Two of the best-known booking platforms for tour and activity operators — and they price in completely different ways. Checkfront is a mature, 15-year-old tours platform on a single flat plan: $99/mo + a 3% booking fee, with published pricing and a wide integration surface. FareHarbor is owned by Booking Holdings (Booking.com) and charges no subscription at all — instead it takes a commission of roughly 6% per booking plus processing, with sales-led onboarding and native OTA distribution. This page compares them neutrally, feature by feature, with every claim sourced.
We also include EquipDash in the table as a flat-fee third option, so you can see how a $23/mo subscription stacks up against both a flat plan and a commission model.
30-SECOND READ
Lower volume, or you run rentals as well as tours? A flat $23/mo subscription may beat both — see the EquipDash column below.
2026 FEATURE COMPARISON
The factors rental and tour operators ask about most. Checkfront and FareHarbor facts are sourced inline; EquipDash is shown as a flat-fee third option.
| Feature |
Flat plan, mature tours |
Commission, Booking.com-owned |
The third option
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model How you actually pay | $99/mo + 3% booking fee | ~6% booking fee + 1.9% + $0.30 | $23/mo + 2% platform fee |
| Published pricing Public rate card you can read without a sales call | |||
| Self-serve free trial | Trial exists, demo-first | Demo-only | 21 days, no card |
| Tours & experiences Manifests, guide assignment, per-participant pricing | |||
| Equipment rentals Item-level tracking, check-in/out, bundles | |||
| Equipment maintenance logs Asset logs, checklists, service history | |||
| Walk-in POS Dedicated point of sale | Stripe Terminal only | FareHarbor Dock | |
| iOS + Android mobile app | Reviewers flag as weak | ||
| Native AI assistant In-product AI for operators & customers | Dash AI + Agents + MCP | ||
| Native digital waivers Built-in e-signature, reminders, expiry | Smartwaiver integration | ||
| Staff rostering & scheduling | Staff bookings only | ||
| Reviews & surveys Post-experience NPS, review capture | |||
| OTA / channel distribution Viator, GetYourGuide, Expedia, Booking.com | Native (Booking.com owns FareHarbor) | Via integrations | |
| Payment gateway choice Keep your own merchant account | Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, dLocal | ||
| Booking fee shown to customers Visible surcharge at checkout | 3% absorbed or passed | Visible at checkout | None or pass-through |
A THIRD OPTION
Checkfront and FareHarbor are both built tours-first. Operators who also run equipment rentals — or who want flat pricing without a per-booking commission — most often land on EquipDash for three reasons.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
The questions operators ask when weighing Checkfront against FareHarbor. Contact us if yours isn't here.
Contact UsIt depends on volume. Checkfront is a flat $99/mo + 3% booking fee with published pricing, so cost is predictable regardless of sales. FareHarbor has no subscription but takes roughly a 6% booking fee plus 1.9% + $0.30 processing — an effective ~9–11% per direct booking. At low volume FareHarbor can be cheaper because there's no monthly minimum; at higher volume Checkfront's flat plan often wins because the commission stops scaling.
See how a flat $23/mo + 2% subscription compares to both a $99/mo flat plan and a ~6% commission — with native rentals, tours, waivers and AI included. 21-day free trial, no card, no sales call.
