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

Booking.com vs Hotels.com

Booking.com 4.8★ · Free to download 75
Winner Booking.com
Hotels.com 4.8★ · Free to download 60

Booking.com generally offers a wider range of booking options and is praised for its ease of use, while Hotels.com struggles with app performance and customer service issues.

Full reviews: Booking.com · Hotels.com

Booking.com is favored for its extensive selection of accommodations and user-friendly interface, though some users report issues with customer service and hidden fees. Hotels.com faces criticism for its slow app, problematic rewards program, and difficulties reaching human support.

Head to head

Features & Selection edge: Booking.comR2R3R11R15
Booking.com Booking.com users appreciate the wide choice of accommodations, including hotels and homes, and the ability to book flights and extras R2. Many find it useful for finding deals and flexible cancellation options R11. However, some note issues with car rental insurance not being honored and misleading pricing for additional services R3R15.
Hotels.com Hotels.com offers a variety of hotel options, with some users finding great stays . However, there are complaints about the rewards program, with users stating rewards expire or are not honored . Some also mention that the app's reviews can be misleading, hiding negative recent feedback .
Ease of Use edge: Booking.comR9R11R12R38
Booking.com Many Booking.com users find the app easy to use and navigate, allowing for quick and simple bookings R11R38. Some power users desire more advanced features like custom list management R12. A significant number of recent negative reviews highlight login issues and problems with the in-app customer support chat R9.
Hotels.com Hotels.com receives frequent complaints about its app being slow and frustrating . Users report issues with dates changing automatically and difficulty logging in after updates .
Reliability & Trustworthiness tieR1R17R19R23
Booking.com Booking.com has numerous reports of confirmed reservations being cancelled by the platform or denied by hotels, leading to users being stranded or double-booked R1R19R23R39. There are also serious accusations of fraudulent listings, hotels being misrepresented, and unexpected foreign transaction fees R17R31.
Hotels.com Hotels.com users also report issues with reservations not being found by hotels upon arrival, leading to frustration and non-refunded charges . Some users feel properties booked through third-party apps receive worse service or rooms . There are also complaints about hotels being poorly vetted, having issues like roaches or broken amenities R73.
Price & Value edge: Booking.comR3R11R29R31
Booking.com Many Booking.com users praise it for finding great deals and offering competitive prices R11R38. However, some report hidden fees, such as unexpected cleaning charges or foreign transaction fees, which make the final price higher than initially displayed R3R29R31.
Hotels.com Hotels.com users sometimes find good value, especially with complimentary breakfasts . However, a significant number of reviews mention that prices are often higher than expected, with added taxes and fees making them more expensive than competitors R72. Users also complain about not receiving loyalty benefits or promotional codes .
Customer Support tieR1R10R25R27
Booking.com Booking.com's customer service receives overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users describing it as terrible, rude, unhelpful, and non-existent R27R37. Many report difficulties resolving issues like cancellations, refunds, double charges, or problems with bookings R1R10R25R37.
Hotels.com Hotels.com also faces severe criticism for its customer service, with users struggling to reach a human representative and being directed to AI chatbots that are unhelpful R73. Many report that support is unresponsive or sides with hotels rather than customers, especially concerning refunds or booking errors .
Pick Booking.com if

you prioritize a wide selection of accommodation types and generally find good deals, and value an app that is typically easy to navigate for initial bookings R2R11R38.

Pick Hotels.com if

you are looking for specific hotel chains or locations and are willing to deal with potential app performance issues and limited customer support, hoping for a smooth booking experience .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of recent negative reviews, particularly regarding customer service and booking reliability, despite their high lifetime ratings. The free-to-download nature means many users are likely non-paying, which can contribute to frustration with perceived limitations or issues.

Frequently asked

Do Booking.com and Hotels.com have good customer service?
Based on recent user reviews, both Booking.com and Hotels.com receive overwhelmingly negative feedback regarding their customer service, with users reporting difficulties reaching human support, unhelpful agents, and unresolved issues like cancellations, refunds, and double charges R27R37R49R73.
Are the prices on Booking.com and Hotels.com transparent?
Users report that prices on both Booking.com and Hotels.com can be misleading, with additional fees, taxes, and sometimes foreign transaction charges not clearly displayed upfront, leading to higher final costs than initially shown R3R29R31R72.
Do these apps have issues with confirmed bookings?
Yes, both Booking.com and Hotels.com users frequently report issues with confirmed bookings being cancelled, denied by hotels upon arrival, or double-booked, leading to significant inconvenience and frustration R1R19R23R39.

