Hostelworld Review: 16,500 Hostels, Free Chats From 7 Days Out and Social Pass From £4.99

Hostelworld is the hostel booking app most backpackers already have on their phone, and for good reason. It lists more than 16,500 hostels in over 180 countries, carries upwards of 13 million guest reviews, and since 2022 has turned itself into something closer to a social network for people travelling alone.

We like it for two specific things: the review scores are detailed enough to tell a party hostel from a quiet one before you book, and the free chat for your hostel and city opens a week before you arrive. Here is our Hostelworld review: what you pay, how the deposit and rate types work, what Social Pass costs, and when Booking.com is the better bet.

Offer detail	What you get
Promo Code	None needed. We found no standing official Hostelworld code
Welcome offer	No sign-up offer; a Hostelworld booking opens the hostel and city chats, traveller profiles and Linkups for that stay at no extra cost
Who qualifies	Anyone booking a bed; chat and social features are for users aged 18 and over who opt in
Key terms	A deposit is taken at booking and the balance paid to the hostel; refund rules depend on the rate type you choose
How to claim	Download the app, book a hostel, then open the chat tab up to 7 days before check-in

Hostelworld at a glance

• Owner: Hostelworld Group plc, Dublin (listed in London and Dublin since 2015); data controller Hostelworld.com Limited
• Launched: 1999
• Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android and the web at hostelworld.com
• Free plan: yes; searching, booking and social features for your stay are free
• Paid from: Social Pass, a one-off purchase for people without a booking, from £4.99 a week (UK App Store)
• Offline use: no offline mode; you need a connection to search, book and chat
• Ratings: App Store (UK) 4.8/5 from 59k ratings; Google Play 4.8 from 81.5k reviews; Trustpilot 4.5/5 from 22,045 reviews

Our verdict

Hostelworld remains the best single place to choose a hostel, mainly because of the depth of its reviews and the size of its listing. The social layer is the real reason to use the app rather than the website: it makes arriving alone in Lisbon or Hanoi far less daunting. The weak spots are the deposit-plus-balance payment, which confuses people, cancellation rules that vary by rate, and search results now muddied by guesthouses and budget hotels.

Pros

• Over 16,500 hostels and 13 million-plus reviews, with detailed scores for atmosphere, cleanliness and location
• Free hostel and city chats from 7 days before check-in
• Linkups make it easy to join a pub crawl or walking tour with people from nearby hostels
• Social Pass is a one-off purchase that does not auto-renew
• Strong ratings on the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot

Cons

• You pay a deposit to Hostelworld and the balance to the hostel, so your card is charged twice
• Seven rate types with different refund rules, and some cancellations return a voucher rather than cash
• Search now mixes hostels with other budget stays, which some regulars dislike
• No offline mode for confirmations or chats
• Social features are thin in quieter destinations

What Hostelworld does and who it is for

At its simplest, Hostelworld is a booking site for hostel beds and private rooms. You search a city, filter by price, rating and room type, read the reviews, and secure a bed with a deposit. The app adds a social side, which Hostelworld calls its Solo System: see who else is going, chat with them, view traveller profiles and join or create Linkups, from bike tours to beer pong.

Its own figures show who uses it. In its 2025 annual report, Hostelworld Group said 65% of its travellers go solo and about 80% are aged 18 to 35. It sold 7.0 million net bookings, and 63% of bednights were booked through the app.

Some moments where it earns its place:

• You are 19, starting a gap year in Amsterdam, and want a hostel with a bar and a busy common room rather than an early-to-bed crowd.
• A friend drops out of a Berlin weekend at the last minute and you would rather find company for the evening than eat alone.
• You are working remotely from a flat in Medellín for a month, have no hostel booking, and want to find people for a Saturday hike.

It is less useful for couples who want a quiet double room in Bath, where a hotel app will show far more choice.

Is Hostelworld free? What costs money

Searching and booking cost nothing extra. Hostelworld’s help centre explains that the guest pays a percentage at booking to secure the bed, which Hostelworld keeps as its service fee, and the remaining balance goes to the hostel, usually at check-in.

Social features are free for any stay booked on Hostelworld. City Chats, private messages, traveller profiles and Linkups open from 7 days before check-in and run through your stay. You must opt in, and chat is for users aged 18 and over.

The one paid product is Social Pass, launched in November 2025 for people who want the social network without booking a bed: those staying with friends, in an apartment or on a long remote-work stint.

Hostelworld price: Social Pass plans and the cheapest way to pay

Social Pass is a one-off purchase, not a subscription. Hostelworld’s own words: there is “no auto-renewal”, and when it runs out “there’s nothing to cancel”. The UK App Store lists more than one price point for the longer passes, so the lower figure is what you may see during a sale. Euro prices are Hostelworld’s own; dollar prices are conversions.

Social Pass	UK price	US$	€
1 week	£4.99	$6.65	€4.99
1 month	£9.99	$13.31	€9.99
3 months	£12.99 to £19.99	$17.31 to $26.64	€19.99
1 year	£39.99 to £59.99	$53.29 to $79.94	€59.99

The cheapest way to pay. If you are going to sleep in a hostel anyway, book one night on Hostelworld and the chats come free for that stay. Only buy Social Pass when you genuinely have no Hostelworld booking, and buy the shortest pass that covers your trip, since there is nothing to cancel later.

Hostelworld deposits, rate types and free cancellation

This is where most complaints start, so it pays to read the rate name at checkout. Hostelworld’s help centre lists several types:

• Free Cancellation: cancel within the hostel’s window and the deposit is refunded.
• Standard Flexible: you pay a small Cancellation Protection fee; cancel in time and the deposit becomes a Hostelworld voucher, not cash.
• Standard Non-Flexible: cancel and you lose the deposit.
• Non-Refundable: cheaper, but the hostel can charge the full amount once confirmed.
• Flexible Non-Refundable: non-refundable, but you can ask the hostel to move your dates.
• Non-Refundable Pay Now: you pay everything to Hostelworld upfront.

