Berlin is a city built for app fluency. Half the things that frustrate first-time visitors — buying U-Bahn tickets at a machine that defaults to German, finding an English-speaking doctor at 10pm, decoding a club’s door policy on the fly, paying for a Späti beer when the cashier glares at your credit card — disappear once you’ve installed the right ten apps. The good news: most are free, most have English versions, and a surprising number are made by Berlin-based startups (N26, Babbel, GetYourGuide, Komoot, SoundCloud all came from this city).
This guide covers the apps that actually pull weight on a Berlin trip in 2026. Categorised, prioritised, with the pro tip for each. If you only download five, I’ll tell you which five. If you want the deep cut, scroll all the way down. And if you came expecting “Google Maps, the end,” good news — Berlin gives you reasons to do better.
The five-app starter pack (if you install nothing else)
- BVG Jelbi — tickets, real-time U-Bahn / S-Bahn, scooters, bikes, taxis, all in one app.
- Google Maps — transit directions, restaurant hours, walking routes.
- DeepL — better than Google Translate for German, free.
- Wolt — best food delivery and takeaway aggregator in Berlin.
- Resident Advisor — every techno and house club’s listings, ticketing, and timing.
If you install only those five, you’ve covered transit, navigation, language, food, and nightlife — Berlin’s five most app-relevant categories. Everything below is the next level.
Transit and navigation
BVG Jelbi (the one app to rule them all)
BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe) runs the city’s U-Bahn, trams, and buses. Jelbi is BVG’s modern mobility-as-a-service app — it lets you buy any BVG ticket (single, day, week, the €58/month Deutschlandticket, the Berlin Welcome Card) and also book Nextbike, Donkey Republic, Voi/Lime/Bolt e-scooters, Miles car-share, Taxi Berlin rides — all in one interface, one payment method. Pro tip: Jelbi accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay, which the old BVG ticket machines famously don’t. If you install one app for Berlin, install this one.
BVG Tickets (lighter alternative)
If you don’t want the full mobility-app overhead, BVG Tickets is the slimmer ticket-only version. Faster to load, same Apple/Google Pay support. Use this if you only need to buy U-Bahn / S-Bahn / bus tickets and don’t care about scooters or bikes. Our full BVG ticket guide covers what fare you actually need.
BVG Fahrinfo (the route planner)
The classic BVG route-planner. More reliable than Google for last-minute U-Bahn line changes, weekend works, and live disruption alerts. Pro tip: when there’s a station closure (which happens frequently), Fahrinfo updates faster than Google Maps does.
DB Navigator (Deutsche Bahn)
Essential for any regional or long-distance train. RE and RB regional trains to Potsdam, Sachsenhausen, Spreewald, or Dresden — all booked through DB Navigator. The app also sells the Deutschlandticket (€58/month, valid on every regional and city transit network in Germany — see our Potsdam day trip guide for how to use it). Pro tip: if you’re staying more than two weeks and plan any regional trip, the Deutschlandticket pays for itself in 1-2 trips.
Google Maps
Transit in Berlin is one of Google Maps’ stronger cities — it handles U-Bahn line changes, walks the distance to the right station entrance, and predicts arrival times accurately. Pro tip: download the Berlin offline map (~50MB) before you fly. Tunnels, dead-zones, and roaming-data hiccups make this a 30-second insurance policy.
Citymapper
Cleaner multi-modal interface than Google. Best when you’re combining U-Bahn + walk + scooter or weighing a bike against a tram. Pro tip: shows “rain ETA” for the next walking leg.
Öffi (Berlin local favourite)
Free, open-source, no ads, no account required — Öffi is the transit app Berliners actually use. Android only. Pro tip: the developer is a Berliner and the app updates fast when the BVG changes a line. It doesn’t sell tickets, though, so pair it with Jelbi or BVG Tickets.
Komoot (cycling and hiking)
Berlin-Potsdam-born until its 2024 acquisition, still the best cycling-routing app in Europe. Routes around Berlin’s bike infrastructure intelligently and produces excellent Brandenburg lake day-trip plans. Pro tip: the “Loop” feature is great for planning a round-trip ride from your hotel. Read more in Berlin by bike.
Bikes, scooters, and car-sharing
- Nextbike — the cheapest bike-share (~€1.50/15 min). Bikes available everywhere. Now Lidl-Bike branded in some cities.
- Donkey Republic — Danish, slightly nicer bikes, day passes from €10. Easier for tourists who want longer rides.
- Voi / Lime / Bolt / Dott — e-scooters. Tier merged with Dott in 2024, so all four operate in Berlin’s marked Park Zones (you can’t end a ride mid-pavement in central districts — must end in a marked bay).
- Miles — Berlin-born car-share, charges per kilometre rather than per minute. Better for longer trips. ShareNow exited Berlin in 2023.
