Campground software for small campgrounds, meaning parks under about 50 sites, needs to do five jobs: hold your site map, take bookings online and at the counter, collect deposits and balances, keep a guest record, and report what you earned. How you pay for it matters more than the feature list, because a small park can pay a flat monthly fee, a charge on every reservation, a one-time desktop license, or nothing while guests pay a booking fee.
What a small park actually needs
A 30-site park does not run like a 400-site resort. You have one office and a booking season that bunches into a few months. The software should fit that.
If a product does these well, it can run a small park.
- A site map or site list. Every site, its type (full hookup, water and electric, tent, cabin), its rate, and its rules, such as a rig length limit.
- Online booking you control. A page or a widget on your own website where a camper picks dates, picks a site type, and pays a deposit. You should be able to turn it off for a site or a date range.
- Counter and phone booking. The same calendar, entered by you in under a minute. Most small parks still take a large share of bookings by phone.
- Deposits, balances and refunds. Card payments with a clear record of what was paid, what is owed, and what was refunded.
- A guest record and simple reports. Contact, rig details, past stays, plus occupancy, revenue and a printable arrivals list for the morning.
- Seasonal and monthly stays. If you rent sites by the month, check that the software handles long stays. Firefly, for one, publishes a separate $3.50 per month charge for long-term reservations, so ask how each vendor treats them (Firefly pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
- A way to get your old data in. Import of sites, guests and future reservations from a spreadsheet saves a weekend of retyping.
CampStack does number 7 with a CSV import of sites, guests and future reservations, and it offers an embeddable booking widget for your own site. If you are moving from another system, the switching guide walks through it.
What a small park can skip
Many products list features that a park under 50 sites may never touch. Skipping them keeps the price down and the screens simple. Ask whether each one is worth paying for.
- Gate and kiosk hardware. Useful for a large park with controlled entry. CampLife lists a gate add-on at $199 per month plus a $1,500 implementation fee, and a kiosk at $3.50 per kiosk reservation (CampLife pricing, checked 2026-10-25). If you walk to the office and wave at arrivals, you do not need either.
- Enterprise and municipal tiers. Campspot's pricing page lists "Single Park Growth Package", "Campspot for Muni" and "Campspot for Enterprise" (Campspot pricing, checked 2026-10-25). A small private park looks at the single-park plan only.
- Outside-site integrations you will not use. Campspot's page notes that Booking.com, Airbnb and Vrbo integrations may carry additional fees (Campspot pricing, checked 2026-10-25). If you do not list on those sites, do not pay for the connection. CampStack does not sync with Booking.com, Airbnb or Vrbo today.
A good test: write down the five things you did in the office last Saturday. If a feature is not on that list, treat it as optional.
How pricing models differ
There are four common ways a campground software vendor gets paid. Each puts the cost in a different place, and the right one depends on how many bookings you take.
Flat monthly or yearly fee
You pay the same amount whether you take 50 reservations or 500. CampStack is built this way: $49 per month or $490 per year, unlimited reservations, unlimited users, no booking fees, no setup fee, no contract. The bill is predictable. A park with very few bookings pays the same as a busy one.
Per-reservation fee
You pay a set amount each time a reservation is made. The vendor earns more when you book more.
- Firefly: "$3.50/per unit service fee for each new unit booked in a reservation," and you can pay it yourself or pass it on to the guest (Firefly pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
- CampLife: "$3.00 per reservation" with a "$99 monthly minimum." Its plan table also lists "Starting at $99/mo" and "Starting at $249/mo" tiers, and the page says you can pass the fee on to guests as a reservation fee (CampLife pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
- RoverPass: "Small parks pay a $99/month minimum, and your $3.50 per-reservation fees count toward it, so you pay the greater of the two and never both." You decide whether the park absorbs the fee or passes it to the camper at checkout (RoverPass pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
For a small park, the minimum matters. Under RoverPass's wording, a park that takes 200 reservations a year pays $700 in fees, which is below the minimum, so the $99 per month applies.
