This is a shortlist of the best apps to find flights on your phone, iOS and Android.
Just because booking flights has become more accessible it does not necessary mean it’s becoming simpler, specially if you are very price-sensitive. Finding a cheap flight online is a very useful skill to have nowadays and part of my favorite travel tips and hacks.
The best apps to find cheap flights
I tend to feel lost in the sea of numerous mobile apps out there. There’s just so many travel resources that promise you to save time and money! Finding the most reliable, with accurate pricing and that don’t charge ridiculous hidden fees translate into many hours wasted.
So, and while Google Flights doesn’t have a proper mobile app, I came up with this selection of the best travel apps to find cheap flights on your iOS or Android device.
1Kiwi
Kiwi is a game-changer for flexible travelers. What I like about it is that it uses a powerful search engine that combines flights from airlines that don’t usually cooperate, helping you unlock routes that traditional platforms miss. You can filter by price, travel time, number of stops, and even search with flexible dates or “anywhere” destinations for spontaneous trips on a budget.
Another one of Kiwi’s standout features is the Kiwi Guarantee, which covers missed connections due to delays—great peace of mind when booking separate tickets.
2TravelPerk
TravelPerk is a Barcelona-born startup with a focus on business travel. Apart from a fantastic UX, hey have got a bunch of unique features going on for them.
Flight search engines usually look to book the entire route on either the same airline or airlines with codeshares. One of the coolest features about TravelPerk is that you can bundle different airline tickets under the same trip for a all-in-one experience.
But there’s more – trains are also included! Great if you’re touring Europe for instance and are looking for more environmentally-conscious trips.
Make sure you check out this article on how to find a cheap flight ANYWHERE in the world!
3Momondo
One thing is for sure: Momondo wins the award for the the most colorful app out there.
The start screen presents the departure and arrival airports are visually identified through its IATA code, although it is also possible to choose a city. The visual identity is strengthened in the loading screen, where you can find an image of your destination city.
Within Momondo’s flight results, there are tabs across the top of the screen that let you move between the cheapest, quickest, and best value flight. The results are extremely easy to read and feature all the information you need at a quick glance, including the airline logo and total transit time. When you click on one of the them, you are quickly forwarded to the airline’s website.
Overall, it is a very unique and neat looking app delivering solid results.
4Kayak
I was a heavy user of Kayak a few years ago. The simplicity of its design, the excellent filter and sorting interface and the speed at which you can get a booking done was amazing.
The app also contains a flight tracker, airport gate information and price alerts for any changes. It is even possible to actually finish the booking process within Kayak, without the need to forward for external websites.
5Skiplagged
Now for something more unconventional. Skiplagged brags about finding exclusive travel deals that you can’t find elsewhere. They even claim to have such good deals that United has sued them!
Apart from the features of a traditional flight search engine, they are able to look for loopholes in airfare pricing that can save hundreds of dollars. An example: journeys with two flights that end up being cheaper than direct flights (you can ignore the second leg of the trip).
With their app, you can set alerts for deals and customize it with your interests to show relevant flights and destinations.
6Hopper
Some might not consider Hopper a flight search engine per se, but it can be extremely useful in finding the best timing to buy a flight.
In essence, you track flight prices to a given destination and monitor the price until you find a good deal. You can also generate a color calendar to find the best dates to fly: from green, the cheapest, to red, the most expensive. If you happen to have flexibility on your trip dates, Hopper is a great tool.
Through Hopper, I’ve saved some bucks booking long-haul lights to Thailand, Japan and Vietnam.
Other flight booking apps
Don’t get me wrong, there are much more ways to book flights out there. Google Flights is quick, effective and simple to use but is not yet an app (what are you waiting Google?).
Tips to find cheap flights
Seek your own process of booking a flight, finding out what works and what doesn’t for your most common trips. Read my guide about when to book flights online to get you started and my ultimate cheap flight guide.
Also note the price of the airfare fluctuates considerably depending on the airline, airport, time of the day, day of the week and time of the year, amongst many other factors.
