Ryanair vs easyJet vs Wizz Air: Who Is Actually Cheaper?

Europe's three dominant low-cost carriers — Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air — compete hard on price. But they have fundamentally different business models, and the cheapest headline fare regularly belongs to the airline that charges the most in add-ons.

This guide breaks down how each airline actually prices its product, so you can make a fair comparison before booking.

The headline fare trap

All three airlines use the same basic technique: advertise a very low base fare, then monetise every choice you make after that. A €19 Ryanair fare to Barcelona and a €29 easyJet fare to Barcelona are not comparable — because the final price depends entirely on what you bring, where you sit, and how you check in.

The only meaningful comparison is total door-to-door cost for your specific trip.

Bags: where the real pricing difference lives

Ryanair

Ryanair's free allowance is a single small personal item that fits under the seat (40×20×25 cm). A standard cabin bag — the size most people travel with — costs €6–€24 each way depending on route and how early you add it. A checked bag starts at €10–€25 each way.

The Priority & 2 Cabin Bags bundle (€5–€24 each way) is often the most efficient option for anyone bringing a roller bag, and it also guarantees overhead bin access.

easyJet

easyJet's free allowance is one cabin bag (45×36×20 cm, ~max 15 litres) under the seat. A standard cabin bag overhead (56×45×25 cm) requires the FLEXI or Up Front fare, or an add-on of €7–€28 each way. Checked bags run from €11–€39 each way.

Unlike Ryanair, easyJet does not weight-check small cabin bags at the gate — though this is not guaranteed policy and varies by route.

Wizz Air

Wizz Air has two free allowances: a small bag (40×30×20 cm) under the seat. A cabin bag overhead costs €16–€42 each way unless you are a Wizz Discount Club member, in which case it is included on some fares. Checked baggage starts at €15–€60.

Wizz Air's bag fees are among the highest in the industry on some routes — the base price looks very low, but a return trip with overhead cabin bags can add €60–€80.

Seat selection

All three charge for seat selection. Wizz Air charges more aggressively for front/exit seats. easyJet offers free seat assignment within 24 hours (random), which is a meaningful advantage for solo travellers and couples willing to split up.

Ryanair assigns a random seat free at check-in — typically a middle seat at the back.

Check-in

All three now require online check-in (or app check-in). Ryanair charges €55 at the airport check-in desk — one of the travel industry's sharpest gotchas. easyJet charges £35/€45. Wizz Air's airport check-in fee is €30–€50.

Set a calendar reminder for check-in opening (typically 30 days before, or 7 days for Ryanair Plus).

Route network: where each carrier is cheapest

Each airline dominates different geographies:

Ryanair is typically cheapest on Western European leisure routes — Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, and the Canaries. Its prices from smaller secondary airports (Charleroi, Bergamo, Girona) are consistently lower than from primary hubs.

easyJet is stronger on business-adjacent routes and primary airports. Amsterdam–London, Amsterdam–Paris, and routes to Scandinavia are often cheapest on easyJet. It also flies to more UK cities than its competitors.

Wizz Air dominates Central and Eastern Europe — Budapest, Warsaw, Bucharest, Sofia, Krakow — and often has no direct competition on these routes. It is also expanding fast in the Middle East.

When to fly each airline

FairFares scans all three continuously. The pattern that emerges from thousands of routes: Ryanair wins on Mediterranean leisure routes booked 4–8 weeks out, easyJet wins on short-haul city pairs booked 6–10 weeks out, and Wizz Air wins on Eastern European routes at any booking window when you factor in that many Wizz routes have no competition.

The honest answer

There is no single winner. The cheapest airline for your trip depends on: the specific route, your travel dates, what luggage you need, and how far in advance you book.

The right approach is to compare total price — base fare plus bags plus seat — for your exact itinerary. FairFares does this automatically by tracking historical prices across all three, so you know whether a given fare is genuinely cheap or just cheap-looking.

A Ryanair €14 fare with a €19 bag add-on is sometimes more expensive than an easyJet €29 fare with overhead bag included. The only way to know is to price it out fully, which is exactly why price tracking matters more than headline numbers.