How to choose booking software for a small UK tour business

The best booking software is the system that fits your booking volume, sales channels and daily operation at a cost you understand. No single system is right for every small UK tour or activity business.

Start with the work your booking system needs to do. A walking tour with manual enquiries may need a different setup from an activity business managing equipment, guides, deposits and bookings from several marketplaces.

Separate essential features from attractive extras. If you sell vouchers, share guides between tours or need customers to sign waivers, check how the proposed plan handles each task before comparing headline prices.

Your website matters too. Look North Digital builds websites around systems operators already use and also offers its own Tour Booking System on the operator's brand and domain, with no per-booking marketplace commission.

• List your tours, departure times, capacities and any shared equipment or guides.
• Write down where customers book now and which sales channels you want to keep.
• Identify the tasks you need to automate and the tasks you are happy to handle manually.
• Decide what information you need to keep about bookings and customers.
• Set out your requirements before asking providers for a demonstration.

Tour booking software can involve a monthly charge, a booking fee and payment processing costs. The full cost depends on the plan, the booking channel and whether you or your customer pays each fee.

The table shows published plan prices at the time of writing (November 2026). Check each provider's current pricing and ask for a written breakdown, including card processing, VAT treatment and any charges that apply to your booking channels.

Dollar prices are shown in the currency described by each provider. Bókun's free plan is for one user and manual bookings, so compare its practical limits with your needs rather than treating it as equivalent to a paid online booking plan.

A provider's booking fee is not necessarily the whole cost of a booking. Ask separately about card processing, marketplace charges and any taxes shown on your invoice.

Some booking systems publish only part of their pricing, while others serve a different type of business. Use a quote to compare the complete cost against your own booking mix.

Regiondo publishes Grow at €59 a month and Pro at €99 a month on a one-year contract billed monthly. Both plans have a per-booking fee on online bookings, but the supplied pricing does not state its amount, so ask Regiondo for a quote.

bookingkit publishes Starterkit at €49 a month on an annual basis, Businesskit at €99 a month annually or €119 monthly, and Prokit on request. Its published fees include 3% for online payment, a 3% or 2% booking fee and €0.60 per ticket, so ask which fees apply to your proposed plan and bookings.

Freetobook is for accommodation such as B&Bs and holiday lets. Its direct booking engine is free with no commission, but its channel manager and card payment services have separate charges, making Freetobook more relevant if your business also sells accommodation.

• FareHarbor: ask for a written quote. Its terms allow a fee charged to the person booking, and an alternative commission model has no booker fee.
• Xola: pricing is on request, with no subscriptions and a partner fee charged to customers on each purchase. The amount is not stated.
• ROLLER: prices are not published. ROLLER is aimed at attractions and venues, supports GBP and offers a trial.
• Regiondo and Peek Pro: ask for a written quote covering any prices or fees that are not fully published.
• Freetobook: the channel manager costs £1.50 per channel booking, between £9 and £99 a month, plus £49 one-off per channel. Card payments cost £139 a year, or £99 for a single unit. Check Freetobook's current pricing.

Prices in this guide are at the time of writing (November 2026). Check the provider's current pricing, billing terms and currency before making a decision.

To compare booking systems fairly, apply each provider's charges to the same expected mix of direct, marketplace and offline bookings. Include payment processing and show customer-paid fees separately from costs you absorb.

Ask each provider which booking value its percentage applies to, which channels attract a fee and whether refunds or changes affect charges. A low monthly price is not enough to establish the cheapest option for your business.

The channel distinction can matter. Bókun says it charges no booking fee on Viator or offline bookings, while TrekkSoft says marketplace bookings carry the same percentage as its online booking fee.

Ask providers how invoices handle GBP and UK VAT, and get the answer in writing. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.

1. 1 Estimate the value and number of bookings you expect through your website, marketplaces and offline sales.
2. 2 For each plan, add its subscription charge and the applicable booking fees for each channel.
3. 3 Add the payment provider's processing charges and any other quoted costs.
4. 4 Record fees passed to customers separately, then check the total price customers will see.
5. 5 Repeat the comparison for a quieter period and a busier period, using the same assumptions for every provider.

You can compare absorbing a booking fee with passing it to customers, where your provider offers that choice. The right approach depends on your margins and the price customers see before they complete checkout.

