Skyscanner Is Outdated: These 6 Hidden Sites Find Cheaper Flights Every Single Time

For a long time, Skyscanner was the go-to site for finding cheap flights. It was easy, familiar, and could search just about anywhere. But let’s be real. If you’re still only using Skyscanner in 2025, you’re probably paying more than you need to.

Flight prices don’t work the way they used to. Airlines now use something called “dynamic pricing,” which means they change prices based on your search history, location, and even the time of day. So, what you see might be totally different from what someone else sees.

And those big travel sites? They don’t always show the lowest fares.

The good news is that there are newer tools out there that go deeper, cut through all that noise, and find better deals, ones Skyscanner often misses. With these tools (and a few smart travel tricks), you’ll be way ahead of the game when it comes to scoring cheap flights.

1. Google Flights: The Smartest Way to Find Cheaper Flights

Let’s start with a favorite among travel pros: Google Flights. It doesn’t actually sell tickets; it just finds them. It pulls live prices straight from airlines and travel sites, and it does it fast. No ads, no clutter.

Why it’s better than Skyscanner:

Real-Time Prices: Skyscanner sometimes shows prices that aren’t actually available when you click through. Google Flights updates constantly, so what you see is usually what you get, no price jumps.

Super Useful Visual Tools: Features like the Date Grid and Price Graph help you quickly spot the cheapest days to fly. It’s all color-coded, so deals are easy to spot at a glance.

Multi-Airport Search: Flying from or to a few different airports? You can search up to seven departure and destination airports at once. Great if you’re flexible or live near a few options.

Pro Tip: Try the Explore feature. Just leave the destination blank, choose your travel dates (or something like “a weekend in November”), and Google will show you cheap places to fly on a map. Perfect for spontaneous getaways.

Related: New Google Flights Data Reveals the Best Time to Book Cheap Flights

2. Momondo: The Underdog That Digs Deeper

Before Google Flights became popular, Momondo was the go-to secret weapon for deal hunters. It’s still awesome because it digs into smaller, local travel sites that bigger search engines often miss. It’s the perfect second step after you check Google Flights.

Why it’s better than Skyscanner:

Digs Deeper: Momondo searches tiny booking sites that might have special local discounts or deals you won’t find anywhere else.

Mix & Match Tickets: Sometimes Momondo combines two one-way flights on different airlines to create cheaper trips, especially on long-haul flights. Skyscanner usually doesn’t do this.

Easy-to-Understand Results: It uses colors to highlight the cheapest, fastest, and best options, so you can quickly pick what works best for you.

Pro Tip: Start with Google Flights to find the best travel dates. Then, put those exact details into Momondo. It might take a minute to search, but often it’ll find a smaller site with even better prices.

Also See: I’ve Traveled Nonstop for Years: These 6 Gadgets Never Leave My Backpack

3. ITA Matrix: The Pro-Level Flight Finder

Ever wonder what tool travel agents use to find those hidden flight deals? That’s ITA Matrix. It was built by MIT geeks and is now owned by Google.

It’s actually the powerful engine behind Google Flights. But here, you get all the advanced controls unlocked. You can’t buy tickets on ITA Matrix, but you can find deals you won’t see anywhere else.

Why it’s better than Skyscanner:

Total Control: You can get super specific with your search. Want to stop in a certain city? Avoid an airport you hate? Only fly certain airlines? ITA lets you do all that with easy codes.

Pick Your Plane: Want to fly on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner? You can filter flights by aircraft type. No other site gives you this kind of detail.

No Hidden Agendas: ITA doesn’t make money from bookings, so it just shows you the raw, honest fare info, including taxes and fees broken down clearly.

Pro Tip: Use ITA to find your perfect flight and get all the details. Then, book the exact flights on the airline’s website or a trusted travel site. It takes a few extra clicks but gives you total control and usually the best price.

4. Flightfox: Your Personal Human Flight Hacker

Sometimes the best flight deals don’t come from a website. They come from a real person who knows all the tricks. That’s what Flightfox does. It connects you with travel experts (some used to work for airlines) who search for deals manually, just for you.

Why it’s better than Skyscanner:

Access to Unpublished Fares: Flightfox experts can tap into consolidator deals, corporate rates, and other unpublished fares that are invisible to public search engines.  

Perfect for Complex Trips: If you’re planning a round-the-world trip, a multi-country honeymoon, or a group booking, an algorithm will often fail. A human expert can build a complex itinerary for far less than booking separate legs.  

Saves You Time: Instead of spending hours searching, you submit your request and let an expert do the heavy lifting.

