HappyCow

Alternative to general review apps for finding vegan and vegetarian food

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Description

HappyCow is a guide to vegan, vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants, shops and cafés around the world, with a map, filters and reviews written by its community, on the web and in an app.

According to its app store listings, it covers more than 250,000 places in 185 countries, with about 1.9 million reviews and more than 3 million photos added by users. Places can be filtered by vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, raw food and other criteria, and community maps show popular places and lesser-known ones. Listings and reviews come from users, and the developer says a small team of vegans works on keeping them current.

The iPhone app cost $4.99 in the US store, with prices varying by country, while the Android version is listed as ad-supported. Reviews on the app stores are mostly positive but mention outdated listings, such as restaurants that have closed or changed their menu. For travellers, HappyCow is useful because it covers the same kind of places in every country, in one app.

Strengths

  • It lists only vegan, vegetarian and veg-friendly places, so there is no need to dig through general reviews.
  • With more than 250,000 places in 185 countries, it works for travel as well as at home.
  • Filters for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and raw food help people with specific diets.

Weaknesses

  • Some listings are out of date, as users report on the app stores.
  • The iPhone app costs money, and the Android app shows ads.
  • The listing and review figures are the company’s own, from its store pages.

Who it is for

Vegans, vegetarians and people who eat less meat, at home or travelling, who want to find a suitable restaurant or shop nearby quickly.

Sources

  • foodsharing.de

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  • Écotable

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  • Olio

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  • Visorando

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  • Workaway

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