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Comparing booking systems: five kinds for rentals with nobody on site

Q: Rentalbuddy or Periode for a sauna?

It depends on how you sell the sauna. Periode is built for public saunas that sell seats per person, drop-ins, punch passes and gift cards: no monthly fee, 3.5% + 2 SEK per payment in Sweden, codes for Inlet or Lokalkontoret locks, and a stove connected to Inlet can heat up before a session. Rentalbuddy rents out the whole sauna by the session with nobody on site: 299 SEK a month with no commission, a code for a battery-powered Igloohome key box with nothing to wire, memberships and hosted evenings as events, and remote start of a Harvia heater on a Fenix panel (beta). At 800 SEK a session, Periode's fee costs less below about 20 sessions a month (17 on a yearly plan); above that, Rentalbuddy does.

Q: Is a fixed monthly price cheaper than a fee per booking?

Only once you're busy enough. At 800 SEK a session, Rentalbuddy's Starter plan plus Stripe's fee costs less than a fee of 3.5% + 2 SEK per payment from about 20 sessions a month – about 17 on a yearly plan. Below that, the fee per payment costs less. A cheaper session takes more bookings to break even, a dearer one fewer.

Q: Can I keep my tour or sauna system and add Rentalbuddy?

Yes. Keep your current system for guided tours, cabins or what you sell through Viator, GetYourGuide or Airbnb, and run what customers use on their own – kayaks, SUPs, a sauna, bikes – in Rentalbuddy. The two systems don't sync, so book each item in only one of them.

Five kinds of booking system are used to rent out saunas, kayaks, trailers and courts with nobody on site: activity and tour systems, sauna-session systems, general rental tools, room booking with door access, and kiosk franchises and trailer networks. They differ in how you pay – a fixed price or a share of every booking – which locks they make codes for and how the renter gets the code. Rentalbuddy is built only for self-service rental: a fixed public price from 299 SEK a month with no commission, and a new code for every booking on battery-powered Igloohome locks, shown only on the renter's unlock page.

Below: what each kind does well, what it costs, when a fee per booking is cheaper than our fixed price, and when another system fits you better. Facts about other systems come from their own websites, linked next to each one and checked in October 2026. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email us and we'll correct it.

The five kinds at a glance

Kind of system	What you pay	A lock code for each booking	Checked
Rentalbuddy	A fixed plan from 299 SEK a month, no commission	A code per booking for battery-powered Igloohome locks, on the renter's unlock page	Oct 2026
Activity and tour systems, e.g. BookSpot, Bókun	A share of each booking; Bókun also a monthly plan	BookSpot: a code per booking through Igloo locks	Oct 2026
Sauna-session systems, e.g. Periode, Gibbs	Periode: a fee per payment, no monthly fee. Gibbs: a monthly plan	A code per booking: Periode with Inlet or Lokalkontoret locks, Gibbs with over 100 lock suppliers	Oct 2026
General rental tools, e.g. Booqable, Anolla, TWICE	Booqable: a monthly plan, no commission. Anolla: a free start, then priced by rental units. TWICE: €199 a month per location (€99 for one location in its own example) plus 1.5% of every payment	Booqable: no lock integration listed. Anolla: supports smart locks, it says. TWICE: smart locks and PIN systems through API connections, it says; no lock maker named	Oct 2026
Room booking with door access, e.g. BokaMera	A free version; paid plans, with a cost per booking above the included ones	A code per booking for wired door-access systems, sent by email or text message	Oct 2026
Kiosk franchises and trailer networks, e.g. Kayakomat, Heiuki, Freetrailer	Kayakomat: an investment plus a yearly licence fee. Heiuki: a partner location, with €0 starting capital by its own comparison. Freetrailer: the store provides the space, and customers borrow for free	Locks and access are part of the network's own system and app	Oct 2026

Every Rentalbuddy cost, with a worked example

What each kind does well – and what it costs

Activity and tour systems: BookSpot, Bókun

Built for guided tours and activities that you sell on your own website and through resellers such as Viator and GetYourGuide.

