FareHarbor vs Rezdy: Which Fits Your Tour Business?
Two established platforms, two opposite ways of charging, and one unanswered question that decides which costs less.
FareHarbor and Rezdy turn up on most tour operators' shortlists, and for good reason. They are good at overlapping things — online booking, channel management, reporting, check-in — and very different in how they charge and where they put their emphasis.
This comparison works from what each company publishes itself. Where something is not published, it says so and tells you what to ask. And because we build booking software too, it ends with an honest note on where Travelity sits — including where both competitors are stronger.
Pricing models side by side
| FareHarbor | Rezdy | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | None mandatory | $49, $99 or $249 |
| Online booking fee | Set by volume and setup; not published | 3% on every plan |
| Who pays it | Added to the guest's checkout | Operator's choice: absorb or pass on |
| Offline and agent bookings | Ask | $1, $0.85 or $0.70 each |
| Distribution network commission | 20% or 25%, non-negotiable | Flat agent-booking fee |
FareHarbor describes its model as a per-booking fee with no large upfront licence and no mandatory monthly platform fee, with pricing that depends on volume and setup — so you will get your rate in a demo rather than from a price list. Third-party estimates most often put it around 6% on direct online bookings. Rezdy publishes a full price list. Our separate guides to FareHarbor pricing and Rezdy pricing cover each model in detail.
What each costs at 50, 200 and 500 bookings
The fair test adds up every fee attached to a booking, regardless of whether the guest or the operator pays it. The figures assume a $60 booking, FareHarbor at 6%, Rezdy Foundation with its fee absorbed, and processing of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction where it is counted:
| Monthly | 50 bookings | 200 | 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FareHarbor, 6% fee | $180 | $720 | $1,800 |
| Rezdy Foundation | $139 | $409 | $949 |
| Rezdy Foundation + processing | $241 | $817 | $1,969 |
Everything turns on one unanswered question: is card processing inside FareHarbor's fee, or charged on top? If it is on top, both platforms pay it, so it drops out: set FareHarbor against the middle row, and Rezdy is cheaper once you pass roughly 28 bookings a month. If it is inside, set FareHarbor against the bottom row instead, and FareHarbor is cheaper at all three volumes.
The rate matters as well. At 5% with processing included, FareHarbor stays cheaper at every volume; at 8%, Rezdy becomes cheaper above about 51 bookings a month even with processing included. So before comparing anything else, ask FareHarbor for your rate and what it includes, in writing. If you take many bookings by phone or in person, add Rezdy's flat offline fee to its rows, and ask FareHarbor how it charges for offline bookings.
OTA connectivity and reseller networks
Both connect to the major marketplaces. FareHarbor lists integrations with Viator, GetYourGuide, Expedia and more than 250 OTAs and travel platforms, plus its own FareHarbor Distribution Network, which it says showcases operators' tours to more than 500 affiliates. Network bookings carry published commissions of 20% on referral-link bookings and 25% on API bookings, and FareHarbor offers rules to control which affiliates sell your items.
Rezdy includes its channel manager and access to its marketplace of more than 12,000 agents on every plan, with unlimited agent connections, an agent portal, reseller websites and an agent API. Agent bookings carry Rezdy's flat per-booking fee rather than a percentage. If resellers, concierges and inbound agents are central to your business, that combination is Rezdy's clearest strength.
Booking widget, website and payments
Both offer a booking flow for your own website. FareHarbor adds FareHarbor Dock for walk-up sales, website services alongside its checkout, and a mobile app with offline check-in and QR ticket scanning. Rezdy includes a booking button, a free one-click website and bar and QR code scanning on every plan.
On payments, Rezdy offers its own gateway, powered by Stripe, at rates it describes as preferential but does not list, alongside Apple Pay and Google Pay. For FareHarbor, the key payments question is the one above: what your booking fee covers. With either, ask for processing rates on the cards your guests actually use — our payment gateway guide explains what to compare.
Running the day: operations features
Both cover the core of a tour operation, with different things emphasised in what they publish.
- FareHarbor highlights digital waivers, manifests, crew assignment with automatic notifications to staff, built-in reporting, a private-events tool, and a mobile app that can check guests in offline.
- Rezdy lists guest manifests, resource management, pick-ups and calendar sync on every plan; automated customer notifications, gift cards, extras, waitlists and Xero from Accelerate; and webhooks and a developer API on Expansion.
With Rezdy, check which features you need sit on which plan, because several of the most useful ones start on Accelerate at $99 a month rather than on Foundation. With FareHarbor, the feature set is not tiered by price, so the question is simply whether it covers how you work.
What your guests see at checkout
The two models look different to a traveller. With a 6% FareHarbor fee, a $60 tour reaches checkout at $63.60. With Rezdy you choose: pass the 3% on and the guest pays $61.80, or absorb it and the guest pays exactly $60.
Whether a fee at checkout costs you bookings depends on your market and on what travellers compare you with. If your tour sits beside marketplace listings showing all-in prices, a fee that appears only at the last step can change how your price compares. Watch completed checkouts during a trial rather than assuming either way.
