Honest, data-backed comparison
Priceline vs Booking.com.
Which is actually cheaper?
Short answer: on the same tax footing, close at about four in five hotels, and Booking.com was cheaper a little more often when they differed. Google Hotels listed both at 4,530 hotels across our 15 price snapshots of September 25 to October 3, 2026. Where both prices were on the same tax footing (3,889 hotels), they were within $2 a night of each other at 80% of them. When one was more than 2% cheaper, it was Priceline at 354 hotels (9%) and Booking.com at 413 (11%). They are the same company: both are Booking Holdings brands. Neither was always cheaper, so check both for your own dates.
Measured, not sponsored: the numbers come from our own price snapshots. If you book through a link from Underbook we may earn a commission from either site, at no cost to you, and it does not change what we show.
Measured, September 25 to October 3, 2026
What our price data shows
Across our 15 price snapshots of September 25 to October 3, 2026, 4,530 hotels were listed on both Priceline and Booking.com, and at 3,116 of them (69%) their lowest prices were the same to the dollar.
Before tax or after
At the 2,859 hotels listing both where taxes and fees added 10% or more to the going rate (the price most sites agreed on), Priceline's price sat nearer the before-tax going rate at 231 of them and Booking.com's at 180. Where one of the two prices looked before tax and the other after (205 hotels), the before-tax one looked lower at every one. Part or all of such a gap can be tax that is added at checkout, so those hotels are left out of the counts below, and so are the 436 hotels where taxes added between 2% and 10%, where neither price's basis could be read.
On the same tax footing
Counting only the 3,889 hotels where both prices were on the same footing (both after tax, both before tax, or no tax showing in the going rates: under 2%, often because no site reported taxes separately), their prices were within $2 a night of each other at 80% of them (3,096 hotels).
80%
within $2 a night of each other (3,096 of 3,889 hotels)
9%
Priceline more than 2% cheaper (354 hotels)
11%
Booking.com more than 2% cheaper (413 hotels)
So, on the same footing, neither site was always cheaper for the same hotel and dates, but when their prices differed, Booking.com was the cheaper one a little more often than Priceline (413 hotels to 354). When Booking.com was the cheaper one, it was typically 7% below Priceline. Leaving out the hotels whose going rates showed under 2% tax, 2,654 hotels remain, where taxes added 10% or more and each price's basis could be read: Priceline was more than 2% cheaper at 213 of them and Booking.com at 252.
At the 413 hotels where Booking.com was more than 2% cheaper, its lowest listing offered free cancellation at 38% of them and Priceline's at 43%, and named a room type at 85% against 39%. So part of a gap can be a non-refundable rate against a refundable one: check the cancellation terms before you book.
Where each one came out cheaper
By region, on the same tax footing, Booking.com's lead was largest in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America: more than 2% cheaper at 18% of hotels there, Priceline at 9%. It went the other way in the United States (Priceline more than 2% cheaper at 6% of hotels, Booking.com at 5%) and in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (Priceline more than 2% cheaper at 32% of hotels, Booking.com at 25%). At chain hotels the two were within $2 at 90%; at independent hotels at 71%, and most of the gaps were there. Chain hotels went the other way: Priceline was more than 2% cheaper at 106 of the 1,861, Booking.com at 70.
| Where | Hotels | Within $2 | Priceline 2%+ cheaper | Booking.com 2%+ cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2,327 | 88% | 6% | 5% |
| Europe | 850 | 75% | 8% | 16% |
| Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Latin America | 393 | 72% | 9% | 18% |
| Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa | 319 | 44% | 32% | 25% |
| Chain hotels | 1,861 | 90% | 6% | 4% |
| Independent hotels | 2,028 | 71% | 12% | 17% |
How we measured: in each snapshot we recorded every booking site's price that Google Hotels showed a US searcher, in US dollars, for a two-night stay checking in between October 30 and November 7, 2026, at 6,239 hotels in 358 cities. For each hotel we took each site's lowest price, all-in with taxes and fees where the site reported them, otherwise its listed rate. Our data keeps one price per listing without saying whether it includes tax, so we infer it: where the hotel's after-tax going rate was 10% or more above its before-tax going rate, a price nearer the after-tax one counts as after tax and a price nearer the before-tax one as before tax; where the after-tax going rate was under 2% above the before-tax one (often because no site reported taxes separately), any two prices count as the same footing; hotels in between are left out. Within $2 means the two differed by $2 a night or less; more than 2% cheaper means one was below 98% of the other. The two can overlap on cheaper rooms (a $1.50 gap on a $60 room is both), which happened at 18 of these 3,889 hotels. A typical gap is the median, rounded down. A price we saw is one moment, not a completed booking. Method and the CSVs: our hotel price study.
Corrected October 2, 2026: an earlier version of this page compared the two prices at all 4,237 hotels listing both, including those where one price looked before tax and the other after, and said neither was clearly cheaper more often when they differed (Priceline at 570 hotels, Booking.com at 509).
Who runs each site, and what else differs
Priceline and Booking.com are the same company: Booking Holdings lists Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK and OpenTable as its five main consumer brands. Its annual report describes Priceline as a leader in discount travel reservations, mainly in North America.
- Loyalty: Priceline VIP vs Genius. Priceline VIP is a free, multi-tier program whose status rises with the number of trips you complete, unlocking member-only hotel deals. Booking.com's Genius starts at 10% off stays at participating properties with a free account and reaches 10 to 20% after 15 bookings in two years. Priceline also sells Express Deals, where you pay before you learn the hotel's name; those are not the public prices we compared.
