When you live on an island with an abundance of things to do, sometimes apps make life far more convenient. The popularity of apps, especially in the Cayman Islands, often stems from their ease of access to information: with one click, you have everything that you need!
There are many other benefits of apps too, such as:
- User interaction – You can select the information that you want to see by enabling push notifications which do not interrupt what you’re doing on your phone.
- Better personalisation – Apps are good at getting to know your interests, so that what you see is more customised and tailored to you.
In the Cayman Islands, we have many apps that have made it easier to find events, order food from our favourite restaurants, provide real-time bus and taxi information, find local discounts, and offer news updates. While there are 100s of Cayman apps developed by businesses like banks, condos, supermarkets, radio stations and more, in this article we have selected our top 9 apps based on the app itself, i.e. being useful to a wide range of users, providing accurate and relevant information, offering a good design and user experience. We hope you enjoy our selection!
1. What's On Cayman
One of the latest apps to arrive in Cayman is the What's On Cayman
app. If you are struggling to find something to do, the What's On Cayman
app is the best resource for keeping up-to-date with what’s happening
in the Cayman Islands. You can personalise which events you would like
to see related to food, charities, galas, kids events and more. You can
also filter through events by date and have all of the information you
need right at your fingertips, including prices, locations, booking
links and social pages. If you are an event organiser yourself, you can
even submit your own event through the portal to be added to the app! In
addition to event details, the app keeps you informed with lots of
local, topical and useful information.
FREE, Available on iOS and the Google Play Store.
2. Explore Cayman
The Explore Cayman app has been a useful one for visitors and Cayman
residents since it first hit the app store over 6 years ago. As an app
researched by Caymanians, you can browse through hundreds of things to
do on-Island, including activities and attractions, the best sightseeing
spots, beaches, unique island experiences and more. The app also has
offline maps of Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands which is a great
feature if you are exploring but don't have data or internet available.
You can also view full restaurant menus make reservations and save money
through various discounts (including up to 30% off of tour or excursion
prices).
FREE, Available on iOS devices.
3. Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DoE)
The new Cayman DoE app is a revolutionary response to recent concerns surrounding the protection of Cayman's Marine Parks, allowing you to view various Marine Park zones in the Cayman Islands (and their regulations) with a single tap. Use the map to see where the newest Marine Park zones are; turn on your location services to visualise where you are in proximity to these areas. In addition to this is a 'Cayman Marine Law' Page, which outlines everything you need to know about closed seasons, catch limits for various species, as well as protections put in place for other specific and/or endangered species.
FREE, Available on iOS and Android devices.
4. Bento
For those who have grown up in the Cayman Islands, you may agree that we have been waiting for a comprehensive, fast, user-friendly food delivery app for a while! Bento has been taking the Cayman Islands by storm, allowing you to order food for delivery or takeaway right at your fingertips. Choose from a variety of your favourite restaurants and expect a fast delivery, straight to your doorstep. Follow your order as it is being prepared, track where your driver is and pay through the app.
FREE, Available on iOS and the Google Play Store.
5. Let's Eat
Speaking of useful food delivery apps in the Cayman Islands, Let’s Eat is another that has become the epitome of a fast, efficient delivery and takeaway service. Similar to the UK’s ‘Just Eat’ or ‘Uber Eats’ apps, Let’s Eat allows you to have any food from an array of Cayman restaurants delivered straight to your home. Choose by cuisine type such as Italian, Japanese or Indian, pinpoint your location, view estimated delivery time and place your order. You can also track your order in real time and pay through the app.
FREE, Available on iOS and the Google Play Store.
6. CI:GO Taxi Fare
Have you ever felt as if your taxi fare just wasn’t right? Were you overcharged for a short journey? The CI:GO Taxi Fare app is the perfect solution as a simple way to fairly calculate your taxi fare in advance via the distance you travel. Use their interactive map and drop a pin at your drop-off location – detail the number of riders and any luggage, and the app will calculate your fare in KYD and USD. Similar to apps like Uber, you can also choose to change the route of your trip, or split the fare between multiple riders. Although this app doesn’t let you hail cabs like Uber – it is great once you have got a cab to make sure you are being charged fairly for your journey.
