Booking software for tours, classes and activities usually costs between €10 and €250 a month, or a fee of 1 to 8% on each booking, or a mix of both. Card fees from the payment provider come on top, typically 1.5% + €0.25 on a European card. The real cost depends on your number of bookings, your prices and how many guests pay online.
This guide explains the four ways booking software is priced, shows real prices from well-known systems, and walks through a worked example so you can calculate your own monthly cost. Prices were checked on 12 October 2026 on each company's own pricing page. Prices change, so confirm them before you choose.
The 4 ways booking software is priced
| Pricing model | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | A fixed price a month, whatever you sell | Businesses with steady, daily bookings | Paying the full price in quiet months |
| Subscription plus a booking fee | A lower monthly price, plus a percentage of each booking | Businesses that want lower fixed costs | The percentage adds up fast in busy months |
| Fee paid by guests | No monthly price; a booking fee is added to the guest's total | New businesses with few bookings | Guests see a higher price than you set |
| Commission only | No monthly price; the software keeps a share of each booking | Very small or seasonal businesses | The most expensive model once bookings are steady |
Many systems also have a free plan with tight limits, such as one user or one sales channel. Free plans are useful for trying a system, but rarely for running a business on.
What booking software costs in 2026: real examples
| Software | Per month | Booking fee |
|---|---|---|
| Bókun | Free, then $49 to $499 | 1% to 1.5% |
| Rezdy | $49 to $249 | 3% on online bookings |
| FareHarbor | None | About 6%, paid by guests |
| TicketPa | €19 to €99 | 0.5% to 2% online, none on arrival |
A few details matter:
- Bókun charges 1.5%, 1.25% or 1% depending on the plan, and nothing on Viator and offline bookings. Its free plan covers Viator bookings only.
- Rezdy lets you absorb the 3% or pass it on to guests, and charges $0.70 to $1 on offline and agent bookings.
- FareHarbor adds a booking fee to the guest's total on every booking made with the business. Its help center says the fee is 6% for businesses that have used FareHarbor for a year and sell less than $35,000 a year online. It doesn't publish the rate above that (source).
- TicketPa charges 2% on Basic, 1% on Standard and 0.5% on Pro, only on bookings paid online.
Prices are as listed by each company, excluding tax. Card fees from the payment provider are extra in every case.
How to work out your real monthly cost
Use this formula for each system you compare:
Monthly cost = plan price + booking fees + card fees
Then run it on a normal month and on your busiest month. Here is a worked example for a business with 300 bookings a month at an average of €80, so €24,000 in bookings, with 70% of guests paying online (€16,800). Card fees use Stripe's standard European rate of 1.5% + €0.25, which comes to €304.50 on 210 online payments.
| Pricing model | Cost to you | Guests pay |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription only, €30 a month | €30 | €0 |
| €49 a month plus 1.5% online | €301 | €0 |
| 6% booking fee paid by guests | €0 | €1,008 |
| 3% commission only | €504 | €0 |
| TicketPa Standard: €49 plus 1% online | €217 | €0 |
The €304.50 in card fees comes on top in every row, so it doesn't change the order.
Three things stand out:
- A subscription without booking fees is the cheapest once you take bookings every day.
- "Free to you" is not free. In the guest-paid model, guests pay €1,008 a month on top of your prices, which can push them to a competitor or an OTA.
- What guests pay on arrival matters. If more of your guests pay on the day, any model that charges only on online payments gets cheaper, because there is nothing to take a percentage of.
Work the same table out with your own numbers, or let the booking software cost calculator do it for you. A business with 30 bookings a month gets a very different answer from one with 300.
What card fees add
Every booking paid online by card carries a card fee from the payment provider, whatever booking software you use. Stripe's standard pricing is 1.5% + €0.25 for standard European cards and 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards, with higher rates for international and premium cards. On an €80 booking paid with a European card, that is €1.45.
Bookings paid on arrival in cash carry no card fee. If you take cards at your desk, your card terminal provider charges its own fee.
Hidden fees: costs that are easy to miss
Most booking software publishes its fees, so they are rarely hidden in the strict sense. What catches businesses out are the costs outside the headline price: features sold separately, charges per user and fees added to your guests' total. Look for these on the full price list and in the terms before you sign up:
- Setup or onboarding fees, charged before your first booking.
- Extra team members, priced per user above a limit.
- Text message reminders, often sold as credits.
- Channel managers that connect to OTAs, often on higher plans or for a monthly fee.
- Add-ons such as waivers, gift vouchers or a branded booking page, sold separately.
- Long contracts that charge you for months you don't use.
- Payout delays, when the system collects your guests' money and pays you later.
Which pricing model suits your business
| Your business | Model that usually works best |
|---|---|
| Just starting, a few bookings a month | Free plan, guest-paid fee or the lowest subscription |
| Bookings every day, most paid online | Subscription with no or a small booking fee |
| Many guests pay on arrival | A plan that charges nothing on bookings paid on arrival |
| Strongly seasonal, closed for months | Monthly plans you can change or pause, no long contract |
| Most bookings come from OTAs | A system with a channel manager and no fee on OTA bookings |
What TicketPa costs
TicketPa has three plans: Basic at €19 a month plus 2% of online payments, Standard at €49 plus 1%, and Pro at €99 plus 0.5%. Bookings paid on arrival carry no fee on any plan. Paying yearly gives two months free, every plan starts with a 30-day free trial of Standard with no card needed, and prices exclude VAT. Card fees are charged separately by Stripe, and the money from online payments goes to your own Stripe account.
There is no setup fee or contract, and every plan includes unlimited activities and bookings. See the plans side by side, or read how to choose booking software for what else to compare.
