Skyscanner and Google Flights are household names, with the former established in 2004 while the latter was founded in 2011. Apart from birthdates, is there a difference between them and which should you make your go-to when on the hunt for cheap flights?
Use the handy table below to see how they compare.
TL;DR: Our verdict
The winner: Skyscanner. There’s so little between these two worldwide travel search engines but Skyscanner compares more travel elements, such as car rental prices, and overall pulled up a cheaper fare in our like-for-like price search. It also sends deals newsletters and owns a blog which provides you with tips and tricks for getting the most out of your trip.
Skyscanner and Google Flights are both aggregators, but they can pull up different fares depending on which sites they draw their prices from. To see which finds the cheaper fares, we make a like-for-like search with both.
We chose the same flight route and dates and hit the search button. Here’s what we found:
The verdict: In this sample flight-price test, Skyscanner listed the lowest price for the same return flight $73 cheaper.
This is due to the wider breath of sources Skyscanner drew from compared to Google Flights.
Skyscanner searched 62 different airline providers and produced 1,231 results, while Google Flights produced 270 results and did not list the number of airline providers searched. Curious to see how much your next trip can cost?
Search for fares through Skyscanner below:
Which offers a wider range of airlines?
Both Skyscanner and Google Flights compare the prices of thousands of airlines worldwide.
The verdict: Both are neck-and-neck in this department.
Any other differences worth noting?
Google Flights has a reputation for being super-fast, and while using the sites ourselves, the speed at which it returns flight options is phenomenal compared to Skyscanner.
Google Flights also offers information such as how often certain flights are delayed and whether taxes or baggage are included in the displayed price. It also offers real-time data search while Skyscanner’s data is cached so the price you see initially might not be the current price when you get to the booking page.
What are deals like?
Google Flights doesn’t have its own deals section, it relies on its search functionality to show users the cheapest deals from third parties.
On the other hand, Skyscanner goes further to tell its customers the lowest prices from third parties, either by search or by newsletter. It also owns a blog which provides you with hot tips on how to score cheap flights and travel.
The verdict: Skyscanner publicizes the deals of third parties better than Google Flights.
Who won: Skyscanner or Google Flights?
Skyscanner takes out this round with its ability to compare more travel elements, including car rental, which Google Flights does not. It also came up a fair bit cheaper in a like-for-like search.
Google Flights’ strengths lie in its faster search and ability to deliver real-time flight prices so there are no surprises from search to the booking page.
Available on select dates until December 2021 to Winnipeg, Toronto, Edmonton, Victoria, Montreal and more. Sample fare is Vancouver-Calgary with WestJet. T&Cs apply.
Available on select flight dates to Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and more. Sample fare is Vancouver-Auckland with Cathay Pacific. Other airlines include Air New Zealand and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on select flight dates with WestJet. Sample fare is Calgary-Victoria. Other flights depart from Edmonton, Vancouver, Kelowna and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on flights in 2021. Sample fare is Toronto-Vancouver with Flair Airlines. Other flights depart from Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on select flights in 2021 departing from Halifax, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria and more. Sample fare is Calgary-Toronto with Flair Airlines. Other airlines include WestJet from $96 and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on select travel dates in 2021. Destinations include Cebu, Iloilo and more. Sample fare is Vancouver-Manila with Air Canada and Cathay Pacific. T&Cs apply.
Alex Keshen is the global travel publisher at Finder and has been living, breathing and, of course, writing about all things travel for more than 10 years. She has a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada and has appeared in Travel Weekly and the Huffington Post. A master of maximising her annual leave and finding the best bargains around, she can’t remember the last time her backpack weighed more than 10kg and is happy to share her tips and tricks to help you travel better.
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