FREE, Available on iOS and the Google Play Store.
7. FLEX Cayman
Ever heard of Uber or Lyft? FLEX Cayman is an app with a similar concept: a way of getting around faster, easier, and safer. FLEX provides an easy way to get around by using their smartphone app: set your location and connect as a registered user to registered drivers. Drivers and users, like Uber, can also rate each other based on their overall experience. You can choose from multiple vehicle options, depending if you are one person or six, and every ride is tracked via GPS, so that you know where your driver is and where you are in real time. FLEX Cayman is a great app to encourage carpooling and discourage drinking and driving. The number of registered drivers is growing so we expect the app to gain more traction in time.
Also, if you are organising an event, you can email info@flex.ky and create a promo code to have discounted rides for all of your guests!
FREE, Available on iOS and the Google Play Store.
8. K-BUS - Cayman Bus Passenger
K-BUS is the app that has revolutionised Cayman’s public bus service. Use the app to track the real-time location of Cayman’s Public Buses – see where buses are located and use a direct bus route to help you get the correct bus to your destination. You can even ‘ping’ or notify drivers on specific routes of your location, so that they can see you are waiting for a bus and pick you up quicker! As we all become more eco-aware, this is definitely an app you will want to use regularly.
FREE, Available on iOS (Designed for iPhone).
9. LOOP – Caribbean Local News
LOOP is one of the Caribbean’s most-downloaded news apps, with over 1 million downloads to date. LOOP is a free news resource which, in addition to Cayman, provides up-to-date information on what’s happening in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Haiti and more. This broad regional coverage dilutes the local news coverage a bit, but you can choose your location and personalise your experience by highlighting topics of importance to you. We would still recommend you visit the Cayman Compass and Cayman News Service websites for more in-depth news related to the Cayman Islands.
FREE, Available on iOS and the Google Play Store.
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The Cayman Turtle Centre
Planning a visit to the Cayman Turtle Centre? Don’t set foot out the door until you have downloaded the Cayman Islands Turtle Centre app first. This app is jam-packed with lots of useful information about the centre, including an interactive map with photos, showtimes and other informative tips. Choose from a selection of exhibits, shows, swimming and dining spots and more, and navigate your way around the park – easy peasy! Learn various educational facts about turtles and other wildlife as you click through their interactive interface.
FREE, Available on iOS and the Google Play Store.
The Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS)
The Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS) app is a useful way to keep up with upcoming and current weather conditions in the Cayman Islands. One if the best features of the app is the live radar feeds which shows approaching rain showers and shows in real-time when you can expect the shower to pass and the sun to come out! They have a 'Synopsis' tab where you can view informative weather forecasts over a period of 24 hours or 5 days. You can also swap your view, so that you can see current weather conditions including the temperature, wind, pressure, dew point, humidity and more. Weather conditions can be viewed from various AWOS stations across the Cayman Islands, with forecasted radio streams and live Doppler Radar animations.
FREE, Available on Android and the Google Play Store.
Bird Scooters
As the Cayman Islands Government and Energy Cayman initiatives are actively promoting that Caymanians swap to alternative forms of travel, Bird – Electric Scooter Sharing is the app that seems to have come at the perfect time. Bird gives access to many of their electric scooters located around the island, which you may have already seen at 100+ locations. They encourage you to ‘be free’ and ‘enjoy the ride’, by travelling sustainably and in style. Bird is an electric alternative for many who walk in Cayman’s more central areas (or wherever!), allowing you to make use of their fleet of electric scooters and reduce your rate of carbon dioxide emissions, all at the same time.
FREE, Available on iOS and the Google Play Store.
Rum Runners
This app is worth a mention is your want to have your favourite spirits, wine, beer and key essentials delivered straight to your door. Rum Runners are a company offering contactless liquor delivery straight to your door within 24 hours or less. You can use their app to choose from a selection of cocktail kits, hot seltzers, gin and more. They also have an exclusive selection of imported wines from all over the world.
FREE, Available on iOS (coming soon to the Google Play Store).
Are We Missing Anything?
If you know of any great, useful apps developed for Cayman residents or visitors that you think should be on this list then please send an email with the details to mina@acorn.ky!