Easol

Easol is an all-in-one experience commerce platform designed for events, festivals, and tour operators who want to build their brand and own their customer data. Founded in 2018 in London, Easol combines website building, booking management, payment processing, and marketing tools into a single platform. Unlike traditional booking systems that focus solely on reservations, Easol emphasizes the entire customer experience - from discovery through post-trip engagement. The platform is particularly well-suited for operators selling complex, multi-element packages like weekend festivals, yoga retreats, or adventure tours that include accommodations, transportation, and activities.

Easol pricing starts at approximately $250/month with two main plans: Easol Stride (for smaller businesses with up to 100 experiences per year and 5 team accounts) and Easol Pro (unlimited experiences and accounts with premium support). There are no setup fees, and subscriptions are month-to-month unless you opt for an annual commitment. Transaction fees are 4% + $0.30 on premium card payments for Stride plan users, with lower rates available for standard cards and Pro plan subscribers. Weekly payouts are standard. Easol offers a free trial but no permanently free plan. Contact-based pricing means actual costs vary based on your business size and needs - expect to pay more for higher volume operations or custom features.

Easol is best suited for experience-focused operators in categories like Tours & Sightseeing (multi-day cultural tours, adventure tours, hiking tours), Food & Drink Experiences (culinary tours, food festivals, wine tours), Classes & Workshops (yoga retreats, art workshops, wellness programs), and Shows & Entertainment (music festivals, immersive theater experiences). The platform particularly excels for operators selling event-based experiences with accommodations, complex packages combining multiple elements (lodging + meals + activities), and businesses that want to build a strong brand identity with direct customer relationships. Operators running weekend festivals, wellness retreats, adventure expeditions, or multi-day cultural experiences will find Easol's package-building and customer journey tools especially valuable.

Easol is designed for small to mid-sized experience operators doing $100K-$5M in annual revenue. The Stride plan works well for businesses running 50-100 experiences per year with a small team (5 or fewer staff members), while the Pro plan scales to support larger operations with unlimited experiences and team members. Easol is ideal for operators prioritizing brand building and customer relationships over high-volume, commoditized bookings - think boutique retreat centers, curated adventure companies, and festival organizers rather than daily city tours or attraction tickets. Very small operators (under $50K revenue) may find the $250/month starting price steep, while enterprise operations needing OTA distribution or white-label reselling should look elsewhere, as Easol currently lacks OTA connectivity.

Easol's integration ecosystem focuses on core business operations rather than extensive third-party connections. Key integrations include Stripe and other payment processors for flexible payment options (including Klarna, premium cards, deposits, and payment plans), Google Analytics for tracking, and Mailchimp for email marketing. The platform offers CSV data export for connecting with accounting software and CRM systems. However, Easol notably does not currently integrate with OTAs (Viator, GetYourGuide, etc.) - this is a deliberate focus on direct bookings and brand ownership, though OTA connectivity is reportedly on the roadmap. API access is available on the Pro plan for custom integrations. Easol's philosophy prioritizes owning your customer data and brand rather than distributing through third-party marketplaces.

Easol provides support through multiple channels including a comprehensive help center with articles and guides, email support for all plan levels, and Launch Engineer onboarding assistance included with new accounts. Pro plan subscribers receive premium support with faster response times and dedicated assistance. The platform maintains a 99% uptime SLA with daily backups and disaster recovery. Easol's support team is based in London (UK time zone) and is known for being responsive to technical questions about platform features, payment processing, and website customization. Community resources include documentation, video tutorials, and best practice guides. However, Easol does not offer 24/7 phone support - email and help center are the primary channels, which may be a consideration for operators in non-European time zones.

