for nearby restaurants. You can use filters to get the result you want. Each result is equipped with user ratings, making it easy for you to make a decision. There is a featured section that displays popular restaurants. The app also has different sections for offers and events.

Key Features:

• Automatic search for restaurants nearby.
• Make check-in and post reviews.
• Connect with fellow foodies and share your food journey.
• Get notified about offers and events.

Best Medical Apps

1. Nepills

Nepills is an online pharmacy app. It supports manual search, but you can also upload your prescription. Each drug comes with a proper description. It includes medicine class, dosage, mode of action, indications, contraindications, side effects, price, precautions, and available substitutes. The app even allows users to set reminders, schedule refills, and keep track of child vaccines too.

Key Features:

• Search and buy medicine
• Upload prescription
• Request blood or sign up as a donor
• Same day delivery and Cash on Delivery
• Minimum order of NPR 500

2. DIMS Nepal

DIMS Nepal is an offline database of medicines. You can search for drugs by brands, generic names, and classes. The app also allows you to bookmark any medication as favorites. Each medicine is listed with adequate details. They include indications, administrations, contraindications, side effects, precautions, and warnings. Users can contribute to the app by submitting any missing drug. The app has calculators for IBW (Ideal Body Weight), BMI (Body Mass Index), and EDD (Estimated Date of Delivery).

Key Features:

• Offline database of medicine
• A detailed listing of medicines
• Search for medication using brands, generic, and class
• Calculators for IBW, BMI, and EDD

3. Jeevee

Jeevee is an app similar to Nepills. Users can order medicines through manual search or prescription upload. Other than medicines, one can also buy medical equipment through the app. For any queries, you can call Jeevee’s trained pharmacists. You can also book appointments with doctors of your choice or opt for online consultation.

Key Features:

• Search and order medicine and medical equipment.
• Prescription upload.
• Request for Blood.
• Cash on Delivery.
• Book Medical Appointment and Online Consultation (80+ doctors)

4. Hamro Doctor

Hamro Doctor is useful for making medical appointments and online consultation. Before you commit to a meeting, scan through available doctors, and compare them via their profiles. The app also has detailed records of hospitals, clinics, pharmaceuticals, health clubs, ambulances, and blood donors. It also has a feed section with health-related blogs and posts.

Key Features:

• Schedule Online Consultation and Appointment Booking
• Doctor’s Profile
• Details of Hospitals, Clinics, Ambulance services
• Blood Donor List
• Forum for discussion

Best Ride-Hailing Apps

1. Pathao

Pathao provides both bike and car-sharing services in Nepal. The app automatically determines your location after you grant it your location permission. Users have to select a destination in order to request a ride. As for the payment, it can be done using cash or other digital wallets such as Esewa and Khalti. Pathao sets speed limits for its riders, which is 15km/hr and 40km/hr during daytime and nighttime, respectively. For added security, every ride is tracked using GPS.

Key Features:

• Car and Bike ride sharing
• The speed limit for riders
• Realtime GPS tracking
• Payment using Cash or Digital Payment.

2. Tootle

Tootle rose to fame as a cheaper alternative to taxis inside the Kathmandu Valley. Using the app, users can book two-wheelers (motorcycle/scooter) for transportation. Users need to select the destination and departure time. Based on the details, available Tootle riders will approach the user. The app estimates the travel cost beforehand, which the user can pay using cash, Tootle balance, or other digital wallets. Tootle supports eSewa, SCT Moco, Khalti, and IME Pay.

Key Features:

• Two-wheelers sharing platform
• Coverage inside Valley
• Realtime tracking
• Gender preference for comfortable rides

3. Sarathi

Sarathi is a taxi-hailing app that users can use to book cab rides. The working mechanism of the app is no different than that of Tootle or Pathao. Users can request for a ride and get approached by interested drivers. Sarathi cab operates on rates determined by the government. Users can use cash, card, or digital wallet for payment.

Key Features:

• Cab hailing platform
• 24 x 7 service
• Payment using cash, card or digital wallet

Check out our detailed post on best ride-sharing apps in Nepal.

Best Mobile Wallet / Payment Gateway

1. Esewa

Esewa is one of the pioneers of the digital payment system in Nepal. It offers a wide range of services and hence the most popular digital wallet in Nepal. The developer of Esewa, F1soft, is also behind most of the mobile banking app in Nepal, so it is super easy to load money into the wallet or transfer your Esewa fund to a bank account. You can make payments like recharging your phone, paying for electricity, drinking water, school/college fees, insurance premiums. You can even book tickets for transportation (airways or roadways), movies, different events.

Check out our review of Esewa.

Key Features:

• Offline and online mode
• Bank transfer
• Utility payments
• Ticket booking
• Insurance payment

2. Khalti

Khalti was launched in 2017. In 2019, it was granted the license of Payment Service Provider. It offers similar services to that of Esewa; however, the range of services is limited. Since it is relatively new, it doesn’t have the number of partner merchants that Esewa has. But the wallet is quite popular because of its cashback and reward point system (Khalti points).

