How FlyDown works, and how it differs from other flight deal apps
A watch that starts from your maximum price, with the destination left open and an automatic alert. How the other tools behave on the same points, where we are different and what FlyDown does not do.
Updated on 18 September 2026
In short
- You decide how much you want to spend and where you can fly from: FlyDown watches six low-cost airlines and alerts you below that figure.
- The destination can stay open: leaving it empty means anywhere. Or you pick cities and countries.
- It also builds multi-city trips, with bus or train legs and the nights already split.
- You book on the airline's site, with no fees. Basic is free, with one active watch.
How it works, in three steps
- 1. You set it up. Maximum price, airports, period and nights. The routes we cover are on the "Cheap flights from…" pages.
- 2. We check. Automatically, day and night: from every 15 minutes to once a day, every 3 hours by default.
- 3. We alert you. A notification on your phone or an email, straight away or in a daily digest, with your own quiet hours. It also carries the multi-city trips built around that deal.
The comparison
"Open destination": the alert works even without saying where you want to go. "Automatic alert": something reaches you by itself. Taken from official pages; on alerts alone there is the guide to flight price alerts.
| Tool | What triggers the alert | Open destination | Automatic alert | Where you book | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Flights | A price dropping significantly on a route, including with "any dates" over three to six months | No: an origin and a destination are required | Yes, email and notifications | Airline or agency | Free |
| Skyscanner | A price change on a route with fixed dates | No: "Everywhere" is a search, not an alert | Yes, email | Airline or agency | Free; the Google Play listing declares ads |
| Kayak | A price change, usually around 10%, on exact dates or over a period | Partly, with the "Top 25 Cities" of a macro-region | Yes, email, push and in-app | With the provider | Free |
| Hopper | A "buy or wait" prediction on the trip you searched | No: you start from a trip you searched | Yes, app notifications | Hopper's checkout | Free app; paid extras, prices not published |
| Kiwi.com | A price change on the trip you searched | No, and it says so: no alerts to unspecified destinations | Yes, email and push | Kiwi.com's checkout | Free; service fee not published |
| Going | Deals chosen by the editorial team | Yes: you choose the airport, the destination is a surprise | Yes, email and push | Airline or agency | Limited free; Premium $49, Elite $199 a year |
| HolidayPirates / PiratInViaggio | Editorial deals matching the destination, airport or budget you set | No: a destination or a region has to be given | Yes, in-app notifications | With partners | Free |
| Journify | A saved flight or route drops below the threshold you choose | Search starts from the airport; the alert goes on a saved flight or route | Yes, "on the channels you have set up" | Airline site | No prices published |
| FlyDown | A flight below the maximum price you chose, from your airports | Yes: leaving destinations empty means anywhere, or you pick cities and countries | Yes, push and email, straight away or in a digest | Airline site | Basic free with 1 watch; Pro and Unlimited not purchasable yet |
Where we are different
- The alert starts from your budget. You choose the threshold and the destination can stay open.
- Multi-city trips, already put together. You land in one city, carry on by FlixBus or FlixTrain to nearby ones and fly back from the same airport: nights split and the price difference shown. Examples on multi-city trips and in the guide on a flight and a bus together.
- Penguin Score. From 0 to 100, built on our own price history: 55% how far below the usual it sits on that route, 25% the times, 20% convenience.
- Booking on the airline's site, no fees, no ads and no tracking cookies; six languages. See how FlyDown is funded.
Where we are alike
Journify also starts from the airport rather than the destination, lets you pick the threshold and sends you to book on the airline's site. HolidayPirates, known in Italy as PiratInViaggio, has notifications that take destination, airport and budget into account, with deals chosen by an editorial team. The table shows where the paths part.
What FlyDown does not do
- Low cost only, short and medium haul. Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet, Vueling, Volotea and Transavia: that choice is what lets us read prices route by route. No long-haul and no connections.
- We don't sell tickets. The "Book" button opens the airline's site: no hotels, cars or packages.
- The price is confirmed before you pay. We read base fares per person, without bag or seat.
- One active watch on the free plan. Pro and Unlimited are announced, with a waiting list.
Who it's for
For anyone flying from an airport the low-cost carriers serve, with a figure in mind and some flexibility on destination and dates: you set it once and forget it. If the trip is already decided, a route alert is more direct, and the two sit happily side by side.
Sources
Official pages: Google Track flights and prices, Skyscanner Best prices, Kayak Price Alerts, Hopper app listing, Kiwi.com Flight Price Alerts, Going How Going works, HolidayPirates app listing, Journify Come funziona.
Facts checked in September 2026: these services change often, so check their own pages. The brand names mentioned belong to their owners and FlyDown is not affiliated with them.