The One App That Finds the Best Budget Flights Instantly
- The Hopper app is a free tool that helps travelers find the best times to book flights based on price predictions and color-coded calendars.
When it comes to getting the best price for a flight, there are many different schools of thought for the process. Some people say that the further out you book, the better the price, while others say the complete opposite. Some swear by sites like Kayak or Expedia, and others say to stick directly to airline sites. With so much information going around, it's hard to know which method is truly the best. It can also be incredibly time consuming if you are committed to finding the best price, because there are tons of places to look in order to do so.
As someone who considers themselves an expert traveler, especially on a budget, I've done my fair share of trial and error when it comes to finding flights. After traveling to over 40 countries while maintaining my strict budget, I think I've figured out the ultimate way to get the best prices–and that's by using an app. This app has not only saved me hundreds of dollars by getting me the best flights possible, but it has also saved me a ton of time. I no longer need to spend hours checking each and every possible website. Instead, the best option is right on the app, and I can spend time actually planning my trip instead of stressing over finding the best flight deal.
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Use The Hopper App For The Best Budget Flights
In a TikTok created by Eli Rallo, an author who travels constantly, she shared that her favorite way to find the best flights is through the app Hopper. In this video, she shares that the app is free, and the purpose of it is to show you the best times to book a trip. Through a green screen, she shows herself searching for flights from New York City to Las Vegas. The app shows each month, and it's color coded. Days that have a red block are the most expensive flights, orange is middle, yellow is low middle, and green is the cheapest.
Color coded calendar in Hopper
Once you select the dates that you want, Hopper will give you a price prediction. This tells you whether it's best to buy the tickets now, or if it foresees that you should wait, as prices are likely to drop a bit in the future. Rallo shares that you can also choose to "watch" a trip in the app, which will notify you once the trip you're looking to book has reached its best possible price.
Another perk about this app is that sometimes Hopper itself runs sales. As Rallo shared in this video, there was an upcoming sale that would slash prices up to $400 for flights in 44 different cities. Even though Hopper already shows you the best prices available, it's worth it to keep your eyes peeled for those potential sales to get an even steeper discount.
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How To Book The Best Budget Flights With Hopper
I've personally been using the app Hopper for the past five years, and I will never book a flight without using this app again. To start a search, you put in your origin and your destination. You don't have to commit to one airport, and instead you can choose an area. For example, I always let the Hopper app consider all three New York City area airports when finding the cheapest flights. You can also toggle a "nonstop only" button, which will eliminate flights with layovers. You then add the amount of travelers and the dates that you want.
Detailed flight options in the Hopper app
When choosing the dates, you will see the colored map that shows the cheapest days and the most expensive days to fly. I always try to be flexible with my travel dates, since the app makes it incredibly easy to know which will be the cheapest possible time to take your trip. Once you choose the dates and submit your search, you'll be brought to a page which tells you the current lowest price that you could get. Below that is the price prediction, which Rallo described in her video. I've always listened to what the price prediction says, and many times, I've saved over $200 by waiting to book my flight at a different time. Make sure your app notifications are turned on, that way you won't miss it when the flights hit their best prices.
Hopper's price prediction on a flight from New York City to London
Once you get to the point where Hopper is telling you to purchase my flights, it lets you take a look at all of the possible flight times and airlines. You can then go ahead and book your flights directly in the app, and can even add on trip insurance for a small fee. You can also add your frequent flyer number if you have one for the airline that you've selected to fly with–this way you don't lose out on any possible rewards. Using the app is incredibly intuitive, and it will save you not only money, but lots of time as well.
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This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
