VS.
For over a decade, Checkfront was the scrappy, affordable booking tool that small operators loved. Simple pricing, decent support, reliable platform. Then came the 2023 merger with Rezdy and Regiondo, prices went up, and many operators started looking for a Checkfront alternative.
CaptainBook vs Checkfront: The Checkfront Alternative With 0% Booking Fees
CaptainBook vs Checkfront: Quick Comparison
CaptainBook.io
Checkfront
Starting price
$54/mo, 0% on direct bookings
$99/mo + 3% of online bookings
Product updates
Weekly releases
“Still exactly the same as 7 years ago with just minor upgrades” (operator review)
Ownership
Founder-led
Part of a merged group with Rezdy and Regiondo
Set-up
Guided set-up, plus AI that imports your products from your website
Operators describe it as difficult and confusing to set up
Free trial
14 days, no credit card
Demo-led
Founder-led product development: weekly releases, not years of minor upgrades. We build what operators ask for.
Support that solves problems: fixes, not workarounds. Hours, not weeks.
Simple enough to use, smart enough to scale: clean interface, guided onboarding and AI that imports your products from your website so you can focus on running your business.
A company that’s building, not consolidating: CaptainBook is growing 75% YoY because we focus on the product, not M&A.
1
Checkfront Pricing and the Post-Merger Reality
Checkfront costs $99 per month plus 3% of every online booking, and since the 2023 merger, operators say prices have kept rising.
Prices going up: a 7-year customer reported a 20% price increase on top of a 25% rise the year before, with no warning, while the software stayed “exactly the same as 7 years ago with just minor upgrades”.
More fees: a 9-year customer said Checkfront is moving more and more to a percentage fee, the very thing they chose it to avoid.
Support quality dropped: a 12-year customer waited nearly a week for a reply on a critical API issue.
As one reviewer summarized: “The priority for the company is providing a profit for the investors, so quality is being cut wherever possible.”
CaptainBook is built by its founders, Jerome (CEO/CTO) and Luca (COO), who talk to operators daily. Our product ships weekly because we answer to customers.
2
Checkfront Reviews: Support That Can’t Actually Fix Things
Checkfront’s support issues go beyond slow response times.
Operators report a pattern where support acknowledges bugs but can’t fix them:
A widget that stopped selling: one operator found the booking widget showed no availability to customers. Support had known about the bug for weeks, with no timeline for a fix, so they went back to their previous provider.
Workarounds instead of fixes: when prices showed incorrectly, the suggested workaround was to turn prices off.
Silent bugs that cost money: one operator reported products switching to charging $0 after edits, and closed dates that customers could still book.
Support on another time zone: European operators note that support works 9-5 Pacific time, 8 hours behind Europe.
CaptainBook’s team fixes bugs. We don’t ask you to work around them.
"With CaptainBook.io our daily booking operations are easier than ever. Our customers are thrilled when they call us for an experience and we send them the link to make the reservation. We save precious time and our customers are much more happy."
Dreamland
Travel Agency in Corfu, Greece
3
Lots of Features, But Hard to Set Up
Checkfront has a lot of features.
In practice, operators find the setup overwhelming:
“Very difficult and confusing to set up, especially with all of the rules. It wasn’t user friendly or intuitive at all.”
“Not intuitive to set up new items for booking”: a 9-year customer.
“The UI/UX is a maze“, with settings scattered across several menus and no indication of what affects what.
CaptainBook is built for that reality: a clean interface, guided onboarding, and AI that imports your products straight from your website.
"The CaptainBook Team are always super fast to respond and to resolve each little issue I have encountered during use. Their responsiveness and high level of customer service is something I noticed since day 1 and they’ve never failed me ever since."
Philema Food Tours
Travel Operator in Naxos Island, Greece
Frequently asked questions
How much does Checkfront cost?
Checkfront costs $99 a month plus 3% of every online booking. Since its 2023 merger with Rezdy and Regiondo, operators say prices have kept rising.
How much does CaptainBook cost?
Plans start at $54 a month, or $46 a month billed yearly, with 0% on direct bookings. Every plan and fee is published on our pricing page.
How long does it take to set up CaptainBook?
Set-up is quick and guided. When you sign up, our AI agent visits your website and builds starter products for you. You can also import your products from an export of your current system, or connect Claude or ChatGPT to do the heavy lifting.
Can I try CaptainBook before I switch?
You can try CaptainBook free for 14 days, no credit card required, and cancel anytime. When you sign up, our AI agent visits your website and sets up starter products from it, so you can try the platform straight away, and you can book a demo if you’d like a walkthrough first.
Any further questions?
If you have any further questions or need any more information on CaptainBook.io, contact us! We're a click away
