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Travel · head to head

Boostly vs FareHarbor

Boostly logo

Boostly

Travel

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FareHarbor logo

FareHarbor

Travel

Booking and reservation software for tour and activity operators with no subscription fee

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; FareHarbor the roughly 6% booking fee is added to the price your customer sees, so your headline price appears higher than a competitor absorbing their software cost, which is a direct disadvantage when guests price-compare.
  • They diverge on capability: Boostly covers Custom WordPress site, FareHarbor covers Availability and capacity.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Boostly and FareHarbor actually diverge.

Attributes where Boostly and FareHarbor differ
AttributeBoostlyFareHarbor
Pricing modelquotePer booking fee added at checkout
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Boostly

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

Only in FareHarbor

  • Availability and capacity
  • Customer checkout
  • Digital waivers
  • Manifests and dispatch
  • OTA distribution
  • Gift cards and point of sale

What people use each for

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

Boostly

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

FareHarbor

  • A kayak tour operator with strong seasonality that cannot justify a fixed monthly software fee through the winternot Boostly
  • An attraction wanting waivers, manifests and OTA distribution in one system without an upfront licencenot Boostly
  • A new operator launching with no capital who needs professional checkout from day onenot Boostly
  • A multi-activity business needing guide and equipment assignment across overlapping departuresnot Boostly

Where each one falls short

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

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.

FareHarbor

  • The roughly 6% booking fee is added to the price your customer sees, so your headline price appears higher than a competitor absorbing their software cost, which is a direct disadvantage when guests price-compare.
  • With card processing on top, the effective cost is commonly 9 to 11% of booking value, so a high-volume operator pays far more over a year than a flat subscription would cost.
  • There is no published rate card, so the fee you are quoted depends on the deal you negotiate and you cannot compare terms without going through onboarding.
  • FareHarbor is owned by Booking Holdings, so your reservation system, your customer data and your availability sit inside the group that owns the largest OTA competing for your direct bookings.
  • Because pricing is transactional, switching away is expensive in effort rather than money and operators tend to stay past the point where a subscription product would be cheaper.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

FareHarbor

On request
  • FareHarbor$undefined/month
    • No monthly subscription and no setup fee
    • Booking fee of around 6% added to the customer checkout price
    • Card processing charged separately, giving an effective 9 to 11% of booking value

Which should you pick?

Choose Boostly if

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

Choose FareHarbor if

  • You need availability and capacity.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want customer checkout.
FareHarbor review

Questions people ask

Is Boostly or FareHarbor better?
Neither clearly leads. Boostly starts at On request and FareHarbor at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Boostly or FareHarbor?
Boostly starts at On request and FareHarbor at On request.
Does Boostly or FareHarbor run on more platforms?
Boostly runs on Web. FareHarbor runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Boostly best used for?
Boostly is most often used for a manager with twenty holiday lets who wants to cut ota commission on repeat guests, an owner with a strong local brand in a destination where airbnb visibility is expensive, a host who already runs hostaway and needs a marketing front end rather than another pms, an operator building an email list of past guests to drive off-season occupancy. Of those, a manager with twenty holiday lets who wants to cut ota commission on repeat guests and an owner with a strong local brand in a destination where airbnb visibility is expensive are not what FareHarbor is typically brought in for.
What can Boostly do that FareHarbor cannot?
Boostly covers Custom WordPress site, PMS booking widget, Direct card payments, Marketing curriculum. FareHarbor covers Availability and capacity, Customer checkout, Digital waivers, Manifests and dispatch.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

FareHarbor: What does FareHarbor cost?

No subscription. Around 6% is added to the customer checkout price, plus card processing, giving roughly 9 to 11% of booking value in total.

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.

FareHarbor: Who pays the booking fee?

By default the customer, shown at checkout. Operators can choose to absorb it into their own price instead.

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.

FareHarbor: Who owns FareHarbor?

Booking Holdings, the parent of Booking.com, Priceline and Kayak.

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.

FareHarbor: At what volume does a subscription tool become cheaper?

Broadly once annual bookings exceed a few hundred thousand in value, at which point 6% dwarfs a fixed monthly plan.

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