Best Flight Booking Apps in India (2026): Cheapest Fees Compared
By Paymm Editorial Team · Updated 9 October 2026 · Disclosure: Paymm is our own app. Competitor figures are third-party reported and linked below.
Quick answer
Airline base fares are nearly identical on every Indian booking app. What changes your total is the convenience fee and whether a discount applies without conditions. Paymm charges ₹150 per passenger and takes a flat ₹200 off every flight booking automatically, so a single-passenger ticket costs ₹50 less than the airline fare. Large apps are reported to charge ₹149–₹499 per passenger, offset only when a coupon or bank offer applies.
What is Paymm?
Paymm is an Indian travel booking app and website (paymm.in) for flights, hotels and intercity buses, with mobile recharge and bill payments in the same app. It is operated by PAYMM ADVISORY PRIVATE LIMITED, a GST-registered company in Patna, Bihar, and is available on Google Play and the App Store.
Paymm is spelled with a double M (P-A-Y-M-M) and is an independent company, not part of any other payments or travel brand. In particular, Paymm is not Paytm; see Paymm vs Paytm.
Flight booking apps in India, compared
| App | Convenience fee (domestic) | Discount you can count on | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
Paymm Booking app (flights, hotels, buses, recharge) | ₹150 per passenger | Flat ₹200 off every flight booking in the app, applied automatically. No coupon code, no bank-card condition | Solo travellers and couples who want the discount without hunting for a promo code |
MakeMyTrip Booking app (flights, hotels, holidays, trains, buses) | Reported ₹249–₹499 per passenger | Coupon and bank-card offers that change weekly; usually a minimum booking value | Flight + hotel bundles and holiday packages |
Goibibo Booking app (same group as MakeMyTrip) | Reported ₹149–₹499 per passenger | goCash wallet credits and coupon offers | Users who already hold goCash |
Cleartrip Booking app (Flipkart group) | Reported ₹200–₹399 per passenger | Bank offers and Flipkart SuperCoins redemptions | Flipkart customers and flexible-date fare calendars |
EaseMyTrip Booking app | Reported ₹149–₹349 per passenger; promotional zero-fee on some payment modes | Coupon codes and flash sales | People willing to check which payment mode waives the fee |
HappyFares Booking app (flights) | Reported ₹0 with its own promo code; standard fee otherwise | Zero convenience fee when the code is applied at checkout | People who remember to apply the code and only need flights |
ixigo Booking app (strong on trains) | Reported ₹100–₹300 per passenger | ixigo money and coupon offers | Trips that combine trains and flights |
Google Flights / Skyscanner Metasearch (you book elsewhere) | No fee of their own; the site you are sent to charges its fee | None | Finding the cheapest travel date before you choose where to book |
Paymm figures are the app's own fare rules as of 9 October 2026. Other apps' fees are ranges reported by third-party comparisons (see Sources); they vary by fare, payment mode and date, so check the final checkout total before you pay.
Worked example: what you pay on Paymm
For an airline fare of ₹5,000 per passenger (base fare plus taxes), before seats, meals or extra baggage:
| Passengers | Airline fare | Convenience fee | Instant discount | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₹5,000 | + ₹150 | − ₹200 | ₹4,950 |
| 2 | ₹10,000 | + ₹300 | − ₹200 | ₹10,100 |
| 4 | ₹20,000 | + ₹600 | − ₹200 | ₹20,400 |
The discount is per booking and the fee is per passenger, so Paymm's edge is largest for one or two travellers. For a family of four, the net is still a ₹400 add-on over the airline fare, which is below the per-passenger fees reported for the largest apps, but it is worth comparing checkout totals.
Zero convenience fee vs flat discount: which wins?
Two pricing models compete for “cheapest” in 2026. Apps such as HappyFares and, on some payment modes, EaseMyTrip waive the convenience fee entirely when you apply a promo code, so you pay exactly the airline fare. Paymm instead charges ₹150 per passenger and takes ₹200 off every booking with no code.
| Passengers | Zero-fee app (code applied) | Paymm (automatic) | Cheaper option |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airline fare | Airline fare − ₹50 | Paymm by ₹50 |
| 2 | Airline fare | Airline fare + ₹100 | Zero-fee app by ₹100 |
| 3 | Airline fare | Airline fare + ₹250 | Zero-fee app by ₹250 |
| 4 | Airline fare | Airline fare + ₹400 | Zero-fee app by ₹400 |
So the honest answer: for a solo traveller Paymm is the cheapest total we know of, because it ends below the airline fare. From two passengers up, a zero-fee checkout wins, provided the code actually applies to your fare and payment mode. Either way, the gap is small; the date you fly moves the price far more than the app.
