Pilot vs. RedTag in 2026: Which should you use?

Red Tag is built to book you a vacation package, flight, or hotel. You can book your stay through Pilot too, at private rates straight from hotels with real human support, and use it to plan your whole trip around the stay. Here is how they compare side by side.

Summary comparison of Pilot and RedTag
 PilotRedTag
Trustpilot rating4.4 ⭐1.6 ⭐
Book hotels in the appYesBook your stay at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, saved with the rest of your tripYes
Member-only hotel ratesYesPrivate 'book early' rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, often below the public price; RedTag marks up its rates and adds fees at checkoutNo
Itinerary builderYesBuild a flexible, multi-stop itinerary and reshape it however you want, from a rough idea to bookedNo
Customizable map pins and routesYesSee your whole trip on a map and make it yoursNo
Real-time collaborative editingYesPlan it together with your group in one shared trip, with everyone editing at onceNo
Pilot leads in all 5 shown2 more in the full comparison

Rated by 50,000+ travelers

  • 4.7
  • 4.8
  • 4.2
  • 4.4

As featured in

  • TechCrunch
  • WIRED
  • Washington Post
  • Forbes
  • Yahoo Finance
  • Morningstar
  • Vancouver Tech Journal

How does Pilot compare to RedTag?

RedTag is built to sell flights, sun packages, and hotel deals. 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.

Feature comparison of Pilot and RedTag by category
FeaturePilotRedTag
Booking and savings
Member-only hotel ratesYesPrivate 'book early' rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, often below the public price; RedTag marks up its rates and adds fees at checkoutNo
Book hotels in the appYesBook your stay at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, saved with the rest of your tripYes
Human supportYesReach a real person on our team in the in-app chat or by email, not a phone queue or a ticket inboxYes
Planning the whole trip
Itinerary builderYesBuild a flexible, multi-stop itinerary and reshape it however you want, from a rough idea to bookedNo
Customizable map pins and routesYesSee your whole trip on a map and make it yoursNo
Real-time collaborative editingYesPlan it together with your group in one shared trip, with everyone editing at onceNo
Notes and checklistsYesKeep notes, lists, and links right alongside the planNo

Why use Pilot over RedTag

  • Reason #1

    Private rates straight from hotels

    RedTag marks up prices, buries the checkout in fees and add-ons, and sells sponsored placement to whoever pays the most. With Pilot you get private 'book early' rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, so you often pay less than the public price, with no sponsored results.

    Learn more →
    Private rates straight from hotels
  • Reason #2

    Plan, save, and book in one place

    Plan, save, and book in one place. Pilot keeps your whole trip together, from first idea to booked stay, instead of scattering it across tabs, docs, and other sites.

    Learn more →
    Plan, save, and book in one place
  • Reason #3

    Flexible by design

    Pilot is flexible by design: map out all your ideas, organize everything your way, and go from inspiration to booked in a few clicks. Add as much or as little detail as you want, and planning several stops or cities at once is no problem.

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    Flexible by design
  • Reason #4

    Simple and fun, never overwhelming

    Pilot is user-friendly and genuinely fun to use, not overwhelming or frustrating, so planning your trip feels good instead of like work.

    Learn more →
    Simple and fun, never overwhelming
  • Reason #5

    Real people, when you need them

    Behind Pilot there are real people. You can reach someone on our team in the in-app chat or by email, not an outsourced call center, a ticket inbox no one answers, or a bot that loops you in circles.

    Learn more →
    Real people, when you need them

What do users say about Pilot (vs. RedTag)?

RedTag is a Canadian deals brand that has been around since 2004, so the name is widely recognized. The picture changes on overall experience: on Trustpilot, which reflects how a company treats its customers after they pay, RedTag sits around 1.6, with recurring complaints about service when a booking goes wrong, while Pilot is rated 4.7 by 50,000+ travelers who point to having everything in one place, planning together without endless group chats, and support that steps in when something comes up.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nice consolidation tool for travel plan, tickets, etc. Me and my daughter can share a travel plan, and add the whole itinerary, with pre-booked tickets, daily excursion plans, etc. It makes organisation of the trip incredibly easy and all information between travelers are shared
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Went to Amsterdam for the first time. Loved having all the trip details located in one spot on my phone - maps, hotel, air, event tickets. I was able to to go the app and all the QR codes were right there. Also being able to share the app so we could each put in details was a great feature.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
His support was wonderful. Went extra mile to support us and getting us accommodated with the hotel. Really appreciate it. 5 stars service !!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
trustpilot logo
The Pilot Customer team is great. We had a minor issue with the hotel, and the Pilot team went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of well.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
trustpilot logo
First Pilot App Trip Used the Pilot app for a trip to Amsterdam and it was a great tool! We had our full itinerary with websites, tickets, hotel and air schedules. It was shareable so we could collaborate while planning. It's also printable in case of phone issues. The map function was great in planning to help us decide what to do each day and what area we would be in. Will definitely be using it again for future trips.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How disappointed would you be if you could no longer use Pilot?: Very Disappointed. What is the main benefit you get from Pilot?: Centralised planning for family
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I travel regularly for both work and for fun, and Pilot really helps me stay organised, ensures I don't miss anything and gives me a constant point of reference to come back to for the various details required both before and during travel. When I'm travelling with friends, being able to invite them into the trip and see all of the details that I would normally have to send to them in a god send! Apart from the practical side, the visual experience is very nice and adds a great touch to trip planning.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
trustpilot logo
Great way to keep your trip organized! Helpful planning tools and easy to use!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ios logo
AI trip planner & flight deals Like notion and Google ads, perfect for planing your trip and being assisted by AI for amazing recommendations

Should you choose Pilot or RedTag?

