Looking for a Rezdy alternative? Here is the short version. FareHarbor charges no subscription and puts its fee on the guest. Bookeo is a flat monthly subscription with no commission at all. Checkfront is a single $99 plan plus 3%, with free offline bookings. Bókun has the lowest platform percentages but is owned by Viator. Rezgo is pure pay-per-booking at 4.9%. Kong charges $1 per booking capped at $139 a month, or 1.8% paid by the guest, and its OTA connections are still in development. Every published price here was verified against the vendor's own pricing page on 7 August 2026; the one unpublished figure, FareHarbor's rate, is flagged as industry-reported wherever it appears.
Two disclosures before anything else. This is Kong's blog, written by a co-founder who spent six years inside this category at Rezdy, Checkfront and Regiondo, so read our own entry with that in mind. And every figure is sourced so you can check it yourself, with Kong's limitations listed as plainly as everyone else's. The right pick depends on your booking volume, how much of your trade is offline, and whether OTA distribution matters to you.
For reference, Rezdy itself: $49, $99 or $249 a month ex GST plus 3% per online booking and $1, $0.85 or $0.70 per offline or agent booking (rezdy.com/pricing, verified 7 Aug 2026). The full breakdown, with worked examples, is in our Rezdy pricing guide.
The six alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Fixed monthly | Online booking fee | Who pays it | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FareHarbor | $0 | Not published; industry-reported ~6% | Guest at checkout | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Bookeo | USD $39.95 / $79.95 / $119.95 | None | Nobody; flat fee only | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Checkfront | $99 (currency for AU not published; single plan) | 3% | Operator's choice: absorb or pass on | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Bókun | USD $0 / $49 / $149 / $499 | 1.5% / 1.25% / 1% (0% on Viator and offline) | Operator's choice on paid plans | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Rezgo | $0 | 4.9% online, 0.9% point-of-sale | Operator's choice: absorb or pass on | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Kong (AUD) | $0 | $1 per booking capped at $139/month (plan one), or 1.8% (plan two) | Operator (plan one) or guest (plan two) | 7 Aug 2026 |
Currency matters here: Bookeo and Bókun bill in US dollars, Kong and Rezdy price in Australian dollars, and Checkfront and Rezgo do not publish their Australian currency or GST treatment, so confirm before budgeting. Rezdy's prices are ex GST; assume the same question needs asking of every vendor.
What it costs at three real volumes
The table below prices each platform at 50, 200 and 500 online bookings a month at a $140 average booking value ($7,000, $28,000 and $70,000 a month). It assumes all bookings are online, and it excludes card processing, which every platform leaves to your payment gateway on top of these figures. "Absorb" is what you pay if you keep checkout prices clean; "pass on" is your outlay if the platform's fee goes to guests, with the guest's fee shown.
| Platform | 50 bookings, absorb | 200 bookings, absorb | 500 bookings, absorb | If the fee goes to guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rezdy (Foundation / Accelerate / Expansion by volume; absorb or pass on per rezdy.com/pricing) | $259 | $939 | $2,349 | Operator pays $49 / $99 / $249; guests pay 3% ($210 / $840 / $2,100) |
| FareHarbor | $0; guests pay ~6% (~$420) | $0 (guests ~$1,680) | $0 (guests ~$4,200) | Always guest-paid; no absorb option reported |
| Bookeo Standard (USD $39.95, roughly AUD $60) | ~AUD $60 | ~AUD $60 | ~AUD $60 | No fee exists to pass on |
| Checkfront (billing currency for AU unpublished; cells assume AUD) | $309 | $939 | $2,199 | Operator pays $99; guests pay 3% ($210 / $840 / $2,100) |
| Bókun (START at 50 and 200; PLUS at 500) | ~AUD $179 (USD $49 sub + $105 fee) | ~AUD $494 (USD $49 sub + $420 fee) | ~AUD $1,099 (USD $149 sub + $875 fee) | Operator pays the USD subscription (~AUD $74 / $74 / $224); guests pay 1.5% (1.25% on PLUS): $105 / $420 / $875 |
| Rezgo (billing currency for AU unpublished; cells assume AUD) | $343 | $1,372 | $3,430 | Operator pays $0; guests pay 4.9% ($343 / $1,372 / $3,430) |
| Kong plan one (AUD) | $50 | $139 | $139 | n/a (operator-paid by design) |
| Kong plan two (AUD) | $0 | $0 | $0 | Guests pay 1.8% ($126 / $504 / $1,260) |
The USD conversion above uses an illustrative rate of USD $1 to AUD $1.50. [UNVERIFIED: refresh the USD/AUD rate before relying on the Bookeo and Bókun comparisons.] Offline bookings shift the picture too: this table assumes all bookings online, but Rezdy adds $0.70 to $1 per offline or agent booking, Checkfront and Bókun charge nothing offline, Rezgo charges 0.9% at point of sale, and Kong's $1 applies to every booking type.