One-time desktop license
You buy the program once and run it on your office computer. Campground Master's home page says "Only $795 (one-time cost) for a standalone system, no matter how many campsites or rooms you have," with "NO MONTHLY FEES, and no added cost per reservation made" (Campground Master, checked 2026-10-25). Support and updates are included for the first year, then the buying page lists renewal at $100 per year (Campground Master buying page, checked 2026-10-25). The order page says the license never "expires" (order page, checked 2026-10-25).
The trade-off is that desktop software lives on one computer. Ask how online booking works with it before you buy, and what that costs.
Guest-paid booking fee
The camper pays a fee for booking online, and the park may pay little or nothing for the software itself.
- Campspot: the pricing page says "Guest-paid booking fee for online reservations only." The amount was not published on the pages we checked on 2026-10-25, and neither was a monthly price. The page also says it has no software setup fees and no long-term contracts, and that it serves more than 3,500 parks (Campspot pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
- Park With Us: the site says "free" software with "no contracts or costs to you," and that those who book online "pay a small service fee." The amount was not stated on the page (Park With Us, checked 2026-10-25).
If you take most bookings by phone, a guest-paid model may cost you less. If most are online, ask what your guests will see at checkout. The booking fee calculator lets you test your own numbers.
Comparison table
All figures are from each vendor's own public page, checked 2026-10-25. "Not published" means we did not find the number on the pages checked.
| Vendor | Pricing model | Published price | Setup fee | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CampStack | Flat fee | $49/month or $490/year, unlimited reservations and users | None | None |
| Campspot | Guest-paid booking fee, online only | Software price and fee amount not published | "No software setup fees" | "No long-term contracts" |
| Firefly | Per booking | $3.50 per unit booked, park pays or passes to guest | "No setup fees" | "No contracts" |
| CampLife | Per reservation with monthly minimum | $3.00 per reservation, $99 monthly minimum | Onboarding deposit of $100 for 1 to 49 sites, credited back after go-live | Agreement signed, no penalty to leave |
| RoverPass | Per reservation with monthly minimum (small parks) | $99/month minimum, $3.50 per reservation counts toward it | Onboarding included | Cancel anytime |
| Campground Master | One-time license | $795 once, $100/year after the first year for support and updates | "No setup costs" | None stated |
| Park With Us | Free to park, guest-paid online fee | Free to park, guest fee amount not stated | Not stated | "No contracts" |
Card processing is separate. Stripe's standard published rate is "2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards," with no setup or monthly fees (Stripe pricing, checked 2026-10-25). CampStack passes that rate through at cost and never adds a percentage. Several other vendors do not publish processing rates.
An illustration: annual cost for a 30-site park
This is an illustration, not real data. The assumptions are ours.
Assumptions: 30 sites. The park takes 600 reservations a year (about 20 per site). Card processing is left out. The park absorbs per-reservation fees. Campspot and Park With Us are left out because they publish no amounts.
| Option | How we got the number | Annual cost to the park |
|---|---|---|
| CampStack, yearly plan | $490 flat | $490 |
| CampStack, monthly plan | $49 x 12 | $588 |
| Campground Master, year one | $795 license, support included | $795 |
| Campground Master, later years | $100/year renewal, with support and updates | $100 |
| CampLife at $3.00 | 600 x $3.00 | $1,800 |
| RoverPass | 600 x $3.50 is $2,100, above the $99 x 12 = $1,188 minimum | $2,100 |
| Firefly, park pays the fee | 600 x $3.50, assuming each reservation is one unit | $2,100 |
Now change one assumption. If the park takes only 200 reservations a year, RoverPass's $3.50 per reservation comes to $700, so the $1,188 minimum applies. Firefly comes to $700. CampLife's $3.00 per reservation comes to $600, and its page lists a $99 monthly minimum, which would be $1,188 a year. CampStack stays at $490 or $588.
Two cautions. If a vendor lets you pass its fee to guests, your cost drops and the camper's total goes up. And the desktop license row leaves out any cost for taking online bookings, so ask the vendor.
The point is the shape, not the exact dollars. A per-reservation price rises with every booking. A flat fee does not.
A checklist before you sign
Money
- What is the full monthly cost at my booking volume, not the headline price?
- Is there a monthly minimum, and does the per-reservation fee count toward it?
