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Travel · head to head

Hopper vs Opera PMS

Hopper logo

Hopper

Travel

Travel booking app known for price prediction and paid Price Freeze and cancellation add-ons

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 Hopper has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Hopper add-on products like Price Freeze and Cancel for Any Reason are priced to be a meaningfully profitable part of the business, and taking them on every booking can offset much of what the price prediction tool is meant to save.; 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: Hopper covers Price prediction, Opera PMS covers Reservations and front desk.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Hopper and Opera PMS differ
AttributeHopperOpera PMS
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree to book, paid add-ons for price freezing and cancellation flexibilityquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, 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 Hopper

  • Price prediction
  • Price Freeze
  • Cancel/Change for Any Reason
  • Price alerts
  • Hopper Homes and Car
  • Carrot Cash

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.

Hopper

  • A traveller wanting data-driven guidance on whether to book now or wait for a lower pricenot Opera PMS
  • Someone wanting to lock in a fare for a few days while confirming travel plans without fully committingnot Opera PMS
  • A traveller who wants flexible cancellation on an otherwise restrictive farenot Opera PMS
  • Someone comparing predicted price trends before choosing travel datesnot Opera PMS

Opera PMS

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

Where each one falls short

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

Hopper

  • Add-on products like Price Freeze and Cancel for Any Reason are priced to be a meaningfully profitable part of the business, and taking them on every booking can offset much of what the price prediction tool is meant to save.
  • Price predictions are probabilistic and can be wrong, so buy-or-wait guidance is not a guarantee that a price will actually move as predicted.
  • The prominent placement of paid add-ons during checkout has drawn criticism as pressuring users into purchases they may not need for every trip.
  • Customer service for booking issues has been a recurring complaint, particularly for itinerary changes on cancel or change protected bookings.
  • Hopper's own Carrot Cash rewards currency is only redeemable within the app, so it has no value outside future Hopper bookings.

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

Hopper

Free
  • Standard bookingFree
    • No fee beyond the fare or room price itself
  • Price Freeze$undefined/per booking
    • Fee varies by fare and freeze duration, charged in addition to the eventual ticket price
  • Cancel/Change for Any Reason$undefined/per booking
    • Add-on fee charged at checkout, priced as a percentage or flat amount depending on the fare

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 Hopper if

  • You need price prediction.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want price freeze.
Hopper 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 Hopper or Opera PMS better?
Neither clearly leads. Hopper 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, Hopper or Opera PMS?
Hopper has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Hopper and On request for Opera PMS.
Does Hopper or Opera PMS run on more platforms?
Hopper runs on iOS, Android. Opera PMS runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
Can I use Hopper for free?
Yes. Hopper has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Opera PMS starts at On request.
What is Hopper best used for?
Hopper is most often used for a traveller wanting data-driven guidance on whether to book now or wait for a lower price, someone wanting to lock in a fare for a few days while confirming travel plans without fully committing, a traveller who wants flexible cancellation on an otherwise restrictive fare, someone comparing predicted price trends before choosing travel dates. Of those, a traveller wanting data-driven guidance on whether to book now or wait for a lower price and someone wanting to lock in a fare for a few days while confirming travel plans without fully committing are not what Opera PMS is typically brought in for.
What can Hopper do that Opera PMS cannot?
Hopper covers Price prediction, Price Freeze, Cancel/Change for Any Reason, Price alerts. Opera PMS covers Reservations and front desk, Rate and yield management, Sales and catering, Housekeeping and maintenance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hopper: Is Hopper free to use for searching and booking?

Yes, the base booking has no extra fee; Price Freeze and cancellation flexibility are separate paid add-ons.

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.

Hopper: How accurate is Hopper's price prediction?

It is based on historical fare data and gives a probability-based recommendation, not a guarantee; predictions can be wrong.

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.

Hopper: What does Price Freeze actually do?

It locks a displayed price for a fee for a set number of days, letting you decide later without committing to the full purchase immediately.

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.

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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