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Travel · head to head

Booking.com vs Travelport Smartpoint

Booking.com logo

Booking.com

Travel

Hotel and accommodation booking marketplace that charges commission to properties, typically 15 to 25 percent, invisible to the traveller

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Travelport Smartpoint logo

Travelport Smartpoint

Travel

Travelport GDS booking desktop for travel agents, now on version 12

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Booking.com has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Booking.com the commission Booking.com charges properties, typically 15 to 25 percent of the booking value, is invisible to the traveller and often built into the displayed room rate, so the identical room booked directly with the hotel can sometimes be cheaper.; Travelport Smartpoint travelport retires older Smartpoint versions on its own schedule, and agencies that do not track release notes can lose sign-on access to Travelport+ or Apollo with little warning.
  • They diverge on capability: Booking.com covers Accommodation search and booking, Travelport Smartpoint covers Graphical and cryptic modes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Booking.com and Travelport Smartpoint actually diverge.

Attributes where Booking.com and Travelport Smartpoint differ
AttributeBooking.comTravelport Smartpoint
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree for travellers, commission charged to listed propertiesquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWindows, Web

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 Booking.com

  • Accommodation search and booking
  • Free cancellation filtering
  • Genius loyalty programme
  • Guest reviews
  • Car rental and flights
  • Property management tools

Only in Travelport Smartpoint

  • Graphical and cryptic modes
  • Multi-GDS content
  • Smartpoint Cloud
  • Automation scripting
  • Marketplace distribution
  • Queue and PNR management

What people use each for

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

Booking.com

  • A traveller wanting to compare many properties across a destination with consolidated reviews and one payment interfacenot Travelport Smartpoint
  • Someone wanting flexible, free-cancellation rate options filtered specifically in searchnot Travelport Smartpoint
  • A frequent booker wanting Genius loyalty tier discounts across many staysnot Travelport Smartpoint
  • A property owner or manager wanting broad distribution to travellers in exchange for paying commission on completed bookingsnot Travelport Smartpoint

Travelport Smartpoint

  • A retail agency already on a Travelport segment agreement needing the current supported desktop versionnot Booking.com
  • A TMC running mixed cryptic and graphical booking teams on one workspacenot Booking.com
  • An agency migrating from an older Smartpoint build after Travelport retired 8.1 to 9.1not Booking.com
  • A consolidator wanting Apollo, Galileo or Worldspan content behind a single agent interfacenot Booking.com

Where each one falls short

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

Booking.com

  • The commission Booking.com charges properties, typically 15 to 25 percent of the booking value, is invisible to the traveller and often built into the displayed room rate, so the identical room booked directly with the hotel can sometimes be cheaper.
  • Cancellation policies vary entirely by the specific rate a property has set, not a platform-wide standard, so travellers must check each listing individually rather than assume consistent flexibility.
  • Review authenticity depends on Booking.coms own verification process for guests who booked and stayed, which travellers cannot independently audit beyond trusting the platforms stated methodology.
  • Customer service for booking disputes often requires involving both Booking.com and the property directly, since the platform is a marketplace intermediary rather than the accommodation provider itself.
  • Some properties, aware of the commission cost, offer better rates or perks to guests who book directly by phone or through the hotels own website instead, undermining the price transparency travellers might assume the platform provides.

Travelport Smartpoint

  • Travelport retires older Smartpoint versions on its own schedule, and agencies that do not track release notes can lose sign-on access to Travelport+ or Apollo with little warning.
  • Pricing is never published and is folded into a segment incentive agreement, so two agencies of similar size can be paying materially different effective rates with no way to compare.
  • Cryptic command knowledge is still needed for a meaningful share of servicing tasks, so a newly hired agent takes months to reach full productivity.
  • It is a Windows-weighted desktop product, and agencies wanting fully remote or Mac-based teams need Smartpoint Cloud or virtual desktop infrastructure to compensate.
  • Switching to Sabre or Amadeus means retraining staff on a different command language and renegotiating a separate incentive deal, which locks agencies into their existing GDS relationship longer than pure product quality would justify.

Pricing, plan by plan

Booking.com

Free
  • Booking.comFree
    • Free to search and book for travellers, no subscription or platform fee charged to the guest
    • Commission charged to properties typically 15 to 25 percent of booking value, not publicly itemised per listing
    • Genius loyalty programme offers discounts at no direct cost to the traveller

Travelport Smartpoint

On request
  • Travelport Smartpoint$undefined/year
    • Usually bundled into a GDS segment agreement
    • Distribution and version entitlement managed per country via the Marketplace
    • Segment incentive payments to the agency

Which should you pick?

Choose Booking.com if

  • You need accommodation search and booking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want free cancellation filtering.
Booking.com review

Choose Travelport Smartpoint if

  • You need graphical and cryptic modes.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want multi-gds content.
Travelport Smartpoint review

Questions people ask

Is Booking.com or Travelport Smartpoint better?
Neither clearly leads. Booking.com starts at Free and Travelport Smartpoint at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Booking.com or Travelport Smartpoint?
Booking.com has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Booking.com and On request for Travelport Smartpoint.
Does Booking.com or Travelport Smartpoint run on more platforms?
Booking.com runs on iOS, Android, Web. Travelport Smartpoint runs on Windows, Web.
Can I use Booking.com for free?
Yes. Booking.com has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Travelport Smartpoint starts at On request.
What is Booking.com best used for?
Booking.com is most often used for a traveller wanting to compare many properties across a destination with consolidated reviews and one payment interface, someone wanting flexible, free-cancellation rate options filtered specifically in search, a frequent booker wanting genius loyalty tier discounts across many stays, a property owner or manager wanting broad distribution to travellers in exchange for paying commission on completed bookings. Of those, a traveller wanting to compare many properties across a destination with consolidated reviews and one payment interface and someone wanting flexible, free-cancellation rate options filtered specifically in search are not what Travelport Smartpoint is typically brought in for.
What can Booking.com do that Travelport Smartpoint cannot?
Booking.com covers Accommodation search and booking, Free cancellation filtering, Genius loyalty programme, Guest reviews. Travelport Smartpoint covers Graphical and cryptic modes, Multi-GDS content, Smartpoint Cloud, Automation scripting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Booking.com: Is Booking.com free to use?

Yes, for travellers there is no subscription or booking fee charged directly. The platform earns money through commission charged to the properties listed, typically 15 to 25 percent of booking value.

Travelport Smartpoint: Do we pay a separate licence fee for Smartpoint?

Usually not directly. It is typically bundled into a GDS segment agreement in which Travelport pays incentives per booked segment.

Booking.com: Why might a hotel be cheaper if I book directly?

Because the hotel pays commission, typically 15 to 25 percent, on bookings made through Booking.com, some hotels price rooms to absorb that cost or offer a lower direct rate since they keep the full amount without paying the platform a cut.

Travelport Smartpoint: What happened to older Smartpoint versions?

Travelport retired versions 8.1 through 9.1 as of 30 April 2026; agencies must be on Smartpoint 12.0 to keep signing on to Travelport+ or Apollo.

Booking.com: Does Booking.com own the properties it lists?

No, it is a marketplace connecting travellers with independently owned and operated properties; Booking.com does not own or operate the hotels and accommodations listed.

Travelport Smartpoint: Is there a browser version?

Yes, Smartpoint Cloud runs in a browser for agents without a managed Windows desktop.

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