BookSpot was started by the founders of Långholmen Kajak in Stockholm and says 600+ businesses use it. You pay "a small percentage-based fee when a booking is completed"; the rate comes in a quote. Its Igloo integration makes a time-based code for each booking and sends it to the guest before the booking starts. (BookSpot FAQ, kayak page)
Bókun costs from US$49 a month plus 1.5% per booking; the percentage is 1–1.5%, depending on the plan. (Bókun pricing)

Pick one of these if you sell guided tours, or most of your trips through Viator or GetYourGuide: Rentalbuddy doesn't connect to resellers.

Sauna-session systems: Periode, Gibbs

Built for saunas that sell seats per person in shared sessions, drop-ins, punch passes and gift cards.

Periode says 200+ sauna operators in 13 countries use it. There's no monthly fee and no setup fee: you pay per payment, card fees included – in Sweden from 3.5% + 2 SEK for a debit card and 3.9% + 2 SEK for a credit card, in Norway from 4.4% + 2 NOK – and the rate goes down as your volume grows. With Inlet or Lokalkontoret locks every booking gets its own code, which guests see on their booking on the day, and a stove connected to Inlet can heat up before a session. (Periode pricing, unstaffed saunas)
Gibbs costs from NOK 699 a month excl. VAT, plus NOK 1 per text message, and works with over 100 smart-lock suppliers. Its keypad lock for saunas runs on 12 or 24 volts, needs Wi-Fi and a power supply and is fitted by a locksmith; a complete sauna package comes with a 4G router. A code or access link goes to the guest by text message or email. (Gibbs prices, smart locks, sauna lock, how Gibbs works)

Pick one of these if you run a public sauna that sells seats per person, punch passes or gift cards, or you want Vipps in the online checkout. Renting out the whole sauna by the session, with nobody on site? That's what Rentalbuddy is built for, and it has some of the same tools: memberships that guests buy once in the booking window for a set discount, promo codes, hosted sauna evenings sold per person as events – and, for an electric sauna with a Harvia heater on a Fenix control panel, a remote start from your phone or automatically before each booking (beta). In Norway, renters pay Rentalbuddy bookings by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, which visitors from abroad can use too; Vipps works only on bookings you make yourself, such as phone bookings. The sauna booking system

General rental tools: Booqable, Anolla, TWICE

Built for rental shops: stock, quotes, pick-up and delivery.

Booqable says 8,500+ businesses use it. It has fixed monthly plans, 20% off when billed yearly, and takes no commission on bookings. We found no lock integration among its listed integrations. (Booqable pricing, integrations)
Anolla has a free start plan; paid plans are priced by the number of rental units, with pay-as-you-go fees for add-ons such as payments and text messages. It says its platform supports smart locks and key cabinets, and its Norwegian pages for kayak and SUP rental say the booking system can connect to access control and lighting, so self-service rental can run around the clock – with smart access control for board stores and self-service rental lockers. Those pages don't name a lock maker or say whether each booking gets its own code; payment runs through Stripe. (Anolla rental software, Anolla on pricing, in Swedish; Anolla for SUP rental, for kayak rental, in Norwegian)
TWICE is a rental and commerce platform with a page for saunas. Its standard tier costs €0 a month with a 1.5% commission on every payment it processes, plus €199 a month per location – its own example puts one location at €99 a month, with 50% off the first – and guided onboarding costs €999 once. Its sauna page says it connects smart locks and PIN systems through API connections, so your access platform makes a PIN code valid only for the booked slot; it also takes deposits, and it doesn't name a lock maker. (TWICE pricing, TWICE for saunas)

Pick one of these if you run a staffed rental shop with a large stock, delivery or quotes, or you want a free start and already have an access system they work with. Before you choose one for self-service, ask which lock it makes codes for (see the four things to ask ).

Room booking with door access: BokaMera

BokaMera says more than 6,000 businesses use it. There's a free version; paid licences include a set number of bookings, with a cost per booking above that. It connects to wired door-access systems – among them RCO, Axema, Parakey, Accessy and Assa Abloy Aptus – and sends a one-time code by email or text message after payment. (BokaMera, code locks, FAQ)

Pick it if you rent out rooms, halls or courts in a building that already has an access system. Where a battery-powered lock or key box on the door is enough, see courts and rooms in Rentalbuddy.

