Best Trip Planner Apps in 2026: 9 Compared

Disclosure: I built NomadSwipe, and it is one of the nine apps here. Updated 2 November 2026.

This page compares nine trip planner apps for 2026: which platforms each one runs on, how it charges, and who it suits best. Each app is described from its own website or store listing, read on 2 November 2026. NomadSwipe is included, and it is Android only for now.

No app here is the best for everyone. A planner for booking confirmations, a planner for road trips and a planner for choosing places in one city solve different problems, so the table and the notes say who each one fits.

At a glance

The nine apps, in alphabetical order

The order is alphabetical, not a ranking. Each entry says who the app suits best and where it falls short.

Layla

Best for: people who want an AI-built plan and a human travel expert to refine it and book the parts.

Layla's website describes planning as free: Layla says "Yes, using Layla.ai to plan your trip is free, with no subscription or planning fee." You pay for the arrangements you book, and the site lists a minimum budget of €100 per person per night. It also offers ready-to-book trip templates and 24/7 support during a trip, including by WhatsApp. A listing for "Layla: AI Trip Planner" on Apple's iPhone store came up in search on 2 November 2026; we did not confirm a Google Play listing.

• Limit: it is built around booked arrangements, so it is a weaker fit if you only want to shortlist places yourself.

Mapstr

Best for: saving addresses you found in other places into one map you can share.

Mapstr's site says you can import addresses from Google Maps, Foursquare, Instagram and TikTok, tag places by category or mood, and get proximity alerts near saved places. Maps can be shared, followed and edited together. It is on iPhone, Android and the web. The site shows a "Mapstr pro" section for restaurants, hotels, bars and brands, but we did not find a price for a personal plan on the pages we could read.

• Limit: it is a map of places you save, not a plan with days and times.

NomadSwipe

Best for: choosing real places in one city by swiping yes or no, then seeing the places you kept on a map.

NomadSwipe is an Android trip planner. You pick a city and it shows real places one card at a time. Each card shows the category, rating, distance and whether the place is open. Saved places are pinned on a map for that trip, and the list sorts by rating, distance or A to Z. The sample Lisbon trip in the store screenshots has 16 places, all picked by swiping.

The free plan includes 3 trips, 2 searched places saved to a trip a month, 2 custom pins a month and a daily limit on saves. Premium (Monthly or Lifetime, bought in the app) includes up to 20 saved trips available offline.

• Strength: a shortlist of places you chose yourself, before you have a plan.

• Limit: it does not build an itinerary. You plan each day yourself around the map.
• Limit: it is Android only for now. An iPhone version is coming soon.

Get NomadSwipe on Google Play

Polarsteps

Best for: recording a trip as it happens and sharing it with family and friends.

The Polarsteps site describes a travel tracker that keeps your route while you travel, including offline, step-by-step updates for people at home, and a trip reel or hardback travel book made from the trip. Its iPhone listing is marked Free and lists optional Plus tiers, including a Plus Monthly price of $9.99 shown in the listing. Polarsteps announced an Android version in a 2016 news post, which we read on 2 November 2026; we did not open the current Google Play listing.

• Limit: it records the trip more than it plans one. Use it after you pick the places, not to choose them.

Roadtrippers

Best for: road trips with stops along a route, including RV trips.

Roadtrippers's site lists iPhone, Android and a web Trip Planner, with a 7-day free trial on its paid plans. The plans are Free ($0 a year), Basic ($11.99 a month or $35.99 a year), Pro ($16.99 a month or $49.99 a year) and Premium ($19.99 a month or $59.99 a year). The Free plan allows 1 saved trip and 3 stops, and Premium adds navigation, RV GPS and offline maps.

• Limit: it is built around driving routes, so it is a weaker fit for a city trip on foot or by transit.

Stippl

Best for: an AI day-by-day plan you can start from a sentence, with budget tracking.

The Stippl site says the app is "Free forever" and that browsing is "always free". It describes an AI itinerary builder that makes a day-by-day plan from a trip description, budget tracking with expense splitting, and a trip journal. Stippl Pro appears in the site navigation, but the price was not shown on the pages we could read.

• Limit: its plans are generated, so you check each day against the places you actually want.

TripIt

Best for: putting flight, hotel and car confirmations into one itinerary.

TripIt's Pro page lists a free sign-up and TripIt Pro at $49 a year, with a free 30-day trial. Pro adds real-time flight alerts, a check-in reminder 24 hours before departure, departure timing with airport maps, and risk alerts for disruptions. The page refers to a mobile app download and a website, and does not name iOS or Android.

• Limit: it organizes trips you have booked. It does not help you find places to visit.

Tripsy

Best for: turning forwarded booking emails into a trip itinerary, with expenses in several currencies.

The Tripsy site lists iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, and says trips can be viewed on the web. On its Android page, Tripsy says "There's no native Android app yet," and offers an Android waitlist with a browser view at my.tripsy.app. The pricing page lists a free tier, an annual Pro plan at $59 for one year, and a lifetime plan at $299, with family sharing on the paid plans.

• Limit: there is no native Android app yet, so Android users rely on the web view or the waitlist.

Wanderlog

Best for: a shared itinerary with a map, where a group can split costs and edit together.

The Wanderlog site links to iPhone and Android listings and a browser planner. It describes adding places from travel guides with one click, tracking expenses and splitting them between trip members, live editing by people on the trip, and importing flight and hotel confirmations from forwarded emails. Its homepage refers to a Pro subscription, but the prices were not shown on the pages we could read on 2 November 2026.

• Limit: the group features suit a shared trip. A solo traveler may not need most of them.

How we checked

We read each app's own website and, where linked, its store listing on 2 November 2026. Prices and platforms change, so check the store listing before you pay. For NomadSwipe, every claim comes from our internal proof list: Android only, iPhone coming soon, the free plan limits, Premium Monthly or Lifetime, up to 20 saved trips offline, and the 16-place Lisbon sample. We did not add any user numbers.

Which to pick

• You want a day-by-day plan generated for you: Stippl or Layla, depending on whether you want AI only or a human expert too.
• You want to shortlist real places in one city, on Android: NomadSwipe.
• You have booking emails to keep in one place: TripIt, or Tripsy if you use an iPhone or Mac.
• You are driving a route with stops: Roadtrippers.
• You travel with a group and want to share costs: Wanderlog.
• You want a record of your trip as it happens: Polarsteps.

For a single-app comparison, see our Wanderlog alternatives, Polarsteps alternatives or Stippl alternatives pages.

FAQ

See also: Swipe travel apps compared · Wanderlog alternatives · NomadSwipe home · All comparisons