“Trip planning app” can mean three things: a place to save ideas, an organizer for your bookings, or a planner that builds the days for you. Most lists of the best apps mix them up.
We make SwipeSights, one of the apps below, so we have tried to be fair: everything about the other apps comes from their own sites, help pages and store listings, checked on October 24, 2026. Where another app does something better than we do, we say so.
Which trip planning app should I use?
Friends deciding together, with the plan built for you
SwipeSights
One person building a detailed plan
Wanderlog
Bookings are made and you want them tidy
TripIt
Saving and sharing places, for free
Google Maps
A road trip in the USA or Canada
Roadtrippers
A free AI plan from reviews
Tripadvisor
Many stops, where the route matters
Stippl
Tracking the trip and sharing it with family
Polarsteps
What should a trip planning app do?
- Build the plan, or only hold it: some apps suggest places and arrange the days; others store what you add.
- Put each day in order: a day in the wrong order means walking back and forth across the city.
- Plan around opening hours: many apps show the hours; few plan the day around them.
- Let a group decide: sharing a plan is not the same as everyone having a say in it.
- Work offline, and say what is free: the limit you hit first matters more than the price.
What is each trip planning app best at?
SwipeSights
Full disclosure: we make this one. SwipeSights is a trip planner built for going with other people. Everyone picks the places they like from real places in the city, on their own phone, and the app builds the days from those picks. It works for a trip on your own too.
It does for you
- Builds the plan from the picks: which places make it, and which day each one goes on
- Puts each day in the shortest walking order, timed around opening hours, with lunch and dinner near the stops
- Shows what everyone loved, place by place
- Ranks hotels by how far you would walk to the plan; tickets, tours and flights from the plan
You do yourself
- Choose the city and dates, and invite the group
- Book what you want to book
Price: Free: unlimited trips, the plan opens 3 days, groups of up to 3. Trip Pass from $12.99 or Year Pass from $29.99: every day, groups of up to 20, multi-city, offline and a PDF.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Trips with friends where everyone should have a say, and the plan built for you.
Wanderlog
Wanderlog is a day-by-day itinerary and a map in one shared document, with no limit on how many people plan with you. It is one of the most complete planners around.
It does for you
- AI can fill your days with top-rated places
- Shows the time and distance between places, and opening hours on each place
- Route optimization on Pro: up to 15 places in one day, in the order that saves the most travel time
- A budget with expense tracking and bill splitting
You do yourself
- Pick the places and drag them into days
- Book stays and transport elsewhere, then add the reservations
Price: Free: unlimited trips, co-editing and budgeting. Pro $39.99 a year on its site (store prices vary) adds route optimization and full offline access.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: One organized person building a detailed plan the group can follow and edit. Wanderlog’s site
TripIt
TripIt organizes trips you have already booked. Forward your confirmation emails, or let it read your inbox, and it builds one itinerary of flights, hotels and reservations.
It does for you
- One itinerary from your bookings, synced to your calendar and shared with whoever you choose
- Offline access to your plans, free
- Pro adds real-time flight alerts, a seat tracker and fare refund monitoring
You do yourself
- Decide what to do and where to go
- Book everything yourself: TripIt does not plan sights
Price: Free; Pro $49 a year, with a 30-day free trial.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Frequent flyers keeping booked travel in one place. TripIt’s site
Google Maps
Not a trip planner as such, but its saved lists double as one: save places, add notes, share a list or let friends add to it, and download the area for offline use.
It does for you
- Lists of places you can share, or let others edit
- Opening hours, popular times and an Open now filter on places
- Directions with up to 9 stops, in the order you set
- Ask Maps, in the U.S. and India only, can suggest a multi-stop itinerary
You do yourself
- Save each place, split them into days and decide the order: lists have no days or times
- Book each thing with its provider
Price: Free, with no paid plan.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Saving, sharing and getting to places, on any trip. Google Maps’s site
Roadtrippers
Roadtrippers is a road trip planner for the USA and Canada: map a route, add stops, and find campgrounds and things to see along the way.
It does for you
- Suggests places along your route
- Orders the stops efficiently as you add them, with RV-safe routing
- Autopilot, an AI trip builder, on Premium
You do yourself
- Choose and add each stop
- Book campgrounds and hotels; plan the time in each city
Price: Free: 1 trip with up to 3 stops. Basic $35.99, Pro $49.99 or Premium $59.99 a year, with more trips and up to 150 stops. Collaboration is on Pro and Premium.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Long drives and RV trips in the USA and Canada. Roadtrippers’s site
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor’s Trips turns your saves into an itinerary, and its AI assistant builds a plan from a chat, both free.