Check out how Khalti won GBG Stories Contest 2017.

Key Features:

• Utility payments
• Ticket booking
• Attractive cashback and reward system

3. IME Pay

IME Pay is another digital wallet that is on the rise, thanks to its aggressive marketing campaign. Other than the utility payment services, it also provides remittance services. Like any other digital wallet, it also provides cashback and reward points for different transactions.

Key Features:

• Remittance services
• Utility payments
• Ticket booking
• Cashback and reward system

4. Connect IPS

To begin with, Connect IPS is not a digital wallet per say. Rather, it is a digital payment system that lets your linked bank accounts for payments. This way, you can make payments directly by utilizing funds from your account without having to load it into a separate digital wallet.

Key Features:

• Payments to government institution
• Utility payments
• School/college fee
• Insurance premium

5. Cellpay

Cellpay is a digital payment platform similar to Connect IPS, which uses your bank account for direct payments. But the list of the supported bank that is quite limited in this one.

Key Features:

• Utility payments
• Merchant payment
• Fund Transfer between Cellpay users

6. QPay Nepal

QPay is a product of collaboration between UnionPay International and SCT. While other digital wallets try to connect customers to the service providers, QPay Nepal empathizes on creating a nationwide chain of QPay merchants. As of now, there are over 20 thousand QPay merchants that accept payment through the app.

Key Features:

• Utility payments
• Merchant payment
• Scan to Pay
• Cashback

 Also Read: Best digital wallets in Nepal [2020]

Best E-commerce Apps

1. Daraz

Daraz is an app that doesn’t require any introduction. The digital marketplace is backed by Alibaba and hence the resemblance with Aliexpress. It is a platform where registered stores list their products for sale. Users can choose between a wide range of products before placing orders. Daraz has a team that picks up the item from the sellers and then delivers it to our doorstep. It accepts Cash On Delivery and Credit/Debit card payment.

Key Features:

• Darazmall for authentic products
• dMArt for groceries
• Payment through Cash On Delivery and Debit/Credit Card

2. Hamrobazar

Hamrobazar is an online classified in Nepal that lets users sellers connect to potential buyers. Sellers list their item with adequate description and photos and wait for interested buyers to contact them. For buyers and sellers. Buyers and sellers determine all the terms of the deal. It includes the price of the object and method of delivery, and the app doesn’t intervene in any phase of the deal. The app doesn’t sell any products but acts as a meeting platform for buyers and sellers.

Key Features:

• Online classified
• List products for sale or product you are looking for
• Buy, sell and rent stuff
• Watchlist to review adds later

3. Kirana

Kirana is an online app for all your groceries need. One can browse through the listing or use search and filters for the product they are looking for. The app keeps track of all orders. Delivery inside the Ring Road is free, while users have to pay Rs. 50 if the delivery location is outside the Ring Road. The fee is waived if the order value is greater than Rs. 2,000.

Key Features:

• Online grocery store
• Cash or Card on Delivery
• Free Delivery inside RingRoad
• Watchlist to review adds later
• Create a Shopping list

Also Read: E-commerce platforms delivering essential goods during lockdown

Best Tax/Law Related Apps

1. Mero Adhikar

Mero Adhikar is an app that makes you familiar with the constitution and citizen rights in the country. You can learn about legal provisions that are categorized according to nature. Each section has an introduction, publications, and contact details of offices. The voice-over feature reads out the text. But it isn’t free of bugs. There is no option to pause the feature in the notification panel.

Key Features:

• Learn about the constitution
• Legal provisions in Nepal
• Voice-over feature
• Support for both English & Nepali

2. LexpertEase

LexpertEase is a platform through which users can connect to lawyers and legal advisers. It has a forum where users can post their queries. Lawyers have their profiles included. Each profile has an option through which we can request service from them. There is also a resource section from where we can download different acts and relevant case laws.

Key Features:

• Forum to discuss
• Listing of lawyers
• Resource section

3. Hamro Police

Hamro Police is a digital platform that lets people report suspicious incidents. Users can even locate stations and file complaints. There is a separate section for traffic violations, and women and children. Through SOS call and message features, users can contact the Police in case of an accident.

Key Features:

• Report incidents
• File complaints
• Locate nearby stations
• SOS message and SOS call

Notable Mentions (Bonus List)

The fact that you are viewing this list of best Nepali apps means that you have a working internet connection. You have subscribed to one of numerous telecommunication service provider or ISP. Some of these service providers have developed their own apps so that users can make better use of their service and be able to submit any issue effectively. Listed below are the best apps developed by telecom companies and ISP in Nepal.

Telecom Apps

• NTC
• Ncell
• Smart

ISP Apps

• Worldlink
• Vianet

Did we miss any of your favorite apps? Do let us know in the comment section with the reason why you think the app should have included in the list.

Check out the list of phones that will land in Nepal after the lockdown!