PootlrHost vs Freetobook: booking software for campsites compared
Freetobook and PootlrHost compared for campsites: rooms or pitches, Pitchup, club membership numbers, websites and what each costs a year.
Updated . Freetobook’s details checked
Freetobook is a booking system from Glasgow, trading since 1998, for hotels, B&Bs, self-catering, hostels and glamping. Its booking engine is free, and you pay yearly for card payments and scheduled guest messages, and per booking for links to other booking sites. Some campsites use it, and the CL Owners Group mentions it as a free option for CLs, but its own pages describe rooms and room types, and don’t mention pitches. PootlrHost is built around pitches, with numbered pitches, a pitch map, Pitchup and club membership numbers.
At a glance
| PootlrHost | Freetobook | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Small UK campsites, CL and CS sites, pop-ups and glamping | Hotels, B&Bs, self-catering, hostels and glamping |
| Price | £1 a booking, or Pro at £25 a month with no booking fee (or £225 for a year paid upfront); £20 a month for a CL or CS (or £200 for a year paid upfront). No VAT to add | Booking engine free. Card payments £139 a year. Guest messaging £89 a year. Links to other booking sites £1.50 for each booking they send, at least £9 and at most £99 a month, plus £49 for each site you connect |
| A 5-pitch CL, 150 bookings at £20 | £150 a year | £139 a year with card payments, £228 with guest messaging too |
| A 20-pitch site, 500 bookings at £60 | £300 a year on Pro, or £225 paid yearly | The same: £139, or £228 with guest messaging |
| Pitches | Pitch types with numbered pitches, the units each takes and the longest it takes | Room types. Pitches aren’t mentioned on the pages we checked |
| Website | Included: several pages, on a pootlrhost.co.uk address or your own domain | Free booking pages |
| Guests choose their pitch | On a map you draw, and it’s theirs if it’s still free | Not stated |
| Pitchup | By API key | Not named |
| Airbnb, Booking.com | By calendar link, included | Through its paid links to other booking sites |
| Hipcamp | By calendar link, included | Not named |
| Deposits and balances | Deposit when guests book, and the balance from their saved card before arrival | “Automated payments”, with the card payments module |
| Club membership numbers | Yes, if you ask for them | Not stated |
| Group bookings | Several pitches requested together, with one payment link (£1 a pitch on Pay As You Go) | Group bookings, for hostels |
| Scheduled guest messages | Included | With the messaging module (£89 a year) |
| Card payments | Stripe | Stripe or your own merchant account. Tap to Pay on iPhone |
| Notice to leave | None | 14 days |
| Reviews | None yet: PootlrHost is new | 4.7 from 229 reviews on Trustpilot, 4.6 from 16 on Capterra UK |
Where Freetobook is the better choice
- Rooms, cottages or glamping sold mostly on Booking.com and Expedia. Freetobook’s links to other booking sites are long established, and it says it has made more than 17,000 of them.
- The lowest software cost. The booking engine is free, and card payments are £139 a year however many bookings you take.
- Card payments on site. Freetobook works with your own merchant account as well as Stripe, and takes contactless payments on an iPhone.
- Track record. More than 10,000 clients and over 200 Trustpilot reviews.
Where PootlrHost is the better choice
- Pitches, not rooms. PootlrHost is built for touring pitches: pitch types with numbered pitches, which units each takes and the longest it takes, hook-ups, extras like dogs and awnings, and guests choosing their pitch on a map. The Freetobook pages we checked don’t mention pitches.
- Pitchup. PootlrHost connects with your Pitchup API key. Pitchup bookings come in with the guest’s details within a couple of minutes, and Pitchup is told straight away when a night is booked in PootlrHost, and within about 15 minutes when one is booked on another site. Freetobook’s pages don’t name Pitchup among its booking sites.
- CL and CS sites. PootlrHost can ask guests for a Caravan and Motorhome Club or Camping and Caravanning Club number when they book, for every pitch type or just some, and keeps it with the booking.
- Other booking sites included. Hipcamp, Airbnb, Booking.com and any site with a calendar link are on both PootlrHost plans, at no extra cost. Freetobook charges £1.50 for each booking they send, plus £49 for each site.
- A full website, with pages for each pitch type, a gallery, how to find you and your questions, and a guest guide for every booking.
- Scheduled guest emails included. A reminder before arrival, a welcome and a thank you are on both plans. On Freetobook, scheduled messages are £89 a year.
What it costs, worked through
A 5-pitch CL taking 150 bookings a year at £20:
- PootlrHost: 150 × £1 = £150 a year, or nothing if guests pay the £1 as a service fee.
- Freetobook with card payments: £139 a year. With guest messaging as well: £228.
A 20-pitch campsite taking 500 bookings a year at £60:
- PootlrHost Pro: £25 × 12 = £300 a year (or £225 for a year paid upfront).
- Freetobook: £139 a year, or £228 with guest messaging. Taking bookings from Booking.com or Airbnb adds £1.50 each, at least £108 a year, plus £49 for each site.
Freetobook’s pricing page doesn’t say whether VAT is added. Card fees are on top with both.
Moving from Freetobook to PootlrHost
- Bring your bookings and guests across from a CSV file, using our template if you need to. You check every row before anything goes in.
- Set up your pitch types and pitches, then build your new website as a draft, and keep taking bookings on Freetobook until it’s ready.
- Connect Pitchup with your API key, and your other booking sites by calendar link.
- Send your old web addresses to the new pages, and email guests with stays to come to say where their booking now lives.
Switching to PootlrHost goes through each step.
Sources
Freetobook’s pricing, FAQ, home page, terms, payments, booking site links, guest messaging, hostel software, Tap to Pay, booking pages, its Trustpilot reviews and Capterra UK listing, and the CL Owners Group. PootlrHost’s prices are on our pricing page.
Freetobook’s prices and features on this page come from its own website, checked on 23 October 2026. PootlrHost isn’t connected with Freetobook. If anything here is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] and we’ll put it right.
