Quick answer (April 2026): Bokun's main plan is $49/month + 1.5% per direct booking + 0% on Viator bookings. Total annual cost on 200 bookings/mo at $85 AOV with 40% OTA mix is roughly $2,200/year — about half what FareHarbor would cost at the same volume. Run your specific numbers in the free calculator →
Bokun is the booking system most tour operators land on after outgrowing FareHarbor or DIY booking forms. Owned by TripAdvisor (the same parent as Viator), it pairs a flat-fee subscription with a low per-booking percentage and zero fees on Viator-channel bookings. This guide covers exactly what you pay, what you get, and where the hidden costs hide.
Bokun's pricing structure (2026)
Bokun moved to a streamlined pricing model in 2024 that simplifies what used to be a multi-plan structure. Today there's effectively one main plan plus a free entry-level tier:
| Plan | Monthly fee | Direct booking fee | Viator/OTA fee | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free (Channel Manager) | $0 | n/a (no website widget) | 0–1.5% on Viator/marketplace | $0 |
| Start (Main plan) | $49 | 1.5% per booking | 0% on Viator | $0 |
The Start plan is what most tour operators use. It includes the booking widget for your website, the channel manager (push availability to Viator, GetYourGuide, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Klook, and 27,000+ Bokun marketplace partners), automated emails, vouchers, and the resource manager.
The Free plan is essentially a channel manager only — useful if you have your own booking system and just want to sync availability with Viator and the Bokun marketplace, but it doesn't include a website booking widget for direct bookings.
What you actually pay (real-world examples)
Headline rates only tell half the story. Total annual cost depends on your booking volume and OTA mix.
Example 1: Small operator, 50 bookings/month at $80 AOV, 60% OTA share
- Monthly subscription: $49 × 12 = $588/year
- Direct bookings (40%): 50 × 12 × 40% × $80 × 1.5% = $288/year
- OTA bookings via Viator (60%): $0/year (Bokun charges 0% on Viator)
- Total: ~$876/year
For comparison, FareHarbor at 6% on the same 600 bookings × $80 = $2,880/year. Bokun saves this operator about $2,000 annually — and the savings grow with volume.
Example 2: Mid-size operator, 200 bookings/month at $85 AOV, 40% OTA share
- Monthly subscription: $588/year
- Direct bookings: 200 × 12 × 60% × $85 × 1.5% = $1,836/year
- OTA bookings (Viator): $0
- Total: ~$2,424/year
FareHarbor on the same volume would be 2,400 × $85 × 6% = $12,240/year. Bokun saves about $9,800 annually.
Example 3: Large operator, 800 bookings/month at $95 AOV, 30% OTA share
- Monthly subscription: $588/year
- Direct bookings: 800 × 12 × 70% × $95 × 1.5% = $9,576/year
- OTA bookings (Viator): $0
- Total: ~$10,164/year
At this volume, Rezdy (0% direct, $99–$249/mo) becomes more cost-competitive. The break-even between Bokun and Rezdy is around 600+ direct bookings/month — above that, Rezdy's flat structure wins on pure cost.
What's included on the Start plan
The $49/month covers more than most operators expect:
- Website booking widget — embeds on your site with full mobile-responsive checkout
- Channel manager — sync availability and bookings with Viator, GetYourGuide, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Klook, GetTransfer, and 27,000+ Bokun marketplace partners
- Automated emails — booking confirmations, reminders, post-trip messages
- Resource manager — track guides, vehicles, equipment availability
- Vouchers and gift cards
- Reporting and analytics — bookings, revenue, channel performance
- Custom branding on the booking widget
- API access for custom integrations
The two main capabilities NOT included on Start: dynamic pricing rules (Bokun's pricing engine has limited automated price adjustment compared to Peek Pro) and advanced B2B reseller agreements (some larger operators upgrade to enterprise tiers for these).
The 0% Viator fee — what it actually means
Bokun charges 0% on bookings that come through Viator. This is the single biggest pricing differentiator vs FareHarbor and Peek Pro.
Important nuance: The 0% is Bokun's fee. Viator itself still takes its standard 20–25% commission as the OTA. So a $100 tour booked via Viator pays Viator $20–$25, then Bokun gets the remaining $75–$80 to your account with no Bokun fee on top.
This sounds obvious but matters: operators sometimes assume "0% on Viator" means they keep more revenue. The OTA commission still applies — Bokun just doesn't double-dip the way FareHarbor does (FareHarbor takes its 6% on top of Viator's 20–25%).
Hidden costs to know about
Bokun's headline pricing is honest, but a few items aren't obvious:
- Payment processor fees — Bokun integrates with Stripe (or your own payment processor). Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction passes through. This is typical of all booking platforms — not a Bokun-specific cost.
