Skyscanner Alternatives for Flights – the best savvy travel tools for finding flight deals
Finding affordable flights while they last is an impactful way to save money on travel.
Skyscanner is one of my favorite places to find awesome deals, but with recent updates, Skyscanner has discontinued some of its best features, including search by “cheapest month”. Sadge.
But sites similar to Skyscanner do exist. And sometimes with more powerful flight search functions! In this guide, I’ve put together a comprehensive breakdown for each alternate option to Skyscanner and some advice on how to use the best sites for cheap flights.
Finding Similar Sites to Skyscanner
What makes a good flight tool?
When I’m browsing for airline tickets, there are almost too many options available.
It can be tough to choose a reliable flight search engine for booking tickets. Here are some features to look out for when finding the best flight tools that suits your needs:
Best Skyscanner Alternatives for Booking Travel
1. Flightlist
FLIGHTLIST.IO
For people wanting to maximize their travels, Flightlist is my newest flight hack for uncovering the coolest routes at irresistible prices. No stress, no annoying ads—just seamless flight booking with amazing functionality.
It’s a search engine designed for remote workers, frequent flyers, backpackers, and people living abroad. Grabbing deals on multi-destination routes using one-way flights is Flightlist’s specialty.
Example: New York → Schengen Europe → South-East Asia → Japan.
Some of my favorite search features are:
Flightlist App
Flightlist also has a sleek app making searching for flights a hassle-free experience from your phone or tablet. It’s a relatively new app on the Android Google Play Store, but I look forward to its future iterations (especially when Skyscanner has dropped some of its best capabilities).
Look Through Regional Airlines
Flightlist also scans through many of the popular regional airlines. For Japan and South Korea, I also found Peach Airlines, T’way, Jeju Air, and Jin Air as options. Despite their parent companies being major airlines, these regional ones are often not included in flight tools.
2. Google Flights
When there’s a flight that needs to be booked, Google Flights is just what I automatically pull up in a new browser. Its features can plan anything from a last-minute weekender to a trip months in advance.
It’s also powered by the ITA Flight Matrix software, which has been acquired by Google.
Search Multiple Airports
Google Flights lets you enter up to seven airport codes and cities to search through multiple departure or arrival locations for the best deals. This is particularly useful if you don’t care which city you leave or land in.
If you just want to go to France, not any specific city, you can add all the airports in France (or near France) and then choose the most reasonable ticket.
It doesn’t even have to be all in the same area. If you don’t care about the country and just want to land in Europe, you can add the airport codes for London, Zurich, Paris, Lisbon, etc (up to seven locations) and grab the sweetest deal.
The “multiple airports” function can be advantageous too when tickets jump due to a national holiday or a sports game taking place near the airport. This feature lets you scan flight prices in the next country or city over.
In the search bar, multiple airports, multiple cities, and whole countries can be entered. In the photo above, I show how to search both multiple cities and airports at once.
Date Grid
The date grid is one of my most used tools to find cheap flights. After entering your departure and arrival city, you sift through an Excel-like grid sheet of dates.
The results in bright red are the most expensive dates while the ones in bright green are the cheapest dates. Just make sure to check if fares have a layover or not, and how long. The grid is also useful in finding schedule patterns for non-stop flights on an airline. If the non-stop flight leaves on Wednesdays, you can plan your time off around those days.
Explore Map
The Explore Map is similar to a “go anywhere” search, but it displays flexible dates and results on a map. I like to use this tool when I don’t have strict travel dates and don’t care where I’m going. It’s also great for travel inspo on upcoming trips.
Below I searched NYC and LAX results for France and Germany. This gives me a good geographical idea of my options. Then I’ll research the local transit system, like on Omio or Naver Maps for South Korea) for traveling from city to city or getting around town.
Using the Explore Map
- Enter your origin airport and don’t put anything in the arrival airport.
- Enter your specific travel dates or click the flexible dates option.
- If you choose specific dates, the map will display the most affordable tickets for each airport across the globe during that time period.
- If you click flexible dates, you can scan the cheapest destinations for a weekend, one-week, or two-week long trip. Google Flights also gives you a 6-month option that shows the most affordable flights in a six-month time for each airport on a map.
- The weekend search is helpful for spontaneous weekend trips.
- The 6-month search is useful for brainstorming plans in advance.
Price Graph
The price graph is another fun, easy tool. After selecting your departure and arrival points, you can add or subtract the number of days of your trip, then compare prices over a two-month period. High columns represent high fares. Low columns represent low fares.
Track Flight Prices and Automatic Email Alerts
Another feature of Google Flights is that you can save fares and track their prices as they go up or down. You can also set up automatic email alerts when prices drop for specific destinations or routes.
Info Box Meter
Based on its data, Google Flights will tell you whether that ticket is a good bargain or not through an info box meter. If the meter is green, then the prices are cheaper than usual. If it’s yellow, then the price is the “typical amount”. If the meter is red, then the ticket is pricier than usual and likely a terrible deal. The info box also states the average price range of that airfare, which gives you an idea of how much you should be paying.
3. Omio
Omio is super helpful for not only comparing flights but for also comparing local transit like trains and buses. It’s particularly useful for traveling in Europe.
Ticket Overview
I like that Omio is upfront about your baggage allowance in their summaries. The baggage number, size dimension, and weight allowance are highlighted in bright text. They’re not hidden in between an infinite wall of small text.
On the ticket overview, Omio will also list other important aspects of your trip like layovers at what airports, early and late arrivals, and overnight journeys.
