Checkfront vs SimplyBook.me (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SimplyBook.me grades higher than Checkfront: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
SimplyBook.me grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Checkfront
Online booking software for tours, rentals and activities
SimplyBook.me
Online booking system for service businesses, priced by volume
Which one is for you
Pick Checkfront if
- Fits if you run tours, rentals or activities with limited availability
- Works for operators who sell through online travel agents
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small: $99 a month plus a 3% fee on every online booking
- Not for you if you book one-to-one meetings, as it is built for tours and rentals
- Watch out: the page says the price may vary by region and currency
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
Pick SimplyBook.me if
- Fits if you have several staff and would rather pay a flat fee than per user
- Works for businesses that sell memberships, packages, gift cards or products alongside appointments
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider, no online payments, and the plan must be renewed monthly
- Tight if you take lots of bookings, since Basic stops at 100 a month and extra packs are $4 per 100
- Pricey if you rely on text reminders or want your own domain: SMS and WhatsApp are $8 per 100, a domain $119
- Not for you if you need HIPAA or SAML SSO on a budget, as both start on Standard at €24.9 a month
- Watch out: plans are priced in euros but add-ons in US dollars, so the real total takes some working out
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACheckfrontWeak | 2.4GPASimplyBook.meFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$99 a month plus 3% of online bookings, against $49 for the dearest tenth of calendar tools. | CBasic is €11.9 a month billed annually, €13.9 monthly, for 5 providers and 100 bookings. Set against its own rivals, Setmore and Acuity and Square Appointments, that's middling: a flat fee suits a team, but 500 bookings means Standard at €24.9, extra bookings are $4 per 100 and SMS credits $8 per 100. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on the pricing page; a demo is offered. | CFree with no time limit, though you renew it monthly: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider and 1 premium custom feature. Taking payments needs Basic. Fifty bookings is about two a day, so you'll hit that cap in a real week. |
| Features | BAvailability by day, night or slot, widgets, payments, waivers, online travel agent links and automated messages. | BA booking website and widget, intake forms, memberships, gift cards, classes, waiting lists, online payments, deposits, tips, point of sale, reminders by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and HIPAA features from Standard. That covers the whole job, though your plan limits how many premium extras you may switch on. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and an inventory of tours or rentals is yours to build. | CNo store rating on record, and this is a lot of switches: services, providers and a list of custom features toggled on one by one, with premium ones counted against your plan. Ask Simply, the built-in AI chat, is there to set things up for you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb service with 8 listed integrations; no phone or desktop apps listed. | BWeb, plus admin and client apps for iPhone and Android, with no desktop app listed. It works with Google and Outlook calendars, Stripe, PayPal, Square, Zapier, QuickBooks and Teams, and there's an API and an MCP connection for outside assistants. |
| Best for | booking software for tours, rentals and activities | service businesses that want one flat booking fee |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Checkfront and SimplyBook.me. How we grade
Price against what you get
Checkfront starts at $99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SimplyBook.me starts at about $13.29 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and SimplyBook.me starts $85.71 a month lower. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, 18 score higher than Checkfront for less, and 17 score higher than SimplyBook.me for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Checkfront also covers calendar, appointment booking, channel manager and ticketing.
- SimplyBook.me also covers booking links and reports.
At a glance
| Checkfront | SimplyBook.me | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $99 per month, plus a 3% online booking fee | €11.9 per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 50 bookings a month, 1 provider and 1 premium custom feature, with a booking website, booking widget and the admin app. It has no time limit but must be renewed monthly. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of most custom features with 50 bookings, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Checkfront Inc. | SimplyBook.me Ltd |
| Price read from | checkfront.com | simplybook.me |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Checkfront
- Online bookings carry a 3% fee on top of the monthly subscription, which can be passed on to guests.
- The pricing page quotes $99 a month but notes that the price may vary by region and currency.
- There is no free plan or free trial on the pricing page; a demo is requested instead.
- It is built for tours, rentals and activities, not for one-to-one meeting scheduling.
SimplyBook.me
- Plan prices are listed in euros. Add-ons such as SMS credits and extra bookings are listed in US dollars.
