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Travel · head to head

Bokun vs Enso Connect

Bokun logo

Bokun

Travel

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Enso Connect logo

Enso Connect

Travel

Guest experience layer for short-term rentals with digital check-in and paid upsells

From
$9/month
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.; Enso Connect the roughly five per cent commission on upsell revenue means the better the product works the more it costs, and a portfolio generating meaningful ancillary revenue pays far more than the per-listing headline suggests.
  • They diverge on capability: Bokun covers Channel manager, Enso Connect covers Digital check-in.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bokun and Enso Connect actually diverge.

Attributes where Bokun and Enso Connect differ
AttributeBokunEnso Connect
Starting priceFree$9/month
Pricing modelPer month plus a booking feePer listing per month plus upsell commission
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Enso Connect

  • Digital check-in
  • Guest identity verification
  • Keyless entry
  • Upsell marketplace
  • Unified inbox with AI replies
  • Branded guidebooks
  • Conditional guest journeys
  • PMS integrations

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 Enso Connect
  • A city tour company reselling partner products and taking commission through the Bokun marketplacenot Enso Connect
  • An operator wanting a fixed monthly subscription rather than a percentage of every booking as FareHarbor chargesnot Enso Connect
  • A business taking most bookings by phone, which incur no Bokun booking fee at allnot Enso Connect

Enso Connect

  • A manager selling early check-in and late checkout systematically instead of case by casenot Bokun
  • An apart-hotel wanting hotel-style verification and deposits on Airbnb bookingsnot Bokun
  • An operator issuing door codes automatically and revoking them at checkoutnot Bokun
  • A portfolio in a ski or beach market monetising equipment hire and local experiences during the staynot 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.

Enso Connect

  • The roughly five per cent commission on upsell revenue means the better the product works the more it costs, and a portfolio generating meaningful ancillary revenue pays far more than the per-listing headline suggests.
  • It requires a property management system underneath it, so it is always a second subscription and a second integration rather than a consolidation.
  • Small operators rarely reach the upsell volume that justifies the setup effort, and configuring conditional guest journeys properly is a project rather than an afternoon.
  • Guest data and messaging pass through another vendor, which adds a data protection assessment for European operators and another party to the breach surface.
  • Smart lock and PMS coverage is good for the mainstream products but thin outside them, so an operator on a less common lock brand or a regional PMS may find the automation does not reach their stack.

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

Enso Connect

$9/month
  • Core$9/month
    • Per listing per month
    • Digital check-in and verification
    • Branded guidebook
  • Full guest journey$16/month
    • Per listing per month
    • Conditional journeys and smart lock integration
    • Upsell marketplace enabled

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 Enso Connect if

  • You need digital check-in.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want guest identity verification.
Enso Connect review

Questions people ask

Is Bokun or Enso Connect better?
Neither clearly leads. Bokun starts at Free and Enso Connect at $9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bokun or Enso Connect?
Bokun has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bokun and $9/month for Enso Connect.
Does Bokun or Enso Connect run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Bokun for free?
Yes. Bokun has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Enso Connect starts at $9/month.
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 Enso Connect is typically brought in for.
What can Bokun do that Enso Connect cannot?
Bokun covers Channel manager, Booking widgets, Marketplace, Product and availability setup. Enso Connect covers Digital check-in, Guest identity verification, Keyless entry, Upsell marketplace.

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.

Enso Connect: Does Enso Connect replace my PMS?

No. It sits on top of Hostaway, Guesty or a similar platform and handles the guest-facing journey only.

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.

Enso Connect: How does the upsell commission work?

Enso Connect takes a percentage, around five per cent, of upsell revenue processed through the platform, on top of the per-listing subscription.

Bokun: Who owns Bokun?

Viator, which is part of Tripadvisor.

Enso Connect: Is it worth it for five properties?

Usually not. The per-listing cost is low but the configuration effort and the upsell volume needed to see a return favour portfolios of twenty units and up.

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

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

Enso Connect: Can it take deposits and verify guests on Airbnb bookings?

Yes, that is one of the main reasons operators add it, since Airbnb itself does not give hosts that control.

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