A booking system for your rental business, item by item
Spreadsheets for every item, prices that change by season, and a platform that takes a cut of each rental. We build booking systems for equipment, vehicle and space rentals: availability per item, prices by duration and season, deposits, pick-up and return, with the code and data owned by you.
The prototype and the quote are free, with no commitment.
- Prototype and quote
- 48 h
- Build time
- 2–3 weeks
- Fixed price, typically
- $15–50k
- Commission on bookings
- 0%
What the system looks like for rental businesses
Customers pick dates and an item
Staff hand over in the field
In use
What do your people and customers see?
Availability per item
Every bike, car, boat or room has its own calendar. Customers see what is free for their dates and book by the hour, day or week.
How the Time-slot generator module worksEvery item against the days
Deposits and payments
Payment or a deposit at booking, a card hold for damage, and the invoice issued after payment.
Checkout with a deposit hold
Admin panel
How does your team run it?
Staff and managers see what goes out and comes back today, which deposits are held and where each item is.
The admin panel for staff and managers
What it can include
What can a booking system for rental businesses do?
You don't have to order everything at once. Start with booking and payments.
Prices by duration and season
Hourly, daily and weekly rates, weekend and season prices, and discounts for longer rentals, set by your team in the admin panel.
Pick-up and return
A QR code for pick-up, a checklist at return, and the item back on sale as soon as it is checked in.
Several locations
Items at different pick-up points, one view of the whole fleet, and transfers between locations.
Works in the field
A local server at the rental point keeps pick-ups and returns running when the internet drops, then syncs back.
How the Island-mode server module worksSelf-service point
Customers book or collect a rental on a touchscreen at the counter, without waiting for staff.
How the Booking kiosk module worksIntegrations
Calendars, accounting, insurance, telematics or locks, with any tool that has an API.
When it makes sense
When is your own system worth it?
A ready-made platform is a good start. If it does all you need, stay with it. Your own system makes sense when:
- You rent many items and track them in spreadsheets
- Prices change by season, duration or customer type
- You run several pick-up points
- A booking platform takes a cut of every rental
Compared with SaaS
What do rental businesses gain over a SaaS platform?
A platform is rented and shared. Your own system is built for you and owned by you.
Prices
On a SaaS platform: Season and duration pricing is limited to preset rules.
With your own system: Prices by season, length and customer type, set as you need them.
Cost
On a SaaS platform: A booking platform takes a cut of every rental.
With your own system: 0% commission on bookings, whatever you rent.
Your items
On a SaaS platform: Items are tracked in a spreadsheet next to the tool.
With your own system: Availability, deposits, pick-up and return live in one system.
Locations
On a SaaS platform: Each pick-up point needs its own setup or plan.
With your own system: All locations in one system, with prices per location.
How we work
How do we start?
- 01
Brief
About 15 minutes, with our AI, whenever it suits you.
- 02
Prototype
A clickable prototype on your data and a quote within 48 hours.
- 03
Scope
Changes from your feedback, then a fixed price.
- 04
Build and launch
Code, documentation and 3 years of support.
Questions
What do owners ask first?
Yes. Bikes, vehicles, equipment and spaces can each have their own rules, prices and booking units in the same system.
Yes. A card hold is placed at booking and released at return, or charged if something is damaged.
The price depends on the scope and is fixed before the build starts. Most projects fall between $15k and $50k. It is a one-time cost, with no subscription and no commission on bookings.
You get a clickable prototype and a quote within 48 hours of the brief. The build takes two to three weeks, and the system is live six to eight weeks after the first call, including migration and handover.
We move your customers, bookings and history into the new system, even when the current provider has no export. The old tool keeps running until the data matches, so bookings never stop.
You do. The code, the data and the documentation are handed over. It runs in your own cloud account or on our infrastructure, and 3 years of support are included.
Read more
Where can I read more?
- A Custom Booking System for Your Coworking SpaceWe build booking systems for coworking spaces: desks, rooms, passes, payments and building access in one place. Scope, timeline, price and how to start with a free prototype.
- Build vs Buy Booking Software: How to DecideRent a booking platform or build your own booking software? Four options compared on cost, time, fit and ownership, with five questions to decide.
- Painless Data Migration and Zero-Maintenance HostingMove your bookings out of a SaaS with zero downtime, then never run a server. We maintain the Next.js, Vercel and Supabase or Firestore stack. You own it.
Get started
See your rental businesses system before you decide
Describe how you take bookings. Within 48 hours you get a prototype and a quote.