Why people leave 99
- Driver cancellations after the ride is assigned. Reclame Aqui has thousands of complaints from passengers who watched a 99Pop or 99Moto driver disappear minutes after acceptance. Some cancel after seeing the destination, others after questioning the upfront fare on long trips.
- Long matching loops with no driver. Pre-paid Pix rides occasionally sit unmatched for 15+ minutes, with the rider losing the slot and chasing a refund afterwards.
- Surge during predictable peaks. Friday evenings, airport runs, rainy commutes and the start of every shift in São Paulo regularly push 99Pop quotes well past the off-peak baseline.
- 99Food has thinner restaurant coverage than iFood. Outside central São Paulo and Rio, the catalogue is uneven and many top restaurants only list with the competitor.
- 99Pay friction. Cashback on rides looks good on paper, but Pix transfers, bill payments and wallet withdrawals occasionally hit pending states for days, especially after disputed charges.
If any of those push you to compare, here are 7 99 alternatives worth installing.
Which app should you choose?
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Uber if you want the closest like-for-like ride catalogue in Brazil with deeper supply at airports and stronger reserve options.
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inDrive if you want to name the fare yourself instead of accepting the 99Pop upfront price.
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Cabify if you ride mostly in São Paulo, Rio or Belo Horizonte and you want fixed-fare rides with a corporate-ride-friendly app.
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Bolt if you travel outside Brazil and want one app that works across Europe, Africa and other Latin American cities.
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iFood if you only opened 99 for 99Food and the restaurant list near you is too thin.
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Mercado Pago if 99Pay holds and stalled transfers have worn you down and you want a digital account with broader merchant coverage.
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Moovit if a bus, train or metro covers most of the route and a ride only makes sense for the last kilometre.
Stay on 99 if 99Pay cashback offsets your weekly ride budget, your city has deeper 99Moto supply than Uber, or you actively use 99Entrega for parcels.
Comparison table
| App | Best for | Modes | Coverage | Pricing model | Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uber | Cab and intercity rides | Cab, Moto, Comfort, Reserve | 100+ Brazilian cities | Upfront | Yes |
| inDrive | Rider-set fares | Cab, Moto, Intercity, Freight | Most Brazilian capitals | Bidding | Yes |
| Cabify | Fixed-fare cabs | Cab, Group, Executive | SP, Rio, BH and select capitals | Upfront, no surge | Yes |
| Bolt | International rides | Cab, Scooter, Food | 50+ countries, growing in Brazil | Upfront | Yes |
| iFood | Food and grocery delivery | Restaurant, Mercado, Pet, Farmácia | 1,500+ Brazilian cities | Per order | Yes |
| Mercado Pago | Digital wallet and Pix | Wallet, Card, Pix, Loans | Brazil, Argentina, Mexico | Free account | Yes |
| Moovit | Bus, metro and rail | Bus, Train, Metro, Walk | 300+ Brazilian cities | Free with ads | Yes |
1. Uber — the closest like-for-like 99 replacement
Uber is the most direct 99 swap in Brazil. The catalogue mirrors the 99 line-up almost one to one: UberX maps to 99Pop, Uber Moto to 99Moto, Uber Comfort and Black to 99Comfort and 99Plus, and Uber Reserve plays the role of a guaranteed 99 booking window. Coverage spans more than 100 Brazilian cities and the driver pool is usually deeper than 99 at airport ranks, malls and hospital fronts.
Uber vs 99 on a São Paulo airport pickup is the comparison that decides the install for most riders. The 99 quote may come in cheaper, but Uber Reserve guarantees a pickup time up to 90 days ahead, which neutralises the airport cancellation problem that drives so many Reclame Aqui posts.
Advantages:
- Deep supply across tier-1 and tier-2 Brazilian cities
- Uber Reserve for scheduled rides with a guaranteed pickup window
- Uber Intercity for routes between Brazilian capitals
- Trip sharing, RideCheck and emergency contacts as standard
- Uber Eats already installed if you also need food delivery
Disadvantages:
- Peak surge can match or exceed 99 on the same route
- Uber Moto pool is thinner than 99Moto in several capitals
- Customer support starts with automated chat before a human
Pricing: Free to download, pay per ride with upfront fares. Uber One bundles ride and Eats discounts for a monthly fee.
Bottom line: Pick Uber if you want the closest 99-like catalogue with better airport reliability and a reserve option for trips you can’t afford to lose.
