On this page12 sections
- Ratings and complaints
- Trivago vs. competitors
- Step by step
- trivago legitimacy and licensing
- How trivago works and how it makes money
- Does trivago really find the cheapest price?
- Cancellations, refunds and customer service
- trivago complaints: what users report
- Who should skip trivago
- What customers say
- Alternatives
- FAQ
trivago is free to use and good for seeing many sites' prices for the same hotel at once, but it is an ad marketplace, so the offer it highlights is not always the cheapest; Australia's Federal Court fined it about $31.2 million (A$44.7 million) in 2022 over exactly that. It is legitimate: a Nasdaq listed company (TRVG) founded in 2005 in Düsseldorf and majority controlled by Expedia Group. Use it to compare, open two or three offers, check the total with taxes and fees and the cancellation terms on the booking site, and remember that site, not trivago, usually handles your reservation.
- What it is
- Hotel search and price comparison (metasearch) platform; most bookings are completed on advertisers' sites2
- Cost to you
- Free to search; trivago earns cost per click and cost per acquisition fees from booking sites and hotels2
- Coverage
- More than 7.0 million hotels and other accommodations in over 190 countries (December 31, 2025)2
- Ownership
- Expedia Group holds shares representing 59.2% of issued shares and 83.9% of voting power2
- Company
- trivago N.V., founded 2005, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany; listed on Nasdaq as TRVG6
- How offers are placed
- Advertisers that pay higher bids generally receive better placement and more referrals, per trivago's 2025 annual report2
- Direct booking
- Book & Go lets you book select offers on trivago itself, through trivago DEALS (formerly Holisto, acquired July 2025)2
- Regulatory record
- Ordered to pay about $31.2 million (A$44.7 million) in Australia in 2022 for misleading hotel rate claims and strike through prices3
Pros
- Free to use, with no booking fee from trivago on click through offers
- Shows prices from many booking sites and hotels for one property
- Large inventory: more than 7 million properties in over 190 countries
- Highly rated app (4.8 on the App Store)
- Publicly listed company with audited reports
Cons
- Placement is influenced by advertiser bids, so the top offer may not be the lowest
- Fined about $31.2 million (A$44.7 million) in Australia over misleading rate claims
- trivago usually can't change or refund a booking made on another site
- Displayed prices may change or add fees on the booking site
- Low Trustpilot score driven by booking and service complaints
Best for: Travelers who want a fast, free check of what many booking sites charge for the same hotel before choosing where to book.
Skip it if: You want one company to handle your booking, changes and refunds from start to finish.
Trivago vs. competitors
| Company | Type | Where you usually book and pay | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| trivago | Metasearch (price comparison) | On the booking site or hotel site; some offers on trivago via Book & Go | Expedia Group (majority) |
| KAYAK | Metasearch (price comparison) | Mostly on the booking site or hotel site | Booking Holdings |
| Expedia | Online travel agency | On Expedia | Expedia Group |
| Booking.com | Online travel agency | On Booking.com | Booking Holdings |
Trivago, step by step
Search
Enter a destination and dates. trivago pulls rates for the same hotel from many booking sites and hotel websites.
Compare offers
Open the list of prices for a hotel, not only the highlighted deal. Placement is influenced by what advertisers bid.
Click through or Book & Go
Most offers send you to the booking site to pay. Some offers can be booked on trivago through its trivago DEALS business.
Check the final total
On the booking page, confirm taxes, resort or service fees, room type and cancellation terms before you pay.
Manage the booking
Changes, cancellations and refunds go through the site that took your payment, listed on your confirmation email.
trivago legitimacy and licensing
Yes. trivago N.V. is a public company listed on Nasdaq (TRVG), founded in 2005 and based in Düsseldorf, Germany. Expedia Group controls it, holding shares with 59.2% of trivago’s issued shares and 83.9% of the voting power, according to trivago’s 2025 annual report. It reported about $614 million (€548.9 million) in revenue for 2025.
Legit does not mean neutral. trivago is paid by booking sites and hotels, and its own filing says advertisers that pay higher bids generally get better placement and more referrals. In Australia, the Federal Court found trivago misled consumers by suggesting it highlighted the best deal when its algorithm gave heavy weight to which site paid the highest click fee, and ordered about $31.2 million (A$44.7 million) in penalties in April 2022. The court also faulted strike through prices that compared a standard room to a luxury room.
How trivago works and how it makes money
trivago is a metasearch site. You search for a hotel and dates, and it shows rates from online travel agencies, hotel chains, individual hotels and vacation rental sites. It says it compares prices from hundreds of sites across millions of listings.
When you click an offer, you are usually sent to that site to book and pay, and trivago earns a cost per click fee or a share of the booking. Its largest advertisers include Booking Holdings brands (Booking.com, Agoda, priceline.com) and Expedia Group brands, which is worth knowing given who owns trivago.
Since acquiring Holisto in July 2025 and renaming it trivago DEALS, trivago also offers Book & Go for select offers, which lets you book without leaving trivago. It also offers member rates to users who log in.
Does trivago really find the cheapest price?
