At a glance
- Price range. About USD 35 to USD 400 per user, per month, in 2026.
- Setup. Most operator platforms charge USD 1,000 to USD 2,500 once, for migration and training.
- Tourwriter. From USD 99 per user, per month, with support included on every plan.
- What to compare. The full cost of running your business, not the monthly fee alone.
- Last updated. 19 October 2026, by Glenn Campbell.
How much does travel software cost?
Travel software for tour operators and DMCs costs between about USD 35 and USD 400 per user, per month, in 2026. Simple itinerary and proposal tools start at around USD 35 to USD 75. Platforms that also manage supplier rates, pricing, bookings, and accounting sit between about USD 100 and USD 400. Larger multi-brand set-ups are quoted on request.
Most providers also charge a one-off setup fee for data migration and training. Expect USD 1,000 to USD 2,500. Tourwriter starts at USD 99 per user, per month, with setup from USD 1,199.
So how much should you spend on your travel software? The answer depends less on the price list and more on what your current way of working already costs you. This guide covers both.
Travel software prices in 2026
The prices below come from each provider's public pricing page, checked in October 2026. Tourplan does not publish prices, so its figure comes from its GetApp listing. All prices exclude tax. Euro prices are converted to USD at the European Central Bank rate on 16 October 2026.
| Product | Starting price | How it is charged | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourwriter | From USD 99 | Per user, per month, billed annually. Support included on every plan | From USD 1,199 |
| Ezus | From about USD 84 (€75) | Per user, per month, billed annually | About USD 2,240 (€1,990), mandatory |
| Safari Portal | From USD 299 | Flat monthly fee for one user, USD 50 for each extra user | Not listed |
| Tourplan | From about USD 250 | Per user, per month, five-user minimum | Quoted |
| Wetu | From USD 75 | First user, then USD 35 for each extra user | Not listed |
| Travefy | From USD 39 | First seat, then USD 20 for each extra seat | Not listed |
| Tern | From USD 35 | Per seat, per month, billed annually | Not listed |
Sources are Tourwriter, Ezus, Safari Portal, Tourplan on GetApp, Wetu, Travefy, and Tern.
These tools do different jobs, so compare like with like. Travefy and Tern are built for travel advisors selling trips to their own clients. Wetu is built around itinerary presentation and its content library. Tourwriter, Ezus, Safari Portal, and Tourplan are built for operators who contract suppliers, price trips, and manage bookings.
What Tourwriter costs, and what the price includes
Tourwriter starts at USD 99 per user, per month, billed annually. Plans grow with your team, from a solo designer to a multi-brand DMC of 20 people or more. See the full Tourwriter pricing plans.
The starting price already covers the work most operators buy software to fix.
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A supplier and rates database, with blackout periods
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An itinerary builder with mobile web itineraries your clients open on their phone
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Automatic pricing, markups, and margins that update as you build
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Booking requests sent to suppliers, who reply with one click
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Booking management, supplier invoices, and travel vouchers
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Support 24 hours a day, five days a week, by chat and email
Higher plans add agency commissions, Google Maps, a WordPress itinerary plugin, reporting and business intelligence, multi-language itineraries, management of several brands, and the certified two-way Xero integration. Pro and Premium customers also get their own Success Exec.
Support is never billed by the hour, and onboarding is a fixed, known cost. You can see how Tourwriter onboarding works before you commit.
“Tourwriter's price structure is probably my favourite thing. I can be working across three different currencies. I can easily see if all my markup is right, the exchange rate is right.”
MariaLaura Boldini Creal, Founder, Fantastica Italia
How Tourwriter compares with Ezus, Safari Portal, and Tourplan
Price per user is only part of the picture. What you get for that price, how long setup takes, and whether the software keeps up as you grow all shape the real cost.
Tourwriter and Ezus
Ezus is a French platform, launched in 2019, priced from about USD 84 to USD 113 (€75 to €100) per user, per month, with a mandatory onboarding pack of about USD 2,240 (€1,990). Tourwriter's setup starts at USD 1,199.
Tourwriter has been built for one job for 23 years, designing, costing, and running bespoke multi-day trips. Suppliers receive booking requests and reply with one click, so confirmations stop living in email threads. Every booking, payment, and supplier status sits in one place, and the Xero integration keeps your accounts in step. Operators who sell complex, tailor-made trips choose Tourwriter because it holds up as the business grows. See the full Tourwriter and Ezus comparison.
