Emerging from the growing app development scene in Singapore, these homegrown apps help you declutter, find a home, rate food and even relax.
Carousell (Above)
The darling of the Singapore tech innovation scene, this app was initially designed and built during a weekend hackathon by three friends. Co-founder Marcus Tan says that the thriving start-up community here means there are “more people [solving] meaningful problems and making an impact with technology.” Carousell tackles the problem of finding new homes for your pre-loved stuff (and generates some cash return while you’re at it). The latest app version recognises what you’re selling based on photos you take, and helps fill in the listing.
99.co
There comes a point in most people’s lives when they’ll have to leave the nest and find their own homes. It can be a daunting task, but luckily there are apps like 99.co to help you with this. With this user-friendly app, you can easily filter property listings by your designated location, proximity to MRT stations and travel time to work, as well as vicinity to schools, supermarkets and other important considerations. The app also makes it easy for you to connect and chat with property agents.
Burpple
There is no denying that Singaporeans love to eat, especially in a place as blessed with a wide variety of food choices as this country. There’s always something for everyone here, but too many choices can be overwhelming. Burpple helps you discover more goodies by analysing your preferences and providing tips. The more reviews you write, the better Burpple understands the food you like. This makes its makan suggestions more relevant and tailored.
ShopBack
Online shoppers can now get more bang for their buck. Make purchases at any of 1,300 e-commerce merchants via the app and you earn cashback rewards that can be transferred as cash into your bank account. The app has plenty of popular merchants such as Taobao, Books Depository, Lazada, Redmart and Deliveroo, offering you a wide range of traders to earn rewards from while shopping as usual. Justin Lee, Chief Product Officer of ShopBack, says that the company is testing new features to help users make “smarter purchase decisions”.
Mindfi
Singapore is not a city normally associated with calm and relaxation. We work hard and the city is bustling with life well into the wee hours of the morning. But sometimes we just need to take a moment to chill out. This app contains a whole bunch of short meditation exercises that you can use between meetings or during your lunch break. It’ll guide you into a place of calm and mindfulness, and also has a Deep Work mode to help you stay focused and productive. Why not give it a shot? Whatever our situation, we can all do with a little bit more inner peace.
Paktor
Let’s face it, meeting new people can be pretty difficult in our fast-paced society. As a homegrown app, Paktor helps because it understands local culture and works around our social quirks. The app has a local user base and gives you that much more privacy by allowing you to filter who can message you based on mutual interests. Paktor co-founder Jing Shen says that the company seeks to offer a highly localised user experience, with features relevant to users’ tastes.
