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Travel · head to head

Center vs Chekin

Center logo

Center

Travel

Card-first travel and expense management with real-time transaction visibility

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Chekin logo

Chekin

Travel

Guest check-in, identity verification and police registration for European rentals

From
€3.95/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Center the product is built around its own card, so employees still using a legacy bank corporate card get the ordinary receipt-chasing experience and the real-time promise does not apply to them.; Chekin there is a three unit minimum on the published plans, so a single-property host cannot buy the entry tier at the advertised rate.
  • They diverge on capability: Center covers Center corporate card, Chekin covers Police and authority registration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Center and Chekin actually diverge.

Attributes where Center and Chekin differ
AttributeCenterChekin
Starting priceOn request€3.95/month
Pricing modelquotePer property per month

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Center

  • Center corporate card
  • Real-time expense capture
  • Travel booking
  • Insights for Travel
  • Policy automation
  • ERP sync

Only in Chekin

  • Police and authority registration
  • Identity verification
  • Tourist tax calculation
  • Self check-in and digital keys
  • Deposits and damage protection
  • Upsells and branded guest app

What people use each for

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

Center

  • A US mid-market finance team that wants committed travel spend visible before the month closesnot Chekin
  • A company replacing a bank corporate card plus a separate expense tool with one suppliernot Chekin
  • A business that wants hotel spend booked directly by staff still captured in travel reportingnot Chekin
  • A NetSuite or Sage Intacct user wanting coded expenses posted without manual re-keyingnot Chekin

Chekin

  • A manager with twenty apartments in Barcelona who must file guest data with the Ministry of the Interior for every arrival and cannot do it manually at scalenot Center
  • An Italian host needing Alloggiati Web submissions and city tourist tax collected from the guest rather than absorbednot Center
  • A property with no staffed reception issuing door codes only after identity documents have been verifiednot Center
  • An operator wanting damage deposits taken and released automatically instead of chasing bank transfersnot Center

Where each one falls short

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

Center

  • The product is built around its own card, so employees still using a legacy bank corporate card get the ordinary receipt-chasing experience and the real-time promise does not apply to them.
  • Travel booking depends on Spotnana, meaning content, service levels and roadmap for a core part of the product sit with a third party Center does not control.
  • It is a United States product, and multi-entity companies with European or Asian subsidiaries will need a separate card and expense stack for those entities.
  • Interchange on card spend is a significant part of how the vendor earns, which is why the software price looks low; a company that keeps most spend on an existing card programme is a poor fit commercially.
  • It is a smaller supplier than Brex, Ramp or SAP Concur, so integration coverage outside the main US accounting systems is thinner and custom connectors are often the answer.

Chekin

  • There is a three unit minimum on the published plans, so a single-property host cannot buy the entry tier at the advertised rate.
  • The compliance value is regional; outside Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece there is often no authority integration to use and the product becomes an ordinary check-in form at a per property price.
  • Transaction fees sit on almost every money-handling feature, including 1.5% plus EUR 0.99 on payments and 10% on unified inbox transactions, so the effective cost is far above the subscription for anyone using them.
  • It is a layer on top of a PMS rather than a replacement, so you are paying a second per property subscription alongside your existing platform and reconciling two sources of guest data.
  • Identity verification and self check-in sit behind the Premium tier and Premium only includes one premium feature, so an operator wanting both verification and digital keys must move to Enterprise.

Pricing, plan by plan

Center

On request
  • Center Expense and Travel$undefined/year
    • Usage-based, with no licence, deployment or support fee published
    • Flat per-booking travel fee including unlimited changes
    • Card interchange forms part of the vendor revenue

Chekin

€3.95/month
  • Basic$3.95/month
    • Minimum three units
    • Online check-in and legal compliance filing
    • Tourist taxes
  • Premium$5.95/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • One premium feature of your choice
    • Options: identity verification, self check-in and digital keys, branded guest app, digital guidebooks or e-invoicing
  • Enterprise$7.95/month
    • All premium features included
    • Identity verification, self check-in, branded app, guidebooks, e-invoicing
    • Custom pricing above volume thresholds

Which should you pick?

Choose Center if

  • You need center corporate card.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want real-time expense capture.
Center review

Choose Chekin if

  • You need police and authority registration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want identity verification.
Chekin review

Questions people ask

Is Center or Chekin better?
Neither clearly leads. Center starts at On request and Chekin at €3.95/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Center or Chekin?
Center starts at On request and Chekin at €3.95/month.
Does Center or Chekin run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Center best used for?
Center is most often used for a us mid-market finance team that wants committed travel spend visible before the month closes, a company replacing a bank corporate card plus a separate expense tool with one supplier, a business that wants hotel spend booked directly by staff still captured in travel reporting, a netsuite or sage intacct user wanting coded expenses posted without manual re-keying. Of those, a us mid-market finance team that wants committed travel spend visible before the month closes and a company replacing a bank corporate card plus a separate expense tool with one supplier are not what Chekin is typically brought in for.
What can Center do that Chekin cannot?
Center covers Center corporate card, Real-time expense capture, Travel booking, Insights for Travel. Chekin covers Police and authority registration, Identity verification, Tourist tax calculation, Self check-in and digital keys.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Center: Do we have to use the Center card?

Effectively yes for the core benefit. Center can ingest other card feeds, but real-time capture, controls and the pricing model all assume its own card.

Chekin: Why would I buy this rather than use my PMS check-in form?

Because it files guest data with national police registration systems and calculates local tourist tax, which PMS check-in forms do not do.

Center: Who provides the travel booking?

Spotnana provides the underlying Travel-as-a-Service platform; Center provides the interface, policy layer and reporting.

Chekin: What does it really cost?

From EUR 3.95 per property per month with a three unit minimum, plus 1.5% plus EUR 0.30 on deposits, 1.5% plus EUR 0.99 on payments, 1% on upsells and 10% on unified inbox transactions.

Center: Is there a per-user licence fee?

Center markets usage-based pricing with no licence, deployment or support fees; the economics rest on card interchange and booking fees.

Chekin: Does it work outside southern Europe?

The check-in, verification and key features do. The automated authority filing that justifies the price largely does not.

Chekin: Can I get both identity verification and digital keys on Premium?

No. Premium includes one premium feature. Both requires Enterprise at EUR 7.95 per property per month.

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