Tourwriter and Safari Portal
Safari Portal charges a flat USD 299 a month for one user, or USD 399 for three, with USD 50 for each extra person. It is known for fast, image-rich proposals and a client travel app.
For a solo operator, Tourwriter starts at USD 99 a month, about a third of the price. Tourwriter also runs what happens after the client says yes. Costing, supplier bookings, day-by-day detail, invoices, and Xero all sit in the same build as the proposal.
“Before Tourwriter, I would not send a proposal for three or four days because I was always afraid something was calculated wrong. That was quite a nightmare. Now we have everything in a system and we can build and share a tour in a few hours.”
Petra Mösslacher, Owner and Managing Director, Gazzella Tours
Tourwriter and Tourplan
Tourplan is listed from about USD 250 per user, per month, with a five-user minimum, so about USD 1,250 a month before setup. Operators report implementation taking six to 12 months and support billed at around USD 200 an hour.
Tourplan is built for volume, with allotments, group departures, and wholesale distribution. Tourwriter is built for tailor-made and FIT travel. Teams go live in under two months, support is included in every plan, and itineraries are client-ready the moment they are built. Read our full Tourplan and Tourwriter comparison, or see how Tourwriter compares with every major alternative.
How travel software is priced
Four pricing models cover almost every product on the market.
Per user, per month. You pay for each person who logs in. This is the most common model and the easiest to budget for. Check whether part-time staff and contractors count as full users.
Tiered plans. Higher tiers add more itineraries a year, integrations, or reporting. Tourwriter Starter includes up to 25 itineraries a year, Pro includes 50, and Premium is unlimited.
Flat monthly fee. One price covers a set number of users, plus a charge for each extra person. This suits small teams that plan to stay small.
Quote only. Enterprise systems are priced after a sales conversation. Ask for the full three-year cost in writing, including implementation and support, so you can compare fairly.
Annual billing is cheaper than monthly in most cases. Tern, for example, charges USD 49 a seat monthly or USD 35 a seat on an annual plan.
The costs that are not on the pricing page
The monthly fee is the visible part of the bill. These costs sit underneath it.
Setup and data migration. Moving years of supplier contracts, rates, and itineraries takes time. Ask exactly what the setup fee covers and how long it takes.
Training. New software slows a team for a few weeks. Ask how long it takes a new hire to quote confidently.
Support. Some providers charge by the hour. Tourwriter includes support in every plan.
Integrations. Accounting links, maps, and traveller apps are often add-ons. Check which ones you need from day one, such as Xero or a traveller app like Vamoos.
Payment fees. Card fees on traveller payments add up fast. Our breakdown of Stripe rates for travel businesses shows what to expect, and you can check current rates on Stripe's pricing page.
Your data. Find out how you can export your data if you ever leave. Our guide to who owns the data in back office travel software covers what to ask.
Four questions to set your travel software budget
There is no single right figure for every business. These four questions give you a fair ceiling.
1. What are you using today, and what does it cost?
Whether you use another system or Microsoft Word and Excel, your current set-up has a cost. Add up licences, add-ons, and any tools bolted on for presentation or payments. That figure is your starting benchmark.
2. How much time does your team spend on quotes, itineraries, and bookings?
Time is harder to measure, but it is often the largest cost. If your team takes three hours to build an itinerary, you can put a dollar figure on that from your staff costs.
“To be honest, it was a game changer. A 14 day itinerary in Word could take you a full day. Now our sales staff can send five or six itineraries every day.”
Struan Baird, Co-founder, MV Luxury Travel
Paul Montague of Up Close and Local Tours saw a nine-day quote drop from days to hours once he moved off Word and Excel. Raquel Ferriol at Charmed by Spain cut itinerary build time from a day to two hours.
3. How much are errors costing you?
A single error in a tailor-made trip can be expensive to put right. A wrong rate, a missed transfer, or a hotel left off the final documents comes out of your margin and your reputation.
Spreadsheets are where many of these errors begin. Professor Ray Panko of the University of Hawaii reviewed audits of real business spreadsheets and found errors in 94% of them (Panko, 2016). His research also shows that the people who build spreadsheets are highly overconfident about their accuracy (Panko, 2008). The European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group keeps a public list of spreadsheet horror stories from businesses of every size.