2. inDrive — name your own fare
inDrive flips the pricing model. You enter the trip, suggest a fare, and nearby drivers either accept, counter or pass. Riders who think the 99Pop upfront price is high can usually undercut it on short routes during low-demand hours. inDrive runs in 600+ cities across 45+ countries and has built a steady footprint across Brazilian capitals and mid-sized cities.
inDrive vs 99 on a 10 km route shows the savings most clearly. 99 sets the price and you take it or wait. inDrive lets you suggest a lower number, see who responds, and pick a driver based on rating, ETA and price. Bidding takes a minute or two longer than 99’s tap-and-go flow, so it pays off on planned trips more than rush bookings.
Advantages:
- Rider-set fares often beat 99 upfront pricing
- See and pick from multiple driver offers
- Car, moto, intercity and freight modes in one app
- Cash, card and Pix payment options
- No surge in the traditional sense
Disadvantages:
- Bidding is slower than 99’s instant-match flow
- Driver supply is thinner than 99 during peak hours
- Safety stack lags the larger players in a few cities
Pricing: Free to download. No subscription. Fares set per trip.
Bottom line: Pick inDrive when you have a minute to bargain and the 99 upfront fare reads as inflated for the route.
3. Cabify — fixed fares in São Paulo, Rio and BH
Cabify pre-dates 99 in São Paulo and has carved out a corporate-ride niche across SP, Rio, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and Recife. The fundamental difference from 99 is the fare model: Cabify shows a fixed price up front, and that price doesn’t move during the trip regardless of traffic or route changes. The fleet trends newer, drivers go through stricter onboarding, and the app has a clean Cabify Empresas product for company travel.
Cabify vs 99 on a São Paulo evening commute is the cleanest test. 99 surges through Avenida Paulista at peak; Cabify holds the original quote. The trade-off is that Cabify’s driver pool is shallower outside its core cities, so wait times can climb in neighbourhoods where 99 has saturated supply.
Advantages:
- Fixed-fare model with no surge during the trip
- Newer fleet and stricter driver vetting on average
- Cabify Empresas for billable company rides
- Strong coverage in São Paulo, Rio and Belo Horizonte
- Group rides for splitting fares between coworkers
Disadvantages:
- Coverage thins outside the major Brazilian capitals
- No moto-taxi mode in most cities
- Wait times can climb at peak in 99-dominated neighbourhoods
Pricing: Free to download, pay per ride with fixed upfront fares. Cabify Empresas adds invoicing.
Bottom line: Pick Cabify if your city is on the core list and a fixed quote with a newer fleet matters more than the cheapest possible fare.
4. Bolt — one ride app for travel outside Brazil
Bolt operates in 50+ countries across Europe, Africa and Latin America, and has been growing in Brazil since the Taxify rebrand. The pitch over 99 is portability: one account, one payment method, and one history that follows you from São Paulo to Lisbon, Cape Town, Buenos Aires or Tallinn. Bolt also bundles scooters in cities where it runs micro-mobility, plus Bolt Food in selected markets.
Bolt vs 99 on a Brazil-Portugal trip is where the install becomes worth it. 99 doesn’t travel; Bolt does. Inside Brazil, Bolt’s driver pool is smaller than 99 or Uber in most cities, so it works better as a backup install than as a primary daily driver.
Advantages:
- One app across 50+ countries
- Scooters, e-bikes and food delivery where Bolt operates
- Upfront pricing with a competitive commission cap for drivers
- Bolt Plus subscription for discounted everyday rides
- Trip sharing and SOS available globally
Disadvantages:
- Brazilian driver pool still ramping versus 99 and Uber
- Wait times can be uneven outside the largest cities
- No moto-taxi mode in most Brazilian markets
Pricing: Free to download, pay per ride with upfront fares. Bolt Plus subscription for frequent riders.
Bottom line: Pick Bolt if you cross borders regularly and want a single ride account for Brazil, Europe and Africa.
5. iFood — the food delivery 99Food can’t match
iFood is the dominant food and grocery delivery platform in Brazil, present in more than 1,500 cities with a restaurant catalogue that dwarfs 99Food in almost every neighbourhood. The split is brutal: outside a handful of central districts in São Paulo and Rio, 99Food’s list runs short while iFood lists the same restaurants plus dozens more, including iFood Mercado for groceries, iFood Pet for pet supplies and iFood Farmácia for pharmacy orders.
iFood vs 99Food on a Saturday night in a smaller Brazilian capital is the cleanest comparison. 99Food may show eight options; iFood often shows fifty in the same radius. iFood Cupons and the Clube iFood subscription cover the savings angle that 99Food tries to win on.
