How to Develop an App Like Hopper for Flight and Hotel Booking?

Updated 07 Feb 2024
Published 15 Jul 2022
Satyam Chaturvedi 2452 Views
Develop an App Like Hopper

Last month, the travel booking app ‘Hopper’ released a new product, “Leave for Any Reason.”

It allows users to depart their hotel at or after check-in and book another hotel of the same star grade with 100% rebooking costs reimbursed by Hopper.

Isn’t this travel app awesome?

Who wouldn’t love an app like this that makes the travel booking experience much smoother?

This got us thinking: What exactly does it take to develop an app like Hopper?

If you’re planning to get into the travel booking business or are simply curious about how the Hopper app works, let’s find out.

Building an app like Hopper is not rocket science. All you need is the right technology stack and a good team of developers.

In this blog post, we’ll go over how does Hopper app works and the steps to develop an app like Hopper.

What is Hopper?

Hopper is a travel booking app that uses the power of artificial intelligence to predict prices and provides recommendations to users about when to book flights or hotels. These predictions help users to wait for the perfect moment to book their travel and get the best deals.

How does Hopper App Work?

Like every other travel app, Hopper also asks its users to enter their travel destination, the dates they wish to travel, and the number of travelers.

Based on this information, Hopper uses its advanced artificial intelligence engine to predict the best deal for the user.

Flight booking apps like hopper

So what’s the difference between Hopper and other travel apps?

The difference lies in the fact that Hopper considers many data points to predict the price. It looks at historical data, current trends, and even future events to formulate a price prediction.

The most significant advantage is the app keeps track of fares and notifies users whether they should book their travel now or wait for the prices to drop. It also helps users predict the rise in fares and adjust their travel plans accordingly.

The app also considers the user’s search history and provides personalized recommendations for their travel. For example, suppose a user has previously searched for flights to Los Angeles.

In that case, Hopper will notify the user with the recommendations for the lowest and highest price prediction of the hotels and restaurants in Los Angeles.

And this is what gives Hopper an edge over other travel booking apps.

Why should you make an app like Hopper?

The answer is simple. The travel industry is one of the world’s biggest and most proliferating industries. According to a report by Statista, the global travel and tourism industry is expected to reach $8.97 trillion by 2030.

With the rise in disposable incomes and increased awareness about different travel destinations, more and more people are now willing to spend on travel.

This has resulted in huge demand for travel booking apps that can make booking travel more accessible, budget-friendly, and hassle-free.

And this is where an app like Hopper comes in.

Reasons to Make an App like Hopper

There are many reasons why you should develop an app like Hopper. Some of the most important ones are listed below:

Reasons to Make an App like Hopper

To tap into the booming travel and tourism industry

As we mentioned, the global travel and tourism industry is expected to reach $8.97 trillion by 2030. This presents an excellent opportunity for businesses to tap into this industry and make a mark for themselves.

To offer a more personalized travel booking experience

With an app like Hopper, you can offer users a more customized travel booking experience by considering their search history and providing them with tailored recommendations.

To help users save money on travel bookings

Hopper is all about helping users save money on travel bookings. Using artificial intelligence’s power, the Hopper-like app can predict prices and help users book their travel at the lowest possible price. 

But, if you’re willing to offer accurate hotel and flight prices to your app users, consider adding a reliable hotel and flight data api to your booking application. 

To make booking travel more convenient

Booking travel can be a cumbersome and time-consuming process. With an app like Hopper, you can make booking travel more convenient and hassle-free for users.

Launch your Travel App like Hopper

To get direct and instant feedback from customers

It will also help you get immediate and instant feedback from customers, which can help you improve the app requirements and make it more user-friendly.

To Increase your profits

You can increase your profits by charging a small commission on each booking and selling ads on the app.

To know your visitors

You can track the number of visitors, their age, gender, location, and other important demographics. This information can help you better target your marketing efforts and improve your bottom line.

If you are seriously considering developing an app like Hopper, you must understand how it works, what it costs, and what emerging technologies are used to create it.

In the next section, we will walk you through everything you need to know before developing a flight booking app like a hopper.

The market size of the adventure tourism market worldwide in 2020–2030

tourism market worldwide 2020-2030
Image Credit : www.statista.com

What are the unique features of Hopper Clone that set you apart from competitors?

The market size of Hopper clones is large enough to accommodate everyone. But still, if you want to set your app apart from the competitors in this industry, it is crucial to have some unique features. 

hopper clone app development

Here are some of the unique features that you can consider while developing a travel apps like Hopper:

Provide an Advanced Price Prediction Algorithm:

Use innovative AI tools to predict the best price for your customers and enhance your user’s trust with excellent predictions.

Offer Personalized Recommendations: 

Based on the user’s search history, you can offer personalized recommendations on push notifications to improve their travel booking experience.

In-app Messaging Feature:

Allow your users to communicate with you directly through the app so that they can ask any questions they have related to their travel bookings. 

travel apps like Hopper

Enable a one-stop online booking solution:  

Allow your users to book their flights, hotels, and cabs through your app, so they don’t have to switch between different apps.

Provide out-of-the-box user experience: 

Make sure your app is designed to provide an out-of-the-box user experience to its users and engage them every time they travel.

Include a referral system: 

Include a referral system in your app so users can earn rewards for referring your app to their friends and family.

Showcase best deals in real-time:

Use some powerful features to show your users the best deals on flights and booking hotels with Hopper.

Provide more effortless ways to plan a trip:

Allow users to easily plan their long-distance journey by providing them with all the necessary information in one place. Also, allow them to store their booking research so they can access it later easily.

Flight booking apps like hopper

Multiple Payment Options:

Provide your users with multiple payment options to quickly pay for their bookings.

