Alternatives to United Airlines

Best United Airlines Alternatives in 2026

By App Store Tracker Editorial · Updated — App Store ratings fetched to

The short version

The United Airlines app handles booking, check-in, boarding passes, miles, and flight status. If you want another full-service carrier app, Alaska Airlines (Alaska Hawaiian) is the strongest pick here: smooth booking, mobile boarding passes, and the highest rating of the group across nearly 1.5 million reviews. American Airlines is the closest legacy-carrier match. Your choice depends on which airline flies your routes and which loyalty program you use.

Ranked by App Store rating
10 alternatives
Live App Store data
No paid placements
United Airlines app icon

The app you searched for

United Airlines

United Airlines

4.8(8.5M)
Free
Get United Airlines on App StoreSee full United Airlines data →

People look for United Airlines alternatives when search filters frustrate, card verification nags, or they simply fly a different carrier. United reviewers flag finicky filtering and repeated payment verification. Every pick below shares United's core: booking flights, checking in, storing boarding passes, picking seats, and tracking status from your phone. Most are other airlines' branded apps tied to their own routes and loyalty programs. We ranked these by embedding similarity to United's book-and-fly model, then weighed live App Store ratings and review counts so the busier, better-reviewed apps surface first. Ratings shift often, so treat the order as a starting point.

United Airlines alternatives compared

  1. 1. American Airlines

    American Airlines · Free

    #5Travel#5 in Travel now; the line is the last 30 days4.8(1.8M) dl/mo rev/mo
  2. 2. Alaska Hawaiian

    Alaska Airlines, Inc. · Free

    #35Travel#35 in Travel now; the line is the last 30 days4.8(1.7M) dl/mo rev/mo
  3. 3. Frontier Airlines

    Frontier Airlines · Free

    #13Travel#13 in Travel now; the line is the last 30 days4.7(1.3M) dl/mo rev/mo
  4. 4. Hawaiian Airlines

    Hawaiian Airlines, Inc.

    4.8(272.9K) dl/mo rev/mo
  5. 5. Aer Lingus

    Aer Lingus · Free

    4.0(1.9K) dl/mo rev/mo
  6. 6. FlyUSA

    FlyUSA Holdings Inc. · Free

    4.8(41) dl/mo rev/mo
  7. 7. Sun Country Airlines

    Sun Country, Inc. · Free

    2.5(245) dl/mo rev/mo
  8. 8. Sunrise Airways

    Sunrise Airways USA INC · Free

    3.6(7) dl/mo rev/mo
  9. 9. United Airlines Debit Card

    Currensea Limited

    — dl/mo rev/mo
  10. 10. United Nigeria

    Videcom International Limited · Free

    — dl/mo rev/mo

US App Store ratings, prices from Apple. Chart rank is the top free chart position over the last 30 days; downloads and revenue are third-party monthly estimates. See the latest US top free Travel chart.

10 alternatives to United Airlines

  1. 1American Airlines icon

    #1American Airlines

    American Airlines

    4.8(1.8M)
    Free
    89% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    American Airlines is a full-service legacy carrier app, the closest match to United, with booking, check-in, boarding passes, and gate-to-gate connection maps. Reviewers praise its up-to-date flight info and helpful connection directions, the same trip-management strengths United users rely on.

    How it differs

    American flies its own routes and runs the AAdvantage program rather than United's MileagePlus, so it suits different travelers and networks. Reviewers report the app dropping booking info when switching apps. At 4.76 stars across about 1 million ratings, it rates just below United. It is a direct legacy-carrier rival.

    See full data on American Airlines →Apps like American Airlines →
  2. 2Alaska Hawaiian icon

    #2Alaska Hawaiian

    Alaska Airlines, Inc.

    4.8(1.7M)
    Free
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Alaska Hawaiian is a full-service carrier app with booking, check-in, mobile boarding passes, and real-time flight status, closely matching United's trip-management scope. A frequent flyer review calls it the best airline app, praising fast, glitch-free booking, the experience United aims for.

    How it differs

    Alaska flies its own West Coast and Hawaii-heavy network with the Mileage Plan program rather than United's MileagePlus and routes. Reviewers flag check-in payment errors and unreliable award availability. At 4.81 stars across about 1.5 million ratings, it edges United and is a strong rival.

    See full data on Alaska Hawaiian →Apps like Alaska Hawaiian →
  3. 3Frontier Airlines icon

    #3Frontier Airlines

    Frontier Airlines

    4.7(1.3M)
    Free
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Frontier Airlines offers booking, check-in, boarding passes, and saved traveler profiles, sharing United's core trip-management features. Reviewers note app fares can run cheaper than the website and that saved profiles speed up booking, echoing United's convenience focus.

    How it differs

    Frontier is an ultra-low-cost carrier that charges for carry-ons, seats, and changes, a very different model from United's full service. Reviewers warn the app can drop boarding passes at the worst moment. At 4.71 stars across about 1.2 million ratings, it is budget-focused rather than a United equivalent.

    See full data on Frontier Airlines →Apps like Frontier Airlines →
  4. 4Hawaiian Airlines icon

    #4Hawaiian Airlines

    Hawaiian Airlines, Inc.

    4.8(272.9K)
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Hawaiian Airlines offers flight booking, check-in up to 24 hours ahead, paperless boarding passes, and real-time notifications, sharing United's full trip-management toolkit. Both let you search, book, and manage trips entirely in-app with status alerts.

