Campground Software Total Cost of Ownership Calculator

The true yearly cost of campground software is the monthly fee times 12, plus per-booking fees, plus any percentage of booking value, plus card processing, plus add-ons, plus one-time costs spread over the years you will use it. Fill in the worksheet below once for each platform, using written quotes. Then compare the final lines side by side.

This page gives you the formula, a blank worksheet and a made-up example with the arithmetic shown. We sell CampStack, so read our row with that in mind. Every other price comes from a company's own page and is dated.

Quick version

1. Count your online reservations in a typical year.
2. Note your average booking value and how many seasonal or monthly sites you bill.
3. Get each vendor's fees in writing: subscription, per-booking fee, percentage fee, setup and add-ons.
4. Run the formula for each platform.
5. Compare the totals, then compare what each one includes.

The formula

Annual cost =
  (monthly fee x 12)
+ (per-booking fee x online reservations)
+ (per-site fees x sites x months)
+ (percentage fee x total booking value)
+ card processing
+ add-ons
+ (one-time costs / years you expect to use it)

The last line matters when you compare a monthly plan with software that has a large upfront cost. Spreading the one-time cost over three years is a fair default. Pick a number of years and use it for every platform.

Step 1: Gather your own numbers

You need four figures from your own records. A spreadsheet, a paper ledger or last year's reports will do.

• Online reservations in a year. Count only bookings made through the booking page, not phone or walk-in stays. Per-booking fees usually apply to online bookings, but ask each vendor.
• Total booking value. Add up what guests paid for those online bookings.
• Seasonal and monthly sites. Some vendors charge per site per month, so note how many sites you bill this way and for how many months.
• Your card processing volume. Everything guests pay by card.

If you want a quick check on percentage fees alone, our booking fee calculator does that one step.

Step 2: Get every fee in writing

Price pages often leave out the lines that change the total. Ask each vendor these questions and write the answers down.

• What is the monthly or annual subscription?
• Is there a fee per reservation? Is it charged to the park or to the guest?
• Is there a percentage of booking value?
• Is there a per-site or per-unit fee?
• What is the card processing rate, and is anything added on top?
• What do setup, data import and training cost?
• Which features are add-ons, such as gate access, utility meters or a camp store register?
• What happens to your data if you leave?

If a price is not published, write "not published" in the sheet and ask for a written quote. Do not guess.

Step 3: Fill in the worksheet

Print this or copy it into a spreadsheet. Use one column per platform.

A worked example with made-up inputs

Here is a made-up example, not real data. A park takes 1,200 online reservations a year. The average booking is $150. The park has 10 seasonal sites billed for all 12 months, which is 120 site-months. We leave out card processing and one-time costs so the subscription and booking fee lines are easy to see.

The prices below come from each company's own page, checked October 29, 2026. Keepr and Reservety both sell campground software, so they have a stake in how their prices look.

• CampStack: $49 a month flat with no booking fees, and $490 a year if paid annually. We use the monthly price here.
• Keepr sells competing software. Its pricing page lists $3 per site reservation, counted when the park accepts it, plus $2.50 per active resident site-month, capped at $7,500 per property per year.
• Reservety sells campground software and ranks itself first on its own guide. That page lists flat pricing at $59 or $99 per month with zero commission. The page does not say what separates the two tiers, so ask.
• Platform D is invented for this example and is not a real vendor. It charges no subscription and 5% of booking value.

The gap between the Keepr row and the CampStack row is $3,900 minus $588, or $3,312. That is arithmetic on invented volume, not a promise about what any park will pay. Change the reservations and booking value to yours and the order can change.

Watch how each model scales. A per-booking or percentage fee rises with every reservation. A flat fee stays put. Our view: that is the main reason to run this math before you sign, because a busy year costs more under a model that charges per booking.

Costs that hide outside the subscription

Card processing

Every platform needs a processor. Ask for the exact rate and ask whether the software adds anything on top. On our pricing page, card processing is Stripe's standard rate passed through at cost, and we add no percentage or fee at guest checkout. Compare the same line for every platform. A small gap in rate adds up over a year of card volume.

Setup and training

Some vendors charge for setup or implementation. Put the full amount in the one-time line. Do not skip it because it is paid once, since it counts toward your first-year cost.

Add-ons

Gate access, utility meters, a camp store register and similar modules are often priced separately. List only the add-ons you would actually use. If you do not run a gate, a gate fee does not belong in your total.

Fees charged to the guest

Ask whether any fee is added at guest checkout. A fee the guest pays does not show up on your invoice, but guests see it in the total they are quoted. Our view: it still belongs in your comparison, because it changes the price your guests see next to your own site's rate.

Third-party listing sites

One buyer's guide lists sync with sites such as Hipcamp and RV LIFE as a software feature. If you plan to take bookings from outside sites, add their commissions as their own line. They are separate from your software bill.

Leaving later

A fair exit costs nothing. The same guide says you should be able to export your full guest list, reservation history and revenue data at any time. Ask each vendor to confirm that in writing. Our guide on how to switch campground software covers what to move and in what order.

Step 4: Compare totals, then compare scope

The lowest total is not always the right choice. Before you decide, check three things.

1. Does the quote cover everything you do? Seasonal billing, a camp store register, reports and staff accounts may or may not be included.
2. Does the price hold? Ask whether the rate is locked or can change, and whether there is a contract.
3. What does the trial do? Our 14-day trial converts unless you cancel. Ask every vendor what happens when a trial ends.

Our launch offer is free until the park's first 25 online bookings, then the rate is locked for life. Leave that out of your comparison. Use the regular price so every column is on equal terms.

For a broader look at what different vendors charge, see our guide on how much campground software costs. For feature side-by-sides, see compare campground software.

Common mistakes

• Using last year's walk-in count. Count only the bookings that would run through the software.
• Comparing a monthly price to a yearly one. Convert both to a year first.
• Taking prices from review sites. Prices change, and a roundup may be out of date or wrong. Use each vendor's own page and write down the date.
• Forgetting the percentage line. A small percentage on a large booking total can outweigh a monthly fee.
• Ignoring what the fee buys. A cheaper plan that leaves out something you need is not cheaper.

Where to go from here

Once your worksheet is full, you will see which platforms cost more as your bookings grow and which stay flat. If a flat monthly fee with no booking fees fits your numbers, the next step is to see exactly what our plan includes and run it through your own sheet.

See pricing: flat fee, no booking fees