What is the best travel agency software in 2026?
Five travel agency platforms compared on what they really cost in year one, how they handle invoicing and commissions, and what agents report after signing.
The short answer: if you're a solo advisor or a small team selling itineraries, start with Tern at $35 per seat per month on a quarterly or annual plan, or Travefy at $39 a month billed yearly. Both give you a CRM, itineraries and client proposals for less than $500 in year one. If you run a DMC or a tour operator building multi-supplier trips in several currencies, Ezus is the most complete platform here, but it lists prices in euros and charges a mandatory €1,990 onboarding pack. Tourwriter and Safari Portal serve specialist sellers who price complex trips and can absorb $99 to $399 a month.
Travel agency software sits between what you sell and what you buy. It keeps the client record, builds the quote line by line with your markup, publishes the itinerary, tracks deposits and commissions, and pays suppliers. The listicles ranking for this query mostly skip three things: setup fees, payment processing fees and itinerary caps. Those are what turn a $99 plan into a $2,400 first year. We compared each vendor's official pricing page, its feature list and user reviews.
Some links may be affiliate links. The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best travel agency software for your model
The 5 travel agency platforms compared
Only vendors with a readable public price list made the ranking: without a price, you can't work out your first year. The extra column shows the cost most comparison sites leave out, the fee you pay before or on top of the subscription. Enterprise systems that only quote on request (Amadeus Agency Manager, Orchestra, Lemax, Wetu) are covered further down. The order follows fit for a US agency: tools billed in dollars come first, by score. Ezus scores higher overall, mainly on multi-currency and European VAT handling, but it lists prices only in euros and charges a mandatory €1,990 onboarding pack, so it comes fifth here. Its score is the same on every language version of this page.
| Best for | Hidden cost to plan for | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tern | Solo advisors | AI usage quotas | 3.4/5 | $35/seat/month (quarterly or annual); $49 monthly | — | Solo advisor, host agency team | Visit → |
| 2 | Travefy | Itineraries on a budget | Extra seats at $20 or $39 | 3.2/5 | $39/month billed yearly; Premium $59 | — | Solo advisor, small team | Visit → |
| 3 | Tourwriter | Supplier-heavy itineraries | Setup from $1,199; 25 or 50 itineraries a year | 3.0/5 | $99/user/month (annual); Pro $149 | — | DMC, luxury specialist | Visit → |
| 4 | Safari Portal | E-signature and flights | Platform fees on payments | 2.8/5 | $299/month (1 user); Pro $399 (3 users) | — | Specialist agency, low volume | Visit → |
| 5 | Ezus | DMCs and tour operators | €1,990 onboarding pack, mandatory | 3.6/5 | €75/user/month (excl. VAT); Premium €100 | — | DMC, tour operator, group travel | Visit → |
Prices read on official vendor pages in 2026, in the currency each vendor displays. Ezus lists euros only; ask its sales team for a USD quote.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
We started from an agency owner's question: which platform saves me hours on proposals, gets commissions and deposits right, and what does it really cost in year one? For each tool we read the official pricing page, the plan limits and the published feature list. A vendor that hides its price isn't scored: it goes in the quote-only section.
Then we read user reviews, worst first. That's where the paid onboarding, the weeks of supplier-rate entry and the price increases after signing show up. None of these tools had a Hack'celeration score before this page, so every score here rests, criterion by criterion, on a fact from the vendor or from reviews. Each tool keeps the same score on every language version of this page.
- First-year costSubscription × users × 12, plus mandatory setup or onboarding fees.25%
- Invoicing, currencies and taxInvoices, credit notes, deposits, commissions, multi-currency, and European VAT handling for agencies selling to Europe.25%
- Travel featuresCRM, costed quotes, itineraries, vouchers, booking imports, accounting links.20%
- Flexibility (contract, setup fees, trial)Annual lock-in, setup fees, free trial, refund terms.15%
- Onboarding and supportLearning curve, training and support responsiveness, as reported in reviews.15%
Some links may be affiliate links. The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Tern
Tern is the newest platform in this ranking and the simplest to price: $49 per seat per month if you pay monthly, $35 if you commit quarterly or annually. A seat includes the CRM, itinerary building, AI-assisted features and card authorization for client payments. There's a free trial, and no setup fee on the pricing page.
For a solo advisor on annual billing, year one costs $420. That's the cheapest entry point here, and month-to-month billing lets you leave without a long lock-in.
