TripWorks is a modern tours platform (4.9/5 on Capterra across 45 reviews) with a clean UI, native POS and built-in waivers. But the Standard plan is $0/mo + 6% booking fee + 2.9% + $0.30 processing — ~9% effective take, rentals lack serial tracking and maintenance, there's no native operator mobile app (PWA only), and the free trial is just 2 days. EquipDash is a flat $23/mo + 2% with real rental depth and a native mobile app.
30-SECOND READ
2026 FEATURE COMPARISON
The factors rental and tour operators ask about most. Each claim links to a source.
| Feature |
Rentals + tours combined
|
TripWorks
Modern tours UI, 9% take rate, no rentals depth
|
|---|---|---|
| Website builder Your own site, built and hosted in the platform | Built by Dash AI | Booking pages only |
| AI front desk AI answers the phone and your booking-page chat, then takes the booking | $49/mo add-on | |
| Run the business from WhatsApp Ask the assistant and get your bot reports in your own chat app | ||
| Pricing model How you actually pay | $23/mo + 2% platform fee | $0/mo + 6% booking fee |
| Effective take rate Booking fee + processing | ~2% + Stripe | ~8.9% + $0.30 |
| Published pricing | ||
| Self-serve free trial | 21 days, no CC | 2 days, demo-gated |
| Self-serve signup | ||
| Tours & experiences Manifests, guide assignment, per-participant pricing | ||
| Equipment rentals Serial tracking, bundles, maintenance | ||
| Equipment maintenance logs | ||
| Walk-in POS Dedicated point of sale | ||
| Native mobile app iOS + Android for operators | Android live · iOS pending | PWA only |
| Native digital waivers | ||
| AI assistant for operators In-product assistant (not just feature-level AI) | Dash AI + Bots | Review & call summaries only |
| Staff rostering & scheduling | ||
| OTA / channel distribution Direct API connections | Via integrations | 13 direct (Viator, GetYourGuide, Expedia…) |
| Payment gateway choice Keep your own merchant account | TripWorks payments wallet | |
| Company size Stability & runway | Profitable SaaS | $7.5M raised, founded 2019 |
PRICING TRANSPARENCY
TripWorks' Standard plan looks free but is $0/mo + 6% booking fee + 2.9% + $0.30 processing ≈ ~9% effective. Here's the math vs EquipDash Starter.
Source: tripworks.com/pricing
On a $200 booking: TripWorks ≈ $12 booking fee + $6.10 processing = $18.10. EquipDash ≈ $4 (2%) + Stripe = ~$10. At 100 bookings/mo × $200: TripWorks ~$1,810, EquipDash ~$23 + ~$1,000 = ~$1,023/mo — roughly 43% cheaper, with real rental depth included.
BALANCED VIEW
No platform wins on every dimension. Here's the honest split.
MIGRATION
TripWorks grants up to 30 days post-cancellation to export your data before archive. Because TripWorks runs a native payments wallet (not Stripe passthrough), saved cards won't migrate — you'll rebuild Stripe Connect on EquipDash and returning customers re-enter payment on next booking. Typical cutover: 5–7 business days including OTA re-linking.
OTHER OPTIONS
EquipDash isn't the only option. These three come up most often in TripWorks comparison searches — full in-depth reviews live in our blog listicle.
Booking.com-owned, commission-based (~6% + processing ≈ 9–11% effective). Similar economics to TripWorks but stronger OTA distribution and sales-led onboarding. No native AI.
Native AI (Peek Copilot) and waivers. Commission-based with demo-only onboarding and Peek Payments gateway lock-in. Stronger AI than TripWorks.
$99/mo + 3% on a single plan (consolidated Nov 2023). Mature 15+ year tours product, 40+ integrations. No native AI, thin rental support.
Full in-depth reviews of 5+ TripWorks alternatives, scored on the same six criteria: pricing transparency, tours, rentals, AI, integrations, and support.
Read the full reviewFREQUENTLY ASKED
The questions operators ask before switching from TripWorks. Contact us if yours isn't here.
Contact UsYes. TripWorks is a modern, well-reviewed tours platform (4.9/5 on Capterra across 45 reviews), with strong UI, native POS, built-in waivers, and 13 direct OTA connections. Limitations show up when you add equipment rentals, want an operator mobile app, or hit the ~9% effective take rate.
Flat $23/mo + 2% vs TripWorks' ~9% per booking. Real rental depth, native mobile app, self-serve 21-day trial. No demo call required.