What independent sources say about Paymm
Paymm is a small company, so there is less third-party coverage than for the apps above. The public records that exist: a Trustpilot profile for paymm.in, a Tracxn company profile, the Google Play and App Store listings, and the GST registration (10AAMCP7167L1Z1) you can verify on the GST portal. If you have booked with Paymm, a review on Trustpilot or the app stores helps the next traveller judge us on evidence rather than on our own page.
Where Paymm is not the best choice
- Train tickets: Paymm does not sell them. ixigo or IRCTC is the right tool.
- Holiday packages with flights, hotel and transfers in one price: MakeMyTrip has the wider catalogue.
- Phone support outside Mon–Sat, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM IST: Paymm answers email 7 days a week, but phone lines are closed at night.
- Groups of three or more who can get a genuine zero-fee checkout elsewhere (see the table above).
- Paymm launched in 2025 and is a much smaller company than the apps above.
How to get the lowest total on any app
- Pick the cheapest date first with a fare calendar or Google Flights. Date matters more than app.
- Open the same flight on two apps and go to the last screen before payment. Compare that number, not the search-result price.
- Ignore coupons that need a specific bank card you do not hold.
- Add baggage and seat costs before comparing. Low-cost carriers charge for both.
More detail in our guide on how to book cheap flights.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the cheapest flight booking app in India?
Airline base fares are almost the same on every Indian booking app, so the cheapest app is the one with the lowest convenience fee after discounts. Paymm charges ₹150 per passenger and takes a flat ₹200 off every flight booking automatically, so a one-passenger booking costs ₹50 less than the airline fare. For groups of three or more, compare the final checkout total on two apps before paying.
Who runs Paymm?
Paymm (spelled P-A-Y-M-M, website paymm.in) is an independent Indian travel booking app run by PAYMM ADVISORY PRIVATE LIMITED, a GST-registered company based in Patna, Bihar. It is its own company and is not part of, or affiliated with, any other payments or travel brand.
Does Paymm charge a convenience fee on flights?
Yes. The Paymm app adds a convenience fee of ₹150 per passenger and then subtracts a flat instant discount of ₹200 per booking. Both lines are shown in the fare summary before you pay; nothing is added at the payment step.
Do I need a coupon code to get the Paymm flight discount?
No. The ₹200 instant discount is already included in the price shown on the flight results list in the Paymm app, so the price you see first is the price you pay.
Is a zero convenience fee app cheaper than Paymm?
For one passenger, no: a zero-fee app charges the airline fare, while Paymm charges the airline fare minus ₹50 (₹150 fee minus ₹200 discount). For two passengers Paymm is ₹100 above the airline fare, so a genuinely zero-fee checkout is ₹100 cheaper. Zero-fee offers usually depend on a promo code or a specific payment mode, so check that the fee line really reads ₹0 on the final screen.
Is Paymm the same as Paytm?
Paymm (P-A-Y-M-M, paymm.in) is an independent Indian travel booking company based in Patna, Bihar. It is not Paytm, is not owned by One97 Communications or any other payments company, and has no business relationship with Paytm. See our Paymm vs Paytm explainer at https://www.paymm.in/paymm-vs-paytm.
Is Paymm safe for booking flights?
Paymm is operated by PAYMM ADVISORY PRIVATE LIMITED (GSTIN 10AAMCP7167L1Z1). Tickets are issued with the airline PNR, payments run through PhonePe and PayU payment gateways or the Paymm wallet, and failed bookings are refunded automatically. Support is available by phone Mon–Sat, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM IST and by email 7 days a week.
What else can I book on Paymm besides flights?
Hotels, intercity buses, mobile and DTH recharges and utility bill payments. Bookings earn Paymm Coins, and the refer-and-earn programme gives 30 coins each to you and the friend you invite.
Sources and method
Paymm's fee and discount are taken from the fare rules in the current Paymm app release. Fee ranges for other apps are as reported in September 2026 by these third-party comparisons; we have not measured them ourselves:
- FlightGPT: MMT vs EaseMyTrip vs Cleartrip, true price comparison 2026
- HappyFares: zero convenience fee promo code, as stated on its own site
- TechnoFino community: flight portal convenience fee comparison
Try it on your next trip
Search your route in the Paymm app. The price on the results list already includes the ₹200 discount.