TREK vs TripBuddy

TREK is a self-hosted travel planner for organizing trips collaboratively in real time. Users can arrange places by day, optimize routes by distance, and send a day to Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions. Collaborators can edit itineraries together, see live presence, chat, run polls, track attendance, and share read-only public links. Reservation records hold confirmation numbers, files, and statuses for flights, stays, and restaurants. Budgets support multiple currencies and per-person or per-day totals; packing lists include templates and item assignments. OpenStreetMap is the default place search, Google Places is optional, and 16-day forecasts use Open-Meteo without API keys. Optional addons include travel statistics, vacation planning, journaling, and MCP integration. TREK runs on operator-controlled hardware, stores trip data in a SQLite file, and supports scheduled snapshots with retention policies. It can be installed as a PWA and has deployment documentation for Docker, Kubernetes, Unraid, Proxmox, Raspberry Pi, and Apple Silicon, with AMD64 and ARM64 images. It is open source under AGPL-3.0 and free for personal and internal company use.

TripBuddy turns a sentence about a destination into a day-by-day itinerary for a group trip. Its map-data checks cover stops, addresses, opening hours and travel time. People can share a plan, rearrange stops or days, and comment; viewers do not need an account. If rain, closures or late trains disrupt a day, users can ask Buddy to rebuild it. TripBuddy also offers map views, booking links and calendar export. On a trip, its tools include lock-screen updates, Live Activities, widgets, spoken daily summaries, a phrasebook and currency tools. It is available on Android, iOS and web, and its Free plan costs nothing. Planning, place details, photos and the read-aloud guide require an internet connection. TripBuddy is based in Sheridan, Wyoming. Support is by email, with responses promised within two business days.