Two limits. The AI features come with usage quotas from 2026, so heavy users should check what's included per seat. And Tern is built for the US advisor model: there's nothing on its pricing page about multi-currency supplier payments or European VAT, which is why it scores low on our invoicing criterion. We found too few detailed user reviews to judge support over time.
- CRM and itineraries in every seat
- Card authorization for client payments
- AI-assisted features (with quotas)
- Monthly billing available
- ✓Lowest price per seat on annual billing
- ✓Monthly option, no long lock-in
- ✓No setup fee listed
- ✗AI usage quotas
- ✗No multi-currency or European VAT handling listed
- ✗Few detailed user reviews yet
The best starting point for a US-based solo advisor who wants a modern CRM and itinerary tool without a contract. Look elsewhere if you buy from suppliers in several currencies.
Travefy
Travefy is a US itinerary builder made for travel advisors. Core, at $39 a month billed yearly, already includes online itineraries, proposals, a CRM, a simple website, plus invoicing and commission tracking. Premium is $59. Extra seats cost $20 on Core and $39 on Premium. The free trial lasts 10 days.
Year one on Core costs $468 with no setup fee. A two-person team on Premium pays $1,176.
Recent reviews are rough, though the sample is small: support that doesn't answer, a price increase with no new features, a refund refused the day after sign-up, and a dated interface. Users also mention there's no Amadeus connection and that hotel vouchers import badly. Use the 10-day trial to run one real booking end to end before you pay for a year.
- Itineraries, proposals and CRM on Core
- Invoicing and commission tracking
- Simple agent website included
- ✓Low entry price, no setup fee
- ✓Polished client-facing itineraries
- ✓Cheap extra seats on Core
- ✗Support and refund complaints
- ✗No Amadeus connection reported by users
- ✗Dated interface per reviews
A solid, cheap itinerary tool for advisors who sell mostly through proposals. Check support during the trial: that's where reviews say it falls short.
Tourwriter
Tourwriter, from New Zealand, is built for assembling trips from many suppliers. It stores each supplier's rates and calculates your sell price from them. Pro exports to MYOB or QuickBooks; Premium syncs both ways with Xero. Client payments run through Stripe.
Pricing is annual and in US dollars. Starter costs $99 per user per month for one person and 25 itineraries a year. Pro is $149 for two to five people and 50 itineraries a year. Setup starts at $1,199. If setup applies to Starter too (the price page doesn't say), a solo DMC pays $2,387 in year one.
Watch the itinerary cap. Twenty-five a year suits a luxury specialist, not an agency sending ten proposals a week.
Users praise the support and the depth of the tool. They also describe a steep learning curve, especially loading rates for a hundred or so vendors at the start, plus slow screens, templates that are hard to customize, mistakes that are hard to undo, and rising costs.
- Supplier rates drive the sell price
- Two-way Xero sync on Premium
- Stripe payments
- ✓Very deep for multi-supplier trips
- ✓Support praised in reviews
- ✓Accounting links to Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB
- ✗25 or 50 itineraries a year by plan
- ✗Setup from $1,199
- ✗Steep learning curve on rate entry
Powerful for a DMC or luxury specialist with a stable supplier base. The itinerary cap and setup fee rule it out for a high-volume agency.
Safari Portal
Safari Portal bundles a CRM, itineraries, e-signature for client contracts and invoicing. Pro adds flight search and API access.
It's the most expensive tool with public pricing. Essentials costs $299 a month for one user, Pro $399 for three users, and each extra user is $50. Paying annually gets you a month free. Platform fees also apply to payments you collect. A reduced $199 rate exists under conditions, so ask for it.
A three-person team on Pro pays $4,389 in year one on annual billing. The 14-day trial is the longest in this ranking.
Reviewers find it overpriced next to competitors and say the content library is thin for some destinations.
- E-signature for client contracts
- Flight search and API on Pro
- 14-day trial
- ✓Contracts, itineraries and invoices in one place
- ✓Three users included on Pro
- ✓Longest trial here
- ✗Highest price in the ranking
- ✗Platform fees on payments
- ✗Thin content for some destinations
Worth it only for a specialist agency with high trip values. Most advisors get the same core job done with Tern or Travefy for a tenth of the price.
