Xola Alternative: Options for Tour and Activity Operators
Xola has four ways of charging. Which one you are on decides whether an alternative saves you money.
Xola is a booking and marketing platform for tours, activities and attractions, with online checkout, a back-office command centre, waitlists, reporting and round-the-clock live support. Instead of a monthly subscription, it earns through a service fee on bookings — and it offers four versions of that fee, which is where comparisons usually go wrong.
This page explains the four structures from Xola's own help centre, works out when a subscription model costs less for each, looks at region and payment fit, and walks through a move — while being clear about when staying is the smarter choice.
Xola's four fee structures
Xola's vendor listing describes its Flex plan as free to the operator, with a service fee as the charge. Its help centre sets out four structures, each subject to eligibility requirements:
| Structure | Fee | Applies to | Paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flex Level, Guest Pays | 3% | All payment types | Guest, at checkout |
| Flex Level, Company Pays | 3% | All payment types | Operator, from payout |
| Flex Standard, Guest Pays | 6% | Online card transactions | Guest, at checkout |
| Flex Standard, Company Pays | 6% | Online card transactions | Operator, from payout |
The fee is calculated on the subtotal before taxes and fees. On Flex Level with the guest paying, Xola keeps the fee on card payments, while the operator keeps it on cash, cheque and other offline payments. Card processing is a separate charge, paid by the business and kept by Stripe. Rates can differ by country, so confirm the ones that apply to you.
What each means on a $60 booking
- Flex Standard, Guest Pays: the guest pays $63.60 for an online booking and you receive $60 before processing.
- Flex Standard, Company Pays: the guest pays $60 and you receive $56.40 before processing.
- Flex Level, Guest Pays: the guest pays $61.80 however they pay — including at your desk in cash, where you keep the extra $1.80.
- Flex Level, Company Pays: the guest pays $60 and 3% comes out of your payout.
One detail matters for cancellations: Xola refunds the service fee only when a booking is refunded in full. On a partial refund, or when you issue store credit instead, the fee stays with Xola. If your cancellation policy relies on partial refunds or credit — common in weather-affected seasons — factor that in.
Before looking elsewhere, check which structure you are on and which you qualify for. An operator paying 6% on Flex Standard, selling mostly online by card, might roughly halve the percentage by moving to Flex Level if eligible — a bigger saving than some platform changes. The reverse also holds: Flex Level charges 3% on every payment type, so a business taking much of its revenue in cash at the desk, on Company Pays, pays that 3% on walk-ups too.
Why operators consider switching
The first reason is volume. A percentage fee grows with every booking, while a subscription stays fixed, so the busier you get, the more a fee model costs relative to one. On Xola's 6% structure, that point arrives early; on 3%, much later.
The second is region. Xola's card processing runs through Stripe, and Stripe is not available in every country. An operator whose market or payment methods sit outside that reach needs a system that works with the gateways available locally. Stripe publishes the countries it supports, so this is quick to check before you commit. The third is fit: specific marketplace connections, agent tools or features. Write those down first — they decide which alternatives belong on your shortlist.
The alternatives compared
Here is what $60 online bookings cost each month when the operator absorbs every fee, so the models compare on equal terms — using each company's published entry pricing, with card processing left out:
| Per month, online | 75 bookings | 250 | 600 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xola Flex Standard, 6% | $270 | $900 | $2,160 |
| Xola Flex Level, 3% | $135 | $450 | $1,080 |
| Bókun START, $49 + 1.5% | $116.50 | $274 | $589 |
| Rezdy Foundation, $49 + 3% | $184 | $499 | $1,129 |
| Travelity Starter, $39 + 1.9% | $124.50 | $324 | $723 |
Against Xola's 6% structure, a subscription costs less above roughly 16 online bookings a month for Travelity Starter, 19 for Bókun START and 28 for Rezdy Foundation. Against the 3% structure, the crossover rises to about 60 for Travelity and 55 for Bókun — and Rezdy, charging the same 3% on top of a subscription, never becomes cheaper.
Offline bookings shift the picture again. On Flex Level with the guest paying, a cash or phone booking adds 3% to the guest's price, and you keep it. Offline bookings are free of fees on Bókun and Travelity; Rezdy charges $1 each. The detail behind the alternatives is in our guides to Bókun and Rezdy pricing, and the Rezgo and Checkfront comparisons cover two more models.