Not always. The highlighted offer reflects price and other factors, including advertiser bids. To get the most from it:
- Open the full list of offers for a hotel, not only the top one.
- Compare like for like: the same room type, bed count and cancellation terms.
- Check the total with taxes and fees on the booking page, which is the price you will actually pay.
- Check the hotel’s own website and one other comparison tool, such as Google Hotels or KAYAK.
What customers say about Trivago
Recurring themes across the review sites and complaint records listed above, not individual quotes.
Common praise
- Easy to use search and filters
- Seeing many sites' prices for one hotel side by side
- Finding lower rates than a single booking site showed
- Fast search on the app and website
Common complaints
- Hard to get help with bookings, since trivago passes you to the booking site
- Final price higher than the price shown in search
- Problems at check in with reservations made through third party sites
- Payment errors or frozen pages during checkout
- Confusion about who to contact for refunds
Cancellations, refunds and customer service
For click through bookings, the site that took your payment holds your reservation, so changes, cancellations and refunds go through it under its terms. Its contact details are on your confirmation email. If you used Book & Go, your confirmation will show that the booking was handled through trivago’s booking service.
Be careful with phone numbers found in search results or on question and answer sites that claim to be trivago support for cancellations. Use only contact details from your confirmation email or the booking site’s own website.
trivago complaints: what users report
trivago’s Trustpilot score is 3.8 out of 5 from about 2,370 reviews, split sharply: 49% five star and 38% one star, with no replies from trivago to negative reviews. Positive reviews focus on easy searching and finding lower prices. Negative reviews describe final prices higher than shown, reservations that a hotel couldn’t find on arrival, payment glitches, and difficulty getting help because trivago points them to the booking site. The app rates far better, 4.8 out of 5 from about 295,000 App Store ratings.
trivago has no BBB profile we could find. If a booking site lets you down, dispute the charge with your card issuer and file a complaint with the booking site’s regulator or the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Who should skip trivago
If you already know which hotel you want, the hotel’s own site often gives you the simplest path for changes and loyalty perks. If you want a single company to own your trip, including support when something goes wrong, book with a full service travel agency or online travel agency instead of a comparison site.
Alternatives to Trivago
- Google Hotels A free way to cross check trivago's prices, since it shows many of the same booking sites and the hotel's own rate.
- KAYAK Another metasearch site; worth a second search because different sites bid on each platform. Read review
- Booking.com Better if you want one company to hold your booking and handle changes and customer service. Read review
- Book direct with the hotel Often the simplest choice for changes and loyalty points; compare the hotel's own rate before booking through a third party.
Trivago reviews
Written by readers, read by our moderators, never edited by the company.
No reader reviews yet. If you have used Trivago, yours will be the first.
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Frequently asked questions
Is trivago a legit website?
Yes. trivago N.V. is a Nasdaq listed company founded in 2005 in Germany and controlled by Expedia Group. It is a price comparison site, so you usually book with another company after clicking an offer.
Is trivago free to use?
Yes. trivago does not charge you to search. It earns money when booking sites and hotels pay for your clicks or for bookings that come from trivago.
Does trivago always show the cheapest price?
No. trivago's own annual report says advertisers that pay higher bids generally get better placement. Open the full list of offers and compare the final total on the booking page.
Who owns trivago?
Expedia Group is the majority owner, with shares representing 59.2% of trivago's issued shares and 83.9% of the voting power as of its 2025 annual report.
Do you book directly with trivago?
Usually not. Most offers send you to a booking site or hotel to pay. Some offers can be booked on trivago through Book & Go, run by its trivago DEALS business.
How do I cancel a booking made through trivago?
Contact the company that took your payment, shown on your confirmation email, and follow its cancellation terms. trivago usually can't cancel or refund bookings made on other sites.
Why was trivago fined in Australia?
In 2022 Australia's Federal Court ordered trivago to pay about $31.2 million (A$44.7 million) after finding its site suggested it highlighted the cheapest rates when rankings leaned heavily on which booking site paid the highest click fee. It also used misleading strike through price comparisons.
Is trivago cheaper than Expedia or Booking.com?
trivago doesn't sell rooms at its own price on most offers; it shows prices from sites like Expedia and Booking.com side by side. Any savings come from spotting a lower offer among those sites.
Are trivago prices accurate?
Prices can change between search and checkout, and taxes and fees may be shown differently on the booking site. Treat the trivago price as a guide and confirm the total before paying.
Is the trivago app safe?
The app is published by trivago N.V. and rates 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from about 295,000 ratings. As with the website, payment usually happens on the booking site you choose.
Sources (7)
Facts on this page come from company websites, government agencies and regulators, checked on the dates shown. Editorial standards
- trivago: Company overview and stats (accessed October 12, 2026)
- SEC EDGAR: trivago N.V. annual report on Form 20-F for 2025 (filed February 26, 2026) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- ACCC: trivago to pay $44.7 million in penalties for misleading consumers over hotel room rates (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Trustpilot: trivago reviews (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Apple App Store: trivago: Compare hotel prices (accessed October 12, 2026)
- SEC EDGAR: trivago N.V. filing index (Nasdaq: TRVG) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- BBB: business search for trivago (accessed October 12, 2026)
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