There are several factors to consider when choosing a travel app. They include:

What type of traveler are you?

What type of travel apps you need largely depends on how and where you like to travel — and you might find some of my favorite apps useless if your travel style differs from mine. For example, if you mainly travel within the US and never go abroad, you probably don’t need an eSIM plan or a separate phone/messaging app, because you can just use your regular phone plan. If you plan to fly everywhere, then you don’t need an app to plan ground transportation, and if you prefer road trips, then a flight booking probably won’t be of much use.

Free vs paid apps

I’m a budget traveler, so most of the apps I use are free. The few paid apps I do use either provide features I can’t live without (such as the eSIMs I buy from EscapeSIM) or have a freemium model where I can use the free version most of the time and upgrade to a paid plan if I need to (like Seats.aero). I always recommend trying out the free version of an app first, before subscribing to a paid plan. If you don’t find yourself missing the extra features, you might not need them at all.

Security and privacy of apps

The security and privacy of apps are real concerns, especially those that handle your personal data. I try to stick to apps from established, reputable companies, and I’ll check an app’s privacy policy and security features before downloading it. For example, while TripIt may collect information from your inbox (if you grant access), it says in its privacy policy that it only uses the information “to provide or improve user-facing features and will not use or transfer such information (even if aggregated or anonymized) for serving ads.” The company also has a page explaining how it keeps your personal data secure.

Offline functionality of apps

Some apps can work offline, while others, by nature, can’t. For example, it wouldn’t make sense for a hotel- or flight-booking app — which requires up-to-date pricing and availability information — to work without an internet connection. However, I appreciate it when an app adds offline features when it’s practical. For example, Google Maps lets you download offline maps for basic navigation, even though you can’t use more advanced features — like checking prices or reviews offline.