Top hostels compared

About Top hostels compared

Hostel booking sites get judged on a short list of things: what a bed costs once fees land, how much room you have to change a plan, and how fast you reach a human when something breaks. This ranking covers 14 brands that list hostel beds, from broad travel marketplaces to specialists built around a single destination. The main trade-off is breadth against clarity. Big platforms mix hostels with hotels, flights and tours, so one account handles a whole trip, and the room list is deeper. Specialists go the other way: fewer products, but the hostel side is the entire business, which usually means tidier policies and tighter support. Fees decide the total as much as the rate does, and some members add nothing while others take a flat charge or a deposit. Cancellation windows set how much of a gamble each booking is. Setup counts too, since a mobile app shortens a repeat booking and a phone line or help centre shortens a dispute. The picks below weigh all of it.

How we picked

The order is set by published weight rather than opinion: cost carries 40%, the range a member offers carries 40%, and trust carries 20%. Partner status also moves a rank, and every rank is fixed before any wording is written. Data comes from what a member publishes about itself. Booking terms and conditions supply fees and cancellation. Product and contact pages supply range and support. Imprint, story and terms pages supply the legal entity, the headquarters country and the founding year. App store listings settle the mobile app question. Labels are computed from the finished rank, so a member with an empty label simply sits at its score. Partners are listed first, ahead of the scored order, so a paid placement never hides inside the ranking. Where fees and policies look alike, the member with the wider hostel range and the stronger support mix takes the higher spot. Range counts for a lot here, since every member of this ranking sells hostel beds, and the real differences sit in what surrounds them.

Our top picks

1. 1. Booking.com

   A hostel bed here is one order inside a much bigger basket. Booking.com lists flights, car rental and transfers, charges No booking fees, and cancels Free cancellation at most properties, so a change of plan stays cheap. Support is the widest mix in this ranking, help centre, phone and email, and a mobile app is listed. The trade-off is attention: hotels fill most of the search, and hostels sit behind a filter. Based in NL and run by Booking.com B.V., it trades since 1996 and takes the second spot on reach rather than focus. Druk Asia Affiliates, ranked next, runs a similar mix in a narrower corner of the map.

   • Products: Flights, Car-rental, Transfers, and 4 more
   • Booking fees: No booking fees
   • Cancellation terms: Free cancellation at most properties

   Pros

   • One account covers flights, car rental and transfers, so a group can hold transport and beds together instead of searching supplier by supplier.
   • No booking fees keeps the booking charge out of the price you compare.
   • A mobile app is available, so bookings and changes travel with you between searches.
   • Support runs on help centre, phone and email, which puts a person as well as self-service behind every reservation.
   • Free cancellation at most properties gives a group room to move dates at most properties.

   Cons

   • FlixBus is the shorter decision when the trip is bus only, where flights, car rental and transfers asks you to weigh many choices.
   • Hertz Bahamas WiFi covers car rental and transfers, so a car and a transfer trip does not need the wider list.
   • Latam Travellers states its fee promise as 0 hidden fees, no contracts, which writes the position out in full words.

2. 3. GoStops

   GoStops carries the narrowest range in this ranking, and that is the argument for it. It lists hostels and tours and little beside them, so results stay inside the bed market rather than drifting into hotels and tour bundles. Cancellation is Free cancellation up to 5 days before check-in, a longer window than several members here, and support runs on email, phone and chat with a mobile app listed. Based in IN and run by goSTOPS Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., it trades since 2014. Guide to Iceland, ranked next, runs the same specialist idea with a wider list of travel lines and a much shorter cancellation clock.

   • Products: Hostels, Tours
   • Cancellation terms: Free cancellation up to 5 days before check-in
   • Mobile app: Yes

   Pros

   • The range is tight: hostels and tours and nothing beyond it, so you know what you are buying.
   • Support runs on email, phone and chat, so a stuck booking is easy to chase.
   • A mobile app is available, which helps when you book away from a laptop.
   • Free cancellation up to 5 days before check-in takes the sting out of a change of plan.

   Cons

   • Coverage is narrow: hostels and tours and nothing else, so flights, rail and hotel rooms need another site.
   • Bed choice sits with hostels and tours, so anyone after a private room has to book their stay elsewhere.
   • No buses or transfers appear in hostels and tours, so reaching the hostel is a separate arrangement.