Read it honestly and no platform wins everywhere. At around 50 bookings a month, Kong's $50 edges Bookeo's roughly $60; from there up, Bookeo's flat fee is the lowest absorbing cost on the table, with Kong's $139 cap next. On the guest-paid path, the checkout fee ladder runs Bókun 1.5%, Kong 1.8%, Rezdy and Checkfront 3%, Rezgo 4.9%, FareHarbor's reported ~6%. And the cheapest cell in this table is not the decision: what you give up at each price is the section below.
Now each one properly, grouped by the kind of operator it actually fits.
If you want zero fixed costs and don't mind guests paying: FareHarbor
Pricing. No subscription and no upfront cost. FareHarbor's own page says pricing "depends on your volume and setup" and is walked through on a demo (fareharbor.com, verified 7 Aug 2026). The company does not publish its rate. Industry reporting puts the standard booking fee around 6%, ranging 5 to 8%, charged to the guest at checkout, with no option for the operator to absorb it inside the platform (Roverd, July 2026, verified 7 Aug 2026). Treat that figure as industry-reported, not official.
Who it fits. Seasonal and weather-dependent operators who want zero cost in the quiet months, and operators who want hands-on onboarding. FareHarbor is owned by Booking Holdings and its support is a real strength: 4.7 out of 5 across 1,129 Capterra reviews, with 24/7 support repeatedly praised (capterra.com, verified 7 Aug 2026).
The honest limitation. You cannot see the price before a sales call, and the guest-paid fee is not optional, so roughly 6% lands on top of your advertised price at checkout. Capterra's most common complaint theme is high and inflexible fees. If you compete on a clean headline price, that checkout add-on works against you.
If you want one predictable bill and no percentages: Bookeo
Pricing. Flat subscription, no commission, no consumer fees. The Tours and Activities plans: Standard USD $39.95, Large USD $79.95, X-large USD $119.95 a month, with booking caps of 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 bookings a month respectively and a group booking counted as one booking (bookeo.com/tours/pricing, verified 7 Aug 2026). Seasonal operators can freeze the account at 30% of the subscription in the off-season.
Who it fits. Operators who hate variable costs. A dive shop doing $40,000 a month in bookings pays the same USD $39.95 as one doing $4,000. From roughly 60 bookings a month up, Bookeo is usually the lowest total operator cost in this list when you pay everything yourself, and the caps are generous for small operators; ask Bookeo directly what happens when a big month exceeds your plan's cap before you rely on it.
The honest limitation. Billing is in US dollars, so Australian operators carry exchange-rate movement on every invoice. The interface draws "outdated" comments in reviews (Capterra 4.3 out of 5 from 103 reviews, verified 7 Aug 2026), there is no phone support, and Bookeo is not built as a distribution play: its OTA and agent connections are thin compared with Rezdy's network.
If you want simple pricing and lots of offline bookings: Checkfront
Pricing. One plan: $99 a month plus 3% per online booking, which you can absorb or pass to guests. Offline bookings are free, and Checkfront charges nothing extra on OTA or API bookings (checkfront.com/pricing, verified 7 Aug 2026). Note the change if you last looked a while ago: the old tiered plans are gone from Checkfront's pricing page; it is a single plan now. Australian currency treatment is not published; the page says pricing "may vary based on your region and currency".