- SIXT share — premium car-share, newer fleet, Jelbi-integrated.
Taxis and rideshare
- FREE NOW — Berlin’s dominant taxi app. Same metered taxis you’d flag down on the street, with the app convenience.
- Uber — Operates in Berlin as licensed taxis (not the freelance-driver model). Same prices as FREE NOW or street taxis. Familiar interface for international travellers.
- Bolt — Cheaper than Uber/FREE NOW on most routes, growing presence.
Food and drink
Wolt
Helsinki-born but Berlin-dominant food delivery. Better restaurant quality than Lieferando, faster delivery, more reliable couriers. Accepts cash or Apple Pay at the door. Pro tip: the “Wolt+” subscription pays for itself by week two if you’re ordering most nights.
Lieferando (Just Eat Takeaway)
The widest restaurant coverage, especially for döner, Asian, and Berlin-classics. Use this if Wolt doesn’t reach your Kiez (neighbourhood).
Too Good To Go
The Danish food-waste app where bakeries, cafés, and restaurants sell their end-of-day surplus at 50-70% off in “magic bags.” Berlin has over 1,000 partners. Pro tip: bakeries release their bags around 6pm — €4-5 typically gets you €15+ worth of bread, pastries, and sandwiches. The single best tourist hack for budget eating.
HappyCow
Berlin is Europe’s vegan capital and HappyCow is the app that proves it. Filters by 100% vegan vs vegan-friendly, with hours, reviews, and photos. Connects beautifully with our Berlin vegan restaurants guide.
The Fork / Quandoo / OpenTable
For restaurant reservations. Quandoo is German-owned and has the deepest Berlin coverage. The Fork (TripAdvisor’s reservation arm) often runs better discounts. OpenTable covers the high-end places — Michelin-starred restaurants and fine-dining.
Language and translation
DeepL
Cologne-based DeepL is widely recognised as the best machine translator for English ↔ German. It handles compound nouns, formal vs informal “Sie/du,” and Berlin Schnauze idioms in a way Google Translate doesn’t. Pro tip: the free version has a generous text-translation limit and includes a German offline pack with Pro.
Google Translate
Where Google still wins: the camera-translate feature on menus, street signs, and product packaging. Point your phone at a German menu and it overlays English in real time. Download the German offline pack (~50MB) before you arrive.
Reverso Context
Shows real-world sentence pairs in German and English — useful for understanding idiom and context that direct translation tools miss. “Na?”, “Alles klar?”, and other Berlin conversational fillers make more sense with examples.
Babbel
Berlin-based startup founded in Kreuzberg in 2007. A three-week Babbel German course before your trip gets you to survival-level for free with their trial — enough to order food, ask directions, and read basic signage. Pro tip: they offer trip-specific micro-courses (“Travelling to Germany — 50 essential phrases”).
Tickets, nightlife, and events
Resident Advisor
THE app for Berlin techno and house. Every serious club — Berghain, Tresor, Watergate, RSO, Sisyphos, about:blank, KitKat — lists here. Tickets, lineups, set times, even guestlist sign-ups for certain nights. Pro tip: read the “RA Guide” for any club you’re heading to — door policies are summarised there and can save you a 90-minute queue. Our Berghain guide uses RA as its primary reference.
DICE
Live music and indie venues. Anti-scalper ticketing (tickets sit in-app, not transferable until shortly before showtime). Many Berlin clubs migrated here from Eventbrite. Pro tip: waitlists actually work on DICE — you’ll often get a sold-out ticket via release.
GetYourGuide
Berlin’s own travel unicorn (HQ in Mitte). Often the cheapest source for skip-the-line tickets to Brandenburg Gate-area attractions, the Reichstag dome, museum bundles, day-trip tours.
visitBerlin / ABOUT BERLIN
The free official tourism app. Geo-located audio stories at 300+ historic sites — especially good at the Stasi HQ, along the former Wall, and at the Topography of Terror.
Mit Vergnügen Berlin
Hyperlocal Berlin events guide in German (use DeepL to translate). Cuts past the tourist filter — pop-up restaurants, gallery openings, neighbourhood block parties, small-music venues.
Money and travel admin
- N26 — Berlin-founded neobank (Mitte HQ). Free for EU residents to open. Excellent Apple Pay integration for your trip.
- Wise — multi-currency account with real exchange rates. The standard for travellers who hate FX markups.
- Revolut — similar to Wise; slightly better disposable virtual cards for one-time online payments.
- Trainline — English-friendly rail booking. Sometimes cheaper than DB Navigator for cross-border (Berlin → Prague, Berlin → Amsterdam, Berlin → Krakow).
- Booking.com / Hostelworld / Agoda — Booking has the deepest Berlin hostel and apart-hotel inventory. Hostelworld is still the best for social hostel filters.
