Pilot vs. Roadtrippers: feature comparison, ratings, and FAQ
A data comparison maintained by Pilot (pilotplans.com). Full comparison: https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/roadtrippers-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.
Roadtrippers: Road trip planning with routing + POI surfacing. Roadpass Digital.
Both plan trips with maps and routes. Pilot keeps planning free, lets you book your stays at private hotel rates instead of sending you to other sites, and works for any trip, not just a drive.
Key facts
- Pricing
- Pilot: completely free to plan and book. Roadtrippers: Free / Basic $35.99/yr, Pro $49.99/yr, Premium $59.99/yr.
- Overall rating
- Pilot: 4.7 from 50,000+ travelers. Roadtrippers: Trustpilot 2.8, App Store 4.7, Google Play 4.0.
- Founded
- Pilot: 2022. Roadtrippers: 2011.
- Books hotels in the app
- Pilot: yes, at private rates across 3,000,000+ stays. Roadtrippers: yes.
- Full comparison
- https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/roadtrippers-alternative
Feature comparison
Each row shows whether Pilot and Roadtrippers offer the feature: Yes, No, or Partial. A [n] marker cites the source in References.
| Feature | Pilot | Roadtrippers |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | ||
| Itinerary builder | YesFlexible by design: map out every idea and reshape the plan however you want, from a rough idea to booked | Yes |
| Drag and drop reordering | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable map pins and routes | YesSee the whole trip on a map and make it yours, not only a single driving route | Yes |
| Add activities, transportation, or stays from anywhere | YesDrop in a flight, a train, a stay, or anything else; Roadtrippers is built around driving stops, so it does not capture other trip pieces the same way | No |
| Attach info to any item | Yes | Yes |
| Notes and checklists | YesKeep notes, lists, and links right alongside the plan, with a note and list toggle and rich text | 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 | YesForward a confirmation and Pilot files it on your trip; Roadtrippers has no email-in import | No |
| AI parsing of imported confirmations | YesForward a booking confirmation and its details are added to your itinerary automatically | No |
| Export to PDF | YesFree in Pilot; Roadtrippers gates much of its planning, including features like this, behind a paid plan (from about $36/yr) | Yes |
| iOS and Android mobile apps | Yes | Yes |
| Offline access on mobile | YesFree in Pilot; Roadtrippers keeps offline maps behind its top paid tier (Premium, about $60/yr) | 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 | Yes |
| Dedicated group chat per trip | Yes | No |
| 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 |
| Maps | ||
| Map view of itinerary | Yes | Yes |
| Add items from map | Yes | Yes |
| Routes tool | Yes | Yes |
| Reorder route stops | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic map search | Yes | Yes |
| AI | ||
| AI itinerary generator | Yes | Yes |
| AI activity suggestions | Yes | Yes |
| AI planning with filters | Yes | Yes |
| Booking | ||
| Book hotels in the app | Yes | Yes |
| Member-only hotel rates | YesPrivate deals straight from hotels, the kind usually saved for travel agents, across 3,000,000+ stays; Roadtrippers does not have member rates | No |
| Add accommodation to itinerary | YesAdd your stay and book it in the same place, at private rates, instead of leaving to book on another site | 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 | No |
| Checkout without upsells | Yes | No |
| Reviews from real travelers | Yes | Yes |
| No hidden fees or taxes | Yes | No |
| Budgeting | ||
| Trip budget tracker | Partial | Yes |
| Per-person cost split | Partial | No |
| In-trip expense logging | Yes | No |
| Group expense splitting | No | No |
Ratings
| Source | Pilot | Roadtrippers |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.4 | 2.8 |
| App Store rating | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Google Play rating | 4.2 | 4.0 |
Pricing
| Pilot | Roadtrippers | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Free to plan and book | Free / Basic $35.99/yr, Pro $49.99/yr, Premium $59.99/yr |
Frequently asked questions
What is Roadtrippers?
Roadtrippers is a road trip planning app used to map a driving route with stops and attractions. It organizes an itinerary, but you book your stays on other sites and some features sit behind a paid plan.
What is Pilot?
Pilot is a trip booking and planning app where you plan the whole trip and book your hotel at private rates, the kind usually reserved for travel agents. Where Roadtrippers organizes a trip you book elsewhere, Pilot keeps planning free and books the stay too.
Is Roadtrippers legit?
Yes, Roadtrippers is a real road-trip planner from 2011 that maps driving routes and surfaces attractions and fuel stops, with paid tiers from about 36 dollars yearly, though Trustpilot sits near 2.8. Pilot is also a real, independent planner booking stays at private rates.
Is Roadtrippers free?
Roadtrippers has a free tier for basic routes, but gates longer routes, offline maps, and live traffic behind paid tiers from about 36 dollars yearly. Pilot is completely free to plan, including offline, and adds in-app hotel booking at private rates Roadtrippers does not offer.
How does Roadtrippers work?
You set start and end points, and Roadtrippers maps a driving route with attractions and fuel stops to add, then links out to book. Pilot is a flexible planner for any trip, where you add stops from anywhere and book your hotel at private rates.
How does Roadtrippers make money?
Roadtrippers makes money mainly from paid subscriptions, from about 36 dollars yearly, and referral commissions when it sends you elsewhere to book. Pilot is free because it earns from hotels when you book, so the whole planner stays free, with results ranked for you.
Can you book hotels in Roadtrippers?
Roadtrippers shows hotels along your route but links you out to other sites to book, with no member rates of its own. Pilot books over 3,000,000 hotels at private rates straight from hotels saved with your trip, while flights link out via Skyscanner.
Is Roadtrippers worth it?
Roadtrippers can be worth it if your trip is strictly a drive and you want tools like optimized routes, fuel-stop planning, and CarPlay. To plan any trip and book your stay at private hotel rates in one place, Pilot does more without the paywall.
Roadtrippers vs Pilot: which should I use?
Use Pilot for a flexible planner for any trip that keeps the basics free and books stays at private hotel rates. Roadtrippers fits the narrow case where your trip is purely a drive and you are fine paying yearly and booking hotels separately.