Softwr

Travel · head to head

Bokun vs Opera PMS

Bokun logo

Bokun

Travel

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Opera PMS logo

Opera PMS

Travel

Oracle property management system used by large hotel groups and chain estates

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.; Opera PMS integration is billed rather than open, so every connected system carries a per-property interface fee that inflates the running cost well beyond the quoted subscription.
  • They diverge on capability: Bokun covers Channel manager, Opera PMS covers Reservations and front desk.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bokun and Opera PMS actually diverge.

Attributes where Bokun and Opera PMS differ
AttributeBokunOpera PMS
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer month plus a booking feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Windows, iOS, Android

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 Opera PMS

  • Reservations and front desk
  • Rate and yield management
  • Sales and catering
  • Housekeeping and maintenance
  • Night audit and accounting
  • OHIP integration platform

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

Opera PMS

  • A hotel group standardising several hundred properties on one reservation and reporting spinenot Bokun
  • A conference hotel where function space, banquet orders and group blocks drive most revenuenot Bokun
  • A franchisee whose brand agreement mandates OPERA and a specific central reservation systemnot Bokun
  • A resort with multiple outlets that needs tight posting between POS, spa and the guest folionot 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.

Opera PMS

  • Integration is billed rather than open, so every connected system carries a per-property interface fee that inflates the running cost well beyond the quoted subscription.
  • Implementation typically requires an Oracle partner and runs for months, which puts a property opening timeline at the mercy of partner availability.
  • Configuration is dense enough that properties rely on one or two trained staff, and losing that person leaves rate and package changes stuck in a support queue.
  • The older OPERA 5 estate is on a migration path to OPERA Cloud, so on-premise customers face a forced project on a timetable set by Oracle rather than by their own budget cycle.
  • Small independent properties pay for group, catering and multi-property machinery they will never use, and lighter systems deliver a working front desk in days rather than months.

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

Opera PMS

On request
  • OPERA Cloud$undefined/year
    • Per-room subscription with tiered functionality
    • Implementation and configuration services quoted separately
    • Interface and integration fees charged per property

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 Opera PMS if

  • You need reservations and front desk.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want rate and yield management.
Opera PMS review

Questions people ask

Is Bokun or Opera PMS better?
Neither clearly leads. Bokun starts at Free and Opera PMS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bokun or Opera PMS?
Bokun has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bokun and On request for Opera PMS.
Does Bokun or Opera PMS run on more platforms?
Bokun runs on Web, iOS, Android. Opera PMS runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
Can I use Bokun for free?
Yes. Bokun has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Opera PMS 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 Opera PMS is typically brought in for.
What can Bokun do that Opera PMS cannot?
Bokun covers Channel manager, Booking widgets, Marketplace, Product and availability setup. Opera PMS covers Reservations and front desk, Rate and yield management, Sales and catering, Housekeeping and maintenance.

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.

Opera PMS: Is OPERA Cloud the same product as OPERA 5?

No. They share a name and much of the data model, but OPERA Cloud is a separate multi-tenant application. Moving between them is a migration project, not an upgrade.

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.

Opera PMS: Why do integration partners charge a monthly fee per hotel?

Because Oracle charges them for certification and API usage through OHIP. Partners pass that on, so budget for it per connected system per property.

Bokun: Who owns Bokun?

Viator, which is part of Tripadvisor.

Opera PMS: Can a single independent hotel buy OPERA?

Yes, but the economics rarely work below roughly 100 rooms unless a brand agreement requires it.

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

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

Opera PMS: How long does implementation take?

Plan for three to six months for a single complex property, longer for a multi-property rollout.

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