- The all-in total. Taxes and mandatory resort fees can appear at different steps of checkout on each site. A lower headline rate can carry a higher final total, so read the price after fees on both.
- Member and app prices. Signing in, or booking on the app, sometimes shows a lower price on either site than the one you see logged out. Our snapshots recorded the public prices Google Hotels showed, without signing in to either site.
- Cancellation terms. A cheaper rate is often a non-refundable one. Compare like with like, and see whether free cancellation is worth it.
How to actually decide, in two minutes
- Open the same room and dates on both. Read the price after taxes and fees on Priceline and on Booking.com, and check that the room and bed type match.
- Sign in and re-check. A member price or a loyalty discount can change the answer once you are logged in.
- Add the hotel's own site as a third quote. Loyalty points and perks with the hotel usually only earn when you book direct.
- If you are not in a hurry, watch it. Prices move with demand. Book a refundable rate and rebook if the price drops.
More head-to-heads from the same price data: Expedia vs Booking.com, Hotels.com vs Booking.com, Agoda vs Booking.com, Priceline vs Expedia, Hotels.com vs Priceline, Agoda vs Priceline, Trip.com vs Booking.com, Expedia vs Hotels.com, Hotels.com vs Agoda, Agoda vs Expedia, KAYAK vs Expedia. For each site on its own, see whether Priceline is legit and whether Booking.com is legit. And if you wonder why one hotel has different prices at all, here is why prices differ across sites.
Doing this comparison automatically
Underbook is a free browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox that runs this comparison while you shop. When you are viewing a hotel, it checks other booking sites for the same hotel and dates and shows the prices side by side: all-in, with taxes and fees, when the booking sites report them, otherwise the listed rate, labeled as such. When the cheaper listing does not name the same room, it says so plainly. It sends the hotel name, the town, your dates and party size to our price service (privacy), and you always book wherever you choose: Priceline, Booking.com, or direct. Prefer not to install anything? You can check one hotel's price and watch it by email.
Priceline vs Booking.com: common questions
Is Priceline or Booking.com cheaper for hotels?
Neither was always cheaper, but Booking.com was cheaper more often when their prices differed on the same tax footing. Across our 15 price snapshots of September 25 to October 3, 2026, Google Hotels listed both at 4,530 hotels. Where both prices were on the same tax footing (3,889 hotels), their lowest prices were within $2 a night of each other at 80%. Priceline was more than 2% cheaper at 354 hotels (9%) and Booking.com at 413 (11%). At the 205 hotels where one price looked before tax and the other after, the before-tax one looked lower at every one, so those are not counted. Compare the same room's all-in total on both for your dates and take the lower confirmed one.
Are Priceline and Booking.com the same company?
Yes. Both are owned by Booking Holdings, which lists Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK and OpenTable as its five main consumer brands. Same owner, separate prices: in our data, on the same tax footing, their lowest prices were within $2 a night at 80% of 3,889 hotels, and when they differed, Booking.com was cheaper a little more often than Priceline.
Where was Booking.com cheaper than Priceline?
By region, on the same tax footing, Booking.com's lead was largest in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America: more than 2% cheaper at 18% of hotels there, Priceline at 9%. It went the other way in the United States (Priceline more than 2% cheaper at 6% of hotels, Booking.com at 5%) and in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (Priceline more than 2% cheaper at 32% of hotels, Booking.com at 25%). At chain hotels the two were within $2 at 90%; at independent hotels at 71%, and most of the gaps were there. Chain hotels went the other way: Priceline was more than 2% cheaper at 106 of the 1,861, Booking.com at 70.
Priceline VIP or Booking.com Genius: which is worth more?
Priceline VIP is free and tiered: the more trips you complete, the more member-only hotel deals you see. Booking.com Genius gives 10% off stays at participating properties from a free account, rising to 10 to 20% after 15 bookings in two years. Neither applies to every hotel, so compare the price after the member discount on both sites, all-in, for your dates.
How do I compare Priceline and Booking.com prices for my hotel?
Open the same room and dates on both, read the total after taxes and fees, and sign in to see any member price. Underbook, a free browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox, shows booking sites' prices for your hotel and dates side by side, all-in where the sites report taxes and fees, and says whether the cheaper listing names your room. You can also check a hotel on underbook.co without installing anything.
Real prices, hotel by hotel
Every site's price at 5,814 hotels in 358 cities
From our price snapshots of September 25, 2026, September 28, 2026, September 29, 2026, September 30, 2026, October 1, 2026 and October 3, 2026: each hotel's page lists every booking site Google Hotels showed, the going rate, and whether the cheapest listing named a room, with a button to check today's price for your own dates.
By region: United States · Europe · Canada, Latin America, Caribbean · Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa
Start with a city: New York · Las Vegas · Orlando · Chicago · London · Cancun · Los Angeles · Miami · Fort Lauderdale · Nashville · New Orleans · Paris · Punta Cana · San Francisco · Honolulu · Charleston · Key West · Washington DC · Boston · Atlanta · Scottsdale · Myrtle Beach · Austin
Don't guess which is cheaper. See it.
Underbook compares the price for your hotel and dates, all-in where the sites report taxes and fees, across booking sites, so you can weigh Priceline against Booking.com at a glance. Free, and you always book where you choose.
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