Ezus
Ezus is the most complete production platform in this ranking, and it has the highest score. It comes fifth on this page only because its public pricing is in euros, with a mandatory onboarding pack: for most US agencies, that's a harder start than a dollar-priced seat. The French vendor says more than 600 inbound and outbound agencies in 75 countries use it. Its core is the line-by-line costed quote: every service with its net cost, your simulated margin, the supplier's currency and the commission. A Finance module then tracks purchases, payment schedules and exports, and a public API connects it to the rest of your tools.
It's also the only ranked tool that lists European VAT regimes, which matters if you're a DMC selling to European tour operators or an agency with clients in the EU.
The catch is price. Professional runs €75 per user per month, Premium €100, on an annual plan that renews automatically. The €1,990 onboarding pack isn't optional. Three users on Professional cost €4,690 in year one before VAT. Ezus Pay adds 1.19% plus €0.30 per transaction. US agencies should ask for a USD quote.
Users praise responsive support and say it becomes intuitive once learned. They also flag a steep learning curve, paid full training, slow document generation and deposits that don't show on the final invoice.
- Line-by-line costing with margin simulation
- Multi-currency quotes and commissions
- Finance module: purchases, schedules, exports
- Public API
- ✓Deepest trip-production engine here
- ✓Built for multi-supplier, multi-currency trips
- ✓Support rated responsive by users
- ✗€1,990 mandatory onboarding
- ✗Annual plan with automatic renewal
- ✗Prices in euros only on the public page
The tool for DMCs and tour operators who build complex trips in several currencies. For a two-person advisory selling cruises and packages, it's too much tool and too much upfront cost.
Three kinds of travel software, and which one you need
Most bad purchases start with the wrong category. An itinerary tool won't ticket flights, and a GDS back office won't build a ten-supplier safari. Here's how to sort them.
Itinerary and CRM tools
Tern, Travefy, Safari Portal. Built for advisors who sell trips through proposals. Cheap per seat, quick to start, light on supplier costing and accounting.
Trip production platforms
Ezus, Tourwriter. Built for DMCs and tour operators who price trips from net supplier rates, in several currencies, and pay suppliers on schedules. Expect setup fees and a learning curve.
GDS mid and back office
Amadeus Agency Manager and similar. Built for agencies that ticket air: invoices are generated after ticketing, with margin and service fees checked per file. Priced on quote, alongside a GDS contract.
If you sell to Europe
European agencies tax their margin under a special VAT scheme, and the invoice must not show VAT. If you're a DMC selling to European operators or you have an EU entity, check that the tool handles it. Of the ranked tools, only Ezus lists European VAT regimes.
Deposits and client money
You take deposits months before departure. A tool that tracks payment schedules and shows deposits on the final invoice saves reconciliation by hand. Ask to see it in the demo.
Year-one math
Subscription × users × 12, plus setup, plus payment fees. Three users: $1,260 on Tern annual, €4,690 on Ezus Professional, $4,389 on Safari Portal Pro.
- Run one real booking through the trial, from quote to final invoice
- Ask for the setup or onboarding fee in writing
- Check the itinerary or project cap on your plan
- Ask what payment processing costs on top of the plan
- Export a month of data and check it opens in your accounting tool
Travel agency systems priced on quote
These vendors matter in the industry, but none publishes an official price list. We don't score them: without a price you can't compare year one, and the numbers floating around review sites are old or contradictory. Here's who each one is for and what to ask the sales rep. Caladeo, last, does publish prices but targets another market.
Amadeus Agency Manager: back office for Amadeus agencies
Air ticketingAmadeus's mid and back office, used in more than 20 countries. It invoices automatically after ticketing, checks margin file by file, manages service fees and plugs into Amadeus Selling Platform.
Ask: the price for your number of agents, plus the GDS contract that comes with it.
- For
- Agencies ticketing on Amadeus
- Price
- Sales contact
Orchestra (Travelsoft): production for tour operators
Tour operatorBuilt to produce, manage and distribute leisure offers. The Travelsoft group also owns .BOSYS (CRM, mid and back office), airQuest and Travelgate. Tooling for a tour operator or a large network.
Ask: implementation cost, project length and which modules you actually need.
- For
- Tour operators, agency networks
- Price
- On quote
Toogo: quotes, groups and bookings for DMCs
DMCCovers quotes, CRM, groups and reservations, and is very well rated by its users on review sites. One DMC in Peru says it has used it for more than five years. Price on request.
Ask: price per user and the interface languages.
- For
- DMCs, group travel
- Price
- On request
Lemax: platform for operators selling online
High volumeAimed at tour operators and agencies selling online at volume, with production, booking engine and website. No public pricing.
