Pilot vs. Citymapper: feature comparison, ratings, and FAQ
A data comparison maintained by Pilot (pilotplans.com). Full comparison: https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/citymapper-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.
Citymapper: City transit and navigation app. Via Transportation owned.
Citymapper is built to navigate one city. Pilot keeps your whole trip in one place, lets everyone plan it together, and lets you book your stays at private hotel rates instead of stopping at directions.
Key facts
- Pricing
- Pilot: completely free to plan and book. Citymapper: Free / $1.49/mo / $9.99/yr (Club).
- Overall rating
- Pilot: 4.7 from 50,000+ travelers. Citymapper: Trustpilot 2.8, App Store 4.3, Google Play 4.7.
- Founded
- Pilot: 2022. Citymapper: 2011.
- Books hotels in the app
- Pilot: yes, at private rates across 3,000,000+ stays. Citymapper: no.
- Full comparison
- https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/citymapper-alternative
Feature comparison
Each row shows whether Pilot and Citymapper offer the feature: Yes, No, or Partial. A [n] marker cites the source in References.
| Feature | Pilot | Citymapper |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation | ||
| Public transit routing | Yes | Yes |
| Live transit departure times | No | Yes |
| Cycling routes | Yes | Yes |
| Walking directions | Yes | Yes |
| Driving directions | Yes | Yes |
| Offline map download | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-stop route optimization | Partial | No |
| Attractions along driving route | No | No |
| Maps | ||
| Map view of itinerary | YesSee your whole trip on a map, every stay, activity, and stop, not just directions between two points | No |
| Add items from map | YesTap a place on the map to drop it straight into your itinerary | No |
| Routes tool | YesPlot routes between your stops and see the distance by walking, driving, or transit, kept right in your plan; Citymapper routes you live, but in a separate app from your trip | Yes |
| Reorder route stops | YesReorder the stops to reshape the route, then add them to your plan | No |
| Dynamic map search | Yes | No |
| Planning | ||
| Itinerary builder | YesMap out every idea and reshape the plan however you want, from a rough idea to a booked trip; Citymapper does not build a trip itinerary | No |
| Drag and drop reordering | Yes | No |
| Customizable map pins and routes | Yes | No |
| Add activities, transportation, or stays from anywhere | Yes | No |
| Attach info to any item | Yes | No |
| Notes and checklists | Yes | 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 | YesForward a booking confirmation and its details are added to your itinerary automatically | No |
| Export to PDF | Yes | No |
| iOS and Android mobile apps | Yes | Yes |
| Offline access on mobile | YesYour whole trip, the itinerary, notes, and map of pinned places, is available offline, not just the city transit map | Yes |
| 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 |
Ratings
| Source | Pilot | Citymapper |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.4 | 2.8 |
| App Store rating | 4.8 | 4.3 |
| Google Play rating | 4.2 | 4.7 |
Pricing
| Pilot | Citymapper | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Free to plan and book | Free / $1.49/mo / $9.99/yr (Club) |
Frequently asked questions
What is Citymapper?
Citymapper is a transit and navigation app for public-transit, cycling, and walking directions within a city rather than planning or booking the trip.
What is Pilot?
Pilot is a trip booking and planning app: build a flexible itinerary, map it, keep notes, plan with your group, and book your hotel at private rates straight from hotels. Where Citymapper handles getting around a city, Pilot plans and books the whole trip.
Is Pilot a good Citymapper alternative?
Citymapper gives live transit, cycling, and walking directions inside a city, so if all you want is to get around one city, it does that. Pilot covers a larger job: building the whole itinerary with your group and booking your hotel at private rates, free.
Is Citymapper free?
Citymapper has a free tier covering its core transit directions and live departures, and sells Citymapper Club, around 1.49 dollars a month, which mainly removes ads. Pilot is free to plan and book, with the full planner and in-app hotel booking included.
How does Citymapper work?
Citymapper routes you inside one city with live departures, disruption alerts, and offline subway maps, but it does not build an itinerary or book hotels. Pilot works at the trip level: build a day-by-day itinerary, plan with friends, and book your stay.
Can you book hotels in Citymapper?
No, Citymapper is a navigation app that routes you between places in a city and does not book hotels. Pilot books over 3,000,000 hotels in the app at private rates straight from hotels, alongside the rest of your trip, with a real person to help.
How does Citymapper make money?
Citymapper earns mainly from Citymapper Club, its subscription at around 1.49 dollars a month, and historically from transit-related products. Pilot earns from hotels when you book a stay through the app, which is why the planner, group collaboration, and the map all stay free.
Is Citymapper worth it?
For live transit directions inside a city, Citymapper does that job, though it sits around 2.8 on Trustpilot and only covers getting around one city, with no trip planning or stays to book. Pilot does all that, rated 4.7 by 50,000+ travelers, and is free.
Citymapper vs Pilot: which should I use?
Use Citymapper if you only need transit, cycling, and walking directions inside a single city. Use Pilot to plan and book the whole trip: a flexible itinerary you build with your group, a map of every stay, and hotel booking at private rates, for free.