HolidayFox vs Bookster
- HolidayFox
- HolidayFox is a full PMS for independent stays: calendar, bookings, payments, guest messaging, self check-in, a daily agenda, a booking widget or hosted website, after-hours live chat, and Google Hotels.
- Bookster
- UK holiday-rental PMS + channel manager (Edinburgh)
- Bookster pricing
- As shown at 3 properties: Lite £26 / Pro £46 / Max £86 + VAT/month; channel fee 2% / 1% / 0.83% + VAT. Scales with property count. No setup, no contract. (booksterhq.com/pricing-and-sign-up, checked 2026-09-11)(checked 2026-09-11)
- HolidayFox pricing
- free for the widget, or from £12.99/month for a full website + 5% commission on bookings taken through HolidayFox
If you search “holiday let channel manager UK”, Bookster is on the page. Edinburgh Futures Institute. Phone +44 131 510 6946. Widgets, an instant website, Airbnb / Booking.com / Vrbo sync, and a % on channel bookings.
I run HolidayFox, so this is not a neutral page. Both can take a direct booking. The useful question is whether you want their channel-manager stack, or a PMS that answers at 9pm on the site you already have.
What Bookster is, and what they do well
Holiday-rental PMS: calendars, buttons, instant website, cleaner tools, owner statements on Max, an AI guest assistant on higher plans. Channel manager is the extra — and it is priced as a percentage of those channel bookings.
Things they genuinely do well:
- It is a real self-catering book. Direct and manual bookings sit in the same diary as the OTAs.
- Published prices that move with property count. As shown on booksterhq.com/pricing-and-sign-up at 3 properties (checked 2026-09-11): Lite £26, Pro £46, Max £86 per month + VAT (annual saves more). Channel manager fee 2.00% / 1.00% / 0.83% + VAT. Direct / manual bookings included. No contracts, no setup fees. Move the slider on their page for your count — do not treat £26 as a one-cottage forever price.
- Instant website and booking buttons if you do not have a site.
- UK telephone. Edinburgh, not a ticket-only shop.
If your priority is “a published cottage channel manager and I will handle evenings myself,” Bookster is a credible answer. We will not pretend 5% is cheaper than £26 + 2% on channels at the Lite figure they show.
What HolidayFox is, and where we are different
HolidayFox is a full PMS for independent stays: calendar, bookings, payments, guest messaging, self check-in, a daily agenda, a booking widget or hosted website, after-hours live chat, and Google Hotels.
Widget checkout is live on your domain (Stripe). Paying inside the chat thread is still rolling out. You do not need Bookster for the diary. If you already have it, iCal can sync — you do not have to.
Side by side
| Capability | Bookster | HolidayFox |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Holiday-rental PMS + channel manager | Full PMS for independent stays |
| The diary | Yes | Yes — that is the product |
| Channel manager % | 2% / 1% / 0.83% + VAT as shown | iCal — we do not take an OTA cut |
| Live chat that sees stock | AI guest assistant on higher plans | Yes — part of the book |
| Google Hotels | Not the headline product | Yes — feed included |
| Pricing model | From £26+VAT/mo as shown (3 properties) | free for the widget, or from £12.99/month for a full website + 5% commission on bookings taken through HolidayFox |
Bookster figures from booksterhq.com/pricing-and-sign-up at 3 properties, checked 2026-09-11. HolidayFox figures from holidayfox.com/en/partners, reviewed 2026-09-11.
Talk to us
15 minutes with Hannah. She will show you the book. If you already run Bookster you can keep it. You do not need it for the diary.
Frequently asked questions
Is HolidayFox a Bookster alternative?
Yes, for the diary. HolidayFox is a full PMS for independent stays. Bookster’s extra is a cottage channel manager priced as a percentage of those channel bookings.
How much does Bookster cost?
As shown at 3 properties on booksterhq.com/pricing-and-sign-up (checked 2026-09-11): Lite £26, Pro £46, Max £86 per month + VAT, plus 2% / 1% / 0.83% + VAT on the channel manager. The slider changes the monthly. Direct bookings are included. HolidayFox: free for the widget, or from £12.99/month for a full website plus 5% commission on bookings taken through HolidayFox.
Can I keep Bookster and use HolidayFox?
You can sync via iCal if you already have it. You do not need to. HolidayFox is the diary.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-11