Data Encryption:

Ensure all the user data is encrypted to protect it from malicious attacks.

24/7 Customer Support:

Last but not least, provide 24/7 customer support to your users so they can reach out to you anytime they need help.

Hire Mobile App Developer

Steps to Develop an App Like Hopper

Now that we have a clear understanding of the cost and features involved in developing an app like Hopper, let’s take a look at the steps involved in the Hopper app development process.

steps to develop an app like Hopper

1. Creating User Personas

The first step is to create user personas for your app. This will help you understand your target audience better and also help you determine what features to include in your app.

2. Conducting Market Research

After you have created user personas, the next step is to conduct market research. This will help you understand the needs of your target audience and also help you stay ahead of your competitors.

3. Creating a Business Model

This will help you determine how you will make money from your app. Here are three possible monetization models:

  • Paid: users can pay to use your app.
  • Freemium: Users can use your app for free but will have to pay for additional features.
  • Advertisement: You can make money by displaying ads in your app.
  • In-App Purchase: You can sell products or services through your app.

Read Also:-How to Make an On-Demand Mobile App and Turn It into a Successful Startup

4. Hire an App Development Team

This is an essential step, as you will need to hire a team of expert app developers who can help you build what you want. Therefore, make sure you take time and do impressive research to find the right team for the job.

Before approaching any development company, a detailed workflow model and feature list must be ready. Additionally, building app development phases will help you save time and money in the long run. It will also help you better understand the app development process and prevent miscommunications.

5. Tech-stack required behind App Like Hopper

Tech Stack for app Like hopper

6. Designing and Developing Your App

Designing will help you make sure that your app follows the latest trends and is visually appealing to users. Creating a user-friendly and interactive design makes your app stand out.

After the app is designed, it will be developed by a team of expert app developers who will work according to the phases decided in the previous step.

7. Create Minimal Viable Product

After you have designed your app, the next step is to create a minimum viable product (MVP). This will help you test your app with real users and get feedback to improve it before the official launch.

8. Testing & Deploying Your App

Once the app is developed, it will be tested by a team of quality assurance engineers to ensure there are no bugs or errors. After the app is successfully tested, it will be deployed on the App Store and Google Play Store for users to download and use.

9. Ongoing maintenance and support

After launching your app, you must provide ongoing maintenance and support to your users. This includes adding new features, fixing bugs, and providing customer support.

You will also need to monitor your app’s performance and ensure it is running smoothly. If you want to ensure the success of your app, you must provide regular updates and maintenance.

So, now you know everything about how to develop an app like Hopper for Flight and Hotel Booking. All that’s left is to put this knowledge into practice and get started on your project.

cost to build an app like Hopper

What is the cost of building an app like Hopper?

The cost of developing an app like Hopper depends on several factors, and in such a case, calculating the exact cost may seem tedious and complex.

But then, if we take a close look at some of the critical factors that impact hopper clone app development, they are:

  • The number of features you want to include in your app
  • The complexity of the app’s design and size
  • The platform you choose to develop your app
  • The number of resources you need
  • The country in which you outsource your app development 

However,

  • If we look at the average cost to build an app like hopper, it would be somewhere around $30,000–$50,000.
  • If you are thinking of outsourcing your development to other geographical locations, then it would cost you this:
Region iOS ($/hour) Android ($/hour)
North America 140 140
Australia 90  90
UK 70 70
South America 40 40
Central Europe 35 35
India 20 20
Indonesia 35 35

Hence, before diving into the development process of an app like Hopper, we would suggest conducting appropriate market research and validating your travel ideas with experts. This is the best way to get an accurate cost estimation.

Final Thoughts

Developing an app like Hopper is not rocket science, but simultaneously, it is also not an easy task. It requires a lot of planning and effort to get things right.

But suppose you are willing to put in the effort and follow the abovementioned steps. In that case, you can successfully develop an app like Hopper that users will love and generate revenue for your business.

On the technical side, you need to have a detailed understanding of how the algorithms work and how to implement them.

The development team you hire should be well-versed in the latest technologies and trends so that they can help you create an app that is ahead of the curve, responsive and scalable.

On the business side, you must ensure that you have a solid marketing and monetization strategy. You must define your target audience and ensure you can reach them frequently.

It would be best if you also decided how you would make money from your app so that you could generate revenue for your business.

If you want to develop an app like Hopper but don’t know where to start, get in touch with us today. Our team of experts will work closely with you to understand your requirements and create an app that is just right for your business. Thanks for reading! We hope this article was helpful

FAQs regarding Developing an App like Hopper

  • How to develop Hopper App Clone?

    You can quickly develop your own travel app like Hopper, without investing much in market research. The app will have all the same features and functionality as Hopper, but with your own unique branding and design.

  • How long does it take to develop an app like Hopper?

    The exact time cannot be determined as it depends on the features you want to include in your app. However, developing a basic app would take at least 3-6 months.

  • How does an App like Hopper make money?

    There are various ways to make money from an app like Hopper. The most common monetization model is to charge airline agencies and hotels a specific commission for each booking they receive through your app. You can also make money using in-app purchases, paid subscriptions, and advertisements.

  • What team of resources do I need for develop app like Hopper?

    For a practical and feature-rich Hopper imitation, you’ll need several resources and tools, including:
    • Project manager
    • Tester
    • API developers
    • Front-end developer
    • Backend developer
    • UI/UX designer, and more

Satyam Chaturvedi

Satyam Chaturvedi is a Digital Marketing Manager at Arka Softwares, a leading app development company dealing in modern and futuristic solutions. He loves to spend his time studying the latest market insights.

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