How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Ryanair is the closest alternative in shape: a larger network than Wizz Air across Europe, the same ultra low cost model, and the same fee discipline required.
- easyJet and Jet2 serve the travellers Wizz frustrates most, easyJet with primary airports and business friendly schedules, Jet2 with a service led holiday model.
- Vueling, Transavia, Eurowings, Volotea, Pegasus, and Norwegian each own a region or niche where they beat Wizz on routes rather than on headline fares.
- Airline fares change by the hour, so this guide lists no starting prices; the honest comparison is the all in total with bags and seats on your actual dates.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Ryanair | Largest low cost network in Europe | See website | No |
 easyJet | Primary airports and city routes | See website | No |
 Jet2 | Package holidays and service | See website | No |
 Vueling | Spain and western Mediterranean | See website | No |
 Transavia | France and Netherlands leisure routes | See website | No |
 Eurowings | Germany centred routes | See website | No |
 Pegasus | Turkey and eastward connections | See website | No |
 Volotea | Regional European city pairs | See website | No |
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The best Wizz Air alternatives
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Ryanair is the scale answer: Europe's largest low cost network, with more routes between more secondary airports than Wizz Air, including deep coverage of the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Spain alongside Central Europe. The model is identical in spirit, very low base fares funded by extras, and its app, boarding, and operations run at a polish its scale pays for. If Wizz does not fly your city pair, Ryanair is the first place to look, and on overlapping routes it is the price rival that keeps Wizz honest.
Watch out for- The fee culture is at least as strict: a small cabin bag is free, everything else is a priced decision, and airport check in and printing mistakes cost real money. Secondary airports can sit far from the city in the route name, adding bus time and cost. Customer service is built for self service, and getting a human help during disruption takes patience.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- EasyJet flies the flag carrier's airports at low cost prices: London Gatwick and Luton, Paris Orly and Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam, Geneva, and other primary hubs, with schedules that suit business trips and short breaks rather than only leisure peaks. Its fare families bundle bags and seat selection more clearly than the Wizz and Ryanair item by item approach, and its network across Western Europe is denser than Wizz's. Travellers burned by remote airfields usually land here.
Watch out for- Base fares sit above the ultra low cost pair on most routes, so the headline price comparison favours Wizz until extras are counted. Eastern European coverage is thinner than its western network. Like all low cost carriers it charges for hold bags and seat choice
- The difference is presentation, not generosity.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Jet2 built a loyal following in the UK by doing the opposite of the ultra low cost playbook on service: generous 22 kilo hold baggage included on its package holidays, staffed desks at airports, and flights paired with Jet2holidays packages from regional UK airports such as Leeds Bradford, Manchester, and Birmingham. For a family holiday to Spain, Greece, Turkey, or the Canaries, the all in price is often competitive with a Wizz fare once every extra is added, with far less friction.
Watch out for- Jet2's map is a leisure map from the UK
- It does not serve the Central and Eastern European city pairs that are Wizz's home ground. Flights outside holiday patterns and seasons are limited. Flight only bookings exist but the product is designed around packages, and solo city travellers get less from it.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Vueling, part of the IAG group with British Airways and Iberia, is the low cost carrier of Spain: based in Barcelona with deep domestic Spanish coverage and strong routes across Italy, France, and the Mediterranean. Its connections through Barcelona open city pairs the point to point rivals do not serve, and earning and spending through the wider group's programmes adds value for regular travellers. On Spain centred trips it usually beats Wizz on both schedule and frequency.
Watch out for- Outside its Mediterranean heartland the network thins quickly. The fare and fee structure follows the low cost pattern, with cabin bag rules that need reading before booking. Customer experience reviews are mixed in disruption, and its app and English language support trail easyJet's polish.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Transavia, the Air France KLM group's low cost arm, serves leisure Europe from French and Dutch bases: Paris Orly, Nantes, Lyon, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Eindhoven, with strong coverage of Mediterranean and Greek destinations. It carries a friendlier service reputation than the ultra low cost pair, with clearer fare families and the backing of a major group when things go wrong. For France or Netherlands based travellers it is often the natural first check.
Watch out for- The network is leisure shaped, so business city pairs and winter schedules are limited. It does not compete in Central and Eastern Europe at all. Prices sit between the ultra low cost carriers and the legacies, which is fair for the product but means it rarely wins a pure price fight.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Eurowings is the Lufthansa Group's low cost airline, built around German airports, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Berlin, with routes across Europe and a business traveller tier that includes lounge access and flexible tickets through its BIZclass and fare bundles. For Germany based travellers it offers group reliability and Miles and More earning that the independent low cost carriers cannot match. Its holiday arm serves the same Mediterranean map as everyone, with German departure convenience.