Choose Pilot if

  • You want to book hotels at private rates straight from hotels, with real support
  • You want to plan the whole trip, not just buy a deal and organize it elsewhere
  • You want one place for your plans, your group, and your hotel booking
  • You want it free, with results ranked for you, not sold to whoever pays the most

Choose RedTag if

  • You want a Canadian all-inclusive package with flights, hotel, and transfers bundled, which Pilot doesn't do.
  • You want to pay a package off later in installments.

Still deciding?

Plan a trip in Pilot for free and see how it compares for yourself.

What Pilot can do that RedTag can't

  • Book hotels at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents
  • Build a flexible day-by-day itinerary, not just hold a booking
  • Map your whole trip and see every stop laid out
  • Plan it together with your group in one shared trip
  • Keep your plans, notes, and booking together in one place

Common questions about Pilot vs. RedTag

What is RedTag?

RedTag is a Canadian vacation package booking site. People use it to book all-inclusive Canadian vacation packages. 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. You plan the whole trip in one place, a flexible itinerary, a map of your stops, and notes, and you book your hotel in the app at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents. Where RedTag completes a booking, Pilot plans the whole trip around the stay, instantly reserves your room with its hotel partners and has a real person confirm each booking with the hotel, and keeps the planner free.

Is RedTag legit?

RedTag (RedTag.ca) is a real Canadian online travel agency that has operated since 2004, selling discount flights, all-inclusive sun packages, hotels, and car rentals. It is a recognizable Canadian deals brand. That said, RedTag rates around 1.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with recurring complaints about customer service when a booking needs to be changed or goes wrong, so 'legit' and 'easy to deal with after you pay' are two different things. Pilot is an alternative for the hotel side of a trip: it lets you book over 3,000,000 hotels in-app at private rates straight from hotels, and you can always reach a real person on our team in the in-app chat or by email if something comes up.

Is RedTag free to use?

Browsing and booking on RedTag is free in the sense that you do not pay a membership fee; RedTag makes its money from the flights, packages, hotels, and rentals it sells, including markups and fees added at checkout. Pilot is also free to use, and free is the whole point: there is no paywall on the planning tools, because Pilot earns from hotels when you book, not from charging you to plan. With Pilot you also get private 'book early' rates straight from hotels, no sponsored results pushed at you on the way to paying.

How does RedTag make money?

RedTag is an online travel agency, so it earns by selling travel: commissions and margin on flights, all-inclusive packages, hotels, and car rentals, plus fees that can appear at checkout, and it offers pay-later installment options on bookings. Because an agency profits from what it sells you, the deal shown first is not always the best one for you. Pilot earns from hotels when you book and does not sell sponsored placement, so hotel results are ranked for you rather than for whoever pays the most, and the planner stays free.

Can you book hotels on RedTag?

Yes. Alongside flights and sun packages, RedTag books hotels and car rentals. Pilot also books hotels, over 3,000,000 of them, right in the app, but the difference is how and where: Pilot lets you book at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, and the booking lives with the rest of your trip instead of being a standalone deal. RedTag marks up its hotel rates and can add fees at checkout, and it is built mainly to sell the booking, not to plan the trip around it. One honest note: Pilot lets you book hotels only, so if you need a flight or rental car in the same checkout, RedTag still has a role.

Is RedTag worth it for hotels?

RedTag can surface a hotel deal, but it is a packaged-travel and flight site at heart, the hotel rate can carry a markup and checkout fees, and its 1.6 Trustpilot score points to a hard time when a booking needs help. If hotels are the part of the trip you care about, Pilot is built for exactly that: private rates straight from hotels, no sponsored results, real human support, and a full day-by-day planner, a map of your trip, and group collaboration, all free. If you are buying a flight-plus-hotel sun package as one bundle, RedTag is the kind of site set up for that bundle.

How does RedTag work?

On RedTag you search for flights, all-inclusive packages, hotels, or car rentals, compare the deals it surfaces, and book through RedTag, which acts as the agency between you and the airline, hotel, or resort; you can often pay later in installments. Pilot works differently because it is a trip planner first and a hotel booker second: you build a flexible itinerary, map your stops, plan it with your group in real time, and book your hotel in-app at private rates straight from hotels, so planning and booking the stay happen in one place rather than being researched on one site and booked on another.

RedTag 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, the plan, the map, the group, and the hotel booking, in one place, for free. Use RedTag if your trip is really a flight or an all-inclusive sun package with the hotel bundled in, or you want a flight and a rental car in the same checkout and are happy to pay it off in installments. For planning the trip and booking the hotel, Pilot does more, with rates straight from hotels and real people on support; for bundled flights, packages, and cars, RedTag covers inventory Pilot does not sell.

Plan your next trip with Pilot

Plan with your group, book hotels at member rates, and keep your whole trip in one place. Completely free.

Last updated: 
June 5, 2026