Kiosk franchises and trailer networks: Kayakomat, Heiuki, Freetrailer, Use4Free

Kayakomat, started by the Swedish kayak maker Point 65, runs self-service kayak stations as a "franchise-lite": you run a station under its brand and use its system. Its own page speaks of "an investment under €10,000"; a 2025 article on franchising.eu puts a standard 6-locker station with equipment at about €15,000–18,000, plus a yearly service and licensing fee of about €1,500–3,000. (Kayakomat, franchising.eu)
Heiuki runs self-sufficient, solar-powered SUP and kayak vending stations at over 100 locations in Europe – among them Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Under its HEIUKI SHARE franchise model you operate a location of your own, and Heiuki's own comparison puts the starting capital at €0. (heiuki.com, Heiuki's SUP and kayak automat)
Freetrailer is a trailer network for stores. Its partner pages say the store provides the parking space, customers borrow the trailers for free through Freetrailer's app, and Freetrailer handles the bookings, customer service, maintenance, payments and admin – the store gets the visits and its brand on the trailers. It names 1,900 partner stores, in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Germany. (Freetrailer partner page)
Use4Free, part of the trailer maker Brenderup Group, works the same way at BAUHAUS in Sweden: customers book, collect and return the trailer in the Use4Free app, which is also the key. (Use4Free, BAUHAUS trailer booking)

Pick one of these if you want a ready-made station and equipment in one package and don't mind running under someone else's name – or, as a store, you want the visits that free trailers bring without running a rental yourself. With Rentalbuddy you build or buy your own box or trailers and keep your own name, prices and income (kayak and SUP rental, trailer rental).

When Rentalbuddy fits – and when it doesn't

Something else fits better if…

you sell guided tours, or most of your trips through Viator or GetYourGuide
you run a public sauna that sells seats per person, punch passes or gift cards
you take fewer than about 20 bookings a month at 800 SEK – a fee per payment then costs less (the numbers )
you run a staffed rental shop with delivery, quotes and a large stock
you want a ready-made station under a network's brand, such as Kayakomat or Heiuki – or, as a store, free trailers from a network such as Freetrailer
your building already has a wired access system you want to use
you need card deposits, text messages, automatic ID checks or sync with Airbnb or Booking.com – Rentalbuddy doesn't do these (everything we don't do)

Choose Rentalbuddy if…

people use what you rent on their own, with nobody on site
the lock sits where there's no power or Wi-Fi – on a raft, a beach, a trailer or a ski rack: Igloohome's locks run on batteries and their codes work offline
you rent out a whole sauna by the session – wood-fired, with a woodshed that gets its own code for each booking, or electric, with a Harvia heater Rentalbuddy can start before guests arrive (beta)
you want one fixed, public price that doesn't grow with your bookings
you rent out several things – a sauna, kayaks and the woodshed – and want them on one plan
you'd rather the code never travels by email or text message
you want your own name, prices and customers, with no franchise fee

Sounds like your rental? Try Rentalbuddy free – for 30 days, or until your rental opens (up to 180 days), with no credit card. Or book a demo, and we'll go through your current setup with you.

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Fixed price or a fee per payment: where the break-even is

A fee per payment costs nothing in a quiet month; a fixed plan costs the same however busy you are. Which costs less depends on how many bookings you take. An example: one sauna in Sweden, with renters paying by Swedish debit card, Periode's published rate against Rentalbuddy's (both checked October 2026, excl. VAT):

Fee per payment (Periode): 3.5% + 2 SEK per payment, card fees included, no monthly fee.
Rentalbuddy: 299 SEK a month (248 billed yearly), plus Igloohome's code fee of about 20 SEK for the lock, plus Stripe's 1.5% + 1.80 SEK per payment for a European standard card.

What that comes to per session, and where the break-even lies:

A 400 SEK session: the fee per payment is 16.00 SEK, Stripe's fee 7.80 SEK. Rentalbuddy costs less from 39 sessions a month (33 on a yearly plan).
An 800 SEK session: 30.00 SEK against 13.80 SEK. Rentalbuddy costs less from 20 sessions a month (17 on a yearly plan).
A 1,200 SEK session: 44.00 SEK against 19.80 SEK. Rentalbuddy costs less from 14 sessions a month (12 on a yearly plan).

