The Internet has made it incredibly easy to communicate, track, and interact with basically the rest of the world. It also keeps you connected to things happening in your city. Generally, the Internet (or app) isn’t really necessary for this sort of thing, but you can find some valuable information with the right app. There are instances where the browser works best. For example, in Columbus, OH, the best way to view trash can schedules is in a web browser. However, there are still some great local apps for finding some neat local stuff and helping yourself.
We’d like to honor Craigslist. The site is broken down by major metropolitan areas so you can browse Craigslist in just your general area. You can find our list of the best Craigslist apps here.
The best local app for Android
Local help: Angi
Price: Free
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Angi cornered the market with local help. You can look for local companies to do various jobs for you. Services include HVAC, plumbing, concrete work, home repairs, home renovations, and even things like landscaping. You get reviews from people who used the service, easy-to-find phone numbers and contact details, and more. This app is a bit difficult to use. It tries to get you to use its tools and the results aren’t great. We recommend browsing by category instead of going through tools until they find a bug. Craigslist is another great place to find local items like this. Angi is Home Advisor and Angie’s List combined. The two companies merged in 2017, but it took a while for their applications to catch up. Now, they have.
Local events: Facebook
Price: Free
Facebook has its ups and downs. However, there are some apps with Facebook capabilities when it comes to local events. This app lets you check things happening in your area and every place of value has the latest events posted somewhere on Facebook. You can use the app to find the nearest concert or game of Magic: The Gathering at your local card shop. Plus, Groups let you coordinate events with other people for things like Pokemon Go. Yes, the apps aren’t that great and the privacy on the platform is basically non-existent. Still, Facebook is great for finding things happening near you.
Local news: Your local news app
Price: Free (usually)
Most major metropolitan areas have local news stations. You can get it with the antenna on your TV and listen to it on the radio. Many of them also have Android apps. You can get lots of local news that you won’t find in national publications or stations. You’ll have to look it up yourself as there are dozens of these local news apps. We have ABC 13 Houston on the link if you’re from Houston, but if not, you’ll have to look up your local station to see if the app is available.
Local shopping: Krazy Coupon Lady
Price: Free
Krazy Coupon Lady is an excellent app for saving money. It features tons of coupons for items like groceries, clothing, and other items at local retailers like Kohl’s, Target, and Walmart. You simply find the coupon you want, save it, and use it at the register. This works for online retailers like Amazon. However, chances are good that you have CVS, Kroger, Publix, Dollar Tree, or Walgreen nearby so these apps can work in places you frequent. Plus, if you find a good deal, it will motivate you to visit places you might not otherwise visit.
Local business: Google Maps
Price: Free
Google Maps is kind of a no-brainer for this category. You can quickly and easily find businesses in your area that do a variety of things. An example would be a basement repairman if your basement leaks. Plus, you can quickly find hours of operation for businesses in your area as well as directions if you don’t venture to that side of town very often. Many people use apps to view upcoming traffic jams or other slowdowns to plan alternate routes to work. Like I said, it’s a no-brainer.
Local weather: Your local weather app
Price: Free (usually)
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Most weather apps let you check the local weather. However, we already have a comprehensive list so we want to highlight local weather apps. This app focuses solely on your area and displays many of the same things as a regular weather app, including severe weather alerts, daily forecasts, and current weather. What makes this stand out is the individual coverage for certain areas. These people are the same as the people tracking tornado warnings on TV and these apps are an extension of the level of coverage you don’t get with the big weather apps. Search the Play Store for local weather channels from your area. There are too many to list here.
Local dating: Tinder
Price: Free / $9.99 per month
Local dating is quite tricky. Almost all dating apps let you filter by GPS location. However, Tinder seems to do the best of the bunch. It’s a household name in dating and relationships. So there are more people on the platform than most other places and you can find matches relatively quickly. It likely wouldn’t work well in rural areas but neither would any other dating app.
Local sales: Pages Sales Treasure Map
Price: Free / Up to $4.99
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Yard sales and garage sales are still some of the best ways to unpack your stuff. You set things up outside and people stop by and check out your wares. The Treasure Yard Sale Map helps you find garage sales in your area. It scours sites like Craigslist for relevant listings and you simply look for them on a map. It’s not a bad way to spend a Saturday and you know what they say about one man’s trash. Obviously, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are excellent places to sell individual items locally and we recommend those apps too.
Reward and save the app
Price: Free
Most places have a rewards program these days, including many of your local businesses. In addition, many stores have store apps that can sometimes cover giveaways. This app is useful for a variety of things, including sales, coupons, tracking your reward points for future redemption, and some extra features. For example, the Kroger app lets you schedule grocery pick-ups at specific locations and refill pharmacy prescriptions. It’s a good way to help organize everyday things.
YP – The True Yellow Pages
Price: Free
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
The Yellow Pages are still very popular. More than 80 million people visit the website every month and this app has more than 50 million downloads on Google Play alone. With that said, statistically you may be interested in using the Yellow Pages to find local businesses for a variety of reasons. Fortunately, this app is quite good. You can find over 20 million listings across the app (in every locale combined), including repairs, food, shopping, and whatever else you want. Additionally, the app includes GrubHub integration for food delivery, Fandango integration for buying movie tickets, and functionality to check fuel prices in your area. Yellow Pages adapted well to the modern era and is still a great local app.
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