35 FREE Essential Apps For Students Studying Abroad

If you want to study abroad in Europe, you will need tools to navigate in different countries. 

Even if you study in English, people outside your university will probably primarily speak a different language. And you still won’t even know the city in which you live.

This article will give you the best mobile student apps for studying abroad that will eliminate all of your worries.

This list includes many travelling, education, entertainment, university apps and many more. All of the apps can be used both on Android devices and iPhones!

Flight apps

Kayak  & Skyscanner

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

These neat apps are known for their flight-tracking capabilities. Additionally, they will allow you to book a flight to almost anywhere in the world! You can find cheap flights, hotels, taxis and more options.

I’d personally say that they are some of the best mobile apps for students! 

Both apps have been rated by thousands of people and have scores above 4.5 (out of 5) on all platforms.

Travel apps

Moovit

Available on: Android/iOS

Moovit is a must-have app if you are someone who uses public transport. It has an excellent database of maps of cities worldwide and schedules of various bus lines. The schedules are also always precise. With it, you can make an accurate schedule for both studying and travelling.

Google Maps

Available on: Android/iOS

With Google Maps, you can find any local business or destination. You can get directions directly to your desired destination and even see how that destination looks via options like street view, business reviews and more,

Airbnb

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

If you are looking for a flat where you can crash for a night or live, you can use Airbnb to connect with people who want to rent their apartments. You can use Airbnb in more than 80,000 cities and 190 countries! Unless you already live in the dorms, it’s an excellent app for any university student.

TripAdvisor

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

This is an excellent platform for anyone who likes travelling. You can read reviews and suggestions of other travellers like you, book a table at a restaurant, book a flight, or stay in a hotel.

Uber

Available on: Android/iOS/Windows/Web

If you want to get to a specific destination, you can use Uber! Call an experienced driver to get you there. Press a few buttons or call Uber, and your nearest Uber driver will come to you in a couple of minutes.

Around Me

Available on: Android/iOS

If you are curious about interesting places, you can use the “Around Me” app. It will show you many exciting places, such as local restaurants, movie theatres, hotels, taxis, bars, banks, and other cool sites, for you to check out. 

Studying apps

Chegg.Prep

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

Chegg Prep is a cool quiz card game. It helps you focus on the particular key points of your study subject. Open the app anytime you want and start playing with various cards. Or you can even take a quiz and test the results of your studying sessions later.

Google Keep

Available on: Android/iOS/Windows/Web

Take note of the app Google Keep. Taking notes helps you memorize things and study. The app allows you to easily take notes in various formats - simple notes, marks on maps, drawings, pictures, and more.

Edx and Coursera

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

These platforms allow you to study professional skills and knowledge from the leading universities and companies worldwide! So, if you want to stay sharp or learn other interesting topics, you won’t regret downloading these apps.

Evernote

Available on: Android/iOS/Windows/Web

Gone are the days when you have to sit in medical lectures, scribbling notes down like a maniac while trying to keep up. Evernote is great for note-taking on your laptop, phone and tablet – and it’s all stored in the exact location offline. An even bigger bonus is the ability to simultaneously make notes between you and your classmates.

Apps to eat

EatWith

Available on: Android/Web

Do you like eating? I sure do. EatWith allows you to find many exciting places to eat various foods. It also has cooking courses! So you won’t starve while studying abroad with this app!

TravellingSpoon

Available on: Web

These guys will teach you how to cook great meals! And if you aren’t in the mood for that, you can find great restaurants worldwide! The restaurants have all been approved by the TravellingSpoon team.

Yelp

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

If you want a more universal app, Yelp is just for you. With it, you can satisfy all your needs, including restaurants, shopping, nightlife, sports and leisure, beauty and spas, and more.

Exercising apps

Home Workout & Jefit

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

If you live in the dorms, don’t go to the gym and don’t have the necessary equipment, you can still exercise. Home Workout and Jefit are apps that will provide you with a variety of workouts and exercises that you can do at home or anywhere else.

Nike Training Club

Available on: Android/iOS

Nike Training Club is a step app that tracks your running progress. NRC has a collection of short and long treadmill runs, half-marathons, and other runs.