Watch out for- Outside Germany and Austria the network is a minor presence. Fare bundles push the price toward legacy levels on some routes, eroding the low cost advantage. Strikes within the Lufthansa Group have hit its schedules in recent years, a risk the independents do not carry in the same way.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Pegasus Airlines, based at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, is the low cost bridge between Europe and Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East, with fares on those routes that Western carriers rarely approach. Wizz has grown eastward too, but Pegasus's Istanbul hub turns single routes into a connecting network. For travellers whose map extends past Europe's eastern edge, it is frequently the only low cost answer.
Watch out for- Connections through Istanbul add hours compared with direct flights, and the hub's second airport sits on the Asian side, far from the European centre. The onboard and fee model is strict low cost: buy everything beyond the seat. Western European coverage is limited to a set of trunk routes.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Volotea built its network on a gap the big carriers ignore: direct flights between small and mid sized European cities, in France, Spain, Italy, and Greece, city pairs with no other nonstop service. For a traveller in a regional city, that nonstop can remove a hub connection entirely, saving hours that matter more than the fare difference. Its service reputation among regional travellers is warm, and its bases keep growing across Southern Europe.
Watch out for- Frequencies are low, often a few flights a week, so a missed or cancelled flight has fewer backups. The network is seasonal and leisure tilted. Volotea appears in fewer comparison searches, and its app and ancillary pricing follow the usual low cost pattern without the scale economies of Ryanair.
How we chose
We compared licensed carriers that genuinely serve the routes and trip types Wizz Air is used for, across network overlap, regional strengths, baggage and fee structures, and service reputation. Because airline pricing is dynamic per route and date, we recorded no fares and explained each carrier's cost structure instead, which is the part a traveller can actually act on. We excluded charter and package only operators without scheduled seat sales, and long haul carriers that do not compete on Wizz's map.
How to choose the right Wizz Air alternative
Start with the map, not the fare. Put your actual city pair and dates into two or three of these airlines and compare the all in totals with the bags you really carry and the seats you really need; ultra low cost comparisons done on base fares are how travellers end up paying more for choosing the cheaper airline. Then check the airport, not just the city: an hour's bus at each end can cost more than the fare saving, which is where easyJet's primary airports quietly win.
Schedule shape matters next. A route flown twice a week is a different product from the same route flown twice a day when your plans change or a flight is cancelled, and business and family travellers should weight Jet2's and the group backed carriers' disruption handling accordingly. Finally, remember your EU passenger rights travel with you on every carrier in this list: compensation and care duties for long delays and cancellations apply across European airlines, whatever the fare, and claiming them is part of the true cost comparison when a trip goes wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Which airline is most similar to Wizz Air?
Ryanair: the same ultra low cost model, a larger European network, and the same approach to fees for bags, seats, and airport services. easyJet is the next closest in Western Europe with a somewhat gentler fee structure and better airports. If your complaint about Wizz is the model itself rather than the route map, Jet2 and the group backed carriers are the change of philosophy.
Are these airlines really cheaper than Wizz Air?
Sometimes, and the only honest test is your route on your dates with your bags. On headline base fares Wizz and Ryanair usually lead. Once hold baggage, cabin bags, and seat selection are added, easyJet's bundles, Jet2's holiday pricing, and regional carriers' direct routes can all come out cheaper in total. Comparison sites that show base fares only mislead by design.
Why does this guide list no prices for the airlines?
Because an airline does not have a price; a seat on a specific flight on a specific date does, and the same route can cost 20 euros in February and 200 in August. Printing a starting price for an airline would repeat the marketing figure rather than information. The useful facts are the fee and baggage structures, which decide what your fare becomes, and those are in each entry.
What baggage do I get free on low cost airlines?
Typically only a small personal item that fits under the seat. Cabin bags of trolley size are a paid extra on Wizz, Ryanair, and most of this list, and hold baggage is always paid on low cost fares, with prices rising sharply at the airport. Jet2's package holidays are the exception here, including a 22 kilo hold bag. Always price the bag during booking, never at the gate.
What are my rights if an alternative airline cancels my flight?
On flights departing the EU or UK, and on EU carriers flying in, EU261 and its UK equivalent give you a choice of refund or re routing, care such as meals and hotels during long delays, and fixed compensation for many cancellations and long delays, paid by the operating airline regardless of how cheap the ticket was. Claims go to the airline first; every carrier in this list has a claims process for them.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.