Google Flights and Skyscanner are two of the most popular free ways to compare airfare. Both are search engines, not airlines: they pull in fares from carriers and online travel agencies (OTAs), show you the options side by side, and then send you somewhere else to buy. The differences are in what they cover, how they help when your dates or destination are flexible, and who you end up booking with. Here is how they compare for US travelers, with features listed as of October 2026.
Side-by-side comparison (as of October 2026)
| Feature | Google Flights | Skyscanner |
|---|---|---|
| Who it searches | More than 300 airline and travel agency partners, per Google | Over 1,200 airlines and travel agents, per Skyscanner |
| Where you pay | Usually on the airline or OTA site you pick | On the airline, agency or provider site; Skyscanner says it is a search engine, not a travel agency |
| Price alerts | Track a route or a specific flight, for set dates or “Any dates,” with email updates | Price Alerts on a route |
| Flexible dates | Date grid and price graph | Whole month view and “Cheapest month” across the next 12 months |
| No destination in mind | Explore map (described in recent reviews) | “Everywhere” search on the website and iOS/Android app |
| Multi-city | Yes | Yes, up to six legs |
| Bag fees in the price | Bags filter adds carry-on or checked-bag fees to displayed prices | Not confirmed on Skyscanner’s own pages |
| Carbon emissions | Estimates per flight, sort by emissions, “Less emissions only” filter | Not confirmed on Skyscanner’s own pages |
| Southwest fares | Shown since May 2024; you book on Southwest’s site | Not confirmed; check southwest.com directly |
| Hotels and car rentals | Not covered in this comparison | Yes, alongside flights |
| Mobile app | No standalone app, per recent reviews | Yes, iOS and Android |
| Changes and refunds | Handled by the airline or agency you booked with | Handled by the provider you booked with |
Where Google Flights is stronger
- True cost with bags. The Bags filter rolls carry-on or checked-bag fees into the prices you see, which matters when comparing a basic fare against a full-service airline. Google notes these are estimates from its partners and may not be the final amount.
- Smarter tracking. Besides fare-change emails, Google says it may warn you when a tracked route’s prices are likely to rise, along with an estimate of how much.
- Emissions data. Each flight gets an emissions estimate, and you can sort or filter for lower-emission options.
- Southwest. Southwest fares began showing up on Google Flights in May 2024, with booking still completed on Southwest’s website.
- Ranking. Google’s help page says partnerships “have no impact on the ranking of offers,” and its default Top Flights sort weighs price against duration, stops and airport changes.
Google also has an experimental AI-powered Flight Deals tool that lets you describe a trip in plain words and flags fares well below a route’s typical price. A price guarantee on select US-departing fares has been reported in reviews, but it is not listed in Google’s current Flights help topics, so don’t count on it.
Where Skyscanner is stronger
- Open-ended browsing. Enter where you’re leaving from, choose “Everywhere” as the destination, and Skyscanner lists destinations cheapest first. You can pair it with a specific month or “Cheapest month.”
- Whole-month view. Flexible dates shows the next 12 months with a starting fare for each. Skyscanner says these figures are estimates based on what other travelers found in the last eight days, so confirm the live price before you get attached to it.
- More sellers. Skyscanner’s list of airlines and travel agents is much longer, which can surface a cheaper fare from a smaller agency.
- One app for the trip. Flights, hotels and car rentals live in the same app and site.
That longer seller list cuts both ways. When you book through an agency you’ve never heard of, that agency, not Skyscanner or the airline, is who you deal with for changes, refunds and schedule problems. Skyscanner’s help center says to contact “the travel provider you booked from directly.” Before paying a small OTA, look up its reviews and refund policy, and weigh whether a few dollars of savings is worth it.
How we use it
When we find ourselves with unplanned time off, we open Skyscanner, enter the city we’re in as the departure and “Everywhere” as the destination, then look at which of our airline mile balances can cover those routes for free.
Tips for using them together
- Search both. They don’t pull from the same set of partners, so one may show a fare or seller the other misses.
- Set alerts on both. Both tools offer price alerts on a route, so you can watch a fare without re-running the search every day.
- Book with the airline when prices are close. Changes and cancellations are handled by whoever sold you the ticket, so buying direct keeps that relationship simple. It also makes it easier to add your frequent flyer number and credit miles toward status.
- Know the 24-hour rule. For tickets bought at least seven days before departure, the US Department of Transportation requires airlines to either let you cancel for a full refund without penalty for 24 hours or hold the fare without payment for 24 hours. DOT says this does not cover tickets bought through travel agents or OTAs.
Our take
There’s no single winner, so it comes down to what you value. If you prioritize airline-focused results, prices that include bag fees, emissions data, Southwest coverage and alerts that warn of likely price increases, Google Flights is the better fit. If you care most about open-ended “where can I go” searches, month-at-a-glance pricing, the widest list of sellers and having flights, hotels and cars in one app, Skyscanner is the better fit. For most US travelers, the practical answer is to search on both and then book directly with the airline when the price difference is small.
Sources
- Google Travel Help: Find plane tickets on Google Flights
- Google Travel Help: Track flights & prices
- Google Travel Help: How to find the best fares with Google Flights
- Google Travel Help: Filter flight prices by bag fees
- Google Travel Help: Check emissions on Google Flights
- Google Travel Help: Understanding your flight and booking options
- Google Travel Help: Find flight deals with AI in Google Flights
- Skyscanner: A guide to our top features
- Skyscanner: How to search flight prices across a whole month
- Skyscanner: Explore Everywhere
- Skyscanner: How does Skyscanner work?
- Skyscanner Help: Changes, cancellation and refunds
- Skyscanner: Southwest Airlines page (airline and agent count)
- CBS News: Southwest Airlines flights will appear in Google Flights results
- Going: How to use Google Flights
- Upgraded Points: How to use Google Flights
- US DOT: Refunds
- eCFR: 14 CFR 259.5, Customer service plan