Vouchers expire, so a cancelled Standard Flexible booking is only worth something if you will travel with Hostelworld again.

Hostelworld features that matter

Reviews. The headline score is broken down into categories such as atmosphere, cleanliness, staff and location. For a hostel, atmosphere is the number that tells you whether you will sleep.

Chats and profiles. Hostel and City Chats open 7 days before arrival. After booking, you can see other guests’ first names, ages, photos, bios and past trips, if they have chosen to share them.

Linkups. Events run by hostels or travellers. Arrive in Krakow at 15:00 and there may already be a free walking tour or a pierogi night you can join.

Travel Plans. Launched in May 2025, this lets you share future trips and meet people heading the same way before either of you has booked.

Offline. None. Screenshot your booking and the hostel’s address before you board.

Is Hostelworld safe? Privacy and safety

Hostelworld’s privacy notice is unusually specific. When you book, your name, gender, nationality, email, booking details and card details (excluding the CVV) are passed to the hostel. It uses searches and past bookings to tailor adverts, and matches hashed email addresses with advertising partners such as Facebook. Transaction data is kept while you are active, defined as booking within the past 30 months, then for five years before being anonymised. Requests go to dataprotectionofficer@hostelworld.com. When DailyStoke looked, we found no regulator action against Hostelworld.

On personal safety, the chat is opt-in, adults only and limited to people with a booking or a Social Pass. The usual rules apply: meet new people in the hostel bar or on a group Linkup before heading off alone with anyone.

What users say about Hostelworld

Hostelworld scores 4.8 out of 5 from 59,000 ratings on the UK App Store and 4.8 from about 81,500 reviews on Google Play. On Trustpilot it scores 4.5 from 22,045 reviews, with 77% at five stars, though many of those reviews are about individual hostels rather than the app.

Ana P. from the US kept it short on Trustpilot in October 2026: “Fast reservations, the best price.”

Naomi A., on Google Play in June 2026, was mixed: “Now they’ve added other types of accommodation and the search feature doesn’t work well… The chat feature is good though, if you’re solo travelling and want to organise something with other people.”

Jenna W., on Trustpilot in October 2026, was not impressed with support: “Help desk has been no help just automated messages.”

And on the UK App Store, hayyxhunter flagged a back-button bug in August 2023: “Can’t go back to the previous page, which means I have to close the app down and start over.”

How to get started with Hostelworld, and how to cancel

1. Download Hostelworld from the App Store or Google Play, or use hostelworld.com.
2. Create an account and set up a profile if you want to use the social features.
3. Search your city and dates, then sort by rating and read the atmosphere score.
4. At checkout, check the rate type and the cancellation window before paying the deposit.
5. Open the chat tab up to 7 days before check-in and join your hostel and city chats.

Cancelling a booking. Go to your bookings in the app or on the website and cancel there. What you get back depends on the rate type: a refund, a voucher or nothing.

Social Pass. There is nothing to cancel; it expires. Refunds for App Store or Google Play purchases are handled by Apple or Google.

Hostelworld vs Booking.com vs Couchsurfing

	Hostelworld	Booking.com	Couchsurfing
Free plan	Yes; booking and social features for your stay	Yes	No; a paid contribution is required
Paid from	Social Pass from £4.99 a week (optional)	No paid tier	£1.79 a month (UK App Store)
Best for	Choosing hostels and meeting other travellers	Choice across hostels, hotels and flats	Staying with locals for free
Offline	No	No	No
App Store rating (UK)	4.8 (59k)	4.8 (1.3m)	4.3 (1.5k)

Pick Hostelworld if you want a hostel, care about atmosphere scores and want company.

Pick Booking.com if you are comparing a hostel bed with a cheap hotel or flat, or want free cancellation on a wider range of properties.

Pick Couchsurfing if you want to stay with a local host and do not mind paying the contribution fee.

Hostelworld alternatives

• Booking.com: lists many hostels alongside hotels and flats, which helps when a private room elsewhere costs little more than a dorm bed.
• HotelTonight: for the nights you would rather have a private bathroom. See our HotelTonight review.
• Couchsurfing: free stays with hosts in exchange for a modest app contribution.
• TrustedHousesitters: free stays in exchange for looking after pets; see our TrustedHousesitters review.
• Polarsteps: not a booking app, but a good companion for tracking the route. Our Polarsteps review explains how.

Hostelworld FAQs

Is Hostelworld legit?
Yes. It has been booking hostel beds since 1999 and its parent, Hostelworld Group plc, is listed in London and Dublin.

Does Hostelworld charge a booking fee?
You pay a deposit at booking, which Hostelworld keeps as its fee, and the balance to the hostel. Some rate types add a small Cancellation Protection fee.

Can I cancel a Hostelworld booking and get my money back?
It depends on the rate. Free Cancellation refunds the deposit; Standard Flexible gives a voucher; non-refundable rates return nothing.

What is Hostelworld Social Pass?
A one-off purchase that opens up the chats, traveller profiles and events without a booking. It costs from £4.99 a week and does not renew automatically.

Do I need Social Pass if I have booked a hostel?
No. Booking a stay on Hostelworld includes the social features for that stay.

Is there a Hostelworld promo code or student discount?
We found no standing official code or student discount on Hostelworld’s own site.

Is the Hostelworld chat safe?
It is opt-in, for adults only and limited to people with a booking or Social Pass. Meet new people in public or on group Linkups first.

Visit Hostelworld

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