Dorms.com vs a&o Hostels
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dorms.com
Find and book safe, budget-friendly student accommodations and backpacker hostels worldwide. Discover city guides, special deals, and manage your bookings on the go for a seamless travel experience.
- Search student housing and hostels
- Find last-minute deals
- Book on the go
- Manage bookings
- City guides with tips
- Review accommodations
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Book safe student accommodation and backpacker hostels with Dorms.com. Designed with students, backpackers and digital nomads in mind, our budget-friendly selection of student accommodation and hostels makes youth travel easier and safer. From London to Paris, from Berlin to New York, Dorms.com connects you with the best deals for student housing and backpacker hostels. Not sure where to head next? Our city guides help you get inspired before you hit the road. Wherever you want to go, find a hostel downtown or in a trendy neighbourhood, or a room in the university district, close to bus and train stations, airports or major attractions. With over 1 million bookings already made, we can help you find your next great stay. With the free app you can: - Search hostels, student housing, homestays, dorms, and shared or private rooms - Find last-minute hostel deals - Get special deals on cheap hostels and safe student accommodation - Book a hostel on the go, for tonight or your next trip - Keep your booking confirmations in the app, no printing needed - Manage your bookings - Use "Take me to my room" so you never get lost - Read city guides with tips and free activities - Chat with our support team Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DormsCom/ Backpacking hacks: https://www.dorms.com/Hostel-Backpacking-Hacks Hostel blogs: https://www.dorms.com/Hostels-Blogs Website: https://www.dorms.com/ Problems or ideas? Write to us at info@dorms.com.
a&o Hostels
Book budget-friendly accommodation in over 39 hostels across Europe. Check in online and use your smartphone to unlock your room door, streamlining your travel experience.
- Book accommodation
- Online check-in
- Digital room key
- Find hostels in 23 cities
- View room categories
- 24-hour service
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a&o Hostels App – Book, Check In, Open the Door Book accommodation, check in online, open your room door – your app for everything! With over 40 hostels in more than 30 cities, a&o is Europe’s largest hostel provider, offering affordable and centrally located accommodations in the most popular cities. Available room categories include single, double, family, and dorm rooms. Backpackers, business travelers, couples, families, and larger groups such as school classes or clubs will find the right bed or room here—equipped with a private bathroom with shower/toilet, hairdryer, and toiletries. There’s also free high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the building, as well as 24/7 service and a snack bar that’s open at all times. Aachen – Antwerp – Berlin – Bremen – Brighton – Brussels – Budapest – Dortmund – Dresden – Düsseldorf – Edinburgh – Florence – Frankfurt – Graz – Hamburg – Cologne – Copenhagen – Leipzig – London – Milan – Manchester – Munich – Nuremberg – Prague – Rotterdam – Salzburg – Stuttgart – Venice – Warsaw – Weimar – Vienna a&o – everyone can travel YOUR FEATURES AT A GLANCE Booking: Whether a bed or a room – select your desired city and easily book your affordable and centrally located accommodation on the go at the best a&o price! Check-in: Skip the trip to the front desk! You can check in on your own—no waiting, just a few clicks, starting 24 hours in advance. Open the door: Say goodbye to room keys. With the app, you can open your room door. Turn on Bluetooth, hold your smartphone up to the lock, tap, and you’re done!
Screenshots
Verdict
Dorms.com and a&o Hostels both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 67% of Dorms.com's written reviews are positive against 26% of a&o Hostels's. a&o Hostels's advantage is ratings volume (113 vs 18). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 Dorms.com against 4.6 for a&o Hostels. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a&o Hostels has 113 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Dorms.com's written reviews are positive against 26% of a&o Hostels's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dorms.com | a&o Hostels |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (18 ratings) — better | 4.6 (113 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 26.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 113 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 9 days |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 95 MB | 183 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dorms.com | A&O HOTELS and HOSTELS HOLDING AG |
Customer experience
Dorms.com
a&o Hostels
In-app purchases
Dorms.com
No in-app purchases
a&o Hostels
No in-app purchases








