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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

KAYAK vs Expedia

KAYAK 4.8★ · Free to download 75
Winner KAYAK
Expedia 4.8★ · Free to download 65

KAYAK is generally better for finding deals and organizing trips, while Expedia offers a more comprehensive booking experience despite some performance and customer service issues.

Full reviews: KAYAK · Expedia

KAYAK excels as a price aggregator, helping users find good deals and organize travel plans, though it struggles with accurate pricing and customer support. Expedia offers a wide range of booking options but is plagued by app performance issues, misleading pricing, and poor customer service.

Head to head

Price/Value edge: KAYAKR1R4R8R16
KAYAK KAYAK is praised for finding the best prices for flights and car rentals, often better than booking directly with airlines R8. However, many users report issues with inaccurate prices, bait-and-switch tactics, and hidden fees, making advertised prices unreliable R1R4R16R22.
Expedia Expedia users appreciate finding good deals and savings . However, a significant number of reviews highlight misleading pricing, with prices jumping significantly at checkout without explanation . Some also report random pending charges .
Ease of Use & Features tieR2R3R4R6
KAYAK Users find KAYAK easy to use for checking and booking flights and appreciate its ability to bring all travel websites under one platform R2. It's also valued for organizing trips and reservations . However, some users report missing features, inconsistent search results, difficulty with filters, and links not working R3R4R6R9.
Expedia Expedia is generally considered intuitive and easy to use for searching and booking . Users appreciate the frequent notifications of deals . However, the app is frequently described as super laggy, freezing, and bloated, making it difficult to use on various devices . Some features, like map view or specific booking options, are also reported as not working .
Reliability & Booking Experience tieR18R24R25R28
KAYAK KAYAK is seen as reliable for finding flights and car deals . However, many users experience issues with bookings not going through, lack of confirmation numbers, and canceled reservations due to fare changes R18R24R25. There are also reports of referrals to fraudulent websites R28.
Expedia Expedia is used extensively for travel and is seen as reliable by many long-term users . However, the app often fails to work for booking, with users reporting it just spins or doesn't move forward . Issues with hotel descriptions not matching reality and problems with room amenities are also noted .
Customer Support & Refunds tieR7R18R19R39
KAYAK KAYAK users frequently report terrible or non-existent customer service, with no one answering phones, issues with refunds, and being ghosted by support R7R18R19R39. Cancelling reservations and getting assistance for problems is a major pain point R55.
Expedia Expedia users also report poor customer service, difficulty getting help with reimbursements, and being passed between Expedia and third parties for issues . Obtaining refunds and resolving booking errors, such as misspelled names, is particularly challenging .
Pick KAYAK if

you prioritize finding the absolute best deals across multiple providers and want a tool to organize your travel plans, even if it means dealing with potential price discrepancies and limited direct support.

Pick Expedia if

you prefer a single platform for booking various travel components (flights, hotels, packages) and appreciate frequent deal notifications, provided you are patient with app performance and prepared for potential customer service challenges.

Evidence note: Both apps are free to download, so there is no free-vs-paid asymmetry. Reviews for both apps show a similar pattern of positive experiences for finding deals and convenience, contrasted with significant negative feedback regarding price accuracy, app reliability, and customer support, especially for problem resolution.

Frequently asked

Do KAYAK and Expedia show accurate prices?
While both KAYAK and Expedia aim to show good deals, many users report issues with price accuracy; KAYAK frequently displays cheaper prices that change upon booking or are not available R1R4R16R22, and Expedia also has complaints of prices jumping significantly at the final checkout step .
Is customer support reliable for KAYAK or Expedia?
Customer support for both KAYAK and Expedia is frequently criticized by users; KAYAK users report difficulty reaching anyone for issues like refunds or booking problems R7R18R19R55, and Expedia users also experience poor support, often being redirected or unable to resolve issues like reimbursements or booking errors .
Do KAYAK and Expedia apps have performance issues?
Yes, both apps have reported performance issues; KAYAK users mention inconsistent search results, filters not working, and links failing R3R4R9R12, while Expedia users frequently describe the app as super laggy, freezing, and bloated, making it difficult to use .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] KAYAK 2/5 · US Marketed price not accurate: Price aggregators without real prices offer no value
  2. [R4] KAYAK 1/5 · US Kayak can’t filter basic fares: App is pointless if it is always showing basic fare tickets. Why did Kayak remove the option to filter out Basic fares? Is this some sort of deal with the airlines to deceive people into thinking flights are cheaper than they are?
  3. [R8] KAYAK 5/5 · US The best: They are the best with the prices and everything
  4. [R16] KAYAK 1/5 · US It’s really bad and fake price price: They are a liar
  5. [R2] KAYAK 5/5 · US Fun trips that make a difference in our world.: I love using kayak for checking and booking flights! So easy to use w lots of options
  6. [R3] KAYAK 3/5 · US Worse than the website different results: Missing features and doing the same search on the website gives better results
  7. [R6] KAYAK 3/5 · US It take a long time to find a station: It take a long time to locate a shop or agent that is near me
  8. [R18] KAYAK 3/5 · US It’s not like it used to be: Bought flight tickets and didn’t get any confirmation number or anything. I am not sure if they will charge me or anything. They don’t have any phone number to call or support email.
  9. [R24] KAYAK 3/5 · US Flight confirmation unclear: I’ve booked a flight but cannot find confirmation receipt. My bank account shows the charge as pending but I’m not sure how to know if I’ve truly purchased the flight. I would love to be able to talk to someone!
  10. [R25] KAYAK 1/5 · US Annoying: I’ve experienced multiple instances where my flight reservation was canceled after booking due to a reported fare change. This has been frustrating and has made the booking process feel unreliable. If the advertised fare is not actually available, it should not be displayed as the booking price.
  11. [R28] KAYAK 1/5 · US Referral to fraudulent website: The website become a referral to fraudulent websites in India who tried extort more money for tickets from Americans
  12. [R7] KAYAK 1/5 · US Refund: They’ve took 36 dollars out my account. No one is answering the phone. How am I supposed to speak with someone when there’s an issue. It told me free cancellation but still put a hold on my money. Terrible service!
  13. [R19] KAYAK 2/5 · US Trips: I am having an issue with forwarding trips and the customer support is ghosting me. Terrible service. I have been using the app since it’s beginning and I’m very disappointed.
  14. [R39] KAYAK 3/5 · GB Try and add personal help I can get assistance: How do I get assistance o this app? I’m trying to book a trip!
  15. [R22] KAYAK 1/5 · US App doesn’t work: Tried to book 4 different listing but keep getting baited and switched for higher cost listing
  16. [R55] KAYAK 1/5 · US Free Cancellation?: I booked a room for 28 days on Kayak for an upcoming job. A day and a half later (3 days before check in and well within free cancellation deadline) I attempted to cancel, the Kayak app said I need to cancel at the hotel itself. I call the hotel and the manager says I can't cancel third party reservations there. Can't reach a real human at Kayak.😡
  17. [R9] KAYAK 3/5 · US Iinks not working: Some links do not work when one goes to purchase the tickets. It happens very often.
  18. [R12] KAYAK 3/5 · US Saving Flight Issues: Trying to save flights in trips is difficult. It tried to put them in categories you don’t want and it changes the flights once you save them so you have to go through the search menu and search them again to get the correct flight. Overall a good app but having a coherent experience makes a huge difference. They also need better search options like being able to view the pri

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store