In the end it all comes down to a process of finding the travel app(s) that not only best suit your needs, but also the ones that feel better to use. These are the ones that in the end, will most likely improve your travel experience!
The order of the apps are presented in this article is roughly my personal order or preference. I also add Google Flights to the mix when I’m on my computer. For me, booking a flight nowadays looks like this:
- Start off exploring when and where want to go using Kiwi or Google Flights. Potentially use email alerts to track the price of some destination/date combinations.
- Double check the fares using TravelPerk.
- Choose final date and destination.
- Final price check using the airline’s app or website.
- Book the flight through the most affordable channel.
- Fly!
Make sure you check out this article on how to find a cheap flight ANYWHERE in the world!
Apps to find cheap flights: Other useful reads
- My List of Online Resources For A Smart Travel
- How To Find Cheap Flights Anywhere
- The Best Timings to Buy Flights
Which apps do you use to find cheap flights?
And which ones you don’t recommend?
Looking for cheap flights
My aunt passed away. And need to take my mom for the memorial. My wife is being super cheap. And wants me to find the best deal. Plz help. Email me anytime.
Please call airlines they have bereavement rates and may even be free….
Sorry just noticed date
I used to use Kiwi. No longer.
Now when you try to book, Kiwi goes into used-car-dealer mode, presenting a succession of budget-upping products that slow the booking process. It’s easy to miss a trick and wind up paying for unwanted extras, a la Agoda.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve also used Kiwi before but no more. They have very limited booking conditions and don’t respect the 24-hour grace period, standard in the airline industry. Awful customer experience.
Thanks this is very usefull to me
Great!
Thanks for sharing these tips .It will be very helpful for my next trips.
Glad it was useful to you!
Very good info.
Thank you!
Have you use Jetgo app?
Interesting article. I’m happy with this article
I agree with some of your choices. But no mention of Boots n All/ Airtreks.
This site allows you to tailor your own itinerary including overland legs if one so desires. Currently my favourite.
Anyway as the saying goes, “bon voyage” “God speed” and stay safe wherever you are.
Regards,
Peter.
Want to receive flights price alert
Just read online that Hipmunk no longer exists.
You’re absolutely right!
Just updated the article, thank you! 🙂
Enjoyed reading your post, I was looking for an app where I cold book hotel and flight, and discovered one named ouedoasis:last minute flight and hotel finder
I go home for Thanksgiving and Easter each year and reading all of these advice will help me out on my next’s trips home.
Thank you
I suggest start tracking your flight with Hopper as soon as possible.
Thanks for your input.
We are going to Sacramento May 10 return May 13 to phoenix.
Nice!
How do you book around the world flights?
Try the multi-city option in Kiwi or Skyscanner!
Kiwi is the best. I tried and it was excellent site. thanks for the article.
Agree – they’re great at all levels, really!
Thank you. Great post. I would happily take a look at your posts to prevent unnecessary grammar mistakes like the ones in this article ♡
Thanks, I’m aware of this!
I am really impressed after reading this blog post. I would like to thank you for sharing this amazing post with us and I will share it too.
Thank you!
Great post! I am actually getting ready to across this information, is very helpful my friend. Also great blog here with all of the valuable information you have. Keep up the good work you are doing here.
Thank you 😉
Great article !! really enjoyed reading.
Actually lately I have discovered a great search engine that compares prices from all leading websites (expedia and such)
I randomly searched that website, and actually found the cheapest prices
Its called Porcupine Travel.
Hope it’d help any of you
Thanks for your suggestion David, however I had to remove the URL as I don’t accept it in comments.
Just found your blog today! I absolutely love it.
These are some great suggestions that I’m definitely going to use the next time I travel.
Thanks for your kind words Nick!
This a good app to reserve the flight ticket. It is an easy way to book the flight ticket. I
Never heard of it, will look into it!
Great post!! Thanks for sharing. I often use the “Cheap Flights iRocks” app
Ciao
Enrique
Thanks for the suggestion!
More importantly: Which airlines do not use Skyscanner?
Ryanair does not seem to show up on Skyscanner’s results.