After 3 weeks in China, here are the apps I actually used daily (and the ones that disappointed).
Essential Apps (Download Before You Arrive)
1. Alipay ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purpose: Payments. 90%+ of merchants are cashless.
Setup: Link foreign Visa/Mastercard before departure.
2. WeChat ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purpose: Communication + Payments. Everyone uses it.
Limitation: Need Chinese friend to send you ¥200 to activate WeChat Pay.
3. ChinaPal AI ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purpose: Everything else — translation, navigation, payment help, Q&A.
Features I used daily:
- AI translation with context
- TTS plays Chinese audio (waiters understand AI better than my accent)
- Map with English labels over Chinese POI data
- Payment troubleshooting (saved me 3 times)
4. Trip.com ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purpose: Hotels, trains, flights. English interface, accepts foreign credit cards.
5. DiDi ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purpose: Ride-hailing (Chinese Uber). 50-70% cheaper than US Uber.
Apps That Disappointed
Apple Maps ⭐
Works in China but is 6 months behind, missing new metro lines.
Google Maps ⭐
BLOCKED. Need VPN. And even with VPN, data is outdated.
Uber
Doesn't work in China. Use DiDi instead.
Setup Priority (Do Before You Fly)
- Alipay — Link card, verify identity, test transaction
- WeChat — Get Chinese friend to activate payment
- ChinaPal AI — Create account, test translation
- Trip.com — Book first hotel, verify payment works
- DiDi — Install, link to Alipay
- VPN — Install and test before departure
Cost Breakdown
| App | Cost | Usage | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alipay | Free | 10x/day | Essential |
| Free | 20x/day | Essential | |
| ChinaPal AI | Free-$5/month | 15x/day | Essential |
| Trip.com | Free | 2x/trip | Essential |
| DiDi | Per ride | 1-2x/day | Very useful |
| VPN | $5-10/month | Always on | Essential |
What I Wish I Knew
- Set up Alipay at home — Airport setup is stressful
- Get WeChat payment working — Ask your hotel concierge for help
- Download offline maps — WiFi isn't everywhere
- Test ChinaPal AI before you go — Get comfortable with TTS feature
- Don't rely on Google — It's blocked and outdated even with VPN
Bottom Line
Minimum viable app stack: Alipay + WeChat + ChinaPal AI + Trip.com + VPN
Everything else is nice to have.
Pro move: Master ChinaPal AI's TTS feature. Playing AI-generated Chinese audio to waiters/vendors works 10x better than your pronunciation.
Originally published on aihubai.cn
