The Top 25 Travel Apps to Upgrade Your Smartphone

What’s on your smartphone? Have you downloaded the latest and greatest travel apps, to have them available to help research and book your next trip?

Do you know what the latest and greatest travel apps are?

While they won’t all be applicable to your circumstances and needs, these are the 25 most-downloaded travel apps from the Apple Store, according to an analysis by hitwise, an “audience insights” company:

1. Airbnb
2. Booking.com
3. United
4. American
5. Expedia
6. Southwest
7. Delta
8. Hopper
9. Hotels.com
10. TripAdvisor
11. Hilton
12. Marriott
13. HotelTonight
14. KAYAK
15. HomeAway
16. Delta (iPad)
17. JetBlue
18. trivago
19. Frontier
20. Priceline
21. Allegiant
22. VRBO Vacation Rentals
23. Skyscanner
24. Carnival
25. Travelocity

The report also includes a list of the 25 most-downloaded apps for devices using the Android operating system. Although there are some differences between the Apple and Android lists, the names are mostly the same, and Airbnb, Booking.com, and United are the top three for both platforms.

Predictably, the largest airlines are fully represented, as are the leading online travel agencies. More surprising, and interesting, the list reveals a number of apps from lesser-known travel services that bear looking into: Hopper, HotelTonight, trivago, Skyscanner. And how about Airbnb? While it has gotten plenty of traction with travelers recently, it was a revelation to find the home-sharing service’s app topping the lists.

Reader Reality Check

What’s on your phone?

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• American or Southwest: Which Is the Real No-Frills Airline?

After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.