Who it fits. Operators with a big phone, walk-up or agent book. Rezdy charges up to $1 per offline booking; Checkfront charges nothing, and the single plan removes the plan-picking exercise entirely. Reviews are solid at 4.5 out of 5 from 318 Capterra reviews, with support and flexibility praised (verified 7 Aug 2026).
The honest limitation. The structure is Rezdy's structure, subscription plus 3%, without the tier options or Rezdy's reseller network. Checkfront announced a merger with Rezdy and Regiondo in 2023 (checkfront.com blog, verified 7 Aug 2026), so it is less an escape from Rezdy than a sibling with different trade-offs. Recurring bug complaints are the biggest theme in negative reviews.
If Viator is your main channel: Bókun
Pricing. A free tier, then START at USD $49, PLUS at USD $149 and PREMIUM at USD $499 a month, carrying platform fees of 1.5%, 1.25% and 1% respectively on applicable bookings, with 0% Bókun fees on Viator bookings and offline bookings on all paid plans (bokun.io/pricing, verified 7 Aug 2026). Operators can absorb or pass on the fee.
Who it fits. Operators whose volume already runs through Viator. Bókun is owned by Viator's parent Tripadvisor, the platform percentages are the lowest published in this list, and the Viator-bookings-free structure is built for exactly this operator. Capterra: 4.7 out of 5 from 463 reviews, with channel connectivity praised (verified 7 Aug 2026).
The honest limitation. The 0% on Viator bookings is not free distribution: Viator's supplier commission, which industry sources report at 20 to 30% (Arival and Samba HQ, verified 7 Aug 2026), still applies to those bookings; it is just not a Bókun fee. The pricing structure rewards you for keeping volume on Viator, which is worth being clear-eyed about if your goal is growing direct bookings. See our breakdown of what OTAs actually charge Australian operators. Billing is in USD, and reviewers note interface complexity.
If you want pure pay-per-use and no subscription: Rezgo
Pricing. No monthly fee at all. 4.9% per online booking and 0.9% per point-of-sale booking, absorb or pass on, with unlimited products, users and locations and a note that a minimum fee may apply (rezgo.com/pricing, verified 7 Aug 2026).
Who it fits. Low-volume and starting-out operators who want costs at zero when bookings are zero, with no caps to think about. Reviews are strong for a smaller player: 4.7 out of 5 from 64 Capterra reviews, with ease of use and support praised (verified 7 Aug 2026).
The honest limitation. 4.9% is the highest published platform percentage in this list; at $20,000 a month in online bookings that is $980, more than any subscription here. OTA connections are limited compared with Rezdy and Bókun, and the company is Canadian with no published Australian currency or GST treatment.
If you want per-booking pricing with a hard ceiling: Kong
Pricing. Two plans. Plan one: $1 per booking, every booking type, capped at $139 a month total, paid by the operator, with no subscription, no setup fee and no contract. Plan two: a 1.8% booking fee paid by the guest at checkout, with the operator paying nothing. Pricing is locked for 5 years for the first 100 Australian operators (bookwithkong.com/australia, verified 7 Aug 2026).
Who it fits. Operators focused on direct bookings who want either a capped, predictable cost ($139 is the worst month possible on plan one, at any volume) or zero operator cost with a 1.8% guest-paid fee. That 1.8% is the second-lowest guest fee in this list, behind Bókun's 1.5%. Payments run through your own Stripe account; Kong never holds or transfers your money. On the 5-year price lock: it is a launch offer for the first 100 Australian operators, so ask us what happens after year five, and get the answer in writing.
The honest limitation. Kong is the newest platform on this list, founded in 2025, with a small team and a short track record. Its OTA and reseller connections, including Viator and GetYourGuide, are in development, not live. If agent and OTA distribution is central to how you sell today, Rezdy or Bókun serve that need now and Kong does not yet. Stripe is currently the only payment option in Australia. Support is founder-led, which means direct answers but not a 24/7 desk.
