In addition to buying local, Austinites have the option of downloading local.

Here are four locally developed apps available for free download on most smartphones.

From paying for a restaurant tab to getting multiple transit options in one place, the apps meet a variety of needs.

Half past now

From concerts to nonprofit gatherings, half past now provides one place where users can find what nearby events are happening.

Marc Bhargava, co-founder and CEO of half past now, said the company launched the app in early March as a way to help connect people and the community.

"It seemed like people had different niches of events they were having trouble discovering, and most individuals have more than one sort of interest," Bhargava said. "So you might be interested in technology, but you might also be interested in kid-friendly events, and we found it very difficult to kind of go and find in one place, if you had three unique interests, events for all three of those interests."

Bhargava said Austin has been the "perfect place" to build and test the app because it has a variety of events and a receptive community. He hopes the company will be able to expand the app's service to cities in the Northeast such as Boston.

The app allows the user to tailor the program to their preferences, such as interests, times and costs. The app is available for both iOS and Android.

Tabbedout

With Tabbedout, customers can open, view and pay tabs at restaurants and bars on their smartphones.

Tabbedout has quickly grown since launching in 2009, spokesman Nick Myers said. The free mobile app, which is headquartered in Austin, will soon be in approximately 10,000 locations nationwide due to its partnership with point-of-sale company Harbortouch.

"Tabbedout is free to download and completely free to use," Myers said. "It gives you the ability to open, view and close your tab on your time, an experience that will have you wondering why anyone would pay with a credit card or cash again."

Tabbedout is also useful for merchants, Myers said. The app's new Tabbedout Periscope product automatically adds anyone who uses Tabbedout in a participating bar or restaurant to that venue's customer list. The tool allows a merchant to see a customer's purchase history and their number of visits and also allows the merchant to send out offers to their entire customer base.

"I believe consumers are beginning to understand how convenient, safe and easy Tabbedout is to use at bars and restaurants," Myers said. "Equally, merchants see how powerful a tool Tabbedout Periscope is and how it can help their business."

UMeTime

For UMeTime co-founders Brett Berman and Tim Rothwell, the goal of their free mobile app is to offer real-time deals that are relevant for the individual consumer.

The mobile app, which launched in Austin in January, offers consumers geographically based deals for businesses primarily located in downtown Austin and around the University of Texas campus. UMeTime spokesman Kristian Zak said the mobile app is initially focused on connecting UT students and young professionals via deals with businesses they would like.

"[Berman and Rothwell] wanted to make it extremely relevant and targeted so [businesses] are reaching people in the local area at the right time of a day," he said. "And as a consumer you are seeing all these [deals] that are right around you. It's really convenient."

Berman and Rothwell chose to officially launch UMeTime in Austin because of its young, tech-savvy demographic, high volume of businesses and growing population, Zak said. UMeTime is working with approximately 120 businesses and has received about 6,000 downloads, Zak said.

"Austin is just such a booming city right now, it's a great place to launch a technology startup," he said. "We just absolutely love the culture here. It fits well with our team."

RideScout

The mobile app provides a way for users to find the type of ground transportation that fits their needs, including both public and private modes of transportation.

Co-founder and CEO Joseph Kopser said RideScout is one way to meet the need in the community for people who are tired of waiting in traffic and looking for various options to get around the city such as Car2go, bus and cab service.

"Every single American, at one point in their day, week or life, has wished for this app," Kopser said.

The app launched in March and has had more than 2,500 downloads. Kopser said the company is focused on how users interact with the app and is gathering feedback about how to make it better.

"The long-term goal is to improve people's quality of life because we give them options for their mobility," Kopser said.

Kopser said as the program gains more users, he sees the future of the app as a way for people to use their car less, save money on transportation expenses and even encourage less congestion in the city.

RideScout is available for the iOS operating system.