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Frommers Review

Worth it

Should I use Frommers?

Expert trip planning since 1957 - frommers.com

· 18 hours ago

Buy it for trip research: the website is free to browse, guidebooks run $8–15, and expert editing since 1957 is the real differentiator. Skip it if you want live reviews, current prices, or booking — use TripAdvisor or Reddit instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources; review volume is thin (6 third-party reviews).

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usable usability evidence found
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security postureNo security page; no incident reports

Pricing

Free

Website

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Guidebooks$8–15

Best for

  • Trip planners wanting expert, edited guides
  • Budget travelers (the '$X-a-day' series)
  • Readers who prefer curated over crowdsourced advice

Not for

  • Anyone needing live reviews, prices, or booking — use TripAdvisor
  • Buyers expecting software, SLAs, or support — this is a publisher
  • Travelers wanting real-time community tips — Reddit beats it

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Used or older editions on eBay and Mercari may be years out of date — check edition year

medium

Weak third-party reviews: 1.8/5, though from only six reviewers

low

No public security page found — nothing to audit as a buyer

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Expert-edited travel guides published continuously since 1957
  • Destination guides free to browse online
  • Guidebooks cheap: roughly $8–15 per title
  • Annual Best Airfare Booking Sites awards add practical value

Cons

  • Rated just 1.8/5 by six SmartCustomer reviewers
  • Print-era model; info can lag live review sites
  • Ownership churn: Google bought it in 2012, relaunched 2014

Sources & method

- 9 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x2review x3security x1news x3

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free site; books cost $8–15
  • Ease of use. No usable usability evidence found
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Decades of destination coverage worldwide
  • Support quality: 1/5. 1.8/5 from six reviewers
  • Security posture. No security page; no incident reports
  • 1.8/5 SmartCustomer rating 6 reviews
  • from ~$8 Guidebook price Amazon and Target listings
  • Yes Free tier Website guides free to browse
  • 1957 Founded Arthur Frommer's guidebooks

Pricing

Website

Free

  • Destination guides
  • Trip ideas and tips
  • Annual airfare-site awards

Guidebooks

$8–15

  • Destination deep dives
  • Day-by-day itineraries
  • Print and ebook editions

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Reddit travelers still praise Frommer's expert guides, but third-party review sites rate the website poorly at 1.8/5.

Alternatives

Compare Frommers with each alternative.

  • Lonely Planet

    Crowd-favorite guides; stronger backpacker and Asia coverage

    Frommers vs Lonely Planet

  • Rick Steves

    Europe-focused guides plus active traveler forums

  • Fodor's

    Comparable expert-edited guides, often mentioned alongside Frommer's

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; review volume is thin (6 third-party reviews).

Free expert-written travel guides since 1957 — great trip research, not a booking tool; third-party site reviews are weak.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources; review volume is thin (6 third-party reviews).

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Frommer's Travel Guides: Expert Trip Planning Since 1957frommers.com
    official
  2. Frommer's Reviews - 6 Customers Rate 1.8/5smartcustomer.com
    review
  3. Does anyone use Frommer's online travel guides? (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  4. When people travel, do you still buy travel guidebooks? (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  5. Frommer's NYC guides at Targettarget.com
    official
  6. Frommer's Best Airfare Booking Sites for 2026 Announcedfinance.yahoo.com
    news
  7. Frommer's guides are back (Denver Post)denverpost.com
    news
  8. Google's deal for Frommer's (PhocusWire)phocuswire.com
    news
  9. Frommer's security page (not found)frommers.com
    security

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