Hipcamp is the #1 app to find and book campsites, from national parks to blueberry farms. Hipcamp unifies the world’s best camping options across peaceful private spots, iconic public lands and well-equipped campgrounds to create one app that has everywhere you want to camp.
Written by the business, not verified by us.
Is Hipcamp legit?
Hipcamp (www.hipcamp.com) has a 3.4 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 200 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Travel & Vacation and its reputation is mixed. Opinions are polarized: 59% rate it 4 stars or higher while 31% give 1 star; The business has replied to 88% of negative reviews; 31 of them were added in the last 12 months. Last updated 2026-08-31.
Had to cancel a reservation and was charged a fee of $30! Hipcamp is out $0 as a result of this cancellation but charges a 20% fee. I will never book or use this app again.
Reply from Hipcamp2024-09-21
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this feedback with us and with the broader Hipcamp community.
The Hipcamper Service Fee is applied to all bookings and is proportional to the cost of the booking. It is non-refundable in the case of cancelations, barring extenuating circumstances, and ranges between 9% and 18% depending on the total booking cost.
These booking fees are standard across the industry. We do have complete transparency with the fees, and Hipcampers can see the fee on the checkout page before they book a reservation and on their booking receipts. It is also clearly outlined in the Cancellation Policy that the Service Fee is non-refundable.
You can learn more in the following FAQs:
https://support.hipcamp.com/hc/articles/360025121211-What-is-the-Hipcamp-service-fee-
https://support.hipcamp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025120071-What-is-the-cancellation-policy
Hope that information helps!
I love this app! It is nice to be able to purchase things like firewood right off the app! I love that you can find a campsite anywhere in the u.s. to accommodate your needs! So great!!
Don’t use hipcamp. It’s very unregulated and has a bunch of hosts that get to do whatever they want and hipcamp does nothing to stop it. A host could just lie about your stay and try to charge you hundreds of dollars for made up damages. I told them about a host that didn’t even have permits to use their land for camping and they still allow the host to use their site. It’s a lawless website.
I cannot recommend Hipcamp for hosting. I can't speak from a guest's perspective, this is just as a host. We have a campground with several cabins and campsites listed on several other venues, but Hipcamp's customer service is inferior to non-existent. You cannot reach a life person, you can only enter an issue via a ticket and they say it takes 48 hours, but its been over 48 hours and have not heard from anyone. This makes it very challenging for the host and being able to respond to guests needs.
Reply from Hipcamp2024-08-31
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this feedback with us and with the broader Hipcamp community!
If you'd like to speak to a person rather than submit a ticket, feel free to reach out to us on the following toll-free numbers:
USA: +1 (877) 469-2088
UK: +44 (0)207 820 9333
Australia: +61 1800 431 614
Canada: +1 (877) 469-2302
HiCamp charges too much for service fees even if the customer canceled the trip the next day!!!!They are not worth it and certainly don't care about their customers. There are too many other fees that are way too much for a tent trip. I don't recommend them to anyone.
Reply from Hipcamp2024-08-31
Hi Mojgan,
Thanks for sharing this feedback with us!
Hipcamp charges one fee (the Hipcamp Service Fee) in addition to the fees charged by the Host (nightly rate, optional extras, cleaning fee for structure rentals). This fee is non-refundable i the case of cancellations, barring extenuating circumstances, and is clearly displayed at checkout along with the Cancellation Policy, which guests must agree to prior to confirming a booking.
As you are aware, our team waived this policy (and the cancellation policy that you agreed to when you made your booking), and have refunded you the Hipcamp Service Fee. You are therefore out of pocket $0.00 for this booking. If there's something further we can do to assist, please do let us know.
Initially I gave a 1 score due to the dreadful experience of the host... Needless to say we did not stay and left immediately.
Notified Hipcamp of what had happened and it took a while but full refund issued.
Ashleigh, thank you
Showed up to the cabin we rented for 2 nights in a remote area to find out the owner had no idea of our booking and was completely full for those 2 nights. We ended up bunking with an employee of the resort and now hip camp is trying to keep the $650 they took from us. Do NOT book with these scammers. The owner had no acknowledgment that he was even on this site.
Reply from Hipcamp2024-08-19
Hi Nikki,
Thanks for sharing your feedback with us and with the broader Hipcamp community. As there isn't a booking number linked to this review, and it sounds like you already have a Support ticket lodged, could you please reply to your Support ticket and request that it be escalated to Ellyn (that's me!) for review? Looking forward to investigating this further!
I booked two nights through Hipcamp- i have two charges on my charge card-one for $92.57 and another on the same day for $86.15. I made the reservation and then changed the date the same day- Please explain these charges. I was unable to even come at all because my elderly dog got ill. Hipcamp said that the chargers are up to the host. I contacted the Host and she said she does not set charges. Hipcamp does and that Hipcamp pay her directly after taking charges from the camper. I have sent multiple emails to Hipcamp and haven’t gotten a satisfactory response other than it’s the host making the decision which she says is not true. I will never use Hipcamp again.
Reply from Hipcamp2024-08-11
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and with the broader Hipcamp community!
Modification fees for date changes/rescheduling are charged in line with the Host's stated cancellation policy. You can learn more here: https://support.hipcamp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025120511-How-do-I-change-the-dates-of-my-booking#h_01J09G9CV4RQ55AVP26M4YGBX4
If a Host agrees to waive the fee before you modify the trip, Hipcamp can make the modification for you. Likewise, if a Host wishes to refund the modification fee, Hipcamp can assist with this - but we do require the Host's permission to do so. If the Host does not give us permission to refund the charge, we are unable to do so.
