KVB vs a&o Hostels
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KVB
Plan trips, view live departure times, and purchase tickets for public transport and shared mobility services in Cologne. Find and book bicycles, cars, and taxis.
- Trip planner with live data
- Departure monitor for stations
- Ticket purchasing
- KVB-Rad bicycle booking
- Car-Sharing and Taxi-Ruf integration
- Disruption information
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The KVB-App provides time tables, trip planning, navigation as well as a ticket shop for busses and trains in the area of Cologne and around. Beside the trip planner and discruption information you are able to get live data for your station. The KVB-App offers all information about KVB-Rad, Car-Sharing and Taxi-Ruf in Cologne. You can register yourself an account, localize vehicles and bicycles and you are able to book a bicycle/care directly. Overview of the functions: - Trip planner (live data) - Departure monitor for stations (live data) - Save station and ticket favorites and change their names individually - Purchase tickets (also anonymous) - Tariff price information - Information about disruptions - KVB-Rad (Bicylce search, prices, registration and booking) - Taxi-Ruf Cologne (Show places where you can get a taxi and booking within the KVB-App) - Car-Sharing (Vehicle location, registration and booking) The KVB-App will be updated and enhanced with new features and functions frequently.
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
The clearest difference is rating: a&o Hostels at 4.6 against KVB's 2.3. a&o Hostels also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (109 vs 4). KVB's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support 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.
a&o Hostels holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a&o Hostels has 109 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of KVB's written reviews are positive against 26% of a&o Hostels's.
KVB ships an update every 2 months, a&o Hostels every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | KVB | a&o Hostels |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.3 (4 ratings) | 4.6 (109 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.6% of reviews | 26.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 109 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 58 MB | 183 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe AG | A&O HOTELS and HOSTELS HOLDING AG |
Customer experience
KVB
a&o Hostels
In-app purchases
KVB
No in-app purchases
a&o Hostels
No in-app purchases









