Free booking systems: appealing, but with limitations

"Open a free account right away. Free forever. Always have insight into your bookings." It sounds tempting, and many free booking systems promise exactly that. Easy to integrate, no costs.

But free is never entirely free. The developers also have a business model. As a result, there are often limits on the number of reservations or users. That is fine when you are just starting out and have few bookings, but it becomes restrictive as soon as you want to grow.

In addition, many free booking systems are packed with adverts. Adding your own logo or house style? Often not possible. Integrations with your calendar or accounting software? Usually impossible. Back-ups or support when problems arise? Often non-existent.

Anyone who wants to offer online bookings in a professional and sustainable way will quickly find themselves turning to a paid system. That extra investment genuinely pays off: less hassle, smart automation, and more time for your guests. Ultimately, the booking system pays for itself.

What does the i-Reserve booking system cost?

i-Reserve offers features that you simply do not get with free systems, and thanks to the SaaS model, costs remain low while you get everything you need.

You pay a fixed monthly fee, not per reservation. Is your business growing? Are the number of bookings increasing? No problem — the price stays the same.

The basic packages start from €49 per month. Bronze is ideal for a small sole trader, community centre, or association. Platinum gives you a complete experience with all the capabilities of the system. Do you have multiple locations? With a multi-licence environment, each location can use its own settings.

Whether you want straightforward scheduling or make full use of the complete package, you decide how you use i-Reserve. That way you stay in control of your bookings, without any hassle, and you can focus on your guests.

Additional modules for greater convenience

i-Reserve works modularly. That means you only choose the features you actually need. So you never pay for something you do not use.

A few examples:

• Export: link your bookings directly to your financial administration. Ledgers are updated automatically. Interfaces are available for REMS, Exact, King, Accountview, Mamut, Snelstart, iMuis, and Twinfield.
• Online payment: let your customers pay for reservations or subscriptions directly online via payment providers such as Buckaroo or Cardgate.
• E-ticket: register visitors with a free scanner app. Ideal for events, activities, or access control.
• Invoice: create invoices based on online reservations. Including partial invoices, merging of drafts, and direct debit options.

This way you add precisely the functionality you need, at no extra cost.

The advantages of i-Reserve

i-Reserve is just as easy to set up as free booking systems. Within a few days you can be up and running. Reservations are made with just a few clicks, and your customers book online just as effortlessly. Handy overviews and filters provide instant insight, and with a single click you can export everything to Excel.

Saving time? That happens automatically. Confirmations, payment confirmations, or reminders are sent by the system itself, via email or SMS. Changes are processed quickly, and your customer receives an immediate notification. With webhooks you can connect reservations, tasks, or customers to hundreds of other applications.

i-Reserve offers a range of integrations: APIs, import/export, or connections via platforms such as MS Flow or Zapier. There are also native integrations that you can set up with ease. This makes your booking system even more comprehensive while requiring less effort on your part.

And it does not stop at bookings. i-Reserve is also a CRM: all customer and company details are neatly stored in one place. You can see all emails sent, easily add tasks, and link multiple customers to a single company. So you always know who you have been in contact with. Customer-friendly and convenient.

Tailor i-Reserve to your needs

With i-Reserve you can make the booking process work exactly as you want it to. Are you hiring out meeting rooms, tennis courts, or other spaces? There is a solution for every situation. During the booking process, you can ask customers to specify, for example, which room layout they require and whether any extras are needed, such as a projector or catering. This saves you time and avoids unnecessary emails or phone calls.

For courses, you can easily add a trainer and immediately see whether they are available. Participants who successfully complete a course can automatically receive a diploma or certificate. Is a course fully booked? Customers can be placed on a waiting list and are automatically enrolled as soon as a place becomes available.

Let customers search for available times, filter by capacity, location, or date. Create invoices in your own layout, merge them, and send them automatically to customers or companies. Export effortlessly to your accounting software. You can also create internal tasks, set deadlines, and link categories and customers. The system can automatically calculate loyalty discounts for regular customers and filter and send statistics — for example, a summary of reservations to the catering team.

Whereas a free booking system often does not support a custom look and feel, i-Reserve does. Add your own logo and house style to the website, emails, and PDFs. This gives your booking system a professional appearance that suits your organisation. View all features of i-Reserve at a glance.

Always the latest version

i-Reserve never stands still. Our development team continuously works on new features, based on the latest web technology and customer feedback. As a user, you benefit immediately from all updates — automatically and at no extra cost. This keeps your booking system always up to date and future-proof.