A mixed month makes the difference concrete. Take 150 online bookings and 60 at the desk, all at $60, with the operator absorbing fees. On Flex Standard, only the online bookings attract the 6%, which comes to $540. On Flex Level, the 3% applies to all 210 bookings, giving $378. Bókun START comes to $184 and Travelity Starter to $210, with nothing on the desk sales. The structure you choose on Xola moves the result almost as much as the platform does.
Region and payment fit
For operators outside the largest markets, payments often decide more than fees. Before comparing prices, check three things for any system on your list:
- Whether its payment processor accepts businesses registered in your country.
- Whether it supports the ways your guests prefer to pay — local cards, wallets or bank transfers.
- What its fees look like in your currency, and how quickly payouts reach your bank account.
Ask us the same questions. Travelity works with widely used payment gateways, and we would rather confirm the right one for your country before you sign up than after. Our payment gateway guide explains what to compare.
Switching from Xola
- Export customers, future bookings and any outstanding store credit or gift card balances.
- Rebuild products in the new system, including add-ons and waitlist settings, before anything goes live.
- Run both in parallel until the last future booking is across and verified.
- Handle refunds in Xola for bookings paid through it; money stays with the processor that collected it.
- Update partner links for resellers and affiliates, telling regular partners the switch date in advance so their links do not break mid-season, then swap the booking widget on your website last.
Plan the move for a quieter month, and make a handful of test bookings end to end — online, offline and through a marketplace — before the switch date.
Who each option suits
- Xola: operators who want no subscription, value 24/7 live support, and are on the 3% structure or at modest volume — particularly where Stripe works well locally.
- Bókun: growing operators wanting the lowest published percentage, especially those selling through Viator.
- Rezdy: businesses built around agents and resellers.
- Travelity: tour, transfer and activity operators wanting a small fixed monthly cost, 1.9% on online sales only, no charge for bookings taken by phone or at the desk, and a checkout free of added fees.
One strength to weigh honestly: Xola offers live support around the clock. If round-the-clock help matters to your business, ask each alternative what its support hours are in your time zone, and how it handles urgent problems at weekends and during peak season.
For the wider market, see our buyer's guide and three-way comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Xola cost?
Xola charges a service fee rather than a monthly subscription on its Flex structures. Its help centre describes Flex Level at 3% and Flex Standard at 6%, each available with the guest or the company paying, subject to eligibility requirements. Card processing is a separate fee paid by the business. Confirm the rates that apply in your country.
What is the difference between Xola Flex Level and Flex Standard?
Flex Level charges 3% on every payment type, including cash and cheque; when the guest pays it, Xola keeps the fee on card payments and the operator keeps it on offline payments. Flex Standard charges 6%, applied to online card transactions. Both come in versions where the guest pays the fee at checkout or the company absorbs it from its payout.
Who pays the Xola service fee?
It depends on the structure. On Guest Pays, the fee appears at checkout, on confirmation emails and on receipts. On Company Pays, it is deducted from the operator’s payout and guests do not see it. Either way, the service fee is refunded only when a booking is refunded in full, not on partial refunds or store credit.
When is a subscription cheaper than Xola?
Against Xola’s 6% structure with the company paying, at $60 per online booking, Travelity’s $39 plan with its 1.9% fee comes out cheaper above about 16 online bookings a month, and Bókun’s $49 plan with 1.5% above about 19. Against the 3% structure, those crossovers rise to about 60 and 55, so which Xola structure you are on matters a great deal.
How do I switch from Xola to another booking system?
Export customers, future bookings and any outstanding store credit or gift card balances, then rebuild your products and run both systems in parallel until every future booking has moved. Handle refunds on bookings taken in Xola through Xola, set up payments in the new system, update partner and reseller links, and swap your website widget last.
Bottom line
Xola charges a service fee instead of a subscription: 3% on all payment types on Flex Level, or 6% on online card transactions on Flex Standard, paid by the guest or the operator. Which structure you are on changes the comparison more than anything else.
On 6%, the subscriptions compared here cost less once you pass roughly 16 to 28 online bookings a month; on 3%, much later. Check payment availability in your country before anything else, then run your own year's bookings through each option.
Related guides
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