XDA recently dug up a Google Maps feature that lets a whole group edit the same list of pins, and everyone on the group chat treated it like a small revelation. The reason it felt hidden is that shared Lists sit three menus deep, and the moment anyone wants to say “meet at 7, I already paid for the villa deposit, you owe me 128 euros”, Maps runs out of road. Group trips need a proper planner where multiple people can add stops, argue over the schedule, and settle up when the bill lands. The best apps for group travel planning treat the trip as one document instead of eleven screenshots in a WhatsApp thread.
We tested eight Android apps across three real group trips this year (a six-person Lisbon weekend, a four-couple road loop through northern Spain, and a family reunion in Tokyo) and looked at what people actually recommend in Reddit’s r/travel and r/solotravel threads. The list below covers dedicated collaborative planners, expense-splitting apps that pair with them, and the free baseline built into Google Maps.
What to look for in a group travel planning app
The right app depends less on features and more on how your group already communicates. A few things separate a real group tool from a shared spreadsheet.
- Real-time collaborative editing, so two people adding pins at the same time do not overwrite each other.
- A shared budget or expense split, either built in or via a good handoff to Splitwise.
- Offline access, because half the trip happens on airport wifi and Portuguese cellular.
- Booking import from confirmation emails, so nobody has to retype flight times.
- A map view that a non-driver can actually read on a small screen.
- Permission control, so the aunt who “added a museum” can add a museum, not delete the hotel.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Play Store rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanderlog | Collaborative itineraries | Android, iOS, Web | Yes, unlimited collaborators | $10 Pro | 4.7 |
| Google Maps (Lists) | Free shared shortlist | Android, iOS, Web | Yes | Free | 4.2 |
| Splitwise | Splitting group expenses | Android, iOS, Web | Yes, core split works | $4 Pro | 4.4 |
| TripIt | Consolidating bookings | Android, iOS, Web | Yes, single-trip view | $5 Pro | 4.6 |
| Polarsteps | Tracking and sharing the journey | Android, iOS, Web | Yes | $3 Premium | 4.8 |
| Roadtrippers | Group road trips with stops | Android, iOS, Web | Yes, up to 3 stops | $6 Premium | 4.3 |
| Kayak | Flight and hotel search plus Trips | Android, iOS, Web | Yes | Free | 4.7 |
| Airbnb (Wishlists) | Shortlisting stays together | Android, iOS, Web | Yes | Free | 4.7 |
The apps
1. Wanderlog, best for building the itinerary together
Wanderlog is the closest thing Android has to a Google Doc for a trip. Everyone with the link can add restaurants, pin attractions, drag the day around, and drop expenses into a shared budget that already knows the currency you set for the trip. The free tier includes unlimited collaborators (rare in this category), and the mobile app lets a co-planner add a pin from the taxi while the rest of the group is still at brunch.
Where it falls short: the map gets crowded fast on a phone once a group of six has added forty pins, and offline maps sit behind the Pro plan.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited trips and collaborators, expense tracker, basic map.
- Paid: Pro at about $10 per month (annual billing lowers it), adds offline maps, unlimited route optimisation, and no ads.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: get Wanderlog first, then decide whether you need anything else on this list.
2. Google Maps, best free baseline with shared Lists
Google Maps shared Lists are the feature XDA surfaced, and they are genuinely useful for a group’s shortlist. Anyone with the link can add or remove places, everyone sees the same map, and the pins carry the same reviews and photos the rest of Maps already has. It works as a lightweight “where should we eat” tool without asking anyone to install anything new.
Where it falls short: Lists are just pins. There is no day-by-day view, no timing, no budget, and no way to say “we are actually going here on Thursday at 8 pm”. Once the trip needs order, the group outgrows it.
Pricing:
- Free: shared Lists, offline area downloads, all core map features.
- Paid: none.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the right first step when the group is still at the “should we even go” stage, and the wrong last step once tickets are booked.
3. Splitwise, best for settling who paid for what
Splitwise is the app the whole trip ends up in the moment somebody covers a hotel deposit. Every expense goes in with who paid and how it is split (equally, by shares, or by percentage), and the running balance stays visible for weeks after everyone flies home. The group can settle up in one transfer instead of eight, and the free tier handles the entire trip without pushing anyone toward paid.
Where it falls short: the free tier now caps how many expenses can be added per day before nudging you toward Pro, which annoys anyone logging a long dinner receipt line by line.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited groups, core equal or percentage splits, currency conversion at fair-market rates.
- Paid: Pro at about $4 per month, removes ads, unlocks receipt scanning and unlimited daily entries.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: pair it with whichever planner you pick, and set up the group before the first taxi.
4. TripIt, best for pulling every booking into one place
TripIt for group travel earns its spot the moment one person books flights, another books the hotel, and a third handles the rental car. Forward the confirmations to [email protected] and the app assembles a single itinerary that the whole group can see with the sharing setting turned on. It is the one tool on this list that stops mid-trip “wait, is our flight at 6:40 or 7:40” panic.
Where it falls short: TripIt does not really plan. It organises. If the group is still deciding what to book, this is the wrong tool for that stage, and Pro is required for real-time flight alerts.
Pricing:
- Free: unified itinerary from forwarded confirmations, basic sharing.
