Compare Samba to other booking platforms
Honest, operator-side comparisons of the booking and payment platforms tour operators and activity providers evaluate against Samba — on pricing, per-booking fees, payment plans, and OTA distribution. The trade-offs stay visible on every option.
FareHarbor
vs Samba
No-monthly-fee booking system owned by Booking Holdings, with broad OTA reach. Compared on per-booking fees, payout timing, and payment plans for day tours and multi-day trips.
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Peek Pro
vs Samba
Activity booking and point-of-sale platform built for high-volume day tours. Compared on fees, payouts, and the deposit-to-departure workflow.
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Bókun
vs Samba
Tripadvisor/Viator's reservation system, built around OTA distribution. Compared for operators who want direct sales without stacking a fee on OTA commission.
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Rezdy
vs Samba
Distribution-first booking platform centered on its OTA and agent reseller network. Compared for operators who sell direct rather than through a channel manager.
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WeTravel
vs Samba
The closest in shape to Samba — built for trips sold with payment plans. Compared on per-booking fees, payout terms, and supplier payments.
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TrekkSoft
vs Samba
Tours-and-activities platform with broad OTA distribution, a 2–3% tiered fee, and no free plan. Compared on fees, free entry, and payment plans.
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Checkfront
vs Samba
Tour, activity and rental booking platform with one simple $99/mo plan and a 3% online fee. Compared on free entry, per-booking fees, and built-in payment plans.
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Regiondo
vs Samba
European activities and ticketing platform built around OTA distribution, with layered fees it doesn't publish. Compared on fee transparency and plans.
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CaptainBook
vs Samba
Young Greece-built platform pitching OTA connectivity and a 0% fee on direct bookings, with no free plan. Compared for operators who sell direct.
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Resmark
vs Samba
US adventure-tour platform with deep outfitter pedigree and a built-in waiver tool, but a $500 setup and no free tier. Compared on setup cost, platform fees, and plans.
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TripWorks
vs Samba
All-in-one tours-and-activities platform with a 6% booking fee added to the guest's total, card processing on the operator's side, and a monthly plan fee after three months. Compared on fees and payment plans.
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Rezgo
vs Samba
No-subscription booking platform that charges 4.9% per online booking, with strong OTA distribution. Compared on per-booking fees and payment plans for higher-value trips.
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Bookeo
vs Samba
Appointments, classes and activities booking tool with no per-booking commission but per-plan booking caps. Compared for operators who outgrow the caps and need payment plans.
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Moonstride
vs Samba
Travel-agency and DMC CRM with a back office and booking engine, priced from £495/mo plus setup. Compared for operators who mainly need to take bookings and deposits online.
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Xola
vs Samba
US tours, activities and attractions platform with strong marketing automation and POS, but no published subscription and a 3–6% per-booking fee. Compared on free entry, fee transparency, and payment plans.
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bookingkit
vs Samba
Berlin-built European platform built around OTA distribution and a reseller network, with no free plan and stacked booking, payment and per-ticket fees. Compared on free entry and payment plans.
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Orioly
vs Samba
Distribution-first platform with a genuine OTA channel manager, sold on transparent tiers that each carry a one-time setup fee and no free way in. Compared on setup fees and payment plans.
View comparisonHow to choose tour booking software
There's no single best tour booking software — there's a best fit for how you sell. The platforms compared here split roughly into two camps: distribution-first tools built around OTA channels (FareHarbor, Bókun, Rezdy), and direct-first tools built around your own checkout and payment terms (Samba and WeTravel). Start by asking where your bookings actually come from.
If most of your sales come through OTAs, weigh reseller reach and channel fees over headline price. If you sell multi-day trips direct, what matters is deposits, installment plans, and a per-booking fee that doesn't scale painfully with your ticket — a 3–6% fee on a $3,000 trip is $90–$180, where a flat 2% (Samba, with the first $10,000 of bookings free) is $60.
Whatever you're leaving, model your real average ticket against each platform's subscription and per-booking fee before you switch. Each comparison below ranks the field on pricing, fees, payment plans, and OTA distribution — with the honest trade-offs kept visible, including where Samba loses (it connects to fewer OTAs than the distribution-first tools).
Common questions
- What is the best tour booking software?
- It depends on how you sell. For operators selling direct who want deposits and payment plans, Samba leads with a free $0/mo plan, native deposits and installment plans, and a flat 2% per-booking fee — with the first $10,000 of bookings free. For OTA-heavy operators, Bókun and FareHarbor offer the widest reseller distribution. Each comparison below ranks the field for a specific operator profile.
- Is there free tour booking software?
- Yes. Samba has a $0/month plan with a working booking engine, and WeTravel has a free Basic plan. Bókun's Free tier is $0 too, but it only manages Viator and manual bookings; selling online starts at $49/month plus a 1–1.5% booking fee. Samba's free plan adds a flat 2% per-booking fee, with the first $10,000 of bookings free and Stripe processing billed separately.
- How much does tour booking software cost?
- Most platforms pair a monthly subscription, from $0 up to several hundred dollars a month on top tiers, with a per-booking fee of 0% to 6% where it's published. FareHarbor publishes a 6% fee on direct bookings for smaller accounts (under $35,000 a year in online direct bookings), plus a 2% fee on API bookings. Peek Pro doesn't publish its fees; third-party sources report up to about 6% on direct bookings. Samba is $0/month — one free plan with everything included — and a flat 2% per booking, with the first $10,000 of bookings free.
- What should multi-day tour operators look for?
- Deposits and installment plans to collect a trip balance over time, transparent per-booking fees that don't scale painfully with ticket price, and a free or low-cost way to start. Many platforms handle deposits but don't run an automatic installment schedule, and each comparison flags which do. Day-tour and activity operators should weigh the same per-booking fee math across their volume.
Make the switch to Samba
Keep more of every booking. Switch in an afternoon. Start on the free plan.