Below those numbers the fee per payment costs less; above them the fixed plan does, and the gap grows with every booking. Not counted: the locks themselves on either side, credit and premium cards (3.9% + 2 SEK at Periode, 2.8% + 1.80 SEK at Stripe, which narrows the gap per booking) and Periode's lower rates as your volume grows. Work out your own numbers in the earnings calculator, or see what the price includes.

Questions about choosing a booking system

Looking for an alternative to Periode, BookSpot, Gibbs, TWICE or Kayakomat?

If what you rent out is used with nobody on site – a whole sauna by the session, kayaks or SUPs in a box, trailers outside a store – Rentalbuddy is an alternative built only for that. You pay a fixed 299 SEK (about €27) a month with no commission, instead of a share of every payment (Periode, and TWICE on top of its fee per location) or booking (BookSpot); the Igloohome lock runs on batteries, with no wiring, Wi-Fi or router at the door (Gibbs's sauna lock needs 12 or 24 volts and Wi-Fi); and the box, the name and the prices are yours, with no franchise or licence fee (Kayakomat).

It isn't the right alternative if you sell seats per person, punch passes or gift cards, or most of your tours through Viator or GetYourGuide – see when another system fits better . Test it while your current system keeps taking bookings: the free trial runs until your switch date, up to 180 days.

Don't other booking systems make lock codes too?

Many do – the difference is in what happens around the code. BookSpot makes codes through Igloo locks, Periode through Inlet or Lokalkontoret locks, Gibbs through over 100 lock suppliers and BokaMera through wired door-access systems. Compare four things: whether the lock needs power or a network at the door (Igloohome's padlocks and key boxes run on batteries, and their codes work offline), how the renter gets the code (in Rentalbuddy only on their unlock page after paying, never by email or text message), whether a shared door – a box or a shed – gives each booking its own code (it does in Rentalbuddy), and whether the code follows a booking you move or extend (it does). If a system's page doesn't name the lock, ask which padlock or key box it makes codes for before you buy any.

Rentalbuddy or Periode for a sauna?

It depends on how you sell the sauna. Periode is built for public saunas that sell seats per person, drop-ins, punch passes and gift cards: no monthly fee, 3.5% + 2 SEK per payment in Sweden, codes for Inlet or Lokalkontoret locks, and a stove connected to Inlet can heat up before a session. Rentalbuddy rents out the whole sauna by the session with nobody on site: 299 SEK a month with no commission, a code for a battery-powered Igloohome key box with nothing to wire, memberships and hosted evenings as events, and remote start of a Harvia heater on a Fenix panel (beta). At 800 SEK a session, Periode's fee costs less below about 20 sessions a month (17 on a yearly plan); above that, Rentalbuddy does. The break-even table

Is a fixed monthly price cheaper than a fee per booking?

Only once you're busy enough. At 800 SEK a session, Rentalbuddy's Starter plan plus Stripe's fee costs less than a fee of 3.5% + 2 SEK per payment from about 20 sessions a month – about 17 on a yearly plan. Below that, the fee per payment costs less. A cheaper session takes more bookings to break even, a dearer one fewer. The break-even table

Can I keep my tour or sauna system and add Rentalbuddy?

Yes. Keep your current system for guided tours, cabins or what you sell through Viator, GetYourGuide or Airbnb, and run what customers use on their own – kayaks, SUPs, a sauna, bikes – in Rentalbuddy. The two systems don't sync, so book each item in only one of them. How switching works

How do I switch from another booking system?

Set up and test Rentalbuddy while your current system keeps taking bookings: your free trial runs until your switch date, up to 180 days, and we help by phone or email. Connect your Stripe account – a new one or the one you already use – and Igloohome locks you already own connect as they are if they're on Igloohome's supported list. There's no automatic import, so on switch day you add the bookings already made by hand. Switching, step by step

Where do the facts about other systems come from?

From each company's own website, linked next to each fact and checked on 22–23 October 2026. Kayakomat's station cost also comes from a 2025 article on franchising.eu. Prices and features change, so check the source before you decide. If something here is wrong or out of date, email info@rentalbuddy.io and we'll correct it.

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