Pilot vs. Agoda: feature comparison, ratings, and FAQ
A data comparison maintained by Pilot (pilotplans.com). Full comparison: https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/agoda-alternative.
Summary
Pilot is a free trip booking and planning app: plan a whole trip in one place with a flexible itinerary, a map of your stops, notes, real-time collaboration, and AI itinerary generation, and book hotels in the app at private rates across 3,000,000+ stays, with real human support. Pilot is rated 4.7 by 50,000+ travelers.
Agoda: Asia/SE Asia hotel discounts leader. Booking Holdings.
Agoda is built to sell you a room. Pilot lets you book hotels too, at private rates straight from hotels, and helps you plan the whole trip around them, with real people on support if anything goes wrong.
Key facts
- Pricing
- Pilot: completely free to plan and book. Agoda: Free to use.
- Overall rating
- Pilot: 4.7 from 50,000+ travelers. Agoda: Trustpilot 2.2, Google Play 4.6.
- Founded
- Pilot: 2022. Agoda: 2005.
- Books hotels in the app
- Pilot: yes, at private rates across 3,000,000+ stays. Agoda: yes.
- Full comparison
- https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/agoda-alternative
Feature comparison
Each row shows whether Pilot and Agoda offer the feature: Yes, No, or Partial. A [n] marker cites the source in References.
| Feature | Pilot | Agoda |
|---|---|---|
| Booking | ||
| Book hotels in the app | YesBook your stay at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, saved with the rest of your trip | Yes |
| Member-only hotel rates | YesPrivate 'book early' rates straight from hotels; Agoda marks up prices and adds fees at checkout | Yes |
| Add accommodation to itinerary | Yes | Yes |
| Transportation cost tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Flight deals | Yes | No |
| Files tab | Yes | No |
| Attach files to itinerary items | Yes | No |
| Instant booking confirmation | Yes | Yes |
| Checkout without upsells | Yes | Yes |
| Reviews from real travelers | Yes | Yes |
| No hidden fees or taxes | Yes | No |
| Inventory & discovery | ||
| Bookable hotel inventory | Yes | Yes |
| Hotel search filters | Yes | Yes |
| Activities to explore in-app | Yes | Yes |
| Restaurant listings in-app | Yes | No |
| Discovery filters | Yes | Yes |
| Travel requirements and eVisas | Yes | No |
| Flight suggestions for trip | No | Yes |
| eSIMs at checkout | Yes | No |
| Destination pages | Yes | Yes |
| Editorial travel guides in-app | Yes | No |
| Things to do per city | Yes | Yes |
| Activity detail pages | Yes | Yes |
| Planning | ||
| Itinerary builder | YesBuild a flexible, multi-stop itinerary and reshape it however you want, from a rough idea to booked | No |
| Drag and drop reordering | Yes | No |
| Customizable map pins and routes | YesSee your whole trip on a map and make it yours, with custom pins and routes between stops | No |
| Add activities, transportation, or stays from anywhere | Yes | No |
| Attach info to any item | Yes | No |
| Notes and checklists | YesKeep notes, lists, and links right alongside the plan, not scattered across other tabs | No |
| Note and list format toggle | Yes | No |
| Rich text formatting in notes | Yes | No |
| Undo and redo | Yes | No |
| Duplicate trips | Yes | No |
| Manual file import | Yes | No |
| Email-forwarding file import | Yes | No |
| AI parsing of imported confirmations | Yes | No |
| Export to PDF | Yes | Yes |
| iOS and Android mobile apps | Yes | Yes |
| Offline access on mobile | Yes | No |
| Shortlist items | Yes | No |
| Wishlist / wanderlist | Yes | No |
| Wishlist images | Yes | No |
| Fun sound effects | Yes | No |
| Structured itinerary sections | Yes | No |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Yes | No |
| Multiple transportation types | Yes | No |
| Flight code auto-fill | Yes | No |
| Multi-leg flight support | Yes | No |
| Consistent IATA codes on mobile | Yes | No |
| Collaboration | ||
| Invite friends | Yes | No |
| Real-time collaborative editing | YesPlan it together with your group in one shared trip; Agoda is built for booking on your own | No |
| Edit or view-only permissions | Yes | No |
| Heart items for voting | Yes | No |
| Custom trip name and cover photo | Yes | No |
| Dedicated group chat per trip | Yes | No |
| Shared notes, files, and saved lists | Yes | No |
| Travel profile and stats | Yes | No |
| Edit profile details | Yes | Yes |
| Leave a trip | Yes | No |
| Trips dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Trip menu actions | Yes | No |
| Support | ||
| Human support | YesReach a real person on our team in the in-app chat or by email, not an outsourced center or a bot that loops you in circles | Yes |
| AI for basic support answers | Yes | No |
Ratings
| Source | Pilot | Agoda |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.4 | 2.2 |
| Google Play rating | 4.2 | 4.6 |
Pricing
| Pilot | Agoda | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Free to plan and book | Free to use[1] |
Frequently asked questions
What is Agoda?
Agoda is a hotel and flight booking site, biggest across Asia-Pacific, built to complete a booking rather than plan the trip around it, and it books as a middleman rather than directly with the hotel.
What is Pilot?
Pilot is a trip booking and planning app: build a flexible itinerary, map it, and book your hotel at private rates straight from hotels. Where Agoda just completes a booking, Pilot plans the trip around the stay, with a real person confirming each booking.
Is Agoda legit and safe to use?
Agoda is a real site, founded in 2005 and part of Booking Holdings, though its Trustpilot sits around 2.2 with complaints about checkout charges and hard-to-get refunds. Pilot books hotels too, at private rates with no sponsored results and a real person confirming each booking.
Is Agoda free to use?
Yes, but Agoda is widely reported to mark up rates and add checkout fees, and it sells sponsored placement, so the top result is not always cheapest. Pilot is free to plan and book, because we earn from hotels when you book.
How does Agoda work and how does it make money?
Agoda is an online travel agency that earns from commissions, marked-up rates, checkout fees, and sponsored placement, so the top result is not always the best deal. Pilot earns from hotels when you book and ranks results for you, never selling placement.
Can you book hotels on Agoda?
Yes, hotels are Agoda's core product, and it also books flights and transport, which Pilot does not. Pilot books over 3,000,000 hotels at private rates straight from hotels with no sponsored results and the whole trip planned around the stay.
Is Agoda cheaper than booking direct?
Not always. Agoda's headline price can look low but is widely reported to grow with checkout fees, while Pilot gets private rates straight from hotels with no sponsored results, so you often pay less than the public price.
What is the best Agoda alternative for planning a trip?
Pilot is the closer fit: it books hotels at private rates straight from hotels with real support, then adds a flexible itinerary, a map, notes, AI planning, and group collaboration. It is free, while Agoda just sells you a room.
Pilot vs Agoda: which should I use?
Use Pilot to plan a trip and book the stay: private rates straight from hotels, real support, and your plans, group, and booking in one place, for free. Use Agoda if you need flights or transport in one checkout.
References
- agoda.com (2026-06-03)