Bókun's 2,700+ reseller marketplace and 0% fees on Viator bookings are genuine strengths — Bókun is TripAdvisor/Viator's sister product since 2018. But the free tier strips OTA API access (using it as a lock-in lever), pricing has changed 3× in 2 years, and there's no native AI or native waivers. EquipDash is $23/mo + 2% with stable published pricing, native AI, built-in waivers & real rental depth.
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
|
Bókun
Viator-owned, tour-first, marketplace-heavy
|
|---|---|---|
| Starting price Entry-tier monthly cost | $23/mo + 2% | $49/mo + 1.5% (START) |
| Free tier available With full OTA API access | 21-day full trial | Yes, but no OTA API |
| Pricing stability History of pricing changes | Stable, published | 3 changes in 2 years |
| Ownership / governance Who sets the roadmap | Independent | TripAdvisor/Viator (2018) |
| Self-serve trial | 21 days, full features | 14 days, no CC |
| Tours & experiences Manifests, guide assignment, capacity | ||
| Equipment rentals Serial tracking, bundles, maintenance | ||
| Equipment maintenance logs | ||
| Walk-in POS | Stripe Terminal / Tap to Pay | |
| iOS + Android mobile app | No booking push notifications | |
| Native AI assistant In-product AI for operators & customers | Dash AI + Agents | |
| Native digital waivers | Zapier → WaiverForever | |
| Reviews & surveys | Viator reviews only | |
| OTA / reseller distribution Total channels | Via integrations | 2,700+ resellers |
| Payment gateway choice Keep your own merchant account | Stripe Connect (Bókun Pay closed) | |
| Learning curve Reported setup time | ~2 hours | ~20 hours (reviewer reports) |
PRICING TRANSPARENCY
Bókun restructured pricing in September 2024 — here's the current stack vs EquipDash Starter.
Source: bokun.io/pricing
At $10k/mo online booking volume on direct channels: Bókun START ≈ $49 + $150 = $199/mo. EquipDash ≈ $23 + $200 = $223/mo. Roughly break-even on direct bookings — but EquipDash adds native AI, waivers and rental depth that Bókun charges extra add-ons for.
BALANCED VIEW
No platform wins on every dimension. Here's the honest split.
MIGRATION
Bókun supports Excel import/export for experiences and customer-privacy exports for customer data, plus a public REST API. Because Bókun uses Stripe Connect (operator-owned Stripe), payment history and tokens stay with you. Note: leaving Bókun doesn't mean losing Viator — you reconnect through another certified Viator connectivity partner.
OTHER OPTIONS
EquipDash isn't the only option. These three come up most often in Bókun comparison searches — full in-depth reviews live in our blog listicle.
Booking.com-owned, commission-based (~6% + processing ≈ 9–11% effective). Stronger OTA distribution than Bókun, similar sales-led onboarding. No native AI.
$49/mo + up to 3% booking fee — published, stable pricing. Strong channel manager (100+ OTAs), 21-day trial. Mobile app being sunset.
$99/mo + 3% on a single plan. 40+ integrations, mature tour product. No native AI, thin rental support, reviewers flag repeated price hikes.
Full in-depth reviews of 5+ Bókun alternatives, scored on the same six criteria: pricing stability, tours, rentals, AI, integrations, and support.
Read the full reviewFREQUENTLY ASKED
The questions operators ask before switching from Bókun. Contact us if yours isn't here.
Contact UsYes, for Viator-centric tour operators. Bókun is Viator's sister product (TripAdvisor acquired Bókun in April 2018), charges 0% Bókun fee on Viator bookings, and connects to 2,700+ resellers. The trade-off: pricing has changed 3× in 2 years, the free tier strips OTA API access, and there's no native AI or native waivers.
Flat $23/mo + 2%. Published pricing that doesn't change every 8 months. Native rentals + tours + AI, built-in waivers. 21-day trial, no sales call.