How to choose
Run your own three numbers: bookings a month, average booking value, and share of bookings that are offline, then price each platform against the cost table above the way we did for Rezdy in the worked examples.
Then weigh what price does not capture, because these platforms are not interchangeable beyond the calendar. Here is what each gives up or charges extra for, from the same verified sources as the prices:
| Platform | Live OTA/agent network today | Offline and phone bookings | Worth checking before you commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rezdy | Yes, reseller marketplace | $1 / $0.85 / $0.70 each | Which features sit in which tier |
| FareHarbor | Via Booking Holdings connections | Included | 24/7 support is its strong suit; fee not absorbable |
| Bookeo | Thin | Counted against monthly caps | Waivers are a paid add-on (from USD $9/mth); no phone support |
| Checkfront | Thinner than Rezdy's | Free | Bug complaints recur in reviews |
| Bókun | Yes, Viator-centred | 0% fee | Interface complexity; USD billing |
| Rezgo | Limited | 0.9% at point of sale | No weekend support |
| Kong | In development, not live | $1 each on plan one (every booking type) | Founder-led support, no 24/7 desk; Stripe only |
A cheap platform missing the one feature your crew uses daily is not cheap. Staff logins, manifests, waiver flows and reporting differ enough that the shortlist deserves a hands-on look. Most platforms here offer free trials; the fastest way to decide between two finalists is to run both against a fortnight of real bookings.
A word on switching costs, because they are the reason operators stay on software they grumble about. The move itself is mostly three jobs: rebuilding your products and pricing in the new system, carrying forward future bookings (export them; every platform above can at least take a manual import of upcoming departures), and swapping the booking buttons on your website and Google profile. Plan it for your low season, run the old and new systems in parallel for a fortnight, and tell your agents the cutover date if you use them. None of it is fun. All of it is smaller than five more years of the wrong fee structure.
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Rezdy?
There is no single best. FareHarbor fits seasonal operators wanting zero fixed cost, Bookeo fits operators wanting one flat bill, Checkfront fits offline-heavy operators, Bókun fits Viator-first operators, and Rezgo and Kong fit operators wanting pay-per-use pricing. Match the fee structure to your volume and channel mix.
Is there a free alternative to Rezdy?
FareHarbor, Rezgo and Bókun's entry tier have no subscription, and Kong's guest-paid plan costs the operator nothing. None is free in an absolute sense: FareHarbor's reported ~6% and Kong's 1.8% are paid by guests, Rezgo charges 4.9% per online booking, and Bókun does not publish what its free tier charges per booking, so ask before assuming.
What is the cheapest booking software for tour operators in Australia?
If you are willing to put the fee on guests, the lowest operator cost is $0: Kong's guest-paid plan, FareHarbor, or Rezgo passed on. Among options where you pay everything yourself, Kong's $1 per booking is usually lowest below roughly 60 bookings a month, and Bookeo's flat USD $39.95 (around AUD $60) generally wins above that, provided its caps and thinner distribution suit you. Kong's OTA connections are still in development, which is the trade-off behind its price (verified 7 Aug 2026).
Which Rezdy alternatives let guests pay the booking fee?
FareHarbor charges guests by default (industry-reported ~6%). Checkfront, Bókun and Rezgo let you choose to pass their percentage to guests. Kong's plan two charges guests 1.8% with the operator paying nothing.
Do any Rezdy alternatives avoid a monthly subscription?
Yes. FareHarbor, Rezgo and Kong have no monthly subscription at all, and Bókun has a free tier. You pay per booking or per percentage instead, so cost tracks volume.
Does switching from Rezdy lose my OTA connections?
It can. Rezdy and Bókun have the strongest live OTA and agent networks in this list. Bookeo and Rezgo are thinner, and Kong's OTA connections are in development, not live. If OTA volume matters to you, verify the specific connections before switching.