    How it differs

    Hawaiian centers on Hawaii and Pacific routes with its own loyalty program, a narrower network than United's. Now merged under Alaska, its standalone app serves that island-focused audience. At 4.79 stars across about 273,000 ratings, it rates near United but covers different destinations.

    See full data on Hawaiian Airlines →
  5. 5Aer Lingus icon

    #5Aer Lingus

    Aer Lingus

    4.0(1.9K)
    Free
    87% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Aer Lingus offers booking across 170 destinations, trip management, check-in, mobile boarding passes in Apple Wallet, live flight updates, and AerClub rewards, closely matching United's full trip-management scope. Both let you search fares, save traveler profiles, and manage trips in-app.

    How it differs

    Aer Lingus is Ireland's carrier focused on Europe and transatlantic routes with its own AerClub program rather than United's MileagePlus. At 4.1 stars across about 1,900 ratings, it is smaller and regionally focused. It suits European travel, not United's broader US network.

    See full data on Aer Lingus →
  6. 6FlyUSA icon

    #6FlyUSA

    FlyUSA Holdings Inc.

    4.8(41)
    Free
    87% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    FlyUSA lets you book and manage private charter flights with personalized service, sharing United's book-and-manage-trips structure for air travel. Both put your upcoming flights and trip details in one app you control from your phone.

    How it differs

    FlyUSA is a private aviation charter app, not a commercial airline, so it books whole aircraft rather than seats on scheduled routes. It has no loyalty program or boarding-pass flow like United's, no ratings yet, and serves a luxury niche rather than United's mass-market travelers.

    See full data on FlyUSA →
  7. 7Sun Country Airlines icon

    #7Sun Country Airlines

    Sun Country, Inc.

    2.5(245)
    Free
    87% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Sun Country Airlines offers check-in, mobile boarding passes saved to Apple Wallet, and trip management, sharing United's core day-of-travel features. Both let you check in within 24 hours, store passes on your phone, and manage or book trips in-app.

    How it differs

    Sun Country is a small low-cost leisure carrier flying limited seasonal routes, far narrower than United's global network. At 2.68 stars across about 213 ratings, its app is poorly reviewed and unproven next to United. It suits budget leisure trips, not United's full service.

    See full data on Sun Country Airlines →
  8. 8Sunrise Airways icon

    #8Sunrise Airways

    Sunrise Airways USA INC

    3.6(7)
    Free
    87% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Sunrise Airways offers flight search and booking, trip management, seat selection, and check-in, sharing United's core trip-management features. Both let you plan a trip, pick seats, and check in from your phone with real-time updates on upcoming flights.

    How it differs

    Sunrise Airways is a small Caribbean carrier serving regional island routes rather than United's US and global network. At 4 stars across just 6 ratings, it is tiny and unproven. It uses its own booking system with no United loyalty ties, suiting Caribbean travel specifically.

    See full data on Sunrise Airways →
  9. 9United Airlines Debit Card icon

    #9United Airlines Debit Card

    Currensea Limited

    0.0(0)
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    United Airlines Debit Card is a United-branded card app that earns MileagePlus miles on everyday spending and avoids FX fees, tying directly into United's loyalty ecosystem. It feeds the same miles and Premier status United flyers chase in the main app.

    How it differs

    This is a financial card app, not a flight-booking app, so you can't search flights, check in, or get boarding passes in it. It serves UK cardholders and has no ratings yet. It complements United's loyalty program rather than replacing the airline app.

    See full data on United Airlines Debit Card →
  10. 10United Nigeria icon

    #10United Nigeria

    Videcom International Limited

    0.0(0)
    Free
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    United Nigeria is an airline app for booking, managing bookings, seat selection, check-in, and boarding passes, sharing United's core trip-management features. Both let you handle a flight end to end from your phone, from search to boarding.

    How it differs

    United Nigeria is an unrelated Nigerian carrier despite the name, serving domestic Nigerian routes rather than United's US and global network. At 3.67 stars across just 3 ratings, it is tiny and unproven. It is not affiliated with United Airlines or its MileagePlus program.

    See full data on United Nigeria →

See how United Airlines and these apps ranked on past days with the free App Store rank history tool.

How we ranked these 10 alternatives

Embedding similarity

Every app in our database carries a dense vector embedding derived from its title, subtitle, full description, and category metadata. To find apps similar to United Airlines, we compute cosine distance against every other app and keep the closest 30. The similarity score shown on each pick is 1 - distance/2 clamped to [0,1] — 100% means the embedding spaces are identical, 0% means orthogonal.

Ranking

Apps from United Airlines's own developer are left out. The 10 most similar of the rest are ordered by App Store rating times the logarithm of their rating count, so a 4.8-star app with 100,000 ratings ranks above a 4.5-star app with 200 ratings.

Data dates

The similar-app list was computed on May 25, 2026. Ratings are the latest US App Store fetch for each app, taken between November 1, 2026 and November 10, 2026. Prices and update dates come from Apple when the page is built.

What we don't do

No paid placements. No affiliate links. No sponsored picks. Read our full methodology.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to United Airlines?+
American Airlines by American Airlines has the strongest App Store rating of the 10 apps here: 4.8 stars from 1,769,571 US ratings on November 10, 2026.
Which app is most like United Airlines?+
American Airlines is the closest match: its App Store listing is 89% similar to United Airlines's by text embedding.
Are there free United Airlines alternatives?+
Yes. 8 of the 10 apps are free to download on the App Store: American Airlines, Alaska Hawaiian, Frontier Airlines, Aer Lingus, FlyUSA, Sun Country Airlines, Sunrise Airways, United Nigeria.

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