The highest cost from a single itinerary spreadsheet error that we have heard of is USD 20,000. Software that removes that risk works like an insurance policy for your business. Read more about why Excel can harm your tour operator business and the hidden cost of double entry in travel operations.
“Sometimes you, as a human and travel professional, make mistakes, and those mistakes are money in our field. With Tourwriter, the error margin is minimal.”
Mauricio Esquivel, Founder, Huellas e-travel
Huellas e-travel moved off spreadsheets in 2019 and has had zero pricing errors in seven years.
4. Where is your business going?
Moving systems is a project you want to do once. Choose software for the business you plan to run in three years, not only the one you run today.
Are you planning to hire, add a brand, sell in a new language, or open a new market? Each of these changes the plan you need. Tourwriter Premium, for example, manages several brands and produces multi-language itineraries from one account.
See Italy Travel began using Tourwriter in 2016 and used the time it saved to grow its team. "We are now able to hire and train new sales agents since Tourwriter is easy to learn and use," the team told us. Kathy Campbell, Operations Manager, later added, "Our errors are zero. No mis-quotes, no files missing, and no services left out of quotes or final documents."
“I'm a small agency. I work with my wife. I had employees previously, but after COVID I decided to stop. I don't need them, because I'm quite efficient with Tourwriter.”
Christian Berger, Founder and Director, Elan Norway
A worked example of the return on travel software
A three-person DMC builds 20 itineraries a month. Each one takes three hours, so the team spends 60 hours a month on itineraries.
The median wage for a US travel agent is USD 24.11 an hour, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. At that rate, those 60 hours cost about USD 1,450 a month, before employer costs.
If software brings each itinerary down to one hour, the team saves 40 hours a month, or about USD 960. Three users on Tourwriter Pro cost USD 447 a month. The software pays for itself, and the team gets around 20 hours a month back for selling, contracting, and looking after travellers.
Your numbers will differ. Book a free audit and we will work through them with you.
Will Tourwriter be around for the long term?
Software is a long-term decision, so the company behind it counts. Tourwriter has served bespoke tour operators and DMCs for 23 years, with hundreds of businesses in more than 30 countries on the platform.
In 2026, Tourwriter was acquired by WeTravel, a travel payments platform that has processed USD 3 billion in payments across more than 150 countries. This investment from WeTravel is a huge vote of confidence in Tourwriter's unique ability to service the custom, multi-day trip niche.
“Of all the systems I have worked with, Tourwriter is the most user-friendly. The presentation towards the client is straightforward. The pricing and the way the reports work are top-notch.”
Gabriela Ciobotaru, Director of Sales, Iceland Luxury Expeditions
Read more results from operators like yours in our customer stories, including Antipodes Travel, Bike It Now, and Ahipara Luxury Travel, or see what customers say on our reviews page. Our tour operator profitability guide covers the wider numbers behind a healthy business.
Frequently asked questions
How much does travel software cost per month?
Travel software for tour operators and DMCs costs between USD 35 and USD 400 per user, per month, in 2026. Itinerary-only tools sit at the lower end. Platforms that manage suppliers, pricing, bookings, and accounting cost more. Tourwriter starts at USD 99 per user, per month, billed annually.
How much should I spend on travel software?
Work out what your current process costs in licences, staff time, and errors, then compare that with the software fee. A team that builds 20 itineraries a month can often save more in staff time than a platform costs. Our four budget questions above show you how.
Is there a setup fee for tour operator software?
Most operator platforms charge a one-off setup fee for data migration, account setup, and training. Published fees range from about USD 1,000 to USD 2,500. Tourwriter setup starts at USD 1,199.
Is Tourwriter cheaper than Tourplan?
Tourplan is listed from about USD 250 per user, per month, with a five-user minimum. Tourwriter starts at USD 99 per user, with no five-user minimum and support included. Tourwriter teams go live in under two months.
Is free itinerary software good enough for a DMC?
Free and low-cost tools handle presentation well but rarely manage supplier rates, markups, multi-currency pricing, or bookings. For a DMC, those gaps are where errors and lost hours come from. Our guide to free CRM options for tour operators and DMCs covers what free tools can and cannot do.
What does Tourwriter cost?
Tourwriter starts at USD 99 per user, per month, billed annually, with setup from USD 1,199. Plans scale from one person to multi-brand teams of 20 or more. See the Tourwriter pricing plans or get a plan recommendation.