Support, onboarding and contracts
Support is where FareHarbor puts much of its emphasis: it offers 24/7 support by phone or email and pairs new operators with a dedicated onboarding specialist. Rezdy includes free onboarding and ongoing support on every plan. Both are worth testing before you commit — ask a real question during your trial or demo and see how quickly and well it is answered.
On contracts, Rezdy's pricing page states there is no lock-in. FareHarbor does not publish contract terms on its pricing pages, so ask about minimum term, notice period and renewal. Whichever you choose, make sure customer records and past bookings can be exported, and find out who would own a website built on the platform.
Switching between them
Moving from one to the other is mostly a question of future bookings. FareHarbor says its onboarding team transfers future reservations and that most operators go live within two to four weeks, running their old system until the new one is ready. Rezdy includes free onboarding on every plan. Either way, plan the move for a quieter month, keep both systems running until every future booking has moved, and reconnect your marketplace listings one at a time.
Before signing with either, ask:
- What will I pay per booking, and does that include card processing?
- How are phone, walk-in and agent bookings charged?
- Can guests see a clean price, or is a fee shown at checkout?
- What is the minimum term, and how is pricing set at renewal?
- Will you move my existing future bookings for me?
Best fit by operator
- FareHarbor tends to suit operators who want no monthly commitment, are comfortable with a booking fee on guests' checkouts, run seasonal or lower-volume businesses, and value round-the-clock support and a wide OTA network.
- Rezdy tends to suit operators who sell heavily through agents and resellers, want to decide whether guests see a booking fee, have larger teams that benefit from unlimited users, and prefer a published price list with no lock-in.
- Either can suit mid-sized operators; there the price comparison above, and particularly FareHarbor's answer on processing, usually decides it. Our three-way comparison adds Bókun to the picture.
Market matters too. Rezdy was founded in Australia, and its pricing page notes that prices exclude Australian GST; confirm which currency you would be billed in. FareHarbor quotes by volume and setup, so ask the same question in your demo. For either, check that the payment methods your guests actually use — local cards, wallets, bank transfers — are supported where you operate, because a checkout that cannot take them loses bookings no pricing model can win back.
Where Travelity sits
Travelity is a third option with a different model again: $39 a month for five users, $139 for ten, or $399 without a user cap, a 1.9% fee on online bookings, nothing on offline bookings, and no fee added to guests' checkouts. Products and bookings are unlimited on every plan, and channel sync covers Viator, GetYourGuide and Trip.com.
Being straight about the comparison: FareHarbor connects to far more OTAs and emphasises 24/7 support; Rezdy's agent marketplace is a network we do not have; and both include unlimited users on their plans where ours are limited on the smaller tiers. Where Travelity tends to fit is operators who want a lower percentage, a clean price for guests, no charge on bookings taken by phone or in person, and a monthly commitment they can end — especially smaller teams selling direct and through the major marketplaces.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between FareHarbor and Rezdy?
The pricing model. FareHarbor charges no monthly subscription; its revenue comes mostly from a fee added to each guest’s checkout, at a rate it sets by volume and setup rather than publishing. Rezdy charges a monthly subscription of $49, $99 or $249 plus 3% per online booking, which operators can absorb or pass on. Beyond price, FareHarbor emphasises 24/7 support and a wide OTA network, while Rezdy emphasises its agent and reseller marketplace.
Is FareHarbor or Rezdy cheaper?
It depends on whether FareHarbor’s booking fee includes card processing, which published sources disagree about. With a $60 booking and FareHarbor at 6%, Rezdy’s entry plan costs less above about 28 bookings a month if processing is charged separately on both. If FareHarbor’s fee already covers processing, FareHarbor costs less at every volume at that rate. Get the answer from FareHarbor in writing.
Which is better for selling through agents and resellers?
Both have networks. Rezdy includes access to its marketplace of more than 12,000 agents on every plan, along with an agent portal, reseller websites and an agent API, and charges a flat fee per agent booking. FareHarbor offers its own distribution network of more than 500 affiliates at published, non-negotiable commissions of 20% on referral-link bookings and 25% on API bookings.
Do FareHarbor and Rezdy charge guests a booking fee?
FareHarbor’s model adds a booking fee to the guest’s total at checkout. Rezdy lets operators choose: absorb its 3% online booking fee or pass it on to guests. If you would rather guests see a clean price with no fee at checkout, confirm how each option is displayed before you decide.
Can I leave FareHarbor or Rezdy easily?
Rezdy’s pricing page states there is no contract lock-in. FareHarbor does not publish contract terms on its pricing pages, so ask about minimum term, notice and data export before signing. With either, check that customer records and past bookings can be exported, and who would own a website built on the platform.
Bottom line
FareHarbor charges nothing monthly and takes a booking fee from guests' checkouts; Rezdy charges a subscription plus 3% that you can absorb or pass on. FareHarbor leans on support and OTA breadth, Rezdy on its agent network and published terms.
Which costs less depends on FareHarbor's rate and whether it includes card processing — ask for both in writing, then run your own year's bookings through each model. Add Travelity to the shortlist if a lower percentage and no fee on offline bookings matter more to you than the largest networks.
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