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. [R2] Booking.com 5/5 · US Booking App: I’ve been using that for many years, it’s a great app for choice my stances in different cities around the world! I recommend to every travels !
  2. [R3] Booking.com 3/5 · US Convenient if you avoid the sinister scammy parts: If you book a vehicle, it includes “insurance.” This is Booking.com’s “service” and it entirely independent from the rental company. This “insurance” is not usually honored and requires a police report. you are essentially wasting your money and will need to buy insurance again with the actual company. Additionally, the prices they show do not inc
  3. [R11] Booking.com 5/5 · US Easy bookings: Always easy to use and always find great deals on hotel stays
  4. [R15] Booking.com 1/5 · US Do not use for car service: Booking collaborates with unreliable car services like Talixo and allows them to steal money from customers. I booked an airport transfer that was never assigned a driver and was forced to rebook with Uber instead. The transfer was long distance and cost $200, so we are not talking about a cheap trip. I have contacted Talixo twice about a refund with no response and boo
  5. [R9] Booking.com 3/5 · GB Can’t log in: Nice app. Unfortunately I can’t log in due to an error on bookings end. Thankfully, I could retrieve my booking very easily
  6. [R12] Booking.com 3/5 · GB Love the app but it could be improved for superusers…: PLEASE change the save function from immediately making a new list named after that area, to the user being able to select an existing list or make a new one. AIRBNB have this. When looking for properties across a region, for example Maldives, having a new list created per area (e.g., island) is incredibly irritating!
  7. [R38] Booking.com 5/5 · US Easy: Best prices and easy to navigate, even a old man like me with little experience online lol
  8. [R1] Booking.com 1/5 · US They spam and you lie about reservations: I had a reservation that was confirmed and when I called the hotel they denied that they have ever confirmed the date change to booking. Booking kept telling me it’s a system delay and I am all good. Issue # 2 - we had 2 rooms booked about month before and booking decided they will cancel one of the rooms. Hotel told me that they received email from bookin
  9. [R17] Booking.com 1/5 · US Fake Hotels and ratings: The hotels have become a scam on this site
  10. [R19] Booking.com 1/5 · US Double booked: Unbelievably double booked. The undoing process was painful. No refund for two weeks. Horrible experience.
  11. [R23] Booking.com 2/5 · US Do not download: Worst app to book do not recommend!! There have been several times booking over booked rooms and when we showed up they never had the room available. And the app never refunded us our money. So if you have problems with anything they will not contact you.
  12. [R29] Booking.com 1/5 · US Not with it book direct: When looking for a place to stay in Las Vegas I shopped booking. The rate seemed fair so I took the risk of not booking direct and go with booking. Upon arrival to the hotel I realized I made a bad choice when the hotel charged me 150 for cleaning. During my 2 night stay not once did palms place give us fresh towels or clean our room. I would never recommend booking or pal
  13. [R31] Booking.com 1/5 · US Got charged Foran transaction fees for the prices shown in the US dollars?: I recently made multiple bookings for hotels and day trips using Booking.com all the prices were shown in the US dollars. With no warning or indication that my credit card will be charged in a Foreign currency now I have close $200 in foreign transaction fees. I have other credit cards that do not charge for transaction fe
  14. [R10] Booking.com 1/5 · US Cancellation charges: I cancelled a single booking with two rooms and now are being charged a double cancellation fee. Not fair. I inquired with customer service and they put the decision in the property owner's hands. Not a good policy.
  15. [R25] Booking.com 1/5 · US Waving the cancellation: Booking.Com makes it very difficult to get the approval process to waive the cancellation. I have called multiple times and the agent also called the Hotel as well and they agreed that they will not charge me but for some reason another you need an email but your agent called the property and they agreed so this is a very unhappy experience with Booking.Com and I will not
  16. [R27] Booking.com 1/5 · US Terrible rude customer service: I’ve been using booking for all my travel for several years and the representatives I spoke with today were some of the rudest, could not care less to accommodate or help at all. If I missed my flight and had to stay with my kids at an airport for several days, they would not have seemed to care at all to go one bit out of their way to attempt to not make that happe
  17. [R37] Booking.com 1/5 · US PROBLEMA RESERVACIÓN: No me solucionan mi problema, por cumpla de un error de booking perdí 1 mañana de mis vacaciones y no se quieren hacer responsable, donde están mis derechos en este momento? Soy cliente de booking y ahora ustedes no me quieren reconocer que perdí 1 mañana de mis predicadas vacaciones por culpa de booking. el peor servició, estoy súper inconforme, perdieron un cliente y con mi
  18. [R49] Booking.com 1/5 · US No customer service: Worst customer service ever
  19. [R73] Hotels.com 1/5 · US A.I. BLOCKS ACTUAL ASSISTANCE.: HOTEL FULL OF ROACHES AND NO HUMAN TO ASSIST,
  20. [R72] Hotels.com 3/5 · US Way over priced: $389 for 1 night. Not even a free coffee. When I asked about having a continental breakfast for the cost the manager said “We’re a business hotel, our sister one next door is a family one!” What kind of answer is that? We’ve been coming here for a couple years and this is the most expensive it’s ever been and the rooms are getting musky and the decorations inside rooms and hot
  21. [R39] Booking.com 2/5 · US Undependable: Multiple times now booking.com has confirmed a booking only for that booking to later be cancelled by the host. Most recently this happened on the same day as we had planned an arrival on a booking made many months in advance. Do not depend on this platform.

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