Facility Booking Software CostWhat it actually costs, once you subtract the card processing.
Facility booking software is sold two ways: a flat monthly subscription, typically $100 to $300 for a single site, or a per-transaction fee that bundles card processing, commonly around 3.9% plus a fixed amount per booking. Comparing them honestly means subtracting the card processing you'd pay either way — about 2.9% + 30¢ — and looking at what's left.
- Flat model
- $100–$300/mo, unlimited bookings
- Per-transaction model
- ≈3.9% + a fixed per-booking fee
- Card processing
- ≈2.9% + 30¢, paid under either model
- Crossover
- ≈85 bookings/month at a $45 average ticket
- Cinch
- $249/mo flat, zero transaction fees
Why does 'free' software often cost more?
Because a $0 subscription with a bundled per-transaction fee isn't free — it moves the entire cost into a per-booking charge you stop noticing. Subtract standard card processing and what's left is the software fee: often about 1% plus roughly $2.50 per booking, charged whether the booking is $20 or $300.
| Bookings per month (avg $45) | Per-transaction surcharge | Cinch flat |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $147 | $249 |
| 85 | $250 | $249 |
| 150 | $441 | $249 |
| 300 | $882 | $249 |
| 600 | $1,764 | $249 |
"Surcharge" is the part of a per-transaction platform's fee that is NOT card processing: roughly 1% + $2.49 per booking once you subtract Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢, which you'd pay either way. At a $45 average ticket the two models cost the same at about 85 bookings a month. Below that, per-transaction is cheaper. Above it, the flat fee wins and keeps winning — it never grows again.
When is per-transaction pricing actually the better deal?
When your volume is low or your season is short. A facility doing thirty bookings a month, or one that closes for four months a year, genuinely pays less under a per-transaction model — there's no bill in the quiet months. That's a real advantage and it's worth taking seriously.
It stops being an advantage the moment volume arrives, because the fee grows with every booking forever while a flat fee doesn't. The question to ask yourself is not what this month costs; it's what your best month costs.
What's the honest math at a small average ticket?
At a $35 half-hour rental, a 3.9% + $2.79 structure takes $4.16, versus $1.32 in card processing under a flat model — a $2.84 gap on every single booking. At a $300 team package the same structures are $14.49 and $9.00, a much smaller gap in percentage terms.
| Booking | Per-transaction platform (≈3.9% + $2.79) | Flat software + your own Stripe (2.9% + 30¢) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $35 — half-hour cage or bay | $4.16 (11.9%) | $1.32 (3.8%) | $2.84 |
| $70 — one hour | $5.52 (7.9%) | $2.33 (3.3%) | $3.19 |
| $120 — two-hour court block | $7.47 (6.2%) | $3.78 (3.2%) | $3.69 |
| $300 — team package | $14.49 (4.8%) | $9.00 (3.0%) | $5.49 |
≈3.9% + $2.79 is a representative rate for all-in-one sports-facility platforms that bundle payment processing into one per-transaction fee; check the actual rate on any quote you're comparing. The flat column assumes you connect your own Stripe account and pay Stripe directly. The gap closes as the ticket grows — per-transaction pricing is genuinely reasonable on a $300 package and genuinely expensive on a $35 cage rental.
What else belongs in the comparison?
Setup fees, contract length, and what's excluded. A free tier with a $250 setup fee and a branded app sold separately is not the same offer as a flat price with everything included, and a twelve-month commitment is not the same risk as month-to-month.
- Setup fee. Ask specifically. Free tiers frequently carry one.
- Contract length. Many discounted tiers require twelve months.
- Branded app. Often a separate line item, sometimes over $100/mo.
- Access control. Ask whether integration is included or a paid add-on, and whether it requires their hardware.
- Website. Frequently not included at all.
Asked and answered.
Should I pass the software fee on to customers?+
What does Cinch cost?+
Is there a version for very small operators?+
One system. Booking, payment, waiver, door.
$249/mo flat, every feature included, no transaction fees and no contract. Free migration from whatever you run today.