Wanderlog is probably the most recommended trip planner online, and it deserves a lot of that praise. If you've ever built a day-by-day itinerary on it, you know the map view and the place-saving are genuinely well done.
But "best trip planner" and "best group trip planner" aren't the same question, and the difference is where we think Wanderlog gets weaker. This is the TripsTogether vs Wanderlog comparison for the specific job of planning a trip with other people. One thing upfront: we build Trips Together, so we're biased, but this is our honest take, with credit given where it's due.
Where Wanderlog is strong
Let me give credit first, because it's earned. Wanderlog's core is the itinerary builder. You save places, drop them onto days, and it lays out a sensible route with travel times between stops. The map is the centrepiece and it's good. Importing reservations and browsing other people's public trip guides both work well.
For a solo traveller or a couple building a detailed plan, it's one of the best tools out there. None of what follows is "Wanderlog is bad". It's "Wanderlog wasn't built group-first, and you can feel it".
Where it falls short for groups
Two gaps matter for a group.
The first is group decision-making. To be fair to Wanderlog, it covers more of the group job than people give it credit for: tripmates can collaborate on the plan, and it includes a budget tool that tracks expenses and can split costs between travellers. What we haven't found, at the time of writing, is a structured way for the group to actually decide things together. In our experience the centre of gravity is one person crafting the itinerary while everyone else views it. There's no built-in voting on destinations or activities, so the "where are we even going" argument still happens somewhere else, usually the group chat.
The second is the paywall. Several of the things that make Wanderlog shine sit on a paid plan. As of early 2026 that includes the AI trip assistant, offline access, and a few others. According to Wanderlog's published pricing, that plan is sold annually rather than monthly, so unlocking them means committing for a year rather than paying for the one trip you're actually planning. The free AI assistant in particular has, as far as we can tell, been limited to a small number of messages per trip, which in our experience runs out fast once you start asking real questions.
Neither of these makes Wanderlog useless. They make it a planner-first tool, with the best bits priced for someone who travels constantly rather than the group doing one big trip a year.
Where Trips Together is different
Trips Together was built around the group from the start, which changes the priorities.
Decisions are collaborative by design. Instead of one person building an itinerary that everyone else passively looks at, the group suggests destinations and activities and votes on them. That sounds small. It isn't. When everyone gets a say in where you go and what you do, you get buy-in, and you head off the "well, I didn't want to come here" energy before it starts.
Expenses live in the same trip, right next to the plan everyone voted on. When someone pays for the group, it's logged against the trip and the split is worked out automatically. By the time you're home, settling up is a ten-minute job, not a three-week group-chat saga.
The itinerary is shared and live. Everyone sees the current plan, not a forwarded screenshot. The person who went quiet for two weeks can open the app and instantly see where things stand, rather than feeling like decisions happened without them.
The trade-off, to be fair, is that Wanderlog's solo itinerary craft (the route optimisation, the depth of the place database) is its specialism, and that's where it's spent its years. Trips Together's specialism is the group: the deciding, the sharing, and the money.
TripsTogether vs Wanderlog side by side
| Wanderlog | Trips Together | |
|---|---|---|
| Itinerary builder | Excellent, solo-led | Shared and live |
| Group voting on plans | Limited | Built in |
| Expense splitting | Budget tool with cost splitting | Built in, alongside voting |
| AI planning help | Free tier capped per trip | Included |
| Pricing model (early 2026) | Key extras on annual plan | Free to start |
The Wanderlog column reflects its published pricing and our own testing as of early 2026, so check current pricing and features on Wanderlog's own pages before deciding, since plans and limits move around. The shape of it has been consistent, though. Great planner, decisions left to the group chat, best features on a yearly commitment.
A quick word on Stippl
While you're comparing, it's worth knowing Stippl exists. It's a free planner in the same visual, itinerary-led mould as Wanderlog, with budgeting and cost splitting and a social layer for browsing other people's trips, and at the time of writing the whole thing is free, which makes it easy to try alongside the others.
Where it lands relative to Trips Together is the same place Wanderlog does: group decisions. As of 2026, reviewers note Stippl doesn't have group polls or voting and leans toward solo trip-documenting. Trips Together's distinction against both is the group voting and shared decision-making. Worth trying Stippl if your group agrees easily and the social, document-your-travels side appeals.
Which should your group use?
If your group is mostly one detail-obsessed planner who loves maps, and the others are happy to follow along, Wanderlog is a strong choice. It's a better pure itinerary builder, and I'd say that to anyone.
If the planning is genuinely shared, if getting everyone to actually agree is the hard part, and if you're sick of running Splitwise on the side, Trips Together is built for exactly that shape of trip. One app, group decisions, money included.
For the wider field, I ranked both against the other main options in the best group trip planning apps for 2026, and put them next to TripIt in TripsTogether vs Wanderlog vs TripIt.
Start your group trip free and see how it feels to plan and pay in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Does Wanderlog have expense splitting?
Yes. Wanderlog includes a budget tool that tracks trip expenses and can split costs between tripmates. The difference we'd point to for groups is the deciding rather than the splitting: Trips Together pairs its expenses with structured group voting on the plan itself.
Is Wanderlog free to use?
There's a free tier, and it's generous for basic itinerary building. According to Wanderlog's pricing page in early 2026, features like the AI assistant and offline access sit on a paid plan sold annually. Check the current page, as plans change.
Which is better for group trips, TripsTogether or Wanderlog?
We're biased, but our honest answer is that it depends on the group. If one person plans and everyone follows, Wanderlog's itinerary tools are excellent. If decisions and money are shared, we built Trips Together for exactly that: voting on plans and splitting expenses in one app.
Can my whole group use Trips Together for free?
Yes, it's free to start, and everyone on the trip can join the shared plan, vote on ideas, and log expenses without paying anything upfront.