The sum hardly anyone does
You barely notice the commission on each booking, but you notice it at the end of the year. To see it clearly, multiply:
bookings per year × average price × commission = what you pay per year
Take a kayak rental on the Costa Brava that runs from May to September (an example, not a real client):
| Bookings per year | 2,000 |
| Average price | €60 |
| Platform commission | 8% (example) |
| What it pays in commission | €9,600 a year |
With 600 bookings a year at an average of €35, at the same 8%, it would be €1,680. A very different picture.
Every platform charges differently. Some take a percentage of every booking, some only on new customers, some charge a fixed fee plus a percentage, and some pass the commission on to the customer as a "booking fee", so the customer pays it (and sees a higher price than at your counter). Check your contract or your last invoice to see how much you paid last year. That's your number, not the one in the example.
When it makes sense to stay on the platform
The platform isn't the enemy. Sometimes it's the best option:
- It brings you customers who wouldn't find you. If most of your bookings come from people discovering you on the platform (tourists searching "kayak Costa Brava" in an app, people new to the area looking for a hairdresser), you're paying for advertising. And it works.
- You don't get many bookings. If the sum comes to a few hundred euros a year, your own system won't pay for itself.
- You're just starting out. While you're still testing the business, it doesn't make sense to invest in your own tools.
Some platforms already work this way. Treatwell, for example, charges 25% only on the first booking from each new customer who arrives through its marketplace, and nothing on repeat bookings. In other words, it charges you for bringing in the customer, not for managing them.
When it makes sense to have your own system
Signs you're paying too much:
- Most of your customers already knew you. They come back every year, search for you by name on Google or find you through your Instagram, and the platform is just where they pay. That commission brings you nothing.
- The sum above runs into several thousand euros. From there, your own system usually pays for itself in one or two seasons.
- The platform doesn't fit how you work. Deposits, time slots, equipment shared between bookings, group discounts, your own cancellation rules… If you end up keeping a notebook next to the platform, something's wrong.
- You want your customers' details. On many platforms the customer belongs more to them than to you: you can't email them about next season or see who comes back.
A middle way that works well: stay on the platform as a shop window for new customers, and move repeat customers onto your own system. You pay commission for what it brings you, and nothing for the rest.
How much your own system costs
It depends on what you need. As a guide, with our prices (excl. VAT):
| What | Build | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Website with bookings, payments and two languages | €2,400–3,500 | around €80/month |
| Custom app (user accounts, admin panel, automatic emails) | €4,550–6,700 | around €150/month |
Back to the kayak example: €9,600 a year in commission against a booking website of about €3,000 plus around €960 a year in maintenance. It pays for itself in the first year.
One thing that doesn't go away: card fees. If customers pay online, the payment provider (Stripe, for example) takes its share: 1.5% + €0.25 per payment with a standard European card. That's far less than a platform's commission, but include it in the sum.
And it's yours: no lock-in, with the code and your customers' data. If you ever want to change provider, you take it all with you.