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Travel · head to head

Bokun vs Grab

Bokun logo

Bokun

Travel

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grab logo

Grab

Travel

Southeast Asia super-app combining ride hailing, food delivery and payments across around eight countries in the region

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Grab grab operates only within Southeast Asia, so it is entirely unavailable as an option anywhere outside the region, unlike Uber which has broader global coverage.
  • They diverge on capability: Bokun covers Channel manager, Grab covers Ride hailing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bokun and Grab actually diverge.

Attributes where Bokun and Grab differ
AttributeBokunGrab
Pricing modelPer month plus a booking feeFree app, pay per ride and per order with dynamic pricing
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Grab

  • Ride hailing
  • GrabFood and GrabMart
  • GrabExpress
  • GrabPay wallet
  • GrabRewards
  • Financial services

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

Grab

  • A traveller or resident in a Southeast Asian country wanting one app for rides, food delivery and paymentsnot Bokun
  • A merchant in the region wanting to accept GrabPay alongside cards and bank transfernot Bokun
  • A rider who wants to earn and redeem GrabRewards points across both transport and food spendnot Bokun
  • Someone comparing Grab against a global operator like Uber where both are available in the same Southeast Asian citynot 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.

Grab

  • Grab operates only within Southeast Asia, so it is entirely unavailable as an option anywhere outside the region, unlike Uber which has broader global coverage.
  • The interface bundles ride hailing with food delivery, grocery and financial services promotion, which can clutter the experience for a user who only wants to book a ride.
  • Feature availability, including which financial services and delivery categories are supported, varies significantly by country and even by city within a country, so the experience is not consistent across the region.
  • Pricing is dynamic with demand-based surge similar to other ride hailing platforms, with no published flat rate card making advance cost estimation difficult during peak periods.
  • As a dominant regional platform in several of its markets, Grab has faced periodic regulatory scrutiny over market concentration and driver classification issues in specific Southeast Asian countries.

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

Grab

Free
  • GrabFree
    • App is free; riders and delivery customers pay per trip or order at dynamic pricing
    • Fares vary by country and city, with demand-based surge during peak periods
    • GrabPay wallet top-ups and GrabRewards points used across rides, food and other services

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 Grab if

  • You need ride hailing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want grabfood and grabmart.
Grab review

Questions people ask

Is Bokun or Grab better?
Neither clearly leads. Bokun starts at Free and Grab at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bokun or Grab?
Bokun starts at Free and Grab at Free.
Does Bokun or Grab run on more platforms?
Bokun runs on Web, iOS, Android. Grab runs on iOS, Android.
Can I use Bokun for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Grab is typically brought in for.
What can Bokun do that Grab cannot?
Bokun covers Channel manager, Booking widgets, Marketplace, Product and availability setup. Grab covers Ride hailing, GrabFood and GrabMart, GrabExpress, GrabPay wallet.

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.

Grab: Does Grab operate outside Southeast Asia?

No. Grab is focused entirely on Southeast Asia, covering countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar.

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.

Grab: Is Grab just a ride hailing app?

No, it operates as a super-app including GrabFood delivery, GrabMart grocery, GrabExpress courier services and the GrabPay digital wallet alongside ride hailing.

Bokun: Who owns Bokun?

Viator, which is part of Tripadvisor.

Grab: Do all Grab services work in every country it operates in?

No, service availability including specific delivery categories and financial products varies by country and city.

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

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

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