What Does Commission Free Booking Software Actually Cost?

Zero commission sounds straightforward. Your venue takes a booking and the booking provider does not take a percentage of its value. The next question is just as important: what will the system cost to build, run and maintain?

A sensible comparison includes both. I would rather a venue understood the full commitment than chose a system on one attractive headline.

Separate the different charges

Booking commission is the percentage a platform charges on booking value. It is different from the fee a payment provider charges to process a card payment.

You may also pay a fixed platform subscription, a development or implementation charge, hosting, support, software licences or charges for additional services. Some arrangements bundle these; others price them separately.

MBM Ireland charges 0% booking commission through its commission free booking software. Standard payment-processing charges may still apply. Custom development, licensing, maintenance and support need to be considered in the overall proposal.

Compare the same period and scope

Write down what you currently pay over a typical year. Include seasonal peaks and quieter months rather than multiplying your busiest month by twelve.

Check what the commission applies to: the full booking value, deposits, particular products or something else. Confirm whether refunds affect the fee and which charges are recoverable.

Then compare the proposed system over the same period, with the same activities and locations. A party-only tool and a system covering parties, open play, memberships and private hire are different propositions.

You can build this comparison from your own records. You do not need to send client invoices or financial documents to begin a conversation about your requirements.

Use an illustrative total cost calculation

Suppose a venue processes €120,000 of annual booking value and pays 3% booking commission. That commission is €3,600. If it also pays €600 in fixed annual platform charges, the combined platform cost is €4,200 before payment processing.

For illustration only, imagine an alternative with a €5,000 initial implementation cost and €1,200 annual support and hosting. Its first-year cost would be €6,200, and its three-year cost €8,600 if recurring costs remain unchanged. The existing arrangement would total €12,600 over three years if booking value and fees stay the same.

That produces a €4,000 illustrative difference over three years. It does not mean €4,000 of guaranteed savings. These are invented comparison figures, not an MBM quotation; payment processing, VAT where applicable, additional licences and switching costs must be considered consistently on both sides.

Ask what changes after launch

Agree what support includes, how changes are requested and whether there are separate charges for new activities, venues or booking rules. Clarify ownership, licences, access and how data can be exported.

Ask what happens if a payment succeeds but the confirmation fails, how double bookings are prevented and who responds to an urgent issue. A low fee has limited value if staff spend hours correcting avoidable mistakes.

Evaluate administrative effort alongside cost. Saving ten minutes on each of many bookings may matter commercially, but measure it rather than assuming every automated task removes a staff cost.

Plan the changeover carefully

Existing bookings, balances, voucher commitments and customer communications need a clear transition plan. Decide which system is authoritative during the change and test the new journey before opening it to customers.

A busy Christmas trading period may be the wrong moment for an avoidable migration. If the current system is reliable, planning now and implementing after a peak may be more sensible. Urgent problems need their own assessment.

Thank you for reading. This week, separate booking commission from payment-processing and fixed charges so you know what you are comparing.