- Paid: Pro at about $5 per month or $49 per year, adds flight change alerts, seat tracking, and airport terminal maps.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the second app to install after Wanderlog if the group is spread across several booking platforms.
5. Polarsteps, best for tracking and sharing the trip as it happens
Polarsteps logs the route in the background and turns it into a shareable trip page that the group (and the parents at home) can follow in near real time. Anyone can add photos and short entries, and everyone on the trip contributes to one timeline instead of eight WhatsApp albums. The finished trip can be exported as a printed photo book, which parents seem to love.
Where it falls short: Polarsteps is a memory app, not a planning one. Its “Plan” tab exists but is thin compared to Wanderlog, and the background tracker chews battery on long walking days.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited trips, live location sharing with a private link.
- Paid: Premium at about $3 per month or roughly $30 per year, adds detailed offline maps and unlimited image quality.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: run it alongside a planner, not instead of one.
6. Roadtrippers, best when the group trip is a road trip
Roadtrippers is the pick when the itinerary is a route, not a city. Stops, detours, gas stations, and campsites go on the same map, and Premium members can share the plan with the co-driver so nobody has to hand over the phone at 90 kmh. Roadtrippers Autopilot, its AI trip builder, is a decent starting point for a group that has a destination but no route.
Where it falls short: the free tier caps a trip at three stops, which is nothing for a real road trip, and the app is focused on the US and Canada. Coverage in Europe and Asia is thinner.
Pricing:
- Free: up to 3 stops per trip, campsite reviews, basic planning.
- Paid: Premium at about $6 per month or $36 per year, unlocks up to 150 stops, offline maps, and RV routing.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: best paired with Wanderlog for the daily plan, with Roadtrippers handling the driving spine.
7. Kayak, best for group flight and hotel research
Kayak is on the list less for its search results and more for the Trips feature. Search for flights across the whole group in one query, star the options, then let Kayak Trips assemble the itinerary from confirmation emails the same way TripIt does. Price alerts on the shared search stop the group from missing a fare drop while people wait for consensus.
Where it falls short: the free experience is packed with ads and comparison inserts, and the Trips import can misread hotel confirmations from less-common brands.
Pricing:
- Free: full search, price alerts, Trips itinerary import.
- Paid: none for consumers.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: worth installing for the group’s booking phase, and reasonable to keep afterwards for the itinerary view.
8. Airbnb, best for shortlisting stays together
Airbnb rarely shows up on group planning lists, and that is a mistake. Wishlists can be made collaborative in two taps, and the whole group can heart and remove properties without a single group-chat screenshot. Comments on each listing land next to the photos, so the “kitchen looks tiny” argument stays in context.
Where it falls short: it only solves accommodation, not the rest of the trip. Group Payments (letting each traveller pay their own share of one booking) is available in most markets but still not universal.
Pricing:
- Free: full Wishlists and Group Payments where supported.
- Paid: none.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the unglamorous pick that removes a real argument from every group trip.
How to pick the right one
- If you want the simplest option, get Wanderlog and Splitwise. Two apps, one plans, one settles up.
- If the group is mostly on Google Maps already, start with a shared List and add Splitwise the moment someone pays for accommodation.
- If people are booking flights and hotels across different platforms, TripIt earns its slot before anyone books anything else.
- If the trip is a driving trip, layer Roadtrippers over Wanderlog for the route and leave Google Maps Lists out of it.
- If the group wants to remember the trip afterwards, Polarsteps runs in the background and does the memory work for you.
- If you tried Google Maps Lists and hit the “we need to plan Thursday, not just pin things” wall, that is Wanderlog’s whole reason to exist.
FAQ
What is the best free group travel planning app?
Wanderlog on the free tier is the strongest single answer. It handles collaborative itineraries, a shared map, and a shared budget without asking for a card. Pair it with Splitwise (also free for core splits) and the group has a real planning setup for zero cost.
Which app is best for splitting expenses on a group trip?
Splitwise is the default because it does one thing well: track who paid what and who owes whom. Wanderlog has a built-in budget that works if the group prefers one app, but Splitwise handles receipts, uneven splits, and post-trip settlement cleaner than any planner’s built-in split.
Is Google Maps Lists good enough for a group trip?
For a weekend where the group only needs a shortlist of restaurants and things to see, yes. For anything longer, or anything with bookings, no. Lists are just pins. There is no day view, no time slots, no budget, and no reliable way to share the plan with a link that also carries the schedule.
Can we plan a group trip in TripIt?
Not really. TripIt organises trips, it does not plan them. Once flights and hotels are booked, forwarding the confirmations to [email protected] produces a clean shared itinerary. Before that stage, use Wanderlog or Google Maps Lists.
What app do most people use for group travel itineraries?
Recent Reddit threads in r/travel and r/solotravel default to Wanderlog for the planning phase and Splitwise for expenses, with TripIt as the third recommendation once bookings pile up. Google Maps Lists comes up as the free fallback for small groups that do not want another app.
Does Wanderlog work offline?
The Pro plan includes offline maps and offline access to the itinerary. On the free tier, the app caches recent trips reasonably well but cannot be relied on in a country without data. If offline matters, budget for one month of Pro before the trip.