It does for you
- A free AI planner that builds a day-by-day plan from your dates, travelers and answers
- Plans drawn from its reviews, saved into Trips
- Share an itinerary or collaborate with friends
You do yourself
- Review and edit the plan, and arrange days by hand
- Book through its links or the provider
Price: Free. An account is needed to save trips.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Turning reviews and saves into a rough itinerary. Tripadvisor’s site
Stippl
Stippl is a route and day planner with co-planning built in: unlimited co-planners on the free plan, a budget and a travel journal.
It does for you
- AI builds an itinerary, each day shaped into morning, afternoon and evening: the first one free, unlimited on Pro
- AI route optimization on Pro: the order that sees everything
- Co-planners can view, suggest and edit; expenses are split for free
You do yourself
- Plan the route and the days yourself, hour by hour
- Book stays elsewhere, or in the app
Price: Free plan; Pro from €4.99 a month (varies by country).
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Multi-stop trips where the route between places matters most. Stippl’s site
Tripomatic
Tripomatic, called Sygic Travel until 2024, plans trips day by day on a map, with a large database of places and an AI assistant.
It does for you
- Places with opening hours and local tips
- Routes between your stops, with a sensible way to travel each one
- Plan together in real time from one shared link, free
You do yourself
- Pick places and drag them into days
- Book stays and tickets elsewhere
Price: Free with ads: up to 5 planned days a month and 25 places a trip. Premium from $3.99 a month or $23.99 a year on the U.S. App Store, with offline maps.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Planning city days on a map with places and routes. Tripomatic’s site
Polarsteps
Polarsteps is best known for tracking your route as you travel and turning the trip into a map, and a printed book if you want one. It plans too.
It does for you
- A free AI trip planner that asks who is coming, your style and how long
- Records your route on its own, even without a connection
- Up to 5 travel buddies can edit a trip for free (10 on Plus)
You do yourself
- Edit the plan and arrange the route by hand
- Book stays and transport
Price: Free; Polarsteps Plus €8.99 a month or €29.99 a year (varies by region) adds 3D maps and more buddies.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Recording a long trip and sharing it with family. Polarsteps’s site
KAYAK Trips
KAYAK Trips is a free itinerary built from the confirmation emails you forward, whatever site you booked on.
It does for you
- One itinerary of your flights, stays and bookings, with flight alerts
- Share a trip to view, or let someone edit it
- Key details offline in the app
You do yourself
- Book everything and forward each confirmation
- Add activities by hand
Price: Free.
Works on: iPhone, Android and the web
Best for: Keeping booked flights and hotels in one shared itinerary, for free. KAYAK Trips’s site
Tripsy
Tripsy is a trip organizer for Apple devices that keeps flights, stays, activities, documents and expenses in one itinerary.
It does for you
- Builds the itinerary from forwarded reservations (email forwarding is Pro)
- Travel times and distances between activities
- Invite people to edit or follow along; the itinerary works offline
You do yourself
- Choose what to do, book it elsewhere and add each reservation
- Use iPhone, iPad or Mac: there is no Android app, and the web only views trips
Price: Free; Pro $59 a year or $299 for life on its site.
Works on: iPhone, iPad and Mac; view-only on the web
Best for: iPhone and Mac users organizing booked trips in one place. Tripsy’s site
What about TripCase and Google Trips? Older lists still recommend them, but both have shut down: TripCase on April 1, 2025, and Google Trips in 2019.