3. 4. YHA England and Wales: best for YHA England and Wales

   Youth hostel association offering hostels, camping and glamping across England and Wales, with member discounts.

   • Products: Hostels
   • Legal entity: YHA (England & Wales)
   • Headquarters: United Kingdom

   Pros

   • Covers hostels alongside camping and glamping choices for varied trip styles
   • Focuses on one region for concentrated trip planning

   Cons

   • Coverage is limited to England and Wales, so trips further afield need other arrangements
   • Dog welcome varies from one property to another

4. 5. Plus Hostels: best for Plus Hostels

   Hostel and hotel in Florence with hotel rooms, modern dorms, a pool and a panoramic terrace.

   • Products: Hostels

   Pros

   • Central base close to river crossing, gardens, galleries and cathedral square
   • Choice of modern dorms and private rooms for solos and groups
   • Two pools plus gym and sauna for rest after sightseeing days
   • On site kitchen with Italian and international plates and rooftop views

   Cons

   • Single city stay, limiting for travelers touring several destinations
   • Lively and social setting that can feel busy for quiet seekers

5. 6. Lub d: best for Lub d

   Social hotels and hostels with female-only dorms, a daily events calendar and all-day breakfast, bookable direct on its site.

   • Products: Hostels, Hotels
   • Booking fees: No sneaky fees, no surprises

   Pros

   • The Phuket Patong page lists king and twin private-room options and a single bed in a four-bed female-only dorm.
   • The property page lists a pool and coworking space.
   • The page states check-in from 2 pm and check-out by noon.

   Cons

   • The female-only dorm listing is for one bunk in a shared four-bed room, not a private room for a group.

6. 7. Druk Asia

   Druk Asia Affiliates makes this ranking on the destination specialist model. It sells flights, hotels and hostels, so a trip and its beds are packaged together, and it charges No booking fee; 3-5% card gateway fee. Cancellation is the firm side of the deal: USD 140 per person if over 45 days before start, which bites hardest on changes made well ahead of departure. Support runs on email, chat and phone and a mobile app is listed, so the same team handles the trip and the room. Based in SG and trading since 2009, it holds a place here for range inside a single market. GoStops, ranked next, is tighter still.

   • Products: Flights, Hotels, Hostels, and 3 more
   • Booking fees: No booking fee; 3-5% card gateway fee
   • Cancellation terms: USD 140 per person if over 45 days before start

   Pros

   • The booking fee is free, with the card gateway charge as the only extra cost at payment (No booking fee; 3-5% card gateway fee).
   • The range is flights, hotels and hostels, so a full itinerary does not have to be assembled piecemeal from separate sellers.
   • Support runs on email, chat and phone, giving travellers a help centre alongside email, chat and a phone line.
   • FlixBus sells bus alone, so Druk Asia covers far more of a real journey in the same comparison.
   • The seller is Druk Asia Private Limited, based in SG and trading since 2009.

   Cons

   • Cancellation is not free: USD 140 per person if over 45 days before start, and the amount is charged for each traveller named on the booking.
   • Card payments are the one cost to watch, since No booking fee; 3-5% card gateway fee still puts a gateway charge on top of the trip price.
   • Overland travel is thin: flights, hotels and hostels stops at transfers, so bus-led itineraries belong with FlixBus, whose bus is the whole offer.
   • Hertz Bahamas WiFi covers car rental and transfers, which the Druk Asia range, flights, hotels and hostels, does not include.

7. 8. Guide to Iceland

   Guide to Iceland is a destination expert that still covers the wider booking. It lists tours, packages and car rental, and charges No booking or transaction fees, so a bed folded into a broader trip costs nothing extra at the desk. Cancellation is Free cancellation up to 24h before departure, a short clock that suits a fixed arrival plan. Support runs on email, chat and phone, mixing a community channel with the direct routes, and a mobile app is listed. Based in IS and trading since 2012, it holds the middle of this ranking on flexibility. Hostelling International, ranked next, keeps hostels alone and reaches the list on age and focus.

