Pilot vs. Orbitz: feature comparison, ratings, and FAQ
A data comparison maintained by Pilot (pilotplans.com). Full comparison: https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/orbitz-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.
Orbitz: US OTA with Orbucks rewards. Expedia Group.
Orbitz is an Expedia Group site built to sell you a booking. 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. Orbitz: Free to use.
- Overall rating
- Pilot: 4.7 from 50,000+ travelers. Orbitz: Trustpilot 1.3, App Store 4.8, Google Play 4.8.
- Founded
- Pilot: 2022. Orbitz: 2000.
- Books hotels in the app
- Pilot: yes, at private rates across 3,000,000+ stays. Orbitz: yes.
- Full comparison
- https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/orbitz-alternative
Feature comparison
Each row shows whether Pilot and Orbitz offer the feature: Yes, No, or Partial. A [n] marker cites the source in References.
| Feature | Pilot | Orbitz |
|---|---|---|
| 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, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, often below the public price; Orbitz's price can climb with fees added at checkout | No |
| Add accommodation to itinerary | Yes | Yes |
| Transportation cost tracking | Yes | No |
| 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 | Yes |
| Things to do per city | Yes | Yes |
| Activity detail pages | Yes | No |
| 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, with pins and routes you make your own | 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 | 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 | YesPlan it together with your group in one shared trip, no endless text or email threads | 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 | Yes |
| Shared notes, files, and saved lists | Yes | Yes |
| Travel profile and stats | Yes | No |
| Edit profile details | Yes | Yes |
| Leave a trip | Yes | No |
| Trips dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Trip menu actions | Yes | Yes |
| Support | ||
| Human support | YesReach a real person on our team in the in-app chat or by email, not an outsourced call center or a bot that loops you in circles | Yes |
| AI for basic support answers | Yes | No |
Ratings
| Source | Pilot | Orbitz |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.4 | 1.3 |
| App Store rating | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Google Play rating | 4.2 | 4.8 |
Pricing
| Pilot | Orbitz | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Free to plan and book | Free to use[1] |
Frequently asked questions
What is Orbitz?
Orbitz is a travel booking site with rewards, used to book hotels, flights, and cars and earn Orbucks. It is 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: a flexible itinerary, a map, and notes, plus your hotel booked in the app at private rates straight from hotels. Where Orbitz completes a booking, Pilot plans the trip around the stay and keeps the planner free.
Is Orbitz legit?
Yes, Orbitz is a real online travel agency launched in 2001 and owned by Expedia Group, though it sits around 1.3 on Trustpilot, with complaints about prices that climb at checkout. Pilot is a smaller, hotel-focused option booking at private rates with no sponsored results.
Is Orbitz free to use?
Yes, Orbitz is free to book, the same as Pilot, but it sells sponsored placement, so the top result isn't always the best deal and the price can grow with fees at checkout. Pilot never sells placement, so results are ranked for you.
How does Orbitz make money?
Orbitz earns commissions on what it books and sells sponsored placement to properties that want to rank higher, so the top result isn't always cheapest. Pilot earns from hotels when you book and doesn't sell placement, so results are ranked for you.
Can you book hotels on Orbitz?
Yes, hotels are one of the main things Orbitz does, alongside flights, rental cars, and cruises. Pilot books over 3,000,000 hotels at private rates with no sponsored results, but hotels only, so use Orbitz to bundle a flight or car.
Does Orbitz charge hidden fees?
Orbitz is widely reported to show a headline price that climbs at checkout once taxes and fees are added, part of why it sits around 1.3 on Trustpilot. Pilot lets you book at a private rate from the hotel, with a real person to help.
Is Orbitz worth it?
To bundle a flight, car, or cruise and earn Orbucks, Orbitz has the inventory, as long as you accept prices that climb at checkout (a big reason for its 1.3 Trustpilot score). For a good hotel rate, Pilot offers private rates and real support, free.
Orbitz vs Pilot: which should I use?
Use Pilot to plan a trip and book the stay: private rates straight from hotels, real support, and your whole trip in one free place, though Pilot books hotels only. Use Orbitz to bundle flights, cars, or cruises and earn Orbucks.
References
- orbitz.com (2026-06-03)