The Best Flight Price Predictors and Tracker Tools to Save Big on Airfare

Flight cost predictor and trackers can mean significant savings, helping to lock in the best fares without breaking the bank. Here’s a guide to the top flight price predictors and tracker tools and how they can help you score the best deals.

1. Google Flights

Overview:
Google Flights is a popular tool among travelers for its extensive options and predictive capabilities. Google’s algorithms analyze historical pricing data to suggest whether you should book now or wait for a better price. This predictor also allows you to search for flights on specific dates or browse flexible dates and destinations.

Features:

• Price Predictions: Google Flights often indicates when prices are expected to rise, helping you book at the optimal time.
• Price Alerts: You can set up alerts to monitor specific routes and receive updates on price changes.
• Explore Feature: Great for spontaneous travelers, it shows the cheapest destinations on your selected dates or the best times to travel within your budget.

Why Use It?
Google Flights is simple, comprehensive, and accurate, making it a top choice for travelers who want both a search and a price prediction tool in one place.

2. Hopper

Overview:
Hopper has built a reputation as a smart tool for predicting flight prices. Its user-friendly mobile app provides accurate fare predictions and alerts, helping travelers save up to 40% on flights. Hopper claims an accuracy rate of 95% for its fare predictions, making it a strong choice for budget-conscious flyers.

Features:

• Color-Coded Calendar: Hopper’s calendar shows the best days to fly with color codes—green for the cheapest days, orange for moderate prices, and red for high prices.
• Price Drop Predictions: Hopper analyzes billions of prices every day to predict future trends, notifying you of the best times to buy and offering suggestions on waiting or booking immediately.
• Booking Options: Unlike other predictors, Hopper allows users to book flights, hotels, and car rentals directly through the app.

Why Use It?
Hopper’s accuracy and user-friendly interface make it an essential tool for travelers looking to save money on flights and find the best booking times.

3. Skyscanner

Overview:
Skyscanner is a powerful tool for comparing flights, hotels, and car rentals, all in one app. Known for its flexibility, Skyscanner’s “Everywhere” feature allows users to find the cheapest flights to any destination from their departure city.

Features:

• Price Alerts: Set up alerts for routes of your choice and receive notifications on price drops.
• Flexible Date Search: Skyscanner shows you the cheapest days to fly within a month or year.
• Multi-City Search: Ideal for multi-stop trips, Skyscanner provides price comparisons across different airlines for complex itineraries.

Why Use It?
Skyscanner’s flexibility and user-centric approach make it perfect for travelers seeking variety in price prediction, route options, and booking choices.

4. Kayak

Overview:
Kayak has long been a go-to platform for booking flights, and it offers a reliable price predictor that helps users decide the best time to book. With options to track flights, hotel prices, and car rentals, Kayak is a well-rounded travel planning app.

Features:

• Price Forecast Tool: Kayak’s price forecast tool shows whether prices are likely to rise, suggesting if you should book now or wait.
• Explore Feature: Like Google Flights, it helps you find destinations that match your budget and travel dates.
• Fare Alerts: Set up alerts to receive notifications on price changes for specific routes.

Why Use It?
Kayak’s forecast tool is highly regarded for its accuracy, making it ideal for those who prefer a one-stop shop for travel planning.

5. Scott’s Cheap Flights (Now Called Going)

Overview:
Going, formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights, is different from other tools on this list in that it’s a subscription-based service focused on finding flash deals and error fares. The team at Going manually tracks flights, notifying subscribers about major fare drops.

Features:

• Error Fare Alerts: Receive notifications for mistake fares, allowing you to book flights at a fraction of their usual cost.
• Flash Sale Alerts: Going keeps track of airlines' sales and promotions, giving you access to deals as soon as they appear.
• Premium Membership: For a fee, users gain access to more deals and better alerts for international flights.

Why Use It?
If you’re flexible with your travel dates and destinations, Going can offer deals that are hard to beat elsewhere, potentially saving hundreds on international flights.

6. Airfarewatchdog

Overview:
Airfarewatchdog is known for finding exceptionally low fares, especially for domestic U.S. flights. It has a team that manually verifies the deals and fare changes it sends to subscribers, ensuring that the deals you receive are reliable and accurate.

Features:

• Deal Alerts: Unlike other trackers, Airfarewatchdog finds deals that sometimes aren’t even listed on major travel sites.
• Flexible Route Alerts: Subscribe to routes you’re interested in, and Airfarewatchdog will alert you whenever prices drop.
• Promo Code and Sale Alerts: Airfarewatchdog keeps tabs on airline promotions, sending you alerts when sales are happening.

Why Use It?
This tool is ideal for travelers who want to be notified of the best fares available, especially for flights within the United States.

7. Momondo

Overview:
Momondo is a metasearch engine that not only compares prices but also provides insights on when prices are likely to fluctuate. It’s similar to Skyscanner but is known for displaying a wide range of booking sites, often finding options that other platforms may miss.

Features:

• Fare Insights: Momondo provides fare trend graphs and insights, showing users when they might find lower prices.
• Flight Alerts: Like the other platforms, it also offers price alerts to monitor specific routes.
• Flexible Dates and Cheapest Route Option: Momondo’s flexible date search highlights the cheapest days to travel, helping you plan within your budget.

Why Use It?
Momondo’s comprehensive search capabilities make it perfect for travelers looking for in-depth fare comparisons.

Conclusion

With the right flight price predictor or tracker tool, saving money on flights becomes significantly easier. Google Flights, Hopper, Skyscanner, Kayak, Going, Airfarewatchdog, and Momondo all offer unique features that cater to different travel needs. Whether you’re looking for flexible dates, price alerts, error fares, or just the cheapest route to your destination, these tools empower you to book smartly and confidently. So, next time you plan a trip, let one of these tools guide you toward the best fare, and enjoy the journey of finding great deals along the way!