Comparison
A marketplace like Hipcamp can send you demand. But it takes a cut of every booking and keeps your guest. Campdirect is your own booking site, so you keep both.
This is not either or. Many hosts list on a marketplace to get found, then move repeat guests to direct booking to stop paying commission. Campdirect is how you take those direct bookings.
| Campdirect | Hipcamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission per booking | None | Roughly 12 to 15 percent |
| Who owns the guest | You | The marketplace |
| Your own booking website | Yes | A listing on their site |
| Guest email and history | Yours to keep | Held by the platform |
| Embeddable booking widget | Yes | No |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly, from $29 | Free to list, they take a cut |
Commission figures are Hipcamp's publicly listed host fees and can change. Check their current terms.
A marketplace is a paid channel. If you are brand new and nobody knows you yet, the exposure can be worth the commission. The mistake is staying there forever and paying a cut on guests who would happily book you direct.
As soon as you have a booking link of your own, put it everywhere and send repeat guests to it. On a $120 booking, a 15 percent commission is $18. Ten of those a month is $180, more than a Campdirect plan, and you also get to keep the guest's email to bring them back.
For most hosts, yes. Hipcamp takes roughly 12 to 15 percent of every booking, forever. Campdirect is a flat monthly fee from 29 with no commission and no per-booking fee, so past a handful of bookings a month it costs less and you keep the guest.
Yes. Many hosts keep a Hipcamp listing for discovery and send repeat and direct guests to their own Campdirect site to avoid the commission. Campdirect syncs its calendar (iCal) so dates stay in step.
Yes. With Campdirect the guest books on your own site, so their email and booking history are yours to keep and remarket to. On a marketplace like Hipcamp, the platform owns that relationship.
Take direct bookings on your own site. Start free, no card required.
Start free trial