Softwr

Travel · head to head

Bokun vs Ola

Bokun logo

Bokun

Travel

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ola logo

Ola

Travel

India focused ride hailing app from Bengaluru based ANI Technologies, competing directly with Uber across Indian cities

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.; Ola ola has entered and subsequently scaled back international operations in markets including the UK and Australia at different points, so current availability outside India should be verified directly rather than assumed from past expansion news.
  • They diverge on capability: Bokun covers Channel manager, Ola covers Car ride hailing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bokun and Ola actually diverge.

Attributes where Bokun and Ola differ
AttributeBokunOla
Pricing modelPer month plus a booking feeFree app, pay per ride 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 Ola

  • Car ride hailing
  • Auto-rickshaw booking
  • Bike taxis
  • Ola Money
  • Outstation and rentals
  • Ola Electric integration

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

Ola

  • A rider in an Indian city choosing between Ola and Uber based on driver availability and price at the time of bookingnot Bokun
  • Someone wanting an auto-rickshaw or bike taxi booked through an app rather than hailed on the streetnot Bokun
  • A traveller wanting outstation or multi-hour car rental booked through the same app used for city ridesnot Bokun
  • A rider preferring UPI or Ola Money wallet payment integration over card-only paymentnot 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.

Ola

  • Ola has entered and subsequently scaled back international operations in markets including the UK and Australia at different points, so current availability outside India should be verified directly rather than assumed from past expansion news.
  • Fares are dynamic with demand-based surge like the rest of the category, and India-specific vehicle categories like auto-rickshaws can have less predictable pricing than standard car tiers.
  • Ola Electric, the electric scooter manufacturing business, is a separate company from the ride hailing app despite shared branding, and confusing the two when researching the company is a common and understandable mistake.
  • Driver cancellation rates and surge pricing behaviour have drawn periodic complaints from Indian riders, a pattern common across the ride hailing category in high-demand Indian metro areas specifically.
  • Support and dispute resolution for fare or safety issues is handled entirely within the Indian regulatory and customer service framework, which may differ from what a rider is used to in other markets.

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

Ola

Free
  • OlaFree
    • App is free; riders pay per trip at dynamic, demand-based fares
    • Fares vary by vehicle type, including auto-rickshaw and bike taxi options priced lower than cars
    • No published flat rate card, fares vary by city, time and route

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 Ola if

  • You need car ride hailing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want auto-rickshaw booking.
Ola review

Questions people ask

Is Bokun or Ola better?
Neither clearly leads. Bokun starts at Free and Ola at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bokun or Ola?
Bokun starts at Free and Ola at Free.
Does Bokun or Ola run on more platforms?
Bokun runs on Web, iOS, Android. Ola 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 Ola is typically brought in for.
What can Bokun do that Ola cannot?
Bokun covers Channel manager, Booking widgets, Marketplace, Product and availability setup. Ola covers Car ride hailing, Auto-rickshaw booking, Bike taxis, Ola Money.

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.

Ola: Does Ola operate outside India?

It has entered and later scaled back operations in some international markets including the UK and Australia at different points; current availability outside India should be checked directly rather than assumed.

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.

Ola: Is Ola Electric the same company as the Ola ride hailing app?

No, Ola Electric is a separately listed company that manufactures electric scooters. It shares branding and some ownership history with the ride hailing business but is a distinct company and product.

Bokun: Who owns Bokun?

Viator, which is part of Tripadvisor.

Ola: Can I book an auto-rickshaw through Ola?

Yes, auto-rickshaw booking is a standard vehicle category in the app across supported Indian cities, alongside cars and bike taxis.

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

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

Share

Related pages

More on Bokun

More on Ola

Keep looking

Other head to heads