Trivago is a meta-search engine that aggregates prices from 400+ booking sites, excelling at price comparison for 1.8M+ hotels. Booking.com is a comprehensive direct booking platform with 220M+ property listings, advanced AI features, and higher market dominance. Booking.com offers more features and direct bookings, while Trivago provides superior price transparency.
Trivago vs Booking.com — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Hotel meta-search engine comparing prices from 400+ booking sites across 1.8M+ hotels.
Global accommodation booking platform offering 28.5+ million hotels, apartments, and diverse properties with standardized pricing and transparent policies.
Business Model. Hotel Coverage. Primary Strength. Mobile Traffic Share. 2025 Revenue Growth. Market Position. User Experience. Booking Completion
Booking.com dominates as a full-featured booking platform with superior market position, AI integration, and direct booking capabilities, making it ideal for most travelers. Trivago excels as a price comparison tool for deal-hunters who want transparency across 400+ booking sites. Choose Booking.com for convenience and features; choose Trivago for price optimization.
Trivago: 1.8M+ hotels from 400+ sites | Booking.com: 220M+ total properties
Trivago: 190+ countries | Booking.com: 220+ countries
Trivago: Mid-teens (Q3: +13% YoY) | Booking.com: Double-digit growth projected
Trivago: 400+ aggregated sites | Booking.com: Direct booking only
Trivago: Limited (basic recommendations) | Booking.com: Advanced AI-powered (2026 focus)
Trivago: External redirect (3rd party checkout) | Booking.com: Direct on-platform checkout
Trivago: Limited (no post-booking support) | Booking.com: 24/7 comprehensive support
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Yes, official guarantee
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 500+ airlines (limited)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 5-15% bundled discounts
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 1-4 hours average
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 12-15% projected
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Ultra-personalized curated trips
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Excellent - upfront pricing
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Green travel options, eco-friendly filters
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 28+ million properties
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: ~20-30% of bookings
Required Price Premium to Match Profitability
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 15-20% price increase needed
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Older (business/professional focus)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Lower frequency (longer stay focus)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 7+ nights (typical for business/intl)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Limited options (stricter)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 67% use both
Hosts Earning More From Multi-Platform Strategy
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Only 23% earn more listing on both
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Diverse (business/leisure mix)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Lower frequency
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Longer (extended stays)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Low (advance notice typical)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 15-20% markup needed
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 67% dual-listed
Hosts Reporting Increased Revenue From Dual-Listing
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Only 23% see higher total revenue
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: After guest checkout
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 30% offer mobile-only prices
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 1% cash back
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 300+ million users
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Advanced (2026 focus)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 43 languages
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 85% of properties
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 1 night (flexible)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 48 hours (standardized)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 2-4 hours (24/7 chat)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Variable (0.5-2x)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Full offline access available
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 7.5+ million
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: -3% (cheaper)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: Basic integration, separate checkout
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 4.5 stars (450k+ reviews)
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 10% Genius account credit
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 220+ countries
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 28.5 million
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 180+ million
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: 14 days standard
Trivago: N/A | Booking.com: $68.5 billion
How to choose between Trivago and Booking.com
Trivago vs Booking.com — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Trivago vs Booking.com. Contains 75 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Trivago vs Booking.com — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Trivago vs Booking.com.
What is the difference between Trivago and Booking.com?
Trivago is a hotel price comparison search engine — it shows prices from many booking sites but doesn't sell rooms directly. When you click a price, it takes you to Booking.com (or Expedia, etc.) to actually book. Booking.com is a full Online Travel Agency that takes your payment, holds your reservation, and provides customer service for your booking.
No. Trivago does not sell hotel rooms. It compares prices from hundreds of booking sites and displays them in one list. Clicking on a price takes you to the booking site (such as Booking.com, Hotels.com, or the hotel's direct website), where you complete and pay for your reservation. Trivago earns click-through fees from those sites.
They serve different purposes, so the comparison isn't direct. Trivago is useful for quickly comparing prices across multiple booking sites. Booking.com is where you actually make a booking. Many travelers use Trivago to find the best price, then book on Booking.com or whichever site Trivago shows has the best deal.
Does Trivago always show the cheapest hotel prices?
Trivago searches a wide range of sites and displays prices, but its results are not always up-to-the-minute accurate. Displayed prices can change between Trivago's search and your actual booking. Additionally, not all booking sites participate in Trivago, and hotel direct rates sometimes beat OTA rates. Verify any price on the destination site before booking.
Trivago was founded in Germany in 2005 and went public on NASDAQ in 2016. It is majority-owned by Expedia Group, which acquired a controlling stake in 2012 and increased ownership over subsequent years. Despite this, Trivago operates independently and displays results from Booking.com and other Expedia competitors to maintain its price-comparison credibility.
How to Choose Between Trivago and Booking.com
Business Model: Trivago has Meta-search aggregator (comparison engine), while Booking.com has Direct booking platform.
Hotel Coverage: Trivago has 1.8M+ hotels from 400+ sites, while Booking.com has 220M+ properties (hotels, apartments, B&Bs).
Primary Strength: Trivago has Price comparison & transparency, while Booking.com has Comprehensive features & AI personalization.
Mobile Traffic Share: Trivago has 74.26% of visits, while Booking.com has Estimated 80%+.
2025 Revenue Growth: Trivago has Mid-teens growth (+13% Q3 YoY), while Booking.com has Market leader, double-digit growth.
Market Position: Trivago has 2nd best hotel booking site (Frommer's 2026), while Booking.com has 1st best hotel booking site globally.
User Experience: Trivago has Simple, fast price comparison, while Booking.com has Feature-rich with AI recommendations.
Booking Completion: Trivago has Redirects to third-party sites, while Booking.com has Direct checkout on platform.
Trivago is a meta-search engine that aggregates prices from 400+ booking sites, excelling at price comparison for 1.8M+ hotels. Booking.com is a comprehensive direct booking platform with 220M+ property listings, advanced AI features, and higher market dominance. Booking.com offers more features and