Safety and health
- NINA — Germany’s federal civil-protection app (weather emergencies, infrastructure incidents, public health alerts). Recommended by the German Foreign Office for travellers. English settings available.
- Doctolib — Book English-speaking doctors and dentists in Berlin. Filter by Sprache: Englisch. The standard tool for non-emergency appointments.
- Air Doctor — Book a doctor to visit your hotel. Useful for flu, food poisoning, anything you don’t want to drag yourself across the city for.
- Emergency numbers (not apps but worth memorising): 112 (ambulance/fire), 110 (police), 116 117 (non-urgent doctor), +49 116 116 (card blocking). Our Berlin safety guide covers when to use each.
Maps and outdoor
- Maps.me — fully offline maps. Vital if your eSIM data runs out or you’re heading to Brandenburg lakes with patchy signal.
- AllTrails — Brandenburg hiking trails. Lots of curated day-hike options around Wannsee, Müggelsee, and Spreewald.
- Wikiloc — alternative trail-share community; stronger on offbeat routes.
Berlin-only lifestyle
- Spotted by Locals Berlin — Berlin-specific spots curated by residents. Strong on offbeat cafés, less-known bars, and neighbourhood walks.
- Sofar Sounds Berlin — secret-venue intimate concerts. The location is revealed only after you buy a ticket. Wonderful solo activity (see our solo guide).
- Coffi — coffee-shop finder. Berlin’s third-wave scene is among Europe’s best.
The “what changed in 2026” callout
Things that have shifted since 2024 and most older guides haven’t caught up to:
- Apple Pay and Google Pay are now widely accepted at supermarkets, restaurants, and on BVG ticket machines. Cash is still required at Spätis, döner shops, and most club doors.
- Tier merged with Dott in 2024, simplifying the e-scooter landscape. Voi, Lime, Bolt, and Dott are the four main brands.
- ShareNow exited Berlin in 2023. Miles is the dominant free-floating car-share now.
- Deutschlandticket (€58/month) works on every U/S/Bus/Tram in all 16 federal states. Buy it in Jelbi or DB Navigator. Pays for itself in 1-2 regional trips.
- Cannabis legalisation (April 2024) hasn’t produced cannabis-specific apps for tourists. The HiCanna and similar apps are for German residents only.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the one Berlin app I absolutely need?
Jelbi (or BVG Tickets if you only want ticketing). Covers transit, scooters, bikes, taxis, and ticketing in one place.
Does Uber work in Berlin?
Yes — but it operates as licensed taxis, same metered fare as FREE NOW or a flagged-down taxi. The convenience is the app interface, not the price.
Is Apple Pay accepted in Berlin?
Yes at supermarkets, chain restaurants, BVG ticket machines, and most modern cafés. No at Spätis, döner shops, club doors, and some smaller independent businesses. Always carry €40-60 in backup cash.
What’s the best app for U-Bahn / S-Bahn tickets?
BVG Tickets for the slimmest experience, or Jelbi if you also want scooters and bikes. Both sell the Deutschlandticket and accept Apple/Google Pay.
Do I need a German SIM card for these apps?
No. An eSIM from Airalo, Holafly, or Saily works well in Berlin. EU residents have free roaming under EU Roam Like Home rules. Wi-Fi is plentiful in cafés, the U-Bahn (in some stations), and most hotels.
DeepL or Google Translate?
DeepL for written text and conversational German. Google for camera-translate on menus, signs, and packaging. Use both — the apps are complements, not competitors.
How do I book Berghain or other Berlin clubs?
Most Berlin techno clubs use Resident Advisor for guestlist nights and ticketed events. Big-name shows often appear on DICE. Berghain itself usually doesn’t sell tickets — you queue at the door.
What’s Jelbi and how is it different from BVG Fahrinfo?
Jelbi is BVG’s mobility-as-a-service app — it sells tickets and books scooters, bikes, cars, and taxis. Fahrinfo is the older route-planner — it shows you how to get somewhere but doesn’t sell or book anything.
Which food delivery works best in Berlin?
Wolt for quality restaurants and faster delivery. Lieferando for the widest coverage, especially in outer Kieze.
Are there any Berlin-made apps worth supporting?
Yes — N26 (banking), Babbel (language), GetYourGuide (tours), SoundCloud (music), Komoot (cycling) all started here. Most Berliners use them daily.
The closing scroll
Install the five-app starter pack before your flight, add Komoot if you’re cycling, DICE if you’re catching live music, HappyCow if you’re vegan, and Doctolib if you have any pre-existing condition you might need a doctor for. The rest you can install on demand, while you’re standing on a U-Bahn platform deciding whether to grab a scooter to the next station. Berlin runs on quiet competence — when the apps work, they’re invisible. Pair this guide with our Berlin practical travel tips and the U-Bahn / S-Bahn guide, and the city will start to feel like a place you already know.