   • Products: Tours, Packages, Car-rental, and 5 more
   • Booking fees: No booking or transaction fees
   • Cancellation terms: Free cancellation up to 24h before departure

   Pros

   • The range is the widest here: tours, packages and car rental means a car, a bed, a tour, a flight and a transfer can share one checkout.
   • Fees are No booking or transaction fees, so the quote on the page is the quote on the invoice, unlike carriers such as FlixBus that sell a single bus product.
   • Cancellation is forgiving: Free cancellation up to 24h before departure means a plan can be dropped close to the departure date.
   • There is a mobile app, so bookings and confirmations travel in a pocket rather than in an email thread.
   • Support runs on email, chat and phone, which is broader than a site with email alone.

   Cons

   • Coverage is Iceland shaped rather than global: the operation sits in IS, so a traveller heading on to a second country has to book the next leg elsewhere.
   • The catalogue is broad but not a booking engine for rail or buses, which is the whole of bus.
   • Cancellation is Free cancellation up to 24h before departure, so late changes past the cut-off lose the free window.

8. 9. Hostelworld

   Hostelworld sits below the midpoint in this ranking but keeps a solid hostel shop. A mobile app is listed and support runs on email, phone and help centre, so repeat booking and problem solving are both covered. Based in IE, run by Hostelworld.com Limited and trading since 1999, it beats the members below it on range. Hotels24.ua, ranked next, keeps fees lighter but sells fewer travel lines and has no mobile app.

   • Products: Hostels, Hotels, Tours, and 1 more
   • Booking fees: Flat booking fee, non-refundable
   • Cancellation terms: Free cancellation up to 24h before check-in

   Pros

   • Free cancellation up to 24h before check-in sets a real deadline for changing plans, which suits group bookings that shift around.
   • hostels, hotels and tours keeps stays and activities in one range, so tours sit beside beds rather than in a separate search.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre and phone is one of them, so a change close to check-in is not email only.
   • A mobile app is available, so a bed can be booked away from a laptop.
   • Hostelworld.com Limited is a named company registered in IE and trading since 1999, so the party behind the terms is stated.

   Cons

   • Every booking carries Flat booking fee, non-refundable, so the cost of making the booking does not fall as the stay gets longer or the party gets bigger.
   • Rail, bus, ferry and car rental are not among its products (hostels, hotels and tours), so an itinerary built around moving between cities needs a second site, where 12Go and MoMo keep transport in the same range.
   • Live chat is not among its support channels (email, phone and help centre), so a change made close to check-in depends on phone or email rather than a live conversation.
   • The free cancellation window in Free cancellation up to 24h before check-in ends at check-in, so a late change of dates lands outside what the terms describe.

What to look for

Hostel depth before anything else

Confirm a site actually sells hostel beds rather than only hotels. In this ranking the product mix leans toward hotels, 78.6%, while hostel listings are the one product every member carries, 100%. A brand that also sells tours, 64.3%, or transfers, 28.6%, handles the bed and the trip around it in a single place.

Read the fee line to the end

A flat fee or a deposit changes the total more than most travellers expect. Read the fee line for each member and take it off the headline rate. A&O Hostels charges No booking fee; prices include VAT, Guide to Iceland No booking or transaction fees and Hotels24.ua No booking or processing commission, while Hostelworld lists Flat booking fee, non-refundable and Hostelsclub 10% deposit, non-refundable booking fee.

Cancellation window length

The gap between booking and arrival decides what a change costs. Windows here range from the open one at A&O Hostels, Free until 18:00 on arrival day (FLEX), to the tight clock at Hotels24.ua, where cancellation is free inside each property's own free-cancellation window and free when the booking was not prepaid. A short window suits a firm route.

Support that actually answers

A failed booking is urgent, so response channels matter more than logos. Email is near universal in this ranking, 92.9%, phone support follows, 85.7%, and chat is the least common, 50%. A help centre sits at 64.3% and can carry most of the load.

Setup for repeat bookings

An app shortens every booking after the first one, and most members here have one, 75%, against 25% for the rest. This ranking covers 14 brands that sell hostel beds, with 0 licensed partners, so the app column is one of the cleaner filters left.

Frequently asked questions

Top hostels compared by country

• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• India
• Italy
• Japan
• South Korea
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

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