Selecting a booking platform can be confusing, most offer similar features and promise the same outcomes. Learn how to compare costs and what we advise to look for in a reservation system
10 min read
Guide
If you run a tour, activity, class or rental business then choosing the right booking system can feel overwhelming. A quick search will bring up dozens of options, all promising to be 'all-in-one' and to streamline your admin and grow your sales. The truth, most platforms share 80-90% of the same features.
Platforms like FareHarbor, Checkfront, Bokun, Beyonk, Peek Pro and others all promise easy scheduling, online payments, and customer management. Whilst their marketing is bold the product differences are often subtle. They rely on their brand to differentiate, not their product. That means the best platform isn’t necessarily the best known or the one with the longest feature list. It’s the one that fits your business model, your customers, and the way you want to work.
It’s not enough for a platform to have mobile booking flow. In an optimsaed mobile experience Can a customer go from browsing to confirmed in under two minutes? If rescheduling requires phoning your office, you’ll lose bookings to competitors that offer self-service changes. A clunky flow isn’t just inconvenientit directly reduces conversion rates.
Your booking system doesn’t live in isolation. Do you send emails through Mailchimp? Take payments with Stripe? List experiences on GetYourGuide? The more manual copying you do, the more errors creep in. A good platform integrates natively, so your schedule, payments, and marketing all stay in sync.
Over 80% of travel and leisure bookings now happen on mobile. Positioning yourself for these booking is not just about looking good on a phone. If customers are making bookings on site you need the flow to load fast on weak connections. Can customers fill in forms with autofill, or use Apple Pay, or Google Pay? If not, you’re creating friction and losing sales mid-checkout.
Customers expect choice. International visitors may prefer PayPal, locals might want iDEAL, and younger audiences use Apple Pay. Platforms that don’t support multiple methods create hidden barriers. Worse still, if the platform only settles funds weekly instead of daily, it can impact your cash flow.
A bike rental shop needs live inventory and maintenance tracking, a surf school needs group scheduling and waiver collection, a tour operator needs OTA integrations. Many booking systems claim to be “one size fits all,” but choosing one designed for your sector means fewer workarounds.
Don't get sucked in by nice looking graphs. Data for the sake of data is not helpful. Consider the information you need to make good choices. That could be daily decisions on marketing, or monthly decisions on product mix. Which ad campaign drove the most revenue, which days are most profitable, or which instructors have the highest repeat customers? Without this, you’re guessing at how to grow.
One of the most confusing things about booking systems is their pricing. At first glance, booking platforms look affordable but the reality is often far more complex. Pricing is designed to get you signed up quickly. Leaving a booking platform isn’t simple. Exporting customer data, migrating bookings, retraining staff, and rebuilding your website integration all create friction. Platforms know this so their strategy is to get you in cheap, then ratchet up your effective costs once you’re dependent.
Most platforms charge you a flat fee that gives you access to thefeatures. This is the simplest fee to understand. The addtional fees layered on top is where it gets complicated.
Some systems give you “free” or very cheap plans, but take 5–6% commission on every booking. If you’re small, this feels fine but as soon as you grow those fees balloon, often costing far more than a flat-fee system would have. By the time you realise, you’ve built your business around the platform, making it hard to leave.
Payment processing fees are often separate from booking fees. A 2-3% transaction fee doesn’t sound like much, but combined with booking fees it can eat 10%+ of your revenue. Some platforms lock you into their payment processor, meaning you can’t shop around for better rates.
Most booking, reservation and ticketing platforms use a mix of flat fee + payment processing fees + per-booking fees. It’s deliberately confusing. Unless you run the numbers based on your average booking value and volume, you can’t see the true cost.
Some platforms give you exposure via a marketplace but they may take an extra cut (10%–20%) for bookings that come through their channel. That sounds fair until you realise:
If you are a small business who needs to increase reach then marketplaces are a great bet. They increase your booking volume for a reasonable cost. However, if you are spending a lot on your own marketing then you are in direct competition with them.
The difference you get between platforms is small. Most will provide the key functionality you need out of the box. The key difference will be the type of business they have optimised this functionality for.
So rather than chasing a “perfect” system, the smarter move is to focus on if the platform is built for your type of business. A demo can look great, but once you load in your real data and processes, the cracks often show. You might be missing features for rentals, have awkward group scheduling for classes, or clumsy reporting for tours. The best choice often isn’t the cleanest interface, it’s the system that matches how you actually work day to day.
Breezy works alongside some of the most trusted booking systems on the market. These platforms provide the operational backbone for your business, while Breezy makes them more customer-friendly and efficient.
RezKit is a flexible reservation platform built for travel companies and tour operators. It’s designed to handle complex itineraries, third-party integrations, and large-scale operations.
Eola is built for outdoor activity and leisure providers, from surf schools to climbing centres. It focuses on making scheduling simple and includes a built-in marketplace to help operators attract new customers.
TrekkSoft is a global booking platform trusted by tour and activity providers. It integrates with major OTAs like GetYourGuide, Viator, and Google Things to Do, making it easier to sell across multiple channels.
Bike.rent Manager is purpose-built for rental businesses. It manages fleet availability, tracks maintenance, and speeds up both online and in-store checkouts.
There’s no single “best” booking platform for every business. The key is finding one that meets your needs and calculating the true cost. Once you have that clarity, adding Breezy ensures you get the maximum value, turning your booking system from a back-office tool into a customer-friendly, revenue-driving machine.
Breezy is used by businesses across the UK, Europe and America. Our mission is to ensure that all businesses, regardless of size, can take advantage of the AI revolution.
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