Advantages:
- Largest restaurant catalogue in Brazil by a wide margin
- iFood Mercado, Pet and Farmácia under one app
- Live order tracking with photo confirmation in many cities
- Clube iFood subscription for free delivery on partner restaurants
- Multiple payment methods including Pix, card and meal voucher cards
Disadvantages:
- Service fees rise on small orders
- Driver matching can lag at peak Saturday hours
- Restaurant accuracy varies, occasional missing items on long orders
Pricing: Free to download, pay per order. Clube iFood subscription for free delivery on participating restaurants.
Bottom line: Pick iFood the moment 99Food returns an empty list near you, which is most of the time outside the largest capitals.
6. Mercado Pago — a digital wallet that beats 99Pay on coverage
Mercado Pago is the digital account spun out of Mercado Livre and has become one of the most accepted wallets in Brazilian retail. The pitch over 99Pay is breadth: Pix in and out without friction, a free Conta Mercado Pago with yield on idle balance, a virtual and physical Mercado Pago debit card that works across Brazilian merchants, plus QR code acceptance at hundreds of thousands of small businesses including padarias, salons and street vendors.
Mercado Pago vs 99Pay on weekly grocery and Pix flows is the cleanest test. 99Pay still works inside the 99 app, but only there. Mercado Pago works at the supermarket checkout, the corner padaria, and any merchant displaying the QR, and the daily yield on Conta Mercado Pago is comparable to the headline rate 99Pay advertises.
Advantages:
- Pix sending, receiving and scheduled transfers with no friction
- Daily yield on Conta Mercado Pago balance
- Virtual and physical debit card included
- Accepted at retail merchants across Brazil
- Investments, loans and crypto inside the same app
Disadvantages:
- Heavier app footprint than a dedicated wallet
- Cashback offers rotate and not all merchants participate
- Support response is slower than a traditional bank during disputes
Pricing: Free account, free Pix, free debit card. Optional paid products for credit, loans and investments.
Bottom line: Pick Mercado Pago when 99Pay stops being enough and you want a wallet that pays merchants outside the 99 app.
7. Moovit — skip the ride entirely
Moovit is the global public-transit planner with strong Brazilian coverage. In São Paulo it ties into SPTrans, EMTU and the Metrô lines; in Rio it covers SuperVia and MetrôRio; smaller capitals get bus times pulled from local operators where data feeds exist. The app combines bus, metro, train and walking legs into a single route, with live arrival times where the operator publishes them.
Moovit vs 99 on a daily commute is the question of whether you actually need a ride. For routes inside the metro grid in SP or the BRT system in Rio, public transit beats a peak 99Pop quote on both price and reliability, especially during surge. Moovit also flags accessibility on stops, which 99 doesn’t surface.
Advantages:
- Single planner across bus, metro, train and walk
- Live arrivals where operator feeds are available
- Accessibility flags on stops and stations
- Available in 3,500+ cities worldwide
- Free with optional ad-free upgrade
Disadvantages:
- Ads in the free tier can pile up between actions
- Live arrivals depend on operator data and miss outside major cities
- Bus times occasionally drift from real-world arrivals
Pricing: Free with ads. Moovit+ subscription removes ads and adds smart commute features.
Bottom line: Pick Moovit when the bus or metro covers most of your route and a ride only earns its place on the last kilometre.
How to choose between these 99 alternatives
Install Uber alongside 99 if you do nothing else from this list. The two apps share most riders, and having both lets you flip on whichever has lower surge and shorter wait at the moment you tap. Layer inDrive on top when you want to negotiate longer trips, and add Cabify if you live in São Paulo, Rio or Belo Horizonte and prefer a fixed quote.
For everything 99 bundles beyond rides, the answer is to unbundle. iFood replaces 99Food in almost every Brazilian neighbourhood, Mercado Pago replaces 99Pay with broader merchant acceptance, and Moovit replaces 99 entirely on routes where public transit makes more sense.
If 99Pay cashback genuinely offsets your monthly ride budget and you take 99Moto trips daily in a city where 99 has deeper supply than Uber, keep 99 installed. Otherwise, the single 99 super-app rarely beats two or three specialists run side by side.
