Rezdy vs Bokun vs Checkfront: Why Hybrid Pricing Still Costs Too Much

Not every booking platform charges pure percentage fees. Rezdy, Bokun, and Checkfront use a hybrid model: monthly subscription plus a per-booking percentage. Sounds reasonable — until you do the math and realize you're paying for tour features you don't need while still bleeding per-booking fees.

Here's what each platform actually costs at charter volumes, and why flat pricing wins.

The Three Platforms at a Glance

Notice the pattern: all three charge monthly fees AND per-booking percentages AND processing fees. Triple-dipping.

The Real Monthly Costs (50 Trips, $500 Average)

Let's run the math at a typical charter volume — 50 trips/month at $500 average ($25,000 monthly revenue):

Even the cheapest hybrid option (Bokun Plus at $1,202/mo) costs 45% more than Guidewinds. Checkfront costs nearly double.

At 100 Trips/Month ($50,000 Revenue)

The gap gets worse as you grow — because their per-booking fees scale while Guidewinds stays flat:

At 100 trips, Guidewinds saves you $685-1,460/month compared to hybrid platforms. That's $8,220-17,520/year.

Rezdy: Distribution-Focused, Charter-Blind

What It Does

Rezdy focuses on OTA channel management — connecting you to Viator, GetYourGuide, and reseller networks from one dashboard. Primarily Australian/APAC focused.

Pricing Tiers

• Foundation: ~$49/mo + 3% per booking
• Accelerate: ~$99/mo + 2% per booking
• Growth: ~$249/mo + 1.9% per booking

Where It Falls Short for Charters

• No weather cancellation automation — you're manually calling customers
• No digital waivers (ESIGN/UETA compliant)
• Channel management is useful for tours with OTA traffic, irrelevant if you book direct
• Higher tiers required for basic features like API access or custom branding
• Processing fees stacked on top of everything else

Bottom line: If 50%+ of your bookings come through OTAs, Rezdy's channel management has value. If you book mostly through your own website (like most charter captains), you're paying for distribution features you don't use.

Bokun: Owned by Your Competitor

What It Does

Bokun (owned by TripAdvisor/Viator) provides booking management with deep Viator integration. Strong international support.

Pricing Tiers

• Start: ~$49/mo + 1.5% per booking
• Plus: ~$149/mo + 1.25% per booking
• Premium: ~$499/mo + 1% per booking

The Conflict of Interest Problem

Where It Falls Short for Charters

• TripAdvisor ownership means your data feeds an OTA's algorithm
• Viator commission is SEPARATE from Bokun fees — you pay both
• No charter-specific features (weather, waivers, fleet management)
• Complex UI for what should be simple operations
• International focus means North American charter operators aren't the priority

Bottom line: If Viator/TripAdvisor is your primary booking source AND you accept the conflict of interest, Bokun's deep integration makes sense. Otherwise, you're feeding data to your own competition.

Checkfront: Simple but Expensive at Scale

What It Does

Checkfront is a North American general-purpose booking platform for small-to-medium activity operators. Clean interface, reasonable basics.

Pricing

• Starter: ~$49/mo + 3% per booking
• Growth: Higher monthly, lower per-booking rate
• Enterprise tiers available

Where It Falls Short for Charters

• 3% per-booking fee adds up fast ($750/mo at 50 trips)
• No weather cancellation tools
• No maritime-specific waivers
• Smaller development team = slower feature releases
• Feature set feels limited for operations beyond simple activities

Bottom line: Checkfront is the simplest of the three, but its 3% per-booking fee makes it the most expensive at charter volumes. Simplicity doesn't justify paying $1,539/mo for features you could get at $829/mo.

The Fundamental Problem with Hybrid Pricing

All three platforms share the same structural issue: you're paying subscription fees AND per-booking fees. The "hybrid" model means:

1. You pay when you DON'T get bookings (monthly fee)
2. You pay MORE when you DO get bookings (per-booking percentage)
3. The more successful you are, the more they take (percentage scales with revenue)

With flat pricing, the math is simple: $39-89/month regardless of whether you book 20 trips or 200.

Growth Penalty: What 30 → 80 Trips/Month Looks Like

A captain who grows from 30 to 80 trips/month (great season!) sees their fees increase:

With Guidewinds, the only fee increase is processing — which you'd pay anywhere. The platform fee doesn't move. Your growth is your growth.

What Charter Operators Actually Need (and What These Platforms Lack)

These platforms were built for walking tours, escape rooms, and bus excursions. They work for charters the same way a sedan works for hauling a boat — technically possible, practically painful.

The Decision Is Simple

Choose Rezdy if:

• OTA distribution across 5+ channels is critical to your business
• You operate in APAC markets
• Channel management is your primary need (not direct bookings)

Choose Bokun if:

• Viator/TripAdvisor generates 50%+ of your revenue
• You're comfortable with your booking platform being owned by an OTA
• International multi-currency support is essential

Choose Checkfront if:

• You're running a simple activity business (not charter fishing)
• You don't need charter-specific features
• Walk-in POS bookings are your primary use case

Choose Guidewinds if:

• You're a charter captain who books primarily through your own website
• You want predictable flat monthly costs that don't punish growth
• Weather cancellation automation, digital waivers, and fleet management matter
• You want to own your customer data with full export anytime
• You prefer sub-second booking page loads over legacy 5-second waits
• You believe your booking platform shouldn't be owned by an OTA

Guidewinds charges $39-199/month flat. No per-booking fees. No percentage scaling. Charter-specific features in every plan. Your customers see YOUR price — no surcharges, no surprises. Start your free trial.