Paraguay
The right apps for Paraguay, from city rides to buses, borders and storm alerts
Paraguay is straightforward with a small, carefully chosen app set, but several local systems are built for residents rather than visitors.
The essentials
What to know before you go to Paraguay
Uber is the easiest first ride app, while Bolt is useful for comparing live supply and price. PedidosYa has the broadest documented delivery footprint, with Monchis as a smaller local alternative. Do not install Tigo Money for a short visit: its current registration rules require a Paraguayan identity card. Carry physical Visa or Mastercard cards plus guaraní cash for buses, markets and smaller businesses.
Metropolitan Asunción buses require a physical Jaha or Más fare card, not cash, and their apps cover only their own tracked fleets. Save exact map pins because landmarks often matter more than street addresses. Every traveler must complete entry and exit control personally and retain the entry record. Yellow-fever certificate rules depend on age, origin, transit and current risk areas, so check Migraciones before departure.
Save police 911, ambulance 141 and firefighters 132 offline, use repellent, and follow official weather alerts during severe storms or flooding.
Ride Hailing
Food Delivery
PedidosYaEssential
Paraguay's broadest clearly documented delivery choice for restaurants, groceries, pharmacies and other shops.
Monchis
A Paraguayan delivery alternative whose selection and courier availability vary more sharply by neighborhood and hour.
Messaging
WhatsAppEssential
The main practical channel for accommodation, operators, restaurants, bus companies and drivers in Paraguay.
Navigation
Google MapsEssential
The best general map for exact pins, saved places, downloadable areas, driving and basic transit planning.
Waze
A useful live-traffic comparison for Asunción and well-traveled roads, with incident reports from other users.
Transit
Moovit
A secondary route planner for metropolitan Asunción where official bus information is split between operators.
Language
Google TranslateEssential
The practical Spanish text, camera and conversation tool for visitors, with an offline Spanish pack available before travel.
Intercity Transport
Plataforma 10
A useful bus search and booking service for many Paraguayan routes, but not a complete national timetable.
Utilities
SAT SEN
Paraguay's official pilot service for severe-weather alerts and emergency recommendations, with Android, web and iPhone beta access.
Also covered
Internet in Paraguay
Mobile internet eSIM Best option when traveling
Guac
RecommendedReliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
Airalo
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Holafly
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
Buying a local SIM card ID registration required
- You show a valid passport at the point of sale, complete a form from CONATEL (the telecoms regulator) and give a fingerprint; no residency is needed and the whole process takes a few minutes. Claro charges a separate registration fee of about 10,000 PYG (roughly $1.50) on top of the SIM.
- Among the cheapest anywhere: a SIM costs roughly 5,000-10,000 PYG ($0.70-1.40) and a decent prepaid data plan runs around 20,000-50,000 PYG ($3-7). A $10 top-up can buy roughly 30 GB. Airport packages run about $5-15 with 7-30 day validity.
- Claro, Tigo and Personal all sell at Silvio Pettirossi Airport in Asuncion, with packages around $5-15. In town, use official carrier stores or the kiosks in Asuncion's malls (Mariscal Lopez, Villa Morra, Shopping del Sol). Top up at any despensa (corner store), supermarket or the carrier app; look for 'Recarga Tigo/Claro' signs, with minimum top-ups around 5,000 PYG.
- Small. Airport kiosks charge slightly more than city retail, but with SIMs under $1.50 and a month of data costing a few dollars, the absolute difference barely matters.
- Tigo does not offer eSIM to tourists, only physical SIMs; Claro does have eSIM. Travel eSIMs for Paraguay run on the Claro and Tigo networks but cost from about $14 for a single gigabyte, against roughly $10 for around 30 GB on local prepaid, so a local SIM is dramatically better value and a travel eSIM only buys arrival convenience.
Paraguayan prepaid SIMs can only receive international calls, not make them, so plan on WhatsApp or another internet calling app; conveniently, Paraguay basically runs on WhatsApp anyway. There is no roaming, so the SIM stops working across the border, which matters if you are combining Paraguay with Argentina or Brazil. Keep your home SIM active for banking 2FA, ideally in a dual-SIM setup, and use the Tigo app for balance checks, since checks beyond the first two per day cost a small fee.
Local carriers
Tigo
Market leader with strong 4G in Asuncion and the countryside; its Tigo Money wallet is handy before you have a local bank account.
Claro
Competitive pricing on a solid, wide-reaching network; some rate its speeds ahead of Tigo, so either is a safe pick.
Personal
Cheapest of the big names but noticeably weaker outside Asuncion; not the one for a road trip.
Vox
The smallest operator, with decent coverage at lower prices than Tigo.
Frequently asked questions
What are the must-have apps for traveling in Paraguay?
The essential apps for Paraguay are Uber, PedidosYa, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Google Translate.
How many travel apps does Paraguay have?
We've curated 11 apps across 9 categories for traveling in Paraguay, including 5 essential apps.
What is the best ride hailing app in Paraguay?
Uber. The simplest visitor ride app, with broad current official city listings and a familiar account and payment flow.
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