Booking systems
Freetobook vs Bookalet for Glamping Sites
Two booking systems, one shortlist. Here is how Freetobook and Bookalet differ on cost, calendar sync and fit for a glamping site.
You’ve got two booking systems on your shortlist and a calendar that needs to stop double bookings. The Freetobook vs Bookalet choice mostly comes down to how you want to pay.
Freetobook has a free booking engine and charges per booking only if you add its channel manager. Bookalet is a yearly subscription built for holiday homes and self-catering. For a small glamping site, both do the basic job of showing availability and taking enquiries or bookings.
Freetobook vs Bookalet at a glance
Freetobook is the free-to-start option with pay-as-you-go extras, and Bookalet is the flat-fee option aimed at self-catering. This table sets them side by side.
| Freetobook | Bookalet | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Hotels, B&Bs and guest houses | Holiday homes, rentals and self-catering |
| How you pay | Free booking engine, paid extras | Yearly subscription |
| Commission on bookings | None on the booking engine | None, it’s subscription based |
| Linking to other sites | Channel manager at £1.50 per booking | Calendar sync with third-party portals |
| Card payments | Yearly subscription, £139 (£99 for a single unit) | Check which plan includes it |
| Best for | Owners who want to start at no cost | Owners who want one flat yearly fee |
What Freetobook costs and does
Freetobook gives you a booking engine for free, then charges for the extras you add. Its own pricing page says the direct booking engine is free forever, with no tie-in, annual fee or commission.
Freetobook says it has over 9,000 properties across 130 countries, and it’s based in Glasgow. It was built for independent hotels, B&Bs and guest houses, so some of the language will feel more hotel than hut.
The paid part is the channel manager, which links your calendar to other sites.
- £1.50 for each booking that comes through a channel. Direct bookings are free.
- A one-off £49 connection fee for each channel.
- A £9 monthly minimum, and a cap of £99 a month once you reach 66 bookings.
- Card Payments as a yearly subscription, £139 a year or £99 for a single unit.
What Bookalet costs and does
Bookalet is online booking software for holiday homes, rentals and self-catering properties. It gives you an availability calendar and an enquiry or booking form, and it can sync calendars with third-party portals to help avoid double bookings.
You pay a yearly subscription, not commission. Capterra lists three plans, Lite at £115 a year, Pro at £159 and Agent at £189. Bookalet’s own price list is the one to trust when you sign up, so read it first.
Because it was built for self-catering, the setup will feel familiar if you run a holiday let beside your glamping units. There’s a free trial period listed on its WordPress plugin page, which is a low-risk way to see if you like it.
Which one suits a glamping site
Freetobook suits an owner who wants to start at no cost, and Bookalet suits an owner who would rather know the yearly bill up front. The difference grows once you list on other sites.
Take a site with three pods on a farm that sits on Airbnb, Booking.com, Canopy & Stars and CoolStays. Freetobook’s channel manager would charge £49 to connect each channel, then £1.50 per booking that arrives through one. At 20 channel bookings a month that’s £30, or £360 a year. A flat fee such as Bookalet’s £115 on Capterra starts to look cheaper once you pass roughly 6 channel bookings a month, though that ignores connection fees.
A single shepherd’s hut with a hot tub that takes most bookings direct has a different sum. Freetobook costs nothing until you add paid extras, and direct bookings through its engine carry no per-booking fee.
Freetobook fits best when you
- take most bookings on your own site
- want to start at zero and add extras later
- like paying per booking, so quiet months cost less
Bookalet fits best when you
- want one yearly figure and no per-booking charge
- run self-catering units alongside your glamping
- list on several sites and want calendars to match
Putting either one on your own website
Either system can be embedded on your own site, with online payments if you want them. What decides whether guests book is the page around the calendar. Millie the Hut’s booking page, for example, puts an availability calendar, a short enquiry form and a seasonal rate card on one page.
Listings don’t stop guests looking for you directly. Even when someone finds you on a listing site, they often search for your own website afterwards, hoping for a better deal or because they know you keep more of the money. A booking system on your own site, with clear prices, is what they land on.
If you already know which system you’re choosing, we can set up Freetobook on your own website or Bookalet on your own website so the calendar matches your site.
Fees accurate as of October 2026.
FAQs
Is Freetobook really free?
Its direct booking engine is free, with no tie-in, annual fee or commission, according to Freetobook’s own pricing page. The paid parts sit on top. The channel manager is £1.50 per booking with a £9 monthly minimum, and card payments are a yearly subscription. So the core is free, but check which extras you actually need.
Does Bookalet take commission on bookings?
Bookalet is sold as a subscription, not a commission model, so you pay a yearly fee and keep the booking amount, less any card processing charges. Capterra lists plans from £115 a year. Bookalet’s own price list is on bookalet.co.uk, so check which plan includes the features you want before you sign up.
Can I use Freetobook or Bookalet on my own website?
Yes. Both are designed to give you a calendar or booking form you can put on your own site. Embedding a booking system, including online payments, is part of what we build for glamping websites. The system does the booking work, and your site is what persuades a guest to use it.
Which is better for a single shepherd’s hut?
Either can work. One comparison guide suggests single property owners may prefer simple systems like Bookalet or Freetobook. If you only take bookings on your own site, Freetobook’s free engine costs nothing to start. If you also list on Airbnb or Booking.com and want calendars to match, compare the sync costs in this guide.
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