Pilot vs. Trip.com: feature comparison, ratings, and FAQ
A data comparison maintained by Pilot (pilotplans.com). Full comparison: https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/tripcom-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.
Trip.com: Global travel super-app, strongest in Asia. Owns Skyscanner.
Trip.com is 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 no sponsored results pushed at the top.
Key facts
- Pricing
- Pilot: completely free to plan and book. Trip.com: Free to use.
- Overall rating
- Pilot: 4.7 from 50,000+ travelers. Trip.com: Trustpilot 4.4, App Store 4.7, Google Play 4.7.
- Founded
- Pilot: 2022. Trip.com: 1999.
- Books hotels in the app
- Pilot: yes, at private rates across 3,000,000+ stays. Trip.com: yes.
- Full comparison
- https://www.pilotplans.com/compare/tripcom-alternative
Feature comparison
Each row shows whether Pilot and Trip.com offer the feature: Yes, No, or Partial. A [n] marker cites the source in References.
| Feature | Pilot | Trip.com |
|---|---|---|
| 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; Trip.com marks up the prices it shows you | 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 | Yes |
| Flight suggestions for trip | No | Yes |
| eSIMs at checkout | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | YesMap out the whole trip day by day and reshape it however you want, several stops or cities at once | No |
| Drag and drop reordering | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | YesKeep notes, lists, and links right alongside the plan, in note or list format | 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 | Yes | No |
| Export to PDF | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Yes |
| Flight code auto-fill | Yes | No |
| Multi-leg flight support | Yes | No |
| Consistent IATA codes on mobile | Yes | No |
| Collaboration | ||
| Invite friends | Yes | No |
| Real-time collaborative editing | YesPlan it together with your group in one shared trip, editing the same itinerary live | 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 | 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 | Yes |
| Support | ||
| Human support | Yes | Yes |
| AI for basic support answers | Yes | Yes |
Ratings
| Source | Pilot | Trip.com |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| App Store rating | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Google Play rating | 4.2 | 4.7 |
Pricing
| Pilot | Trip.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Free to plan and book | Free to use[1] |
Frequently asked questions
What is Trip.com?
Trip.com is a global online travel agency for booking hotels, flights, and trains worldwide, with strong inventory in Asia, 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 build a flexible itinerary with a map and notes, then book your hotel at private rates straight from hotels. Where Trip.com just completes a booking, Pilot plans the whole trip around the stay and stays free.
Is Trip.com legit and safe to book with?
Yes, Trip.com is a real travel agency founded in 1999 that books hotels, flights, and trains worldwide, though it marks up prices and pushes add-ons at checkout. Pilot books hotels too, at private rates straight from hotels with no sponsored results, and plans the trip.
Is Trip.com free to use?
Trip.com is free to search; you pay when you book, and the price already includes Trip.com's markup, with extras like insurance and eSIMs at checkout. Pilot is free too, earns from hotels when you book, and gives private rates straight from hotels, no sponsored results.
How does Trip.com make money?
Trip.com earns commissions on every booking, marks up the rates it shows, and earns on checkout add-ons like insurance and eSIMs, so its top results aren't always cheapest. Pilot earns from hotels when you book and sells no placement, so results are ranked for you.
Can you book hotels on Trip.com?
Yes, Trip.com books hotels along with flights, trains, buses, and rental cars, none of which Pilot books except hotels. Pilot books over 3,000,000 hotels at private rates straight from hotels rather than marked-up public prices, and plans the whole trip around the stay.
Does Trip.com have hidden fees?
Trip.com marks up the prices it shows and adds extras at checkout like insurance and eSIMs, with fees before you confirm, so the total can climb above the headline. Pilot lets you book at private rates straight from hotels, with no sponsored results during checkout.
Does Trip.com use AI to plan trips?
Trip.com has an AI assistant, TripGenie, that suggests destinations and helps organize a trip, but the experience is built around selling you bookings. Pilot's AI also builds an itinerary in minutes, and what you plan you can book in the app at private hotel rates.
Trip.com vs Pilot: which should I use?
Use Pilot to plan a trip and book the stay: private rates straight from hotels, no sponsored results, and your whole trip in one place, free. Use Trip.com if you need flights, trains, or cars alongside your hotel, or the largest Asia inventory.
References
- trip.com (2026-06-03)