Dorms.com vs Mad Monkey 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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Student accommodation and hostels Book safe student accommodation and backpacker hostels. Dorms.com Designed with students, backpackers and digital nomads in mind, our budget-friendly selection of student accommodations and hostels makes youth travel much easier and safer. From London to Paris, from Berlin to New-York, Dorms.com connects you with the best deals for student housing and backpackers hostels. Dorms.com brings fast, easy and secure global student housing travel. Not sure where to head to next? Our app is full of information to help you get inspired. See what’s hot in Amsterdam, find out the best place for a pint in Dublin, or locate the best beach in Sydney before you hit the road. Wherever you want to go, you can easily find a studio or hostel downtown, in a trendy neighbourhood; a homestay in the student - university district, close to bus or train stations, airports or major attractions. With over 1 million online bookings already made, we can help you discover your next great experience. Our FREE app will let you: Search for safe student housing, homestays, hostels, dorms, shared or private rooms and coworking spaces Search for last minute hostel deals Get special deals on cheap hostels and safe student accommodations Book a hostel on the go for tonight or your next trip Never print or forget your hostel confirmation again Manage your bookings Use “Take me to my place” feature so you never get lost City guides with great tips and free activities Review university dorms, student private rooms, hostels, homestays, coworking spaces And much more features student and backpackers On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DormsCom/ On Twitter: https://twitter.com/DormsCom For backpacking hacks: https://www.dorms.com/Hostel-Backpacking-Hacks/ For Hostels blogs: https://www.dorms.com/Hostels-Blogs For Mobile site: https://www.dorms.com/ For mobile App page: https://www.dorms.com/Hostel-mobile-apps If you have any problems or suggestions on how to improve the app, please write us at info@dorms.com. Thank you.
Mad Monkey Hostels
Book accommodations and tours across Southeast Asia with guaranteed lowest prices and flexible cancellations. Earn loyalty rewards like free drinks and discounts, and access exclusive deals on experiences and parties. Manage all your bookings and travel plans in one convenient place.
- Lowest prices guaranteed
- Flexible free cancellation
- Loyalty rewards program
- Effortless booking management
- Exclusive tour and party deals
- 24/7 customer support
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No.1 Southeast Asia Travel App What Backpackers say about the Mad Monkey App: - Lowest Prices Guaranteed: Book direct and always pay less. Plus, get flexible, free cancellation. - Loyalty Perks: Earn free drinks, pub crawl discounts, room upgrades, and even free nights just for staying with us. The more you stay, the higher your rewards! - Effortless Booking: Keep all your bookings, rewards, and travel plans in one place. - Epic Experiences: Unlock Insider Deals on tours like the legendary Ha Giang Loop and exclusive invites to Mad Monkey's world-famous parties and new openings. - 24/7 Support: Always travel with peace of mind. Download now and travel Southeast Asia the smart, social, and rewarding way!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Mad Monkey Hostels at none against Dorms.com's shown. Mad Monkey Hostels also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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 Mad Monkey Hostels. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 7 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Dorms.com's written reviews are positive against 73% of Mad Monkey Hostels's.
Dorms.com ships an update every 2 weeks, Mad Monkey Hostels every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on July 30, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dorms.com | Mad Monkey Hostels |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (18 ratings) — better | 4.6 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 89 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Dorms.com | Mad Monkey Labs |
Customer experience
Dorms.com
Mad Monkey Hostels
In-app purchases
Dorms.com
No in-app purchases
Mad Monkey Hostels
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Dorms.com free?
Is Mad Monkey Hostels free?
Which has better reviews, Dorms.com or Mad Monkey Hostels?
Do Dorms.com or Mad Monkey Hostels have ads?
Which is updated more often, Dorms.com or Mad Monkey Hostels?
Other comparisons
