Softwr

Travel · head to head

Bokun vs Boostly

Bokun logo

Bokun

Travel

Tour and activity booking platform tied to Viator distribution, from free to $499 a month

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Boostly logo

Boostly

Travel

Done-for-you direct booking websites and marketing coaching for short-term rental hosts

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bokun has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bokun viator bookings are exempt from the booking fee while your own direct bookings are not, so the pricing structure rewards selling through the parent marketplace rather than through your own site.; Boostly the dominant cost is the one-off build fee, which is quoted rather than published and typically runs into the thousands, so the monthly figure hosts quote to each other badly understates the commitment.
  • They diverge on capability: Bokun covers Channel manager, Boostly covers Custom WordPress site.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bokun and Boostly actually diverge.

Attributes where Bokun and Boostly differ
AttributeBokunBoostly
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer month plus a booking feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Travel).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bokun

  • Channel manager
  • Booking widgets
  • Marketplace
  • Product and availability setup
  • Offline bookings
  • Vouchers and redemption

Only in Boostly

  • Custom WordPress site
  • PMS booking widget
  • Direct card payments
  • Marketing curriculum
  • Host community
  • Email capture and nurture
  • SEO groundwork
  • Podcast and content library

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bokun

  • An operator already doing significant Viator volume who wants that channel to cost nothing in software feesnot Boostly
  • A city tour company reselling partner products and taking commission through the Bokun marketplacenot Boostly
  • An operator wanting a fixed monthly subscription rather than a percentage of every booking as FareHarbor chargesnot Boostly
  • A business taking most bookings by phone, which incur no Bokun booking fee at allnot Boostly

Boostly

  • A manager with twenty holiday lets who wants to cut OTA commission on repeat guestsnot Bokun
  • An owner with a strong local brand in a destination where Airbnb visibility is expensivenot Bokun
  • A host who already runs Hostaway and needs a marketing front end rather than another PMSnot Bokun
  • An operator building an email list of past guests to drive off-season occupancynot Bokun

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bokun

  • Viator bookings are exempt from the booking fee while your own direct bookings are not, so the pricing structure rewards selling through the parent marketplace rather than through your own site.
  • The booking fee sits on top of the monthly subscription, so an operator on Start pays $49 plus 1.5% of direct online revenue and the plan price alone understates the cost.
  • The free plan is limited to a single user and constrained features, so any business with staff has to move to a paid tier almost immediately.
  • Adopting it deepens commercial dependence on Tripadvisor and Viator, which is uncomfortable if your strategy is reducing OTA commission exposure.
  • Reporting and back-office depth are lighter than dedicated operator platforms, so businesses with complex resource scheduling or multi-site operations often need workarounds.

Boostly

  • The dominant cost is the one-off build fee, which is quoted rather than published and typically runs into the thousands, so the monthly figure hosts quote to each other badly understates the commitment.
  • It is a website and a marketing programme, not a property management system; you still need and still pay for a PMS underneath it.
  • Results depend entirely on your own effort producing content and email, and a site with no traffic strategy produces no direct bookings regardless of how well it is built.
  • The build is WordPress, which means plugin updates, hosting decisions and the security exposure that comes with the platform, all of which land on you or on a paid maintenance arrangement.
  • Coaching and community are a large share of what you pay for, which is poor value for an operator who already has marketing capability and only wants the booking site.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bokun

Free
  • FreeFree
    • One user
    • No monthly fee
    • No Bokun booking fee
  • Start$49/month
    • Up to 5 users
    • 1.5% booking fee on direct online bookings
    • No booking fee on Viator bookings
  • Plus$149/month
    • Up to 10 users
    • 1.25% booking fee on direct online bookings
    • No Bokun fee on Viator bookings
  • Premium$499/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1% booking fee on direct online bookings
    • No Bokun fee on Viator bookings

Boostly

On request
  • Boostly direct booking website$undefined/year
    • One-off build and setup fee quoted per customer, commonly in the low thousands
    • Ongoing platform and support subscription billed monthly or annually
    • Marketing programme and community access included

Which should you pick?

Choose Bokun if

  • You need channel manager.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want booking widgets.
Bokun review

Choose Boostly if

  • You need custom wordpress site.
  • You also want pms booking widget.
Boostly review

Questions people ask

Is Bokun or Boostly better?
Neither clearly leads. Bokun starts at Free and Boostly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bokun or Boostly?
Bokun has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bokun and On request for Boostly.
Does Bokun or Boostly run on more platforms?
Bokun runs on Web, iOS, Android. Boostly runs on Web.
Can I use Bokun for free?
Yes. Bokun has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Boostly starts at On request.
What is Bokun best used for?
Bokun is most often used for an operator already doing significant viator volume who wants that channel to cost nothing in software fees, a city tour company reselling partner products and taking commission through the bokun marketplace, an operator wanting a fixed monthly subscription rather than a percentage of every booking as fareharbor charges, a business taking most bookings by phone, which incur no bokun booking fee at all. Of those, an operator already doing significant viator volume who wants that channel to cost nothing in software fees and a city tour company reselling partner products and taking commission through the bokun marketplace are not what Boostly is typically brought in for.
What can Bokun do that Boostly cannot?
Bokun covers Channel manager, Booking widgets, Marketplace, Product and availability setup. Boostly covers Custom WordPress site, PMS booking widget, Direct card payments, Marketing curriculum.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bokun: Are Viator bookings really free of Bokun fees?

Yes on the paid plans. Direct online bookings through your own widget carry 1% to 1.5% depending on tier.

Boostly: Is Boostly a property management system?

No. It builds direct booking websites and teaches marketing. Your PMS stays where it is and Boostly plugs into it.

Bokun: Can I pass the booking fee to customers?

Yes, on the paid plans the fee can be added to the customer price rather than absorbed.

Boostly: What does it actually cost?

Pricing is not published. The structure is a substantial one-off build fee, commonly quoted in the low thousands of US dollars, plus a smaller ongoing subscription.

Bokun: Who owns Bokun?

Viator, which is part of Tripadvisor.

Boostly: Do I own the website?

It is built on WordPress, so unlike a closed platform site you retain something transferable, though moving it off Boostly means taking on hosting and maintenance yourself.

Bokun: Is the free plan usable in a real business?

Only for a solo operator. It is one user with limited features.

Boostly: Will it replace Airbnb bookings?

Only to the extent you drive traffic to it. The site converts demand you generate; it does not create demand on its own.

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