Easol's standout booking features include modular package building (combine accommodations, transportation, activities, and add-ons into customizable packages), flexible payment options (deposits, payment plans, group bookings, multi-currency support), calendar-based availability management, and customer-facing booking flow customization. The platform excels at selling complex, multi-element experiences through its theme-based website builder integrated directly with the booking engine. Unique features include brand ambassador programs to incentivize referrals, personalized recommendation engines based on customer data, and promotional tools for discounts and special offers. The booking system supports individual and group bookings with flexible pricing rules, automatic confirmation emails, and customer communication tools. Inventory management tracks capacity across accommodations, experiences, and time slots with real-time availability updates.

Yes, Easol is specifically designed for multi-day experiences and is one of its core strengths. The platform allows you to create packages that span multiple days and include various components like accommodations (hotel rooms, shared lodges, camping), daily activities or itineraries, meals and food options, transportation between venues or locations, and optional add-ons guests can purchase. Easol's package builder makes it easy to structure weekend retreats, week-long expeditions, or multi-day festivals with complex logistics. The pricing engine supports per-person rates, room-based pricing, tiered pricing for different package levels (basic/premium/VIP), and group discounts. Calendar management handles date-based availability, overlapping bookings, and capacity limits across multiple days and resources. This makes Easol ideal for yoga retreats, adventure expeditions, music festivals, and similar multi-day experiences.

Yes, Easol has a versatile integrated payment stack powered by Stripe and supports multiple payment methods including all major credit and debit cards, premium cards (with 4% + $0.30 fee on Stride plan), Klarna buy-now-pay-later options, flexible payment plans (let customers split payments over time), deposit payments (collect partial payment upfront, remainder later), and multi-currency transactions. Easol handles group bookings where one person pays for multiple participants or split payments among group members. Payouts are processed weekly to your bank account minus processing fees. The platform is PCI-compliant and handles all payment security. Operators can customize booking fees to pass transaction costs to customers or absorb them. Currency conversion and international payments are supported, making it suitable for operators serving global markets.

Easol setup typically takes 2-4 weeks for a basic launch, or 1-2 months for more complex configurations with custom branding and multiple experience packages. The platform includes onboarding support from a Launch Engineer to help you get started. Initial setup involves choosing a website theme and customizing your brand (colors, fonts, images), creating your first experience or package with pricing, photos, and descriptions, connecting your payment processor (Stripe account), setting up your calendar and availability rules, and testing the booking flow. Easol's modular design means you can launch with a simple offering and add complexity over time. Technical complexity is low - no coding required - but thoughtful planning of your packages, pricing strategy, and customer journey takes time. Operators familiar with booking systems can go live faster, while those new to online booking may benefit from the full 1-2 month implementation period.

No, Easol operates on a flexible month-to-month subscription model with no long-term contracts required unless you opt for an annual commitment (which typically offers a discount). You can cancel at any time without penalty, though you'll continue to have access through the end of your paid billing period. There are no setup fees or cancellation fees. Annual plans lock in your pricing for 12 months and usually provide cost savings compared to monthly billing. This contract-free approach gives operators flexibility to test the platform, scale up or down based on seasonal needs, or switch providers if Easol doesn't meet their needs. However, keep in mind that moving your customer data, website, and booking system to a new platform requires planning and can disrupt operations, so consider Easol's fit carefully before building your business on it.

Easol and FareHarbor serve different niches in the tour operator market. Easol focuses on brand-building and direct customer relationships for multi-day experiences, events, and festivals, combining website creation, booking, and marketing tools in one platform. It's ideal for operators selling complex packages (retreats, festivals, expeditions) who want to own their customer data and create a unique brand experience. Easol currently lacks OTA integrations but excels at customization and customer journey control. FareHarbor, by contrast, is a pure-play booking and distribution engine with 24/7 support, extensive OTA connectivity (Viator, GetYourGuide, Expedia), and focuses on maximizing bookings through multiple channels. FareHarbor charges 6% commission on direct bookings + 2% on OTA sales, while Easol uses monthly subscriptions + transaction fees. Choose Easol if brand ownership and customer data matter most; choose FareHarbor if you prioritize distribution reach and channel management over branding control.