Is Uber or Grab better in Thailand?

Uber doesn't work in Thailand, so the comparison is over before it starts. Uber sold its entire Southeast Asian operation to Grab in March 2018 and took a stake in Grab in return. The Uber app was switched off in Thailand a couple of weeks later and has never come back. You can open it in Bangkok and it will sit there searching for cars that don't exist.

Grab is what replaced it, and if you've used Uber anywhere else you already know how Grab works. Set the pickup point, type the destination, see the price, tap to book. GrabCar, the standard private car, shows a fixed fare before you book. GrabTaxi puts a metered taxi through the app instead, so you see an estimate and pay what the meter says. You can pay with a card in the app or hand the driver cash. Not every foreign card is accepted, so add yours at home rather than at the kerb with a driver waiting. Your Uber login doesn't carry over either. Grab wants a phone number that can receive an SMS code, so create the account before you fly.

What is different from Uber

Grab has motorbike taxis built in (GrabBike), which is the fastest way through Bangkok traffic and completely normal here. Grab also does food delivery, so it earns its place on your phone even on days you don't go anywhere. And pickups on busy Bangkok roads are messier than the app makes them look. The driver often can't stop where the pin is, so walk to a side street or a hotel drop-off point before you book.

Do you need anything besides Grab?

Not strictly, but I keep Bolt installed next to it. Bolt is usually 10 to 25 percent cheaper on the same Bangkok route, with a smaller pool of drivers, and I compare the two before most rides. Which is cheaper, Grab or Bolt? goes through the trade-off. In Phuket and Koh Samui the picture changes again, because the local taxi operators keep app prices high and drivers scarce. Phuket has its own answer.

If you're only going to install one app for getting around Thailand, install Grab. Setup, ride tiers, airport pickup points and surge pricing are all covered in the Grab guide.