- Is there a setup, onboarding or deposit charge? Is it credited back?
- Who pays the booking fee, me or the guest? Can I choose?
- What does card processing cost, and who sets the rate?
- What do add-ons cost: text messages, gate, integrations?
Control
- Can I cancel any time without a penalty? Is there a written contract?
- Can I export my sites, guests and reservations if I leave, and import my current data to start?
- How many users can log in? Is there a per-user charge?
Daily use
- Can I book a phone reservation in under a minute and print today's arrivals?
- Can I turn off online booking for one site or a set of dates?
If a vendor will not answer the money questions in writing, treat that as your answer.
Where CampStack fits
CampStack launched in 2026. It is flat-fee software for small independent campgrounds and RV parks, priced as above, with a booking widget, CSV import, and a free directory of private campgrounds you can claim. Browse a state on its hub page, such as Florida campgrounds.
It does not sync with Booking.com, Airbnb or Vrbo today. If you need that, CampStack is not the right pick yet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best campground software for small campgrounds?
It depends on how you take bookings. A park with steady online bookings usually does best with a flat fee, because the cost does not rise with each reservation. A park with few bookings may prefer a one-time license or a guest-paid model. Compare the total at your own volume.
How much does campground reservation software cost for a small park?
Published prices in the research for this article run from a one-time $795 desktop license to per-reservation fees of $3.00 to $3.50, with $99 monthly minimums at CampLife and RoverPass. CampStack is $49 per month or $490 per year, flat. Some vendors do not publish a price, so you have to ask.
Is there free campground reservation software?
Park With Us says its software is free, with "no contracts or costs to you," and that guests who book online pay a small service fee. The amount was not published on the page we checked on 2026-10-25. CampStack's launch offer is free until your park's first 25 online bookings, then the rate is locked for life.
What is a guest-paid booking fee?
It is a charge added at checkout when a camper books online, instead of a charge to the park. Campspot's pricing page says "Guest-paid booking fee for online reservations only," and does not publish the amount. Campers see it at checkout, so think about how it looks on the screen.
Can I switch campground software mid-season?
Yes, if the new system can import your data. CampStack imports sites, guests and future reservations by CSV. Campspot says its onboarding team handles migration for its customers (Campspot comparison page, checked 2026-10-25). See our switching guide for the steps.
Does CampStack charge a fee on card payments?
No. Card processing is Stripe's standard rate, passed through at cost. CampStack never adds a percentage, and no CampStack fee appears on guest checkout.
Try it on your park
If the numbers above fit your park, look at the owner page. CampStack is free until your park's first 25 online bookings, then the rate is locked for life, and there is a 14-day trial. There is no contract, so you can leave if it is not right.
Sources
All vendor facts below were checked 2026-10-25.
- Campspot pricing: https://software.campspot.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-25)
- Campspot comparison page: https://software.campspot.com/campspot-vs-resnexus/ (checked 2026-10-25)
- Firefly Reservations pricing: https://fireflyreservations.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-25)
- CampLife pricing: https://software.camplife.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-25)
- RoverPass pricing: https://software.roverpass.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-25)
- Campground Master home page: https://www.campgroundmaster.com/ (checked 2026-10-25)
- Campground Master buying page: https://www.campgroundmaster.com/buying.html (checked 2026-10-25)
- Campground Master order page: https://www.campgroundmaster.com/order.html (checked 2026-10-25)
- Park With Us: https://parkwith.us/ (checked 2026-10-25)
- Stripe pricing: https://stripe.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-25)
Sources
Facts about other companies come from their own public pages. Prices change, so open the source before you decide.
- Campspot pricing, checked October 25, 2026.
- Campspot comparison page, checked October 25, 2026.
- Firefly Reservations pricing, checked October 25, 2026.
- CampLife pricing, checked October 25, 2026.
- RoverPass pricing, checked October 25, 2026.
- Campground Master home page, checked October 25, 2026.
- Campground Master buying page, checked October 25, 2026.
- Campground Master order page, checked October 25, 2026.
- Park With Us, checked October 25, 2026.
- Stripe pricing, checked October 25, 2026.
