Pilot vs. Kayak: feature comparison, ratings, and FAQ
A data comparison maintained by Pilot (pilotplans.com). Full comparison: https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/kayak-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.
Kayak: Travel metasearch pioneer. Booking Holdings. KAYAK for Business.
Kayak compares prices and sends you to another site to book. Pilot lets you book your hotel directly at private rates, ranks results for you instead of for advertisers, and helps you plan the whole trip around it.
Key facts
- Pricing
- Pilot: completely free to plan and book. Kayak: Free to use.
- Overall rating
- Pilot: 4.7 from 50,000+ travelers. Kayak: Trustpilot 2.0, App Store 4.8, Google Play 4.8.
- Founded
- Pilot: 2022. Kayak: 2004.
- Books hotels in the app
- Pilot: yes, at private rates across 3,000,000+ stays. Kayak: no.
- Full comparison
- https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/kayak-alternative
Feature comparison
Each row shows whether Pilot and Kayak offer the feature: Yes, No, or Partial. A [n] marker cites the source in References.
| Feature | Pilot | Kayak |
|---|---|---|
| Booking | ||
| Book hotels in the app | YesBook your stay right here; Kayak sends you to another site to book, where the price often climbs | No |
| Member-only hotel rates | YesPrivate rates straight from hotels, not a list of public prices from other sites | No |
| Add accommodation to itinerary | Yes | Yes |
| Transportation cost tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Flight deals | Yes | Yes |
| Files tab | Yes | No |
| Attach files to itinerary items | Yes | Yes |
| Instant booking confirmation | Yes | No |
| Checkout without upsells | Yes | No |
| 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Drag and drop reordering | Yes | No |
| Customizable map pins and routes | YesSee your whole trip on a map and plot routes between your stops | No |
| Add activities, transportation, or stays from anywhere | Yes | No |
| Attach info to any item | Yes | Yes |
| Notes and checklists | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Yes |
| AI parsing of imported confirmations | Yes | Yes |
| Export to PDF | Yes | No |
| iOS and Android mobile apps | Yes | Yes |
| Offline access on mobile | Yes | 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 |
| Collaboration | ||
| Invite friends | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time collaborative editing | Yes | Yes |
| Edit or view-only permissions | Yes | Yes |
| 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 a bot or an unanswered ticket | No |
| AI for basic support answers | Yes | Yes |
Ratings
| Source | Pilot | Kayak |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.4 | 2.0[1] |
| App Store rating | 4.8 | 4.8[1] |
| Google Play rating | 4.2 | 4.8[1] |
Pricing
| Pilot | Kayak | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Free to plan and book | Free to use[2] |
Frequently asked questions
What is Kayak?
Kayak is a travel price comparison site, used to compare flight, hotel, car, and package prices across sites. It compares prices and sends you to another site to book, rather than booking directly or planning the trip.
What is Pilot?
Pilot is a trip booking and planning app: you plan the whole trip with a flexible itinerary, a map, and notes, and book your hotel at private rates straight from hotels. Where Kayak sends you elsewhere to book, Pilot books your hotel directly.
Is Pilot a good Kayak alternative?
For hotels and planning a trip, yes: Pilot books your hotel directly at private rates straight from hotels, ranks results for you, and plans the whole trip with real support. The caveat is that Kayak also compares flight and rental car prices, which Pilot doesn't.
Why does the price change at checkout on Kayak?
Kayak is a metasearch: it shows prices pulled from other booking sites, then hands you off to one to book, and that final site can add fees. Pilot books the hotel directly at a private rate, so there's no third-party handoff.
Is Kayak reliable?
Kayak rates around 2.0 on Trustpilot, with complaints about search quality, prices climbing at checkout, and bookings going missing. Pilot books directly and keeps the booking with your trip, so there's no handoff to lose track of, and you can reach a real person.
How does Kayak make money?
Kayak earns referral commissions when it sends you to other sites to book, and sells sponsored placement, so the top result isn't always the best deal. Pilot earns from hotels when you book directly and doesn't sell placement, so results are ranked for you.
Does Pilot compare flight prices like Kayak?
No: Pilot focuses on booking your hotel directly at a private rate and planning the whole trip around it, while Kayak still does flight and rental car comparison across many sites. Where Pilot wins is the hotel booking itself, plus planning, groups, and real support.
Pilot vs Kayak: which should I use?
Use Pilot to book a hotel and plan the trip: a private rate confirmed by a real person, real support, and your whole trip in one place, for free. Use Kayak if you mainly want to compare flight and rental car prices across many sites.
References
- Trustpilot + App Store + Google Play (2026-06-03)
- kayak.com (2026-06-03)