Which retreat platform has the lowest fees?

Finding Retreats and The Good Index both publish a flat 10% commission with no opt-in tiers that raise the rate. RetreatFinder charges no commission at all, using a flat annual fee instead, though the exact fee isn’t publicly disclosed. BookRetreats starts at a 15% floor plus a processing fee, and BookYogaRetreats sets a per-host rate typically in the 15–20% range — neither publishes one fixed number.

How do I move from one retreat platform to another?

You don’t have to move — you can add a platform without pulling your listing down anywhere else. If you do want to bring an existing listing to Finding Retreats, paste the URL at /vendor-signup?type=retreat and it imports your photos, description, dates and pricing for you to review and publish, no rebuilding from scratch. The step-by-step walkthrough, and what does and does not come across, is at /import-your-retreat-listing.

Best retreat booking platforms, compared

Six platforms hosts weigh when deciding where to list: Finding Retreats, BookYogaRetreats, BookRetreats, Retreat Guru, The Good Index and RetreatFinder. Commission, payout, dashboard tooling and what each one is actually best for — not just the cheapest rate.

Commission, payout and reach

Tagged by whether the platform is primarily a discovery marketplace, operational software, or both — see how to choose below for what that distinction means in practice.

Platform	Finding Retreats Marketplace + software	BookYogaRetreats (Tripaneer) Marketplace	BookRetreats Marketplace	Retreat Guru Marketplace + software	The Good Index Marketplace	RetreatFinder Marketplace
Commission	10% flat	15–20%, set per host	15% floor + processing fee (opt-in 20–30%)	14% flat, billed monthly	10% flat (free Starter, or $49/mo Growth — still 10%)	Flat annual fee, no commission — exact figure not public
Payout timing	Day after retreat starts	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not publicly disclosed	Not publicly disclosed
Audience reach	Not publicly disclosed	Not publicly disclosed	Not publicly disclosed	Not publicly disclosed	Not publicly disclosed	Not publicly disclosed

Commission and payout figures for BookYogaRetreats, BookRetreats and Retreat Guru mirror the sourced figures on our commission comparison. Audience reach isn't publicly disclosed by any platform listed here, including ours.

Dashboard features

Most competing platforms are a public listing plus marketing — useful, but not much beyond that on the backend. This is what each one gives a host to actually run the business day to day.

Feature	Finding Retreats	BookYogaRetreats (Tripaneer)	BookRetreats	Retreat Guru	The Good Index	RetreatFinder
Two-way iCal sync Retreat Guru’s own help documentation confirms iCal sync with Google Calendar, iCalendar and Outlook.	Yes	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed	Yes	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed
Auto-generated social media posts	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Built-in SEO fields per listing	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Income & booking forecasting	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Instant book or request-to-book toggle	Yes	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed
In-dashboard guest messaging	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multiple room/accommodation types per listing How rooms and pricing work	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Team access for co-hosts/staff How co-host access works	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
No exclusivity or rate-parity requirement	Yes	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed	Not publicly confirmed

"Not publicly confirmed" means we found no public documentation either way, not that the feature is absent — we didn't get host-side access to any competitor's dashboard to check directly. See how team access for co-hosts/staff works on Finding Retreats.

Each platform, briefly

Finding Retreats

Functions as both a discovery marketplace and the operating software behind the listing: 10% flat commission, published payout timing, plus iCal sync, auto-generated social posts, forecasting and guest messaging in one dashboard. Best for a host who wants one tool covering both distribution and day-to-day operations.

BookYogaRetreats (Tripaneer)

One of the largest, most established retreat marketplaces, with strong guest trust and review volume. Commission is set per host rather than published, and a number of Trustpilot reviews from guests describe confusion between the deposit and the commission taken, along with slow or refused refunds on cancellation — guest-side sentiment worth knowing before you rely on it for payout clarity.

BookRetreats

Established marketplace with a 15% commission floor plus a payment processing fee, and an opt-in tier of 20–30% for better search placement. Best for a host prioritizing reach on a well-known marketplace and comfortable with a variable, negotiable rate.

Retreat Guru

Describes itself as marketplace-plus-software, and backs that up with confirmed iCal sync in its own help docs. Commission is 14% flat, billed monthly to the host’s card rather than deducted from payouts — worth factoring into cash flow planning.

The Good Index

Smaller, curated and reviewed marketplace at a flat 10% commission. A free Starter plan covers a basic listing; a $49/month Growth plan adds visibility, but the commission stays 10% either way — no pay-to-rank tier.

RetreatFinder

Guests browse "Programs" by category and destination rather than a plain venue directory. Charges a flat annual fee instead of any commission, but the exact figure isn’t published — pricing is set through a "tell us what you offer" intake form, so budget for an unknown until you ask them directly.

How to choose

Retreat and vacation-rental hosting guides generally frame this as discovery versus control: a marketplace trades commission for exposure and built-in guest trust, while owned booking software keeps more revenue but needs you to bring your own traffic. Several of those guides recommend using both rather than picking one — which matches what most retreat hosts already do.

Marketplace vs booking software, explained

You want the lowest, most predictable commission

Finding Retreats and The Good Index both publish a flat 10% — no per-host negotiation, no opt-in tiers that push the rate higher.

You want to avoid commission altogether and can absorb an upfront fee

RetreatFinder charges a flat annual fee instead of commission, though the exact figure isn’t public — worth a direct inquiry if per-booking commission is your main objection.

You want the largest possible audience and don’t mind a higher, less transparent rate

BookYogaRetreats and BookRetreats are the more established, higher-traffic marketplaces, at the cost of a published rate you can compare in advance.

You want the marketplace to also replace your booking software

Finding Retreats and Retreat Guru both pair a public listing with backend tooling (iCal sync at minimum) rather than a listing page alone.

You’re not sure yet

Most hosts don’t pick one. Multi-listing is normal in this industry — add a platform alongside what you already use, compare real bookings, and drop what doesn’t perform. Nothing here requires delisting anywhere else first.

Questions hosts ask

Yes, and most hosts do — two or three platforms at once is normal in this industry rather than the exception. Finding Retreats has no exclusivity requirement and never asks for rate parity with other platforms, so you can add it alongside your existing listings and keep everything live while you compare bookings and commission.

Ready to see where you fit?

See the full host offer, dig into commission specifics, or import your existing listing and add Finding Retreats alongside what you already use.

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