Ask: full annual cost, contract length and setup fees.
- For
- Tour operators, online sales
- Price
- On quote
Wetu: visual itineraries and destination content
ItinerariesKnown for visual itineraries and its library of property and destination content. Its official pricing page is no longer reachable, and the prices quoted elsewhere don't agree.
Ask: the current per-user price list, in writing.
- For
- DMCs, adventure travel
- Price
- Ask in writing
Caladeo: the budget pick for French-speaking agencies
EuropeCaladeo is a French platform priced from €35 a month (excl. VAT) for a whole agency of up to five users, with a three-month money-back guarantee. We rank it first on our French page, but it targets agencies working under French rules, so it isn't ranked here.
- For
- Small French agencies
- Price
- From €35/month excl. VAT
Six mistakes that cost travel agencies money
Agencies rarely regret a missing feature. They regret a setup fee they didn't see, a cap they hit in month four, or three months spent loading supplier rates. These are the cases that come up most in user reviews.
Comparing monthly prices instead of year one
Most commonEzus adds a €1,990 onboarding pack, Tourwriter a setup fee from $1,199. Most plans are annual.
Fix: add subscription × users × 12 plus setup. One user on Tourwriter Starter: up to $2,387. One user on Tern annual: $420.
- Formula
- Price × users × 12 + setup
Missing the itinerary cap
Tourwriter Starter allows 25 itineraries a year, Pro 50. An agency sending a few proposals a week hits that by spring.
Fix: count last year's proposals, not bookings, before picking a plan.
- Tourwriter
- 25 or 50 per year
Ignoring payment fees
Ezus Pay charges 1.19% plus €0.30 per transaction. Safari Portal adds platform fees on payments.
Fix: ask whether you can keep your own processor, and what that changes.
- Ezus Pay
- 1.19% + €0.30
Underestimating supplier-rate setup
A Tourwriter user describes a steep start loading rates for a hundred or so vendors. Automated pricing only works once the rates are in.
Fix: start with your ten most-used suppliers and your three best-selling trips.
- Hits hardest
- Ezus, Tourwriter
Forgetting the cost of training
Ezus users mention paid full training and help docs that lag behind the product. That time never shows on the price page.
Fix: get in writing how many onboarding hours are included and the price of extra sessions.
- Ask for
- Hours included, in writing
Paying for a year before trying support
TipA Travefy reviewer was refused a refund the day after signing up. Trials exist for a reason: 10 days at Travefy, 14 at Safari Portal, a free trial at Tern.
Fix: open a support ticket during the trial and time the answer.
- Longest trial
- 14 days (Safari Portal)
Round out your agency tools
Your travel platform handles quotes and invoices. For the books, sales follow-up and your website, see our other rankings.
Travel agency software: common questions
What software do most travel agents use?
It depends on what they sell. Agencies that ticket air work in a GDS (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport) with a back office on top. Advisors who sell through proposals use an itinerary and CRM tool such as Tern or Travefy. DMCs and tour operators use production platforms like Ezus or Tourwriter.
How much does travel agency software cost?
From $35 per seat per month (Tern, annual) to $399 a month (Safari Portal Pro). Add setup: Tourwriter starts at $1,199, Ezus charges €1,990. In year one, a solo advisor can spend under $500, and a three-person DMC can pass $4,000.
Is there free travel agency software?
Not among the US-focused tools we ranked: Tern has a free trial, Travefy 10 days, Safari Portal 14 days. The only free plan we found is Tropingo's, a French tool without client invoicing on the free tier.
Do I need a GDS to start a travel agency?
No, not if you sell packages, cruises or custom trips booked on supplier platforms. A GDS matters once you ticket air yourself. Amadeus doesn't publish prices for small agencies: access goes through a contract and connected software.
What's the difference between a mid office and a back office?
The mid office checks the booking file after reservation: data quality, margin, service fees. The back office invoices, tracks payments and feeds accounting. For a small agency, one system often does both.
Which travel software is best for a home-based agent?
Tern at $35 per seat per month on annual billing, or Travefy Core at $39 a month billed yearly. Both cover CRM, itineraries and proposals without a setup fee. Check whether your host agency already provides one before you pay.
Can I run my agency on spreadsheets?
For a handful of trips a month, yes. Spreadsheets break when you track deposits, supplier payments, currencies and commissions across dozens of files. That's when a $35 seat pays for itself.