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

Wotif is built to book you a hotel or flight. 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 Wotif
 PilotWotif
Trustpilot rating4.4 ⭐1.2 ⭐
Member-only hotel ratesYesPrivate rates straight from hotels; Wotif marks up prices and adds fees at checkoutYes
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 tripNo
Notes and checklistsYesKeep notes, lists, and links right alongside the planNo
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 Wotif?

Wotif is built to sell you a room. 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 Wotif by category
FeaturePilotWotif
Booking and savings
Member-only hotel ratesYesPrivate rates straight from hotels; Wotif marks up prices and adds fees at checkoutYes
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 an outsourced center or a botYes
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 tripNo
Notes and checklistsYesKeep notes, lists, and links right alongside the planNo

Why use Pilot over Wotif

  • Reason #1

    Private rates straight from hotels

    Wotif 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.

    Learn more →
    Flexible by design
  • Reason #4

    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
  • Reason #5

    Built for the experience, not just search traffic

    Wotif has been around longer and put a lot into pages built to rank in search, which makes it look bigger by traffic. Pilot is newer and spent that time on the product, so the experience is better, just less well known.

    Learn more →
    Built for the experience, not just search traffic

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

Wotif's app rates around 4.6 on the App Store. The picture changes on overall experience: on Trustpilot, which reflects how a company treats its customers, Wotif sits around 1.2, with recurring complaints about charges added at checkout and refunds that are hard to get back, while Pilot is rated 4.7 by 50,000+ travelers and 4.8 on the App Store.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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 Wotif?

Choose Pilot if

  • You want to book at private rates straight from hotels, with real support
  • You want to plan the whole trip, not just book a room
  • You want one place for your plans, your group, and your booking
  • You want it free, with results ranked for you, not for advertisers

Choose Wotif if

  • You're booking flights, a rental car, or a package from Expedia Group's Australia/NZ inventory, which Pilot doesn't do.
  • You specifically want Wotif's Australian 'Mates Rates' stay deals.

Still deciding?

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

What Pilot can do that Wotif can't

  • Build a flexible day-by-day itinerary, not just a booking
  • Map your whole trip and see it all laid out
  • Plan it together with your group in one shared trip
  • Keep your plans, notes, and booking together in one trip

Common questions about Pilot vs. Wotif

What is Wotif?

Wotif is an Australian and New Zealand travel booking site. People use it to book hotels, flights, and packages in Australia and New Zealand. 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 Wotif 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 Wotif legit?

Yes, Wotif is a real travel booking site. It launched in Australia in 2000 and is now part of the Expedia Group, and it books hotels, flights, rental cars, and package deals, with a focus on Australian and New Zealand stays it markets as 'Mates Rates'. The thing to watch is how the company treats customers after you book: Wotif rates around 1.2 on Trustpilot, with recurring complaints about charges added at checkout and refunds that are hard to get back. Pilot is an alternative for the hotel side: it lets you book over 3,000,000 hotels at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, with no sponsored results, and real people on support, and it helps you plan your whole trip around the stay for free.

Is Wotif free to use?

Wotif is free to browse and book on, like most online travel agencies; it earns from the bookings you make, marks up prices, and adds fees at checkout, and it sells sponsored placement so the top result isn't always the best deal for you. Pilot is also free, and stays free because people can book hotels through it, so we earn from hotels rather than charging you to plan. With Pilot you get private 'book early' rates straight from hotels, no sponsored results, plus the whole trip-planning suite at no cost: a flexible itinerary, a map, notes, and real-time group collaboration.

How does Wotif make money?

Wotif earns a commission on every booking and sells sponsored placement to properties that want to rank higher, which is part of why the headline price can be marked up and grow with fees added at checkout. Pilot earns from hotels when you book and doesn't sell placement, so results are ranked for you, not for whoever pays the most, and the planner stays free. You book at a private rate straight from the hotel, pushed at you during checkout.

Can you book hotels on Wotif?

Yes. Booking hotels is Wotif's main purpose, alongside flights, rental cars, and package deals, with a focus on Australian and New Zealand stays. Pilot lets you book hotels too, over 3,000,000 of them, right in the app, but at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, and the booking lives with the rest of your trip. The differences: Pilot lets you reserve your room instantly with its hotel partners, with a real person confirming each booking with the hotel, and helps you plan the whole trip around the stay. Wotif also books flights and cars, which Pilot does not.

Does Wotif charge fees or mark up prices?

Wotif marks up the prices it shows and is reported to add fees at checkout, like service or booking fees that weren't obvious up front, and it sells sponsored placement to properties that pay to rank higher. Pilot lets you book your stay at a private rate straight from the hotel, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, with no sponsored results. Pilot does earn from hotels when you book, which is how the planner stays free, but you see results ranked for you rather than for whoever pays the most.

Is Pilot a good Wotif alternative?

Yes, for the hotel side, with one honest caveat. Pilot lets you book hotels like Wotif does, but at private rates straight from hotels, with no sponsored results, and with real people on support instead of an outsourced center or a bot. On top of booking, Pilot helps you plan your whole trip: a flexible day-by-day itinerary, a map, notes, and real-time collaboration with your group, which Wotif doesn't do. The caveat: Wotif also books flights, rental cars, and package deals from the Expedia Group inventory, and offers flight price and delay alerts, so if you need those in one app it still has a role. For planning a trip and booking the stay, Pilot does more, for free.

Pilot vs Wotif: 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 plans, the group, and the booking, in one place, for free. Use Wotif if you need flights, rental cars, and package deals from the Expedia Group inventory in the same app, or you specifically want its Australian and New Zealand 'Mates Rates' deals, and you are willing to accept the markups, checkout fees, and a Trustpilot score around 1.2 that tend to come with it.

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