Destination comparison
Koh Samui is the clearer pick — 74 vs 60 on the Atlas Ranger Score, and it leads in 11 of 12 months. Maldives never pulls ahead — it trails in every month. If you're choosing on timing alone, Koh Samui is the safer bet; Maldives makes sense mainly for its own strengths or its short strong window (best in February, 72).
Pick a month — the Atlas Ranger Score for each recomputes live, with the winner for that month.
In June, Koh Samui wins — 75 vs 54 on the Atlas Ranger Score.
Each line is a destination's Atlas Ranger Score across all twelve months — higher is a better time to visit. Where the lines cross is where the better choice flips.
Koh Samui Maldives
Koh Samui leads 11 months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Dec) · Maldives leads 0 months · 1 too close to call
🇹🇭 Koh Samui
Pick Koh Samui if you want beaches and warm water with an easy family trip — it scores highest Jan–Oct and Dec and peaks in January (88).
Koh Samui full guide →🇲🇻 Maldives
Pick Maldives if you want beaches and warm water with an easy family trip — it scores highest around February and peaks in February (72).
Maldives full guide →Compare live hotel prices for either, or open each guide for current flight fares.
🇹🇭 Koh Samui
Hotel links are affiliate links — they cost you nothing and help fund the Atlas Ranger Score.
Koh Samui is the clearer pick — 74 vs 60 on the Atlas Ranger Score, our 0–100 measure of weather, crowds, value, and timing across the year. It leads most of the year, though the month-by-month chart still shows the other's stronger windows.
Koh Samui averages a higher weather score (70 vs 51). Weather is the biggest input to the score, but both have strong months and weak months; the month-by-month chart shows exactly when.
Both have similar off-peak windows. The cheapest time for either is its shoulder/low season — outside the peak-weather months when prices spike.
Often yes — many travellers pair them. The smart move is to time each leg to its own best months. Check each destination's full guide (linked below) for the month-by-month detail, then sequence your trip so each stop lands in its strong window.
Scores come from the Atlas Ranger Score — our transparent 0–100 measure of how good a destination is to visit each month.
