5 Best Apps for Travel to Malaysia
Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures, ethinicities and languages. Among all the countries in Southeast Asia, with the exception of Singapore, Malaysia is the most developed and westernized. English is widely spoken in addtion to Bahasa Malay and Mandarin Chinese. The capital, Kuala Lumpur is clean and has an amazing subway system that is both cheap and easy to use! With the following apps, traveling in Malaysia will be even easier and even a little more budget friendly!
Our list of the Best Apps for Malaysia include useful Malay phrasebooks, a city rail app for Kuala Lumpur, a great travel guide with audio tours, apps to grab a car, taxi, book a bus and even a low cost ticket to fly to your next destination! I had an amazing time in Malaysia, seeking out the historic sights, beautiful natural landscapes and even taking the time to enjoy the tropical sunshine on the stunning Perhentian Islands. I think you’ll enjoy Malaysia too!
1. World Nomad Malay Phrasebook
The World Nomad series of phrasebook apps vary from language to language. I always check it out for each country but the level of detail seems to be hit or miss. Thankfully the Malay Phrasebook is a hit!
The app has all the essential words and phrases, decent audio and Latin based spelling for easy pronunciation. The app has a few cool added features like a 10 minute language lesson and a real Q & A sections where you can submit questions and have them answered by local Malaysians!
- Price: Free
- Alternatives: English – Malay Dictionary
Learn Malay Phrasebook
Learn Malay is a great phrasebook app that covers all the essentials you need in the free version like phrases and words for emergency situation, accommodations, directions and eating out, then lets you upgrade to unlock the more advanced features. The advanced phrases are great for those looking to stay a long-term.
I’ve featured the sister apps on our list of the best app for Vietnam and Thailand. The whole series has the same features which include excellent audio pronunciation, favorite stars, study games and Quizzes!
- Price: Free, upgrade for $11.99 USD
- Alternatives: English – Malay Dictionary
2. City Rail Map – KL
City Rail Map is an app where you can download the subway line maps for almost every major city, including Kuala Lumpur. The download is only 16 MB for KL and unlike a normal map, it includes landmarks and sights you’ll probably want to visit as a tourist like the Patronas Towers!
The map also includes points of interest like shopping centers, bus stations, hotels, restaurants and museums. Even better, the app includes a tab to open Tripadvisor directly in the app! No need to jump back and forth. You may already have Google Maps, but downloading this app makes getting around in KL even easier!
- Price: Free
- Alternatives: Google Maps
3. Pocket Guide – KL
Pocket Guide KL is a true travel guide with audio tours available for purchase. The app includes a very detailed list of city info for Kuala Lumpur, including a day trip to the Batu Caves, what attractions you can see for free, and a detailed account of the city’s history. I was super impressed by this app! You can also book tickets and tours in the app and search through the top attractions in Kuala Lumpur based on user reviews!
The app has a very intuitive map with points of interest easily visible. Open up a point on the map to see the review, get directions or listen for a short audio recording of the description. The app content is very professional and easy to navigate. It’s very well done!
- Price: Free, unlock 4 audio tours for $13.99.
- Alternatives: Pocket Guide KL, Triposo, Tripwolf, City Walks, My Malaysia
4. Redbus Bus Booking App
Redbus is based out of Singapore but operates in Malaysia too! It’s an online bus booking app with awesome discounts! Get up to 30% off on a bus just by booking through the app. I used this all over Malaysia to get from Penang, to the Cameron Highlands, all the way to Kota Baru!
It’s easy to make a booking and the customer service is great too! I accidentally made a double booking because of bad Wi-Fi and purchased two seats. They refunded me the second ticket with just a call.
Taking the bus in Malaysia is cheap, as low as $6 per ticket but usually around $10 to $15 for longer routes. There are trains in Malaysia but they are more expensive. The buses are clean and the drivers are friendly. They even “accommodate” changing buses at midway stations…If you prefer a more direct route to your destination which in my experience was very useful!
- Price: In App Bookings
- Alternatives: Busbud
Grab Car & Taxi
Grab app and Uber have merged for Southeast Asian countries in April 2018. They have started to transition all drivers over to the Grab app.
Malaysia is where I was first introduced to Grab in 2016, before I was even familiar with Uber. My friend Veena used to drive from Grab part-time! It’s very popular among young drivers in Malaysia.
The base fare for “Just Grab” is usually around 1 RM ($0.25 USD) + 1.3 RM per Km ($0.31 USD). Min fare charges apply.
The one drawback is that the drivers (Taxi or Car) may expect to call you to confirm the pick up location. Luckily most drivers in Malaysia speak some English.
5. Air Asia
Air Asia is a discount region airline in Southeast Asia and based out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Airfare between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Saigon and Bangkok is very cheap and perfect for lightweight backpackers on a budget.
You could take the train from Bangkok to Malaysia for $60 over 40 hours or fly for $80 in 1.5 hours. I decided to fly.
Air Asia is probably the most similar to Ryan Air, where only the most basic services are included in a ticket. No check luggage or on-board snacks included! But the price is low and backpackers with only a 40L carry-on pack can just buy the minimum ticket price!
- Price: $50+ for a Basic Ticket
- Alternatives: Jetstar, Tiger Airways
More Info on Malaysia
Now, no app in the world is going to help you use the squat toilets in Malaysia. But our article on How Everyone Poops in Asia might just help, a little. We hope. We also created a list of movies, books & podcasts under Books & Things.
If you are traveling alone, check out our 5 Hostel Essentials for Solo Travelers.
Lastly, we are in the process of writing an article on the best SIM cards available for travelers in Malaysia, so stay tuned!