Pro Tip: Use Flightfox when your itinerary has more than two or three stops. While there’s a fee (starting around $49 per trip), the savings on a complex international trip can easily run into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, making it well worth the investment.  

5. SecretFlying: The Spot for Spontaneous, Crazy-Good Deals

SecretFlying isn’t a regular flight search engine; it’s a community of deal hunters. They’re always on the lookout for pricing mistakes, flash sales, and “mistake fares” (think New York to London for $99!). These deals pop up out of nowhere and disappear fast.

Why it’s better than Skyscanner:

Finds Mistake Fares: Sometimes an airline employee misses a zero, or a currency conversion goes wrong. SecretFlying catches these glitches and posts them instantly.  

Spontaneous Travel Inspiration: You don’t search for a destination here. You let the deal decide your next trip. It’s perfect for travelers with a flexible schedule.

Global Coverage: The site posts deals from regions all over the world, so you can find a bargain no matter where you live.

Pro Tip: Set up alerts for your home airport or region. When a deal pops up, you have to act immediately. Have your passport and payment information ready, because these fares don’t last.

6. Kiwi.com: The High-Risk, High-Reward Option

Kiwi.com offers something unique called “virtual interlining.” It pieces together itineraries from airlines that don’t have partnership agreements.

For example, it might book you on a low-cost carrier to a major hub, and then on a different legacy airline for the long-haul flight. This can unlock incredibly cheap routes.  

But this comes with a massive warning.

The Risk: These are separate tickets. If your first flight is delayed and you miss your connection, you are not protected. The second airline has no obligation to rebook you, and you could be stranded.  

The “Guarantee”: Kiwi sells a guarantee to cover these situations, but customer reviews are overwhelmingly negative. Travelers report being denied refunds, left without support, and forced to buy expensive last-minute tickets out of pocket.  

Pro Hack (Use with Extreme Caution): Only use Kiwi.com if you’re a super experienced traveler, don’t check bags, have long layovers (8 hours or more), and don’t mind taking a risk. The savings can be big, but so can the headaches.

The Pro Strategy: Use These Tools Together

Using just one flight search tool? That’s a rookie move. The real secret is to use these tools together, like a team, to find the best deals, just like the pros do.

1. Start with Google Flights. Use its speed and visual tools to find the cheapest date range and establish a reliable baseline price.

2. Double-check on Momondo. Plug your best dates from Google Flights into Momondo to see if a smaller OTA can beat the price.

3. Verify with ITA Matrix. For expensive or complex trips, use ITA Matrix to confirm you’ve found the best possible routing.

4. Monitor SecretFlying. In the background, keep an eye on SecretFlying for any surprise mistake fares on your route.

Read: This Is the Best Seat on a Plane With the Strongest Wi-Fi, According to Frequent Flyers, and No, It’s Not in First Class

More Travel Tricks to Outsmart the Airlines

Besides using the right tools, these simple habits can help you save even more money on flights:

Go Incognito. Airlines track your searches with cookies. If you keep looking at the same route, they might raise the price. Always search in a private or incognito browser to avoid this.

Use a VPN. Flight prices can change depending on where you’re booking from. Try using a VPN to switch your location and see if you can score a cheaper fare.

Check Nearby Airports. Don’t just search your main airport. Sometimes flying into a smaller or regional airport nearby can save you hundreds of dollars.

A Quick Warning: Watch Out for These Risks

Before you try some of the advanced flight hacks, here are a couple of things to watch out for:

Skiplagging (Hidden City Ticketing): This trick is when you book a flight with a layover and just get off at the layover city because it’s cheaper than flying there directly. Sounds smart, but airlines don’t like it, and it can get you in trouble. They might cancel your return flight, take away your miles, or even ban you from flying with them. It’s risky, and honestly, we don’t recommend it.

Booking with Unknown OTAs: Sometimes those super-cheap prices on sites like Momondo come from tiny travel agencies with poor customer service. If your flight changes or gets canceled, you might not get any help. As a rule, if the savings are less than $50, it’s usually safer to book directly with the airline.

Your New Flight-Hacking Playbook

Finding cheap flights isn’t what it used to be. Skyscanner alone just doesn’t cut it anymore. Airlines have gotten smarter, so travelers need to get smarter too.

Forget hoping for luck. The key is to build a toolkit of the right sites and know how to use them. Start with Google Flights for fast, clear results. Then check Momondo for hidden deals and use ITA Matrix to take full control of your search. Keep an eye on SecretFlying for those rare, unbeatable fares. And only use sites like Kiwi.com if you really know the risks.

With these tools and tricks in your corner, you’ll stop overpaying and start traveling more for less.