I've not been able to locate any Support tickets under the name "Kathryn Partin" in our system. If you require further assistance with this matter, please reply to your Support ticket and request that it be elevated to Ellyn (that's me!) for review.
We booked through Hipcamp and got a site that flooded. We had 3 caravans swept away & 1 car lost. It appears that Hipcamp takes no steps to ensure that what you book and where they put you is safe, and then of course, they take no responsibility whatsoever and of course will not communicate with you after the event. Their insurance is not worth the paper it is written. The host was told by Hipcamp that she had to use (and pay for) Hipcamp insurance to cover her and then when it came to the claim she was told by Hipcamp to use her own insurance. We had various future bookings with Hipcamp that we had to cancel as a result of losing our caravan, Hipcamp refunded the hosts portion of our payment but kept their money. They are disgraceful. It appears that they do nothing to assist or protect the host or the guests, or at least I've found that despite asking they have not been able to give any information as to the enquiries that they make to ensure that the site that they put us on was safe, or at least had evacuation plans. Be very careful when dealing with or using anything to do with Hipcamp.
thank you so much this was such a good experience for me and my family, Michelle was so lovely and was just overall an amazing place too stay for a few nights
I had a trip booked for weeks, built around a specific spot and then sometime the “system” didn’t update and the host cancelled a day and a half before the trip. What a hassle!! I received a measly $10 credit. Other than that, I like Hipcamp
Reply from Hipcamp2024-08-11
Hi Peter,
Thanks for taking the time to share this feedback with us and with the broader Hipcamp community!
We'd really like to learn more about your experience and why this Host cancelled your booking, so that we can address this with the Host directly. Please feel free to reach out to our team via https://hipca.mp/support so that we can learn more and take steps to ensure that this doesn't happen again in the future!
I booked a campsite through Hipcamp for this weekend 8/11/24. My dog was having issues and in and out of the ER. I realized on Wednesday 8/7 that it would be best to cancel the reservation. That's 5 days in advance. When I went to cancel I was informed that the hosts cancellation policy is strict and that I wouldn't get a refund since I didn't cancel a week before the reservation. A WEEK! Are you kidding me?! Hipcamp has 8, 8! different cancellation options for camp hosts to choose from. (Which I later learned after my booking). None of this is information is made readily available when you book. Not on the hosts main page for the sight, nor is this something that is shown to you at time of booking. Why would anyone assume that if you need to cancel a campsite you would have to do it a week in advance? I understand 24 hours, I even understand 48 hours. A week is absurd! For future people wanting to book a site. In order to find the cancellation policy (That should be the same across the board by the way, and not something that you should have to go out of your way to find for each spot). It's not on the main page for any of the available spots. To find it you need to go to the "Getting there section". Which also makes absolutely no sense. I feel like I just got ripped off. Had it been made clear to me at the time of booking that I would have needed to cancel so far in advance I never would have booked the spot in the first place. Emergencies happen in people's lives that is completely out of anyone's control. And $90 for a campsite is ludacris. Go to a campground and save your money. I will never use this site again.
Reply from Hipcamp2024-08-11
Hi Victoria,
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us and with the broader Hipcamp Community.
A Host's chosen cancellation policy is shown on every site listing, in the "Getting There" section, which also explains the check-in and check-out times, check-in type, minimum night stay, and vehicle access for each individual site. The cancellation policy is also shown to guests when making a booking, and guests must agree to the cancellation policy in order to submit a booking or booking request. You can learn more here: https://support.hipcamp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025120071-What-is-the-cancellation-policy
I have used the other app for free overnight stay, and this one is even better. Paying the property owners directly makes me feel a bit better about staying there. We had a concert near Cleveland and no where to stay. For $24, I found a great quiet spot 14 minutes from the concert venue! It could not be better.
Well my bad didn't read the details and was not prepared for no electricity hook up ,didn't bring generator but Dave did loan us 1 it was just to small, wasn't prepared for no water hook up. But it was all my fault
Lovely clean campsite , Nigel the owner is a gentleman will do everything possible to make your stay perfect , clean toilets , scenery is picture perfect from all directions , couldn't ask for a better stay and will be returning soon
I am a host with Hipcamp. I currently have 2 five star listings with this platform. When I first started with them , the service couldn’t be better. Friendly and helpful.
Now, I cannot get a hold of a person. I have several things I need to speak to someone about and cannot!
The week before last, I received an email saying my case had been escalated to a gentleman. He asked me when I would like a call? I responded right away, and replied any time “today” would be amazing. I still haven’t heard from him.
So, it has been more then 4 weeks trying to speak with someone. It is so frustrating. No one cares!
I am an excellent host. I have all 5 star properties. My guests are always very happy. I am doing my part as a Hipcamp host. Sadly, Hipcamp is not doing their part at all.☹️
Deanna Twerd
Return to Nature Retreat.
Reply from Hipcamp2024-07-23
Hi Deanna,
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us and with the Hipcamp team! I can see that our Head of Support has been in touch with you to resolve the issues you were experiencing. If you have any further concerns, please don't hesitate to respond to that Support ticket for further assistance!
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