Buses and Trains
Omio is also great for booking buses and trains, making commutes after your flight more seamless. I find the interface remarkably easy and enjoyable to use.
4. Wayaway
Wayaway is another search engine for flights worldwide. But it has two innovative features that Skyscanner doesn’t have: cashback and in-depth city guides. It’s also a convenient phone app for both Apple and Android users. The rates they show include fees and taxes, so you’re looking at the final price, which is a nice change.
Wayaway Plus: cash back on flights and hotels
With Wayaway Plus, members get up to 5% cashback on flights and up to 10% cash back on stays. It also unlocks extra city guides and tips from locals. I’d be interested to see if they add audio guides and walking routes in the future to Wayaway Plus.
Plus also includes 24/7 customer service for any travel-related queries. They can assist when your luggage goes missing or even with recommending local restaurants in the area.
City Guides
Wayaway’s city guides are compiled by locals and city experts. Their guide categories include neighborhoods, local favorites, classic sights (landmarks), Instaspots (photo spots), movie spots (where movies were filmed), amazing architecture, food and drink, beaches, adventure time (outdoor activities), and nature. Some guides are available for free while others are unlocked with Plus.
Coupon Discounts for Wayaway Plus
There is an active Wayaway coupon / Wayaway discount available now. To receive an additional 10% off Wayaway Plus, enter the promo code ROAMING during signup.
5. Airhelp
Airhelp isn’t a flight aggregator. But when your flight experience starts to go down the black hole of the shadow realm, Airhelp can help get you out.
When you’re flight is canceled or delayed, Airhelp helps secure the compensation you’re entitled to. Your luggage got damaged or lost by the airlines? Airhelp makes filing claims quick and easy.
Submitting a claim is free with Airhelp. If you end up winning compensation with their assistance, then Airhelp will take 35% of the reimbursement. The main catch to Airhelp is that the flight needs to arrive or depart from the EU to apply.
When Airhelp can Assist
6. Kiwi
For Flight Research not Booking
Kiwi is more of an online travel agent than a flight aggregator. It has some of the best flight research tools available. But that’s pretty much the main reason I go there. Kiwi doesn’t have the best reputation for handling flight cancelations or customer service. So despite frequently using Kiwi, things would have to be changed before booking with them as a third party.
Radius Search: destination + 300 km
If you don’t have a preference for the city you land in, Kiwi’s radius search is a game changer. You make a circle that you can drag and drop on a map by defining your search radius (like 300km). This will scan for the most affordable flights within that circumference. You can also increase or decrease your search radius once you have more information.
Anywhere and Anytime Buttons
Kiwi’s fly anywhere button shows the best deals everywhere from your entered departure city. You can also leave the trip dates blank and select depart anytime if you know the destination but are flexible with the time.
Multi-city Search (with multiple dates)
Kiwi lets you combine multiple cities with multiple dates. For example, you can search fares from the States to Tokyo, Japan, then some days later to Seoul, Korea then to Jeju Island if you want to hop around a certain region. This is also useful for Europe because Europe has a bunch of budget airlines like Ryan Air that make it easy to destination-hop.
Combine Different Airlines
Kiwi lets you combine different airlines so you can compare prices between staying with the same airline or not. This also lets you see different airline combinations and their rates.
7. ITA Matrix for Flight Search
ITA Matrix is arguably the most powerful flight software tool, but also the most complicated and difficult to use.
You cannot book flights on ITA Matrix. You’ll usually have to book directly with the airlines if those flights are open to the public or (most likely) send those routing codes from ITA Matrix to a travel agent.
And the interface is not user friendly.
Travel Agent
There’s a booking fee when opting for a travel agent. But usually you’ll need one to be able to book the cheap ITA Matrix flights. This is because travel agents have direct access to airlines and flights not available to the public.
Skyscanner Alternatives for Flights FAQs
Flight Search Tool Questions
Are these sites similar to Skyscanner free to use?
Yes, the mentioned sites similar to Skyscanner are free to use. They earn revenue through partnerships and advertising, which allows users to access their search engines and services without any direct cost.
Which alternate flight tools offer the best deals?
The best deals can vary depending on factors such as travel dates, destinations, and seat availability. Also, finding the best offers can depend on how you use the tools of each flight search engine. I recommend comparing prices across multiple platforms and using features like price alerts to secure the best deals for your specific travel needs.
Do these sites similar to Skyscanner have mobile apps?
Yes, many of the mentioned sites similar to Skyscanner have mobile apps available for iOS and Android devices. You can download these apps from the respective app stores and access their services on the go.
Skyscanner Alternatives & My Concluding Thoughts
Looking for that “chef’s kiss” flight deal is not exactly an easy task! It can feel overwhelming when there are so many airline flight tools, each with their own pros and cons.
The top sites similar to Skyscanner should be able to provide you with the best rates and allow you to compare tickets from different airlines. But often, finding the best flight deals are through how to use a combination of these travel tools than any single one.
If you want to see more travel tips on awesome places to stay, eat, and visit, check out my other articles below.
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Happy roaming, Roamers! I hope this flight guide was helpful for finding Skyscanner alternatives for flights.
Site Founder & Author
Roaming Sonaa was born and raised in Hawaii. She uses scholarships and jobs abroad (ESL) to live in different countries. These are her personal experiences and photography taken on the road resulting from these opportunities. Hopefully, these travel notes help you on your next adventure. Let’s roam!
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