- Every plan caps monthly bookings: 50 on Free, 100 on Basic, 500 on Standard and 2,000 on Premium. Extra bookings are sold in packs of 100 for $4.
- SMS and WhatsApp credits ($8 per 100) and a custom domain ($119 with 3 years of SSL) are paid separately from the subscription.
- HIPAA and SAML SSO need Standard or above; accounting integrations and the white-label footer need Premium.
Key features
Checkfront
- Flexible availability
- Products can be booked by the day, multiple days, the night, a timeslot or flextime, with capacity limits, rules such as guest minimums and cut-off times, and seasonal pricing.
- Booking widgets
- Four embed options: a catalog widget, a product widget, a booking widget and a Book Now button, plus WordPress, Drupal and Joomla connections.
- Resellers and online travel agents
- Connects to channels such as GetYourGuide, Viator, Expedia and Tripadvisor. The vendor says it adds no fee on top of OTA commissions.
- Payments
- Guests can pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, iDEAL or Alipay, with receipts and invoices sent from the system.
- Waivers and guest forms
- Built-in online waivers and a custom form builder collect guest information at booking or afterwards.
- Automated email and SMS
- Reminders and review requests can be sent on custom booking statuses, with Twilio SMS and Slack notifications as add-ons.
SimplyBook.me
- Booking website and widget
- Every plan includes a mobile-responsive booking website, a widget for an existing site, and bookings through a Facebook page. Instagram and Google Business buttons are also offered.
- Custom features
- Extras such as intake forms, memberships, gift cards, classes, waiting lists and SOAP notes are toggled on per account. Premium ones count against the plan's limit of 1, 3 or 8.
- Payments and point of sale
- From Basic, take online payments, deposits and tips through gateways such as Stripe, PayPal and Square, or sell in person with the POS. SimplyBook.me adds no transaction fee.
- Reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp
- Automatic confirmation, reminder and cancellation emails are on every plan. SMS and WhatsApp messages use credits that are bought separately.
- Ask Simply and AI Voice Booking
- Ask Simply is a built-in AI chat for setting up services and managing bookings, and an MCP connection lets outside assistants run the account. AI Voice Booking uses paid credits.
- Admin and client apps
- The admin app for iOS and Android manages the calendar and bookings. Clients can book and reschedule in a client app, which can carry the business's own branding from Standard.
Plans
Checkfront
Checkfront$99
per month, plus a 3% online booking fee
The only plan, for every business type. The 3% fee applies to online bookings and can be absorbed or passed on to guests; offline bookings have none.
SimplyBook.me
Free€0
50 bookings a month, 1 provider and 1 premium custom feature, with a booking website, widget and the admin app.
Basic€11.9
per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly)
100 bookings, 5 providers and 3 premium custom features; adds the client app, payments, deposits, tips and point of sale.
Standard€24.9
per month, billed annually (€29.9 billed monthly)
500 bookings, 15 providers and 8 premium custom features; adds a branded client app, HIPAA features and SAML SSO.
Premium€49.9
per month, billed annually (€59.9 billed monthly)
2,000 bookings, 30 providers and unlimited custom features; adds Payments PRO, QuickBooks, FreshBooks and Xero links, and a white-label footer.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom booking volume and providers, multi-location cluster interface, account manager, high-load API and a choice of data location; billed annually.
Ways to pay less
Checkfront
No public discounts listed.
SimplyBook.me
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with annual billing
SimplyBook.me's pricing page puts the annual-billing saving at up to 17%, which it describes as two months free compared with paying monthly.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit and charity discounts on request
The pricing FAQ invites nonprofit and charity organizations to contact SimplyBook.me to discuss qualifying discounts. No rate is published.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Checkfront or SimplyBook.me?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SimplyBook.me is cheaper to start with: about $13.29 a month, against $99 a month for Checkfront. Checkfront starts at $99 per month, plus a 3% online booking fee, and SimplyBook.me starts at €11.9 per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Checkfront or SimplyBook.me?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SimplyBook.me has a free plan. Checkfront does not.
Which platforms do Checkfront and SimplyBook.me run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SimplyBook.me lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.