Rezdy and Checkfront say their online booking fees can be absorbed or passed on. TicketingHub says the operator chooses whether the guest pays its fee.

A customer-paid fee is not the same as no cost to the customer. Ask the provider to show the full booking journey, including when the fee appears and how the final amount is described.

Review your pricing as a customer would. Compare the advertised tour price with the final amount, and decide whether you are comfortable explaining any difference when a customer asks.

• Ask to see a live example of the fee at checkout.
• Check the final price on mobile as well as on a larger screen.
• Ask whether the fee applies to vouchers, deposits, changes and refunds.
• Record the fee arrangement in your quote or agreement.
• Revisit your choice if your costs or sales channels change.

Several booking systems offer marketplace or Google Things to do connections, but the available connection depends on the provider and plan. Confirm the exact channels, setup and costs before choosing.

Google's fully launched connectivity partner list includes Bókun, FareHarbor, Rezdy, Regiondo, Ventrata, TrekkSoft, Xola and Zaui. Check Google's current list before choosing, and ask the provider what you need to do to use the connection.

Rezdy says all plans include unlimited online travel agency connections. Checkfront lists Viator, GetYourGuide and Google Things to do connections, while TicketingHub includes Viator and GetYourGuide connections.

Regiondo includes Viator and GetYourGuide connections on its published plans. Ventrata, which is aimed at larger attractions, has a Google Things to do connection.

• Ask which connections are included in the exact plan you are considering.
• Ask how availability, changes and cancellations are handled across your channels.
• Check whether the provider charges a booking fee for each marketplace booking.
• Confirm who will set up each connection and what support is included.
• Ask what happens to connected listings if you change systems.

A connection appearing on a provider's feature list does not answer every setup or fee question. Confirm the connection for your products and plan before signing.

Choose features around the tasks you perform when taking and delivering a booking. Deposits, vouchers, waivers and resource management are useful only if the plan handles them in a way that fits your operation.

Bókun supports gift cards on paid plans, deposits, pay on arrival and a customer currency switcher. See also Bókun's deposit instructions.

Rezdy includes resource management on all plans and gift cards from the middle plan up. Checkfront lists built-in waivers, booking widgets and resource management.

Bookeo offers digital waivers as an add-on from $9 a month at the time of writing (November 2026). Check Bookeo's current pricing and its warning that switching waivers off immediately deletes stored signed waivers.

• Deposits: ask how the balance is collected and how the customer sees what remains due.
• Gift vouchers: check whether vouchers are included in your plan and how customers redeem them.
• Waivers: ask where signed records are stored and how you can export them.
• Resources: show the provider how you share equipment or spaces between activities.
• Guides: ask for a demonstration of scheduling against your actual staffing arrangements.
• Mobile booking: test the calendar, questions, payment and confirmation on your own phone.
• Website widget: check that the booking element can be placed on your own site and fits your page design.

Before switching off Bookeo's digital waiver add-on, arrange to retain any signed records you need. Bookeo says stored signed waivers are deleted immediately when the add-on is switched off.

Ask who owns the booking provider, who handles payments and when booking money reaches your account. Ownership and payment arrangements are separate questions, and both belong in your evaluation.

Booking Holdings announced its agreement to acquire FareHarbor. Bókun says it has been owned by Tripadvisor, Viator's parent company, since 2018, but runs independently and does not share operator data with Tripadvisor or Viator.

Bókun's help pages report that its standard payment providers send money straight to your own payment account. The same help pages describe a separate Bókun payment option using a third party as merchant of record, meaning that third party handles the transaction in that role, and say new connections to that option are not currently accepted.

TicketingHub says payments go through the operator's own Stripe, PayPal or SumUp account. Ask any provider which account receives funds, who handles refunds and what information appears in your payment records.

• Ask for the payment flow in writing, from customer payment to your bank account.
• Check which payment providers are available on your proposed plan.
• Ask who manages refunds and where a refund is funded from.
• Ask whether any money can be held back and under what terms.
• If marketplace ownership matters to you, ask specifically how your operator and customer data is used.

Payout timing depends on the provider, payment arrangement and contract. Ask for the timing in writing and check whether funds can be held after a customer books.

FareHarbor's provider terms say FareHarbor may hold payouts until the service has been delivered. FareHarbor help pages also report daily or weekly payouts, generally paid at the end of the next day depending on location, with a refund reserve, according to FareHarbor Help.

