I Prefer vs Sonesta
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
I Prefer
Explore and book stays at over 650 unique hotels worldwide. Manage your rewards account, access exclusive rates, and earn points on eligible stays. Enjoy benefits like early check-in and complimentary Wi-Fi.
- Discover and book hotels
- Manage member account
- View reservations and points
- Redeem points for rewards
- Save favorite destinations
- Access exclusive rates and offers
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The World Awaits Your next rewarding trip starts here. With the official I Prefer Hotel Rewards app, you can easily explore and book stays at more than 650 distinctive hotels and resorts around the world, manage your Member account, and access exclusive rates and offers. Features Discover and book hotels with great rates and exclusive offers View upcoming reservations, past stays, and points activity Redeem points for rewards, including free nights and more Manage your Member account and personal information Save your favorite destination for yourself or to share with friends Not a Member of I Prefer Hotel Rewards? Enroll free today to enjoy Members-only hotel offers and instant travel benefits including: Points Earned on Eligible Stays Early Check-in & Late Check-out Exclusive Rates & Offers Complimentary Wi-Fi Enhanced Room Upgrades
Sonesta
Discover a collection of hotels and resorts across the U.S. and globally, offering spacious rooms for business, family vacations, or extended stays. Enjoy health and safety verified accommodations, award-winning properties, and a rewards program for exclusive member benefits and discounts.
- Book hotel rooms and suites
- Extended-stay options
- Health and safety verified
- Tripadvisor award-winning hotels
- Guest rewards program
- Meetings and events planning
- Direct booking discounts
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Welcome to Tailored-to-You Travel Distinct hotels and resorts. Spacious rooms ideal for extended-stay travel. Across the U.S. and in exciting destinations around the world, Sonesta has hotel rooms and suites for all the ways you travel. Book hotel rooms and suites for business trips, family vacations and extended stay travel at Sonesta, the go-to family of hotel brands that welcomes the world. Whether you’re looking for family vacation hotels, the best resorts for girlfriend getaways, hotels with meeting rooms—or simply a friendly face to welcome you after a long day—you’ll find what you need at Sonesta, one of the fastest growing hotel companies in the U.S. Stay Safe with Sonesta Guest health and safety is our number one priority. That’s why Sonesta’s new health and cleanliness program is Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED with Forbes Travel Guide. Tripadvisor Awards We win—you win. The 2021 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards recognizes hotels with the best reviews—and 58 of those awards went to Sonesta hotels. Earn Free Nights & Member Perks Savings and special benefits—they’re all yours. Join Sonesta Travel Pass, our guest rewards program, for free today. You’ll travel with the best rates and all the little extras that make a stay amazing. Sonesta Travel Pass members enjoy a 5% discount when booking direct. Always. No strings attached. Not a member? Join today and start saving. Meetings & Events Work meetings. Custom events. Weddings, reunions, and friends getaways. At Sonesta, we’re all about bringing your vision to life—and taking care of all those little details that make an event unforgettable. Let’s start planning. Earn More with the Sonesta World Mastercard The Sonesta World Mastercard gives you the chance to earn up to 95,000 bonus points—that’s 6 free nights—along with upgrades, dining discounts and more. Apply now and start earning points towards your travel. (Conditions apply)
Screenshots
Verdict
I Prefer and Sonesta both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 38% of Sonesta's written reviews are positive against 14% of I Prefer's. I Prefer's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for I Prefer against 4.8 for Sonesta. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.3K and 3.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 14% of I Prefer's written reviews are positive against 38% of Sonesta's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | I Prefer | Sonesta |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (4.3K ratings) | 4.8 (3.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 13.6% of reviews | 37.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.3K — better | 3.2K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. | Sonesta International Hotels Corporation |
Customer experience
I Prefer
Sonesta
User reviews
I Prefer
From 4.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Beautiful view
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 🚀 Searching for hotels is now more intuitive and fast
- 💡 Love the options of nights with points and nights with points + cash
Room to improve
- 🐛 Difficult to navigate
- 🐛 Not user friendly
- 🐛 Glitchy
- 🐛 Crashes upon opening
- 🐛 Doesn't show points or past stays
Sonesta
From 3.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤑 Great Prices
- 👍 Clean Hotels
- 👍 Friendly and Helpful Staff
- 👍 Comfortable Rooms
- 👍 Convenient Locations
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy App
- 🐛 Glitches and Crashes
- 🚫 Poor Customer Service
- 🚫 Lack of Functionality
- 🚫 Difficult to Book Rooms
Bugs and requests
I Prefer
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues
- Constant crashes
- Doesn't show upcoming stays
- Doesn't sync with hotel stays
Requested features
3 requests- Integrate with Apple Wallet
- Add mobile check-in functionality
- Improve points tracking and management
Sonesta
Reported bugs
4 issues- App Freezes and Crashes
- Blank Screens When Booking
- Issues Accessing Past Reservations
- Problems Redeeming Points
Requested features
3 requests- Option to Book Adjoining Rooms
- Better Room Photos
- Improved Synchronization Across Devices
In-app purchases
I Prefer
No in-app purchases
Sonesta
No in-app purchases








