Russia has seen foreign booking platforms exit the market, but Russian developers are offering an alternative. The Roskachestvo Center for Digital Expertise conducted tests on the ten most popular hotel search and booking services available to Android and iPhone users, acting on behalf of Roskomnadzor. The evaluation covered 192 criteria for Android and 190 criteria for iOS, and the findings are accessible through socialbites.ca.
Roskachestvo reports that a significant portion of users turn to aggregators to find housing, with websites accounting for 37 percent and mobile apps for 17.4 percent of searches. This reliance underscores the importance of app performance, reliability, and security in the crowded travel tech space.
User sentiment in app stores reveals notable dissatisfaction with customer support, where 25.93 percent labeled it useless. Other recurring issues include difficulties with refunds (21.35 percent), reservation cancellations (9.15 percent), lack of contact with support (8.39 percent), outdated information (7.30 percent), unstable apps (5.66 percent), and refund processing problems where money is withdrawn without a reservation (5.45 percent). Additional concerns cited include incorrect discounts (4.25 percent), removal of negative comments (1.96 percent), and non-informative hotel cards (1.74 percent).
Among the tested apps, Yandex Travel, Ostrovok.ru, and Trip.com consistently ranked highest in overall user ratings across Android and iOS platforms, with scores around 4.4 to 4.5 on each system. These results reflect how users perceive usability, speed, and overall experience in real-world scenarios.
The study was conducted with 231 participants to gauge app usability. An ideal mobile travel app was described as light and easy to navigate, featuring diverse filters, transparent pricing, and the ability to book directly without intermediaries or hidden charges. Equally important was the assurance that personal data would stay secure and not fall into the wrong hands.
On Android, Yandex Travel leads the pack with a 4.73 score, followed by Ozone at 4.39 and Trip.com at 4.27. On iOS, Trip.com, Yandex Travel, and Ozone also stand out with scores of 4.27, 4.16, and 4.14 respectively for ease of use and general comfort. Functional breadth across search, sorting, hotel details, and reservations was evaluated across 115 criteria. In this dimension, Trip.com topped both Android and iOS with 4.51, Ostrovok.ru posted 4.40 on Android and 4.42 on iOS, and 101Hotels.com reached 4.28 on Android and 4.31 on iOS.
During testing, experts attempted bookings with cancellation options and discovered that direct cancellation within certain apps was not possible on iOS for Yandex Travel, Onlinetours, Tutu, and Level Travel, and not possible on Android for Onlinetours and Tutu. In such cases, users must contact customer support to complete a cancellation.
Pricing checks revealed that Ostrovok.ru and OneTwoTrip sometimes displayed discounts that did not reflect reality. On iOS, discounts appeared exaggerated by 1 to 3 percent, while on Android some discounts were shown as twice the actual value.
In the category of Hotel Reservation, security assessments showed that the apps met established security criteria and performed well in the tests, highlighting a strong focus on protecting users’ personal and payment information. The study concluded that developers generally maintain responsible practices in safeguarding data, with no critical vulnerabilities identified during the evaluation.
The Roskachestvo team notes that the overall picture points to careful attention to user data protection and reliable app performance as central to positive travel-tech experiences. The study emphasizes practical usability, clear pricing, robust security, and responsive support as essential components of a trustworthy travel app ecosystem in today’s market.
These findings reflect ongoing efforts by Russian developers to offer strong alternatives in a shifting digital landscape, where user experience, data safety, and transparent pricing continue to drive consumer choice in hotel search and booking apps across Russia and neighboring markets.