- Multi-currency conversion — If you accept currencies other than your default, Stripe charges 1% currency conversion. Bokun doesn't add to this.
- SMS notifications — Optional add-on, charged per SMS sent. Most operators don't need this.
- Custom integrations — Bokun's API is included on Start, but custom development to integrate with your CRM or accounting system is your cost (not Bokun's).
- Marketplace cross-sell fees — If you sell another operator's products via the Bokun marketplace, the seller pays a small commission to the lister. This is opt-in, not a default cost.
Is Bokun right for you?
Bokun makes the most sense if:
- You sell through Viator, TripAdvisor, or the Bokun marketplace (the 0% Viator fee is huge)
- You want a low-commitment monthly fee ($49 is the lowest "real plan" in the industry)
- You operate at 50+ bookings/month (below this, FareHarbor's no-monthly-fee model can be cheaper)
- You value channel manager depth (Bokun connects to more OTAs than any competitor)
Bokun is the wrong fit if:
- You don't use Viator and want pure direct booking — Rezdy's 0% on direct bookings beats Bokun's 1.5%
- You need advanced dynamic pricing — Peek Pro's pricing engine is more sophisticated
- You're a multi-activity operator (tours + rentals + accommodations) — Checkfront handles mixed inventory better
- Your booking volume is under 30/month — FareHarbor's $0 monthly + 6% commission has lower fixed cost at low volume
Bokun vs the alternatives (quick reference)
| Vs | Bokun wins when... | Alternative wins when... |
|---|---|---|
| FareHarbor | You have any meaningful Viator volume | You're under 50 bookings/month and want $0 monthly |
| Rezdy | You depend on OTA distribution (especially Viator) | You're 600+ direct bookings/month with low OTA mix |
| Peek Pro | You're not US-based or don't need walk-up POS | You're US, high walk-up volume, want dynamic pricing |
| Checkfront | You're tours-only | You sell tours + rentals + accommodations together |
For full head-to-head breakdowns, see the Bokun vs FareHarbor comparison and the Bokun vs Rezdy section in our master comparison.
Migration cost (if you're switching from FareHarbor or Rezdy)
The actual migration is free — Bokun's onboarding team handles data import. The hidden cost is your time:
- Product setup: 4–8 hours to configure tours, pricing tiers, schedules, and resources
- Channel re-mapping: 2–4 hours to reconnect Viator, GetYourGuide, TripAdvisor with new product IDs
- Email rebuild: 2–4 hours to rebuild automated email flows in Bokun's templates
- Website integration: 1–2 hours to swap the booking widget code (your dev or you)
Total: typically 10–20 hours of work over 1–2 weeks. Most operators complete migration during a slow week and run both systems in parallel for 2–3 days as a safety net.
FAQ
Is Bokun really $49/month or are there hidden tiers?
Bokun's main public plan is $49/month flat. There are no hidden tiers exposed publicly. Enterprise contracts exist for very high-volume operators (typically $2M+ GMV), but those are negotiated 1-on-1 and rare for most tour operators.
Does Bokun charge for the website booking widget?
No. The widget is included in the $49/month Start plan. There's no separate fee for the widget itself or for embed installations across multiple pages.
How does Bokun's 1.5% direct booking fee compare to FareHarbor's 6%?
At 200 bookings/month × $85 AOV with all direct, Bokun's fee is $3,060/year. FareHarbor's would be $12,240/year. Bokun saves about $9,000 annually, even after the $588 subscription. The break-even where FareHarbor becomes cheaper is around 8–10 bookings/month — above that, Bokun wins.
Can I use Bokun without selling through Viator?
Yes. You can use Bokun as a pure direct-booking platform without enabling any OTA channel. The 0% Viator fee just doesn't apply if you don't use Viator. The 1.5% direct booking fee and $49/month still apply.
What payment processors does Bokun support?
Bokun primarily integrates with Stripe but also supports PayPal, Adyen, and a few regional processors. Stripe is the most common choice and supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Klarna in most markets.
Is there a free trial?
Bokun offers a 14-day free trial of the Start plan, no credit card required. The Free Channel Manager plan can also serve as an extended trial for operators only using OTA distribution.
Run your numbers
The annual cost math gets messy fast — different OTA mixes and AOVs change the answer dramatically. Use the free booking fee calculator to see exact annual cost on Bokun, FareHarbor, Rezdy, Peek Pro, Checkfront, and Bookeo for your specific volume and mix. It takes 30 seconds.
If you want a personalized recommendation, book a free 30-min audit — we'll review your current setup and tell you whether Bokun, a competitor, or staying put is the right move.
