From Atacama to Patagonia, these apps will keep you moving
WhatsApp is the default communication channel for everything in Chile. Cash is still king outside Santiago, but Mercado Pago QR codes are increasingly accepted in mid-size cities. Long-distance buses are excellent and often require advance booking via Recorrido.
The most widely available ride-hailing option in Chile, operating in Santiago, Valparaíso, and Viña del Mar.
Spanish ride-hailing platform popular across Santiago and major Chilean cities, known for professional drivers and fixed pricing.
Chinese-origin ride-hailing giant with strong presence in Chile, frequently offering lower base fares than Uber in Santiago.
Chile's leading digital wallet, used for QR code payments in shops, restaurants, street vendors, and online.
The essential communication app in Chile. Businesses, guesthouses, tour guides, and locals all use WhatsApp for messaging and bookings.
Offline GPS map app especially useful in remote areas like Patagonia and the Atacama where data coverage drops.
Essential for navigating menus, signs, and conversations in Spanish. Camera translation is useful for Chilean menus and handwritten signs.
Reliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
Chilean stores may simply refuse to sell a prepaid SIM on a foreign passport, and this is common enough to plan around: recent travelers report Entel shops declining outright and needing several Movistar branches before one agreed, after which the sale itself took minutes. Try Movistar first, expect refusals, and carry a travel eSIM as a fallback. Also note that 2G and 3G are being shut down across all four carriers, so an older handset may fail, and if an online form demands a RUT (Chilean tax number), entering nine 9s is the standard workaround.
The widest geographic coverage and the local pick for the Atacama in the north and Patagonia in the south. Its stores are, however, the most likely to turn tourists away.
The fastest network in recent rankings, strong in Santiago and along the central coast around Valparaiso. In practice the carrier most likely to actually sell a tourist a SIM.
Aggressive on price and first with 5G in Santiago, but rural coverage lags. Fine for a city trip only.
The smallest of the four networks. Workable in Santiago, but not the pick for travelling around the country.
The essential apps for Chile are Uber, PedidosYa, Mercado Pago, WhatsApp, Bip!.
We've curated 11 apps across 7 categories for traveling in Chile, including 6 essential apps.
Uber is the top-rated ride hailing app in Chile. The most widely available ride-hailing option in Chile, operating in Santiago, Valparaíso, and Viña del Mar.
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