TrekkSoft lists monthly payouts, or weekly payouts on its Ultimate plan. Its published European Payyo processing price is 2.5% plus €0.25, while Stripe and PayPal are available only on the top plan at the time of writing (November 2026); check TrekkSoft's current pricing.

A payout schedule alone does not explain your cash flow. Ask how deposits, cancellations, refunds and any reserve affect the amount available to you before a tour takes place.

• Request the payout schedule for your location and payment method.
• Ask whether the provider can hold funds until an activity has taken place.
• Ask whether a refund reserve applies and how it is calculated.
• Check how deposits and remaining balances appear in your payment account.
• Compare the schedule with the timing of your own operating expenses.

Do not assume that a customer payment is immediately available to your business. Check the payout terms and any hold or reserve before accepting the contract.

Before signing, ask how to export customer, booking and financial records, and what happens to your website booking widget when your contract ends. Get the answer and the notice period in writing.

bookingkit's cancellation guidance says monthly plans need 30 days' notice. Yearly and longer contracts need notice three months before renewal and renew automatically if notice is missed.

bookingkit says its widgets stop working after termination without an error message, while you retain access to reports and can export historical data. Plan a replacement booking route before the existing widget stops working, and test the website after the change.

Checkfront support search results report that you can export all data at any time as a raw file that cannot be re-imported, and that unused months are not refunded when you close. Ask Checkfront to confirm the current export format and closure terms for your plan.

• Ask which customer, booking, payment, voucher and waiver records can be exported.
• Request a sample export and check whether you can read and use the files.
• Ask whether a new provider can import the records you need.
• Record the renewal date, notice deadline and cancellation method.
• Ask what happens to future bookings, deposits and connected channels after cancellation.
• Prepare a replacement website booking route before removing the old widget.

Export access is not the same as easy migration. A file you can download may not be accepted by your next booking system.

Choose a booking system by testing your real booking journey, not just comparing feature lists. Ask shortlisted providers to demonstrate the same tasks and quote against the same assumptions.

Include the people who manage tours, customer enquiries and the website in your review. A system should be practical on the day as well as attractive in a sales demonstration.

Keep each provider's answers together so you can compare the full cost and contract. Ask for clarification before signing if a fee, payout or exit condition is missing.

1. 1 Map your current booking process, from customer enquiry to payment, delivery and follow-up. Note where staff re-enter information or check availability by hand.
2. 2 List essential features and channels. Include deposits, vouchers, waivers, shared resources and guide scheduling only where your business needs them.
3. 3 Shortlist providers that fit your operation. Check current pricing and ask each provider to quote the same expected mix of direct, marketplace and offline bookings.
4. 4 Request a demonstration using a tour like yours. Test a booking on mobile, a change, a cancellation and any voucher or deposit journey you intend to offer.
5. 5 Ask your website provider how the booking widget will be added and tested. Confirm who is responsible for the booking pages and who will help if the widget needs changing.
6. 6 Compare payment processing, payout timing, customer-paid fees and marketplace charges. Ask for GBP and VAT handling to be explained on the quote.
7. 7 Read the contract and record the renewal and notice terms. Obtain written answers about data export, future bookings and what stops working when you leave.
8. 8 Choose the system that meets your essential needs at an acceptable total cost. Set up and test the customer journey before directing customers to the new booking route.

The most common mistake is choosing from the headline price without checking the booking journey, operating features and contract. A cheaper-looking plan may not be the best fit once you account for your channels and practical needs.

Another mistake is treating every connection or feature as identical. Ask a provider to show you how the feature works with your tours, then check whether the feature is included in the quoted plan.

Finally, make an exit plan before you commit. You should know how to retrieve your records, replace a widget and manage future bookings if you decide to move.

• Ignoring card processing or customer-paid fees when comparing prices.
• Assuming marketplace bookings have the same software fee across providers.
• Choosing a plan before checking whether vouchers, waivers or resource management are included.
• Accepting an unpublished fee without a written quote.
• Overlooking the currency, billing period or renewal notice.
• Assuming an export can be imported into another system.
• Testing only the office workflow and not the customer's mobile checkout.
• Waiting until cancellation to find out what happens to the website widget and future bookings.