HolidayFox vs Bookster
- HolidayFox
- A Book now button on your website, a chat that answers any time of day, and one calendar so you're never double-booked. Listed on holidayfox.com and in Google's hotel search. We set it up for you.
- Bookster
- UK holiday-let software + 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 Book now button, or from £12.99/month for a website we build for you + 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. Booking buttons, an instant website, links to Airbnb / Booking.com / Vrbo, and a % on channel bookings.
I run HolidayFox, so this is not a neutral page. Both take direct bookings. The useful question: do you want their channel manager, or a booking system that answers at 9pm on the website you already have?
What Bookster is, and what they do well
Holiday-let software: calendars, booking buttons, an instant website, cleaner tools, owner statements on Max, and an AI guest assistant on higher plans. The channel manager is the extra, priced as a percentage of those channel bookings.
Things they genuinely do well:
- It is a real self-catering booking system. Direct and manual bookings sit in the same calendar as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo.
- 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.
- A UK phone line in Edinburgh, not ticket-only support.
If your priority is “a published holiday-let channel manager, and I will handle evenings myself,” Bookster is a credible answer. We will not pretend our commission is cheaper than £26 + 2% on channels at the Lite figure they show.
What HolidayFox is, and where we are different
HolidayFox is a direct booking system for independent stays. A Book now button on your website, a chat that answers guests any time of day, and one calendar for every booking. We set it up for you.
Guests pay by card on your website through the Book now button. Paying inside the chat is still rolling out. Bookings from Pitchup, Airbnb and Booking.com land in the same calendar, so you're never double-booked. You don't need Bookster to run it.
Side by side
| Capability | Bookster | HolidayFox |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Holiday-let software + channel manager | A direct booking system for independent stays |
| Booking calendar | Yes | Yes — one calendar, never double-booked |
| Fee on channel bookings | 2% / 1% / 0.83% + VAT as shown | None on your Airbnb or Booking.com bookings |
| Chat that knows which dates are free | AI guest assistant on higher plans | Yes — on your website, any time of day |
| Your prices in Google's hotel search | Not the headline product | Yes, on every plan |
| Pricing | From £26+VAT/mo as shown (3 properties) | free for the Book now button, or from £12.99/month for a website we build for you + 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 how it works. If you already use Bookster, you can keep it.
Questions owners ask
Is HolidayFox a Bookster alternative?
Yes, for taking bookings. Bookster's extra is a holiday-let 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 Book now button, or from £12.99/month for a website we build for you plus 5% commission on bookings taken through HolidayFox. Card fees are separate: Stripe, the card-payment company, takes its standard fee (1.5% + 20p for UK cards).
Can I keep Bookster and use HolidayFox?
Yes. Link the two calendars so you're never double-booked. You don't have to keep it.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-11