How do trip planning apps compare side by side?
| App | Works on | Builds the plan | Orders the day | Opening hours | For groups | Offline | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SwipeSights | iPhone, Android, web | Yes, from everyone’s picks | Yes, shortest walking order | Each stop timed around them | Everyone picks; split costs | Premium | Yes (plan opens 3 days) |
| Wanderlog | iPhone, Android, web | AI fills days | Pro, up to 15 places a day | Shown on places | Co-editing, bill splitting | Full offline on Pro | Yes |
| TripIt | iPhone, Android, web | From your bookings | No | Not listed | Share plans | Free | Yes |
| Google Maps | iPhone, Android, web | Ask Maps (U.S., India) | By hand, up to 9 stops | Shown on places | Shared lists | Free map downloads | Free |
| Roadtrippers | iPhone, Android, web | Autopilot on Premium | As you add stops | Not listed | Pro and Premium | Premium, view only | 1 trip, 3 stops |
| Tripadvisor | iPhone, Android, web | Free AI planner | By hand | Not listed | Share, collaborate | Not listed | Free |
| Stippl | iPhone, Android, web | AI itinerary (first free) | AI on Pro | Not listed | Co-planners, split costs | Not listed | Yes |
| Tripomatic | iPhone, Android, web | AI assistant (Premium) | By hand | Shown on places | Plan together by link | Premium | 5 planned days a month |
| Polarsteps | iPhone, Android, web | Free AI planner | By hand | Not listed | Up to 5 buddies | Free | Free |
| KAYAK Trips | iPhone, Android, web | From your bookings | No | Not listed | Share or let edit | In the app | Free |
| Tripsy | Apple devices | From your bookings | No | Not listed | Invite to edit | Free | Yes |
From each app’s own site, help pages and store listing, checked October 24, 2026. “Not listed” means the app does not say it does this. Prices are U.S. prices unless a currency is shown. Apps change often, so check before you choose.
Which trip planning apps plan the trip for you?
More and more of them, in different ways. Tripadvisor, Polarsteps and Stippl build an itinerary from what you tell an AI, Wanderlog fills your days with top-rated places, and TripIt and KAYAK build one from your bookings.
SwipeSights builds it from what you pick: you swipe through real places, alone or with your group, and it decides which make the plan, splits them into days by area and orders each day for the shortest walk. For the whole comparison, read apps that plan your trip for you.
What is the best free trip planning app?
Google Maps, TripIt, Tripadvisor, Polarsteps and KAYAK Trips are free for what most people need, and Wanderlog’s free plan covers unlimited trips with your friends. The limits are where they differ: Roadtrippers allows 1 trip with 3 stops for free, and Tripomatic 5 planned days a month.
SwipeSights is free for unlimited trips, with the plan open for 3 days and groups of up to 3. For what each free plan really includes, read the best free trip planner apps.
What is the best app to plan a trip with friends?
The hard part of a trip with friends is deciding, not writing the plan down. Most apps let a group edit one plan, which still leaves one person doing most of it. In SwipeSights everyone picks, and the plan is built from the picks; Pilot lets a group heart ideas.
We compared eleven apps on exactly this in the best app to plan a trip with friends.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best trip planning app?
It depends on the trip. For a trip with friends where everyone should have a say, SwipeSights builds the days from everyone’s picks. Wanderlog is the strongest all-round planner for building a detailed itinerary yourself, TripIt keeps bookings you have already made in one place, Google Maps is the free way to save and share places, and Roadtrippers is made for road trips in the USA and Canada.
What is the best trip planning app for groups?
SwipeSights, if everyone should have a say: each person picks places on their own phone, and the plan is built from the picks. Wanderlog suits a group where one person builds the plan and the others edit it, and in Stippl co-planners suggest and edit. SwipeSights is free for groups of up to 3.
Which trip planning apps work offline?
For free: TripIt’s itinerary, downloaded Google Maps areas, Polarsteps, KAYAK Trips in the app and Tripsy’s itinerary. On paid plans: full offline access in Wanderlog Pro, offline maps in Tripomatic Premium and Roadtrippers Premium (view only), and an itinerary that works offline in SwipeSights Premium.
Do trip planning apps check opening hours?
Few say they do. SwipeSights times each stop around its opening hours when it builds the day. Google Maps, Wanderlog and Tripomatic show opening hours on places, and none of the other apps here say they plan around them.
Is Wanderlog or TripIt better?
They do different jobs. Wanderlog plans the days: places, a map and the order of each day. TripIt organizes what you have already booked: flights, hotels and reservations from your emails. Many travelers use both.
Is TripCase still available?
No. Sabre shut TripCase down on April 1, 2025, and tripcase.com no longer opens the app. Google Trips, which some older lists still name, closed in 2019. TripIt and KAYAK Trips do the same job.
Plan the trip together
Start a trip, invite the group, and let everyone’s picks become the plan.
SwipeSights: plan the whole group trip together.
