In short
- Tour platforms (FareHarbor, Bokun, Rezgo, Checkfront) fit trail rides sold to visitors; Bookeo and Stablebuzz fit weekly lessons.
- For waivers, look for one link per booking that every rider, or a parent for each child, signs separately.
- Compare the total cost: monthly fee, commission per booking, and who pays it.
Two kinds of business
A trail ride sold to visitors is a one-time ticket: a group books online, often through a reseller, shows up once and needs every rider cleared before they mount. A lesson program is a relationship: the same riders every week, on the same horse with the same instructor, often paid as a package. A tool that is excellent at one can be clumsy at the other.
What "a waiver for every rider" means in software
When one person books for six, you need six signatures, and a parent's signature for each child. The pattern that works is a link tied to the booking that the booker shares with the group, with a list on the day of who has signed. Our guide A waiver for every rider covers the paper side. The wording of the waiver is for your attorney and your insurer.
The eight, side by side
| Product | Price as listed | Waiver for each rider | Lessons and packages | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FareHarbor | Rate not published; booking fee paid by the customer | Built in, free in select regions; one link per booking, parents sign for minors | Memberships; guides and equipment as resources | Demo |
| Bokun | Free plan; $49 a month plus 1.5% up to $499 plus 1%; 0% on Viator and offline | Add-on from its app store | Repeating times, lesson passes, horses and instructors (its own guide) | 14 days |
| Rezgo | 4.9% per online booking, 0.9% at the counter, no subscription | Built in; each guest emailed when emails are collected | Resources, deposits, gift cards | Free to try |
| Roverd | 5% per online booking, no subscription | In the booking flow; group signing not described | Packages; instructors | Not stated |
| Checkfront | $99 a month plus 3% on online bookings | Built in; one group link for all participants | Resources, deposits, gift certificates | Not stated |
| Bookeo | $14.95 to $119.95 a month, no commissions | Add-on from $9 a month | Recurring lessons, prepaid packages, memberships | 30 days |
| Indexic | Monthly rate by sales volume, not published; waivers $0.15 each | Built in, with an offline kiosk | Not mentioned | Demo |
| Stablebuzz | Free basic plan; stable plans $19 to $180 a month | Free release forms; see who signed | Recurring lessons; coaches, horses, arenas | Free plan |
If your booking tool has no waivers, a separate waiver service can link to it:
| Service | Price as listed | Group signing |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwaiver | From $22 a month for 100 waivers | Sign by link, text, app or QR code; parent and guardian section |
| WaiverSign | From $19 a month for 100 waivers | A group coordinator is told as each member signs |
Commission or monthly fee: a worked example
Take a barn selling 200 rides a month at $80, or $16,000 in online bookings. Before card processing, the platform's own charge at each listed rate would be:
- Roverd at 5%: $800 a month.
- Rezgo at 4.9%: $784 a month.
- Checkfront at $99 plus 3%: $579 a month.
- Bokun Start at $49 plus 1.5%: $289 a month.
- Bookeo: a flat $14.95 to $119.95 a month, no commission.
Several of these let you pass the fee to the customer, and FareHarbor's booking fee is always paid by the customer, so the barn's cost and the rider's price both move. Run your own numbers at your volume.
Notes on each
FareHarbor
Built for tours and activities, with built-in free waivers where the booker shares a link and up to 300 people can sign per booking. Its booking fee is paid by the customer at checkout and the rate is not published. Its free waivers are offered in select regions.
Bokun
Strong if you sell through resellers such as Viator, where its fee is 0%. Paid plans add a percentage per booking. Waivers come from its app store.
Rezgo
No subscription, a commission per online booking, and built-in per-guest waivers emailed to each guest when you collect their emails at checkout.
Roverd
Commission only, with a horseback riding page and packages. It says riders sign forms in the booking flow but does not describe how a group signs.
Checkfront
A monthly fee plus a booking fee on online bookings, built-in waivers with a group link for all participants, and gift certificates.
Bookeo
A class and lesson scheduler with no commissions: recurring lessons, prepaid packages and memberships. Waivers are a paid add-on, and its plans cap monthly bookings.
Indexic
A tour booking system with its own waiver product, including an offline kiosk for barns with no signal. Lesson features are not mentioned.
Stablebuzz
Stable management with recurring lessons, coaches, horses and arenas as schedules, and free release forms. Better for a lesson barn than for tourist trail rides.
Where Kavalo fits
If most of your rides sell through tour resellers, a tour platform with those connections is the right core tool. If your riders come from your own website, your phone and word of mouth, Kavalo Front Office covers that path: your website, a booking calendar, waivers, reminders by email and text, invoices and online payments. Autopilot adds AI chat and a text back to every missed call; AI Ranch Hand answers the phone. The morning roster and matching horses to riders are not part of Front Office; White Glove sets those up.
Questions people ask
Can one parent sign for several children?
FareHarbor and Checkfront describe a parent or guardian section and a group link. Check that the tool records which child each signature covers.
Do I need a separate waiver app?
Not if your booking tool has waivers built in (FareHarbor where offered, Rezgo, Checkfront, Indexic, Stablebuzz). Bokun and Bookeo use add-ons.
Who pays the booking fee?
It depends on the tool and your settings. FareHarbor's is paid by the customer; Bokun, Rezgo and Checkfront let you pass theirs on or absorb it.
Can a weekly lesson keep the same horse and instructor?
Bokun, Stablebuzz and Checkfront describe horses or instructors as bookable resources; Bookeo lists coaches. Test a recurring lesson in the trial before you move your riders.
What about walk-ups at a barn with no signal?
Indexic describes an offline kiosk. FareHarbor notes that waivers signed in person cannot be attached to a booking, so plan how paper waivers are filed.
Sources
Every price and feature above is as listed on each company's own pages, checked October 25, 2026. A feature marked "not mentioned" may still exist; ask the company.
