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Travel · head to head

Didi vs Travelport Smartpoint

Didi logo

Didi

Travel

Dominant ride hailing app in China from Didi Chuxing, which acquired Uber China in 2016 and now operates almost entirely within China plus a handful of other markets

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Travelport Smartpoint logo

Travelport Smartpoint

Travel

Travelport GDS booking desktop for travel agents, now on version 12

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Didi has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Didi uber does not operate ride hailing directly inside mainland China as a result of the 2016 acquisition deal, so travellers used to Uber have no equivalent option there and must use Didi or another local operator instead.; Travelport Smartpoint travelport retires older Smartpoint versions on its own schedule, and agencies that do not track release notes can lose sign-on access to Travelport+ or Apollo with little warning.
  • They diverge on capability: Didi covers Ride hailing, Travelport Smartpoint covers Graphical and cryptic modes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Didi and Travelport Smartpoint actually diverge.

Attributes where Didi and Travelport Smartpoint differ
AttributeDidiTravelport Smartpoint
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree app, pay per ride with dynamic pricingquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, AndroidWindows, Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Travel).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Didi

  • Ride hailing
  • Bike and e-bike share
  • Designated driver service
  • International operations
  • In-app payments
  • Corporate accounts

Only in Travelport Smartpoint

  • Graphical and cryptic modes
  • Multi-GDS content
  • Smartpoint Cloud
  • Automation scripting
  • Marketplace distribution
  • Queue and PNR management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Didi

  • A rider or visitor in mainland China needing the dominant local ride hailing option, given Uber does not operate directly therenot Travelport Smartpoint
  • A rider in Brazil or Mexico comparing Didi directly against Uber as genuine competing optionsnot Travelport Smartpoint
  • Someone in a Chinese city wanting the designated driver service to get a personal car home after drinkingnot Travelport Smartpoint
  • A business traveller in China needing expensed ride accounts through Didi corporate featuresnot Travelport Smartpoint

Travelport Smartpoint

  • A retail agency already on a Travelport segment agreement needing the current supported desktop versionnot Didi
  • A TMC running mixed cryptic and graphical booking teams on one workspacenot Didi
  • An agency migrating from an older Smartpoint build after Travelport retired 8.1 to 9.1not Didi
  • A consolidator wanting Apollo, Galileo or Worldspan content behind a single agent interfacenot Didi

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Didi

  • Uber does not operate ride hailing directly inside mainland China as a result of the 2016 acquisition deal, so travellers used to Uber have no equivalent option there and must use Didi or another local operator instead.
  • Didi faced a major Chinese cybersecurity review and app store removal in 2021 following its US stock listing, related to data handling concerns, which is a relevant fact for anyone assessing how the platform manages user data under Chinese regulatory oversight.
  • The international-market apps in countries like Brazil and Mexico are separate products from the dominant China platform, and feature parity, support quality and market position differ meaningfully between them.
  • Payment methods within China rely heavily on WeChat Pay and Alipay integration, which can be a barrier for foreign visitors without a linked Chinese payment account.
  • As with the rest of the ride hailing category, fares are dynamic with demand-based surge and no published flat rate card, making advance cost estimation difficult during peak periods.

Travelport Smartpoint

  • Travelport retires older Smartpoint versions on its own schedule, and agencies that do not track release notes can lose sign-on access to Travelport+ or Apollo with little warning.
  • Pricing is never published and is folded into a segment incentive agreement, so two agencies of similar size can be paying materially different effective rates with no way to compare.
  • Cryptic command knowledge is still needed for a meaningful share of servicing tasks, so a newly hired agent takes months to reach full productivity.
  • It is a Windows-weighted desktop product, and agencies wanting fully remote or Mac-based teams need Smartpoint Cloud or virtual desktop infrastructure to compensate.
  • Switching to Sabre or Amadeus means retraining staff on a different command language and renegotiating a separate incentive deal, which locks agencies into their existing GDS relationship longer than pure product quality would justify.

Pricing, plan by plan

Didi

Free
  • DidiFree
    • App is free; riders pay per trip at dynamic, demand-based fares
    • Fares vary significantly between mainland China and international markets like Brazil and Mexico
    • No published flat rate card, pricing varies by city, time and route

Travelport Smartpoint

On request
  • Travelport Smartpoint$undefined/year
    • Usually bundled into a GDS segment agreement
    • Distribution and version entitlement managed per country via the Marketplace
    • Segment incentive payments to the agency

Which should you pick?

Choose Didi if

  • You need ride hailing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want bike and e-bike share.
Didi review

Choose Travelport Smartpoint if

  • You need graphical and cryptic modes.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want multi-gds content.
Travelport Smartpoint review

Questions people ask

Is Didi or Travelport Smartpoint better?
Neither clearly leads. Didi starts at Free and Travelport Smartpoint at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Didi or Travelport Smartpoint?
Didi has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Didi and On request for Travelport Smartpoint.
Does Didi or Travelport Smartpoint run on more platforms?
Didi runs on iOS, Android. Travelport Smartpoint runs on Windows, Web.
Can I use Didi for free?
Yes. Didi has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Travelport Smartpoint starts at On request.
What is Didi best used for?
Didi is most often used for a rider or visitor in mainland china needing the dominant local ride hailing option, given uber does not operate directly there, a rider in brazil or mexico comparing didi directly against uber as genuine competing options, someone in a chinese city wanting the designated driver service to get a personal car home after drinking, a business traveller in china needing expensed ride accounts through didi corporate features. Of those, a rider or visitor in mainland china needing the dominant local ride hailing option, given uber does not operate directly there and a rider in brazil or mexico comparing didi directly against uber as genuine competing options are not what Travelport Smartpoint is typically brought in for.
What can Didi do that Travelport Smartpoint cannot?
Didi covers Ride hailing, Bike and e-bike share, Designated driver service, International operations. Travelport Smartpoint covers Graphical and cryptic modes, Multi-GDS content, Smartpoint Cloud, Automation scripting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Didi: Does Uber operate in China?

No, not directly. Uber sold its China operations to Didi in 2016 in exchange for an equity stake in Didi, and does not run ride hailing directly inside mainland China as a result.

Travelport Smartpoint: Do we pay a separate licence fee for Smartpoint?

Usually not directly. It is typically bundled into a GDS segment agreement in which Travelport pays incentives per booked segment.

Didi: Where does Didi operate outside China?

In a smaller set of international markets including Brazil and Mexico, where it competes directly against Uber rather than holding the dominant position it has domestically.

Travelport Smartpoint: What happened to older Smartpoint versions?

Travelport retired versions 8.1 through 9.1 as of 30 April 2026; agencies must be on Smartpoint 12.0 to keep signing on to Travelport+ or Apollo.

Didi: What happened with the 2021 regulatory issue?

Chinese regulators conducted a cybersecurity review of Didi shortly after its US stock listing, related to data handling concerns, resulting in an app store removal and later fines; the app was reinstated to domestic stores after remediation.

Travelport Smartpoint: Is there a browser version?

Yes, Smartpoint Cloud runs in a browser for agents without a managed Windows desktop.

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