Yandex Go and 2GIS first, city-specific transit, cards plus tenge, and no tourist bank app
Install Yandex Go before departure and check that the account can receive verification messages. It is the best general ride app, while inDrive is a useful fare-bid fallback and Uber requires the separate Uber KZ app rather than the global Uber app. For maps, 2GIS has the strongest local place, entrance and transit detail, but its store availability can depend on the country of the Apple or Google account. Do not sideload an unofficial copy; keep Google Maps or Yandex Maps available instead. Public transport payment is not national: ONAY is central to Almaty and several other cities, while Avtobys serves Astana and more than 20 cities. Recent travelers report foreign-card and non-Kazakhstan-number failures in both systems, so learn the local fallback and validate every ride. A physical ONAY card is often the safest Almaty option, and Astana now offers tourist transport cards at the airport. Foreign Visa and Mastercard work widely in cities, but carry tenge for markets, small businesses, rural stops and failed terminals. Kaspi.kz is not a normal tourist app because non-resident onboarding requires a Kazakhstan phone number, IIN, documents and usually a branch visit. Alipay+ works only for travelers who already use a supported partner wallet or bank app. Kazakhstan requires the receiving party, such as a hotel or host, to notify migration authorities within three working days of arrival and after a change of address. Confirm that it has been done. Call 112 for an emergency and do not rely on phone coverage for remote mountain travel.
Kazakhstan's most useful general ride app, with English, an upfront route and fare, and cash or card payment.
A useful bid-based ride fallback for price comparison, smaller cities and routes with weak Yandex supply.
Kazakhstan's separate Uber-branded ride app, useful mainly as an alternative view of Yandex-operated local supply.
A current restaurant, grocery and convenience delivery alternative in supported Kazakhstan cities.
The most visitor-friendly first delivery check, with English and broad coverage across Kazakhstan's larger cities.
A convenient restaurant and item-delivery option inside the same app most visitors use for rides.
A long-running local restaurant-delivery service with additional Kazakhstan coverage and local payment options.
The most useful channel for Kazakhstan hotels, guides, licensed transfers, tours and local contacts.
Kazakhstan's most useful city map for precise entrances, local businesses, offline data and public transport.
A familiar fallback for broad orientation, saved places and many tourism businesses when local detail is enough.
A strong local fallback for Kazakhstan driving, traffic, places and transit when 2GIS is unavailable.
The simplest general translation tool for Kazakh and Russian text, speech, camera use and downloaded language data.
A useful second opinion for Russian and Kazakh phrasing, with text, voice, camera and selected offline features.
The official Android companion to Kazakhstan Railways' ticket site, with offline access to purchased tickets.
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.
Check the phone’s IMEI or device-registration rules before using a local SIM, especially on a longer stay.
Best choice for broad coverage, including rural areas.
A solid alternative; compare current prepaid offers before buying.
Good-value option when price matters most.
Good-value option when price matters most.
The essential apps for Kazakhstan are Yandex Go, WhatsApp, 2GIS, Google Translate.
We've curated 16 apps across 10 categories for traveling in Kazakhstan, including 4 essential apps.
Yandex Go is the top-rated ride hailing app in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan's most useful general ride app, with English, an upfront route and fare, and cash or card payment.