Yoga for beginners

Available on: Android/iOS

This is a very user-friendly app for everyone who wants to try yoga. It has a library with 16 yoga classes and various workouts. It also allows you to track your daily progress and weight.

Language apps

Duolingo

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

Duolingo is one of the best-known apps for studying new languages. Although your university program might be in English, if you live abroad, everything else is probably in a different language. 

Duolingo helps all university students and other language enthusiasts study new languages daily in exciting ways! You study them by learning words and grammar categorised in various groups, making it extremely easy and satisfying. It’s an excellent app for medical students who study in Europe.

Google Translate

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

Now that’s a no-brainer. If you are in a different country, you will sometimes have to understand the native language of that particular country. In Google Translate, you can type or say any word you don’t understand. Google will automatically detect the language with its artificial intelligence and translate the words to your native language.

Google Lens

Available on: Android/iOS

Google Lens is a similar app to Google Translate, except it works with images. So you can take a picture of anything - a poster, menu and more, and translate it.

Despite what you might think, this is one of the best studying apps. It saves you lots of nerves, helps you understand the local language better, and opens many new doors! With it, you can go wherever you want and understand everything.

Communication apps 

Messenger

Available on: Android/iOS/Windows/Web

Messenger is a popular communication app due to its strong connection to Facebook. Messenger has many features that will help you share your experiences with your family and friends while studying abroad.

Whatsapp

Available on: Android/iOS/Windows

Unlike Messenger, Whatsapp encrypts messages end-to-end, meaning only the users participating in a conversation have access to them. Also, it works smoothly in areas with weak signals, so it can even function on 2G networks! It is very similar to Messenger because of its shared purposes and features.

Skype

Available on: Android/iOS/Windows/Web

Skype is an app that is frequently used in business fields. It allows its users to make free video and voice calls. Other features they promote are instant messages and the ability to share files. Skype works on all devices and in browsers.

Discord

Available on: Android/iOS/Windows/Web

Discord is a relatively new app. It has many different features, like creating servers or group chats. It also allows its users to format their messages in various ways and use different custom emojis, giving communication freedom. Today, it has many servers where you can connect with others based on your interests!

Discord is a very popular app amongst young people, including many medical students.

Zoom

Available on: Android/iOS/Windows/Web

Zoom is also gaining popularity lately. It is an app specialised in video meetings and calls. It allows you to host many events and classes or call your family and friends.

Before, it was positioned as a business application just like Skype, but Zoom quickly started providing its services to many universities, and now it is one of the best mobile studying apps. You are probably using it in your university during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Money apps

Wise (formerly known as TransferWise)

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

Ordinary banks charge a large commission for international payments and withdrawals made abroad. TransferWise offers a debit card that allows students to send money abroad for zero commission and excellent exchange rates. 

Students are entitled to one free TransferWise card.

This app has better exchange rates than many banks, which can help you save some money. Additionally, the app allows you to receive and send money and pay tuition fees.

Mint

Available on: Android/iOS/Web

Mint is an excellent app for managing your money. It offers various accessible services and options, such as planning your budget, monitoring your credits, and tracking your spending. The app also uses 256-bit encryption and multi-factor authentication, so your finances will be safe.

Entertainment and music apps

TED

Available Android/iOS/Web

On TED, you will find many cool and exciting educational videos in a simple format. It’s an incredibly useful study app! If you want to learn a new skill, you can always go to TED and watch a professional expert and speaker talk about the craft you like so much!

SoundCloud

Available Android/iOS/Web

Music is one of the best ways to relax the mind and soul. SoundCloud is a free alternative to the famous app Spotify. Its library has 200 million songs, almost triple that of Spotify’s library, which has 70 million songs. 

SoundCloud, just like Spotify, also has many podcasts. So, if you are passionate about medicine, you could find an expert on SoundCloud and listen to them every morning.

Black Player

Available Android

The black player is basically an offline music player.

Although both Spotify and SoundCloud support playing music offline, many people still download the Black Player because of its intuitive, beautiful, and friendly interface.

Pinterest and Instagram

Available Android/iOS/Web

Both apps might seem identical, but they have very different purposes. Put bluntly, Pinterest is about finding pictures, while Instagram is about sharing them. On Pinterest, you can find an incredible array of ideas. On Instagram, you can directly connect with influencers and see their personal work.