VrixPlay vs Guidesly

One rate on every booking. Or a rate that changes with the source.

Guidesly is two things at once: a consumer marketplace where anglers and hunters shop guided trips, and Guidesly Pro, the operator software and free website behind it. Its published fee depends on how the guest found you: 3% for a booking you take by phone or in person through their POS, 10% through the website they build for you, and 15% through the Guidesly marketplace. VrixPlay charges a flat 3% on every booking, whatever the source, and settles it into your own Stripe account.

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No credit card required. Free software. Flat 3% per booking.

Quick verdict

Guidesly is the closest thing on this list to a one-stop package: marketplace exposure, a free website with hosting and a domain, a POS, an operator app, AI marketing tools, and 24/7 support, with no monthly bill. If you need anglers more than you need operations, that bundle is worth a hard look. The trade-off is that your rate rises with the channel that most operators grow into, so a website booking costs 10% instead of 3%, and the website, the domain, and the payment relationship sit on Guidesly's side. VrixPlay is the choice when you already have demand or intend to build it yourself: one published 3% on every booking, your own Stripe account, your own customer list, and charter-specific fleet, crew, capacity, waiver, and manifest tools.

Best for

Which one fits your dock?

VrixPlay

Best for captains and fleet owners who want:

  • One published rate, 3%, no matter how the angler booked
  • Deposits and balances straight into their own Stripe account
  • Your own domain and customer list, with a free VrixPlay booking website while you're on the platform
  • Charter operations: hulls, turnaround, crew, capacity, manifests
  • USCG-style manifests and waivers signed before departure
  • HighLevel CRM sync for reminders, review requests, and rebooking

Guidesly

Best for charter businesses that want:

  • Reaching new anglers and hunters through the Guidesly marketplace
  • A free custom website with hosting, domain, and setup included
  • Taking card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay at the dock through a POS
  • AI-assisted marketing: SEO, social posts, emails, and trip reports
  • 24/7 support and a community of 1500-plus listed guides
  • Guiding beyond fishing, including hunting, diving, rafting, and ATV trips
Feature comparison

VrixPlay and Guidesly, line by line.

  • What it is

    VrixPlay
    Charter booking and management software you operate
    Guidesly
    A consumer marketplace for guided outdoor trips plus Guidesly Pro operator software

  • Monthly software fee

    VrixPlay
    $0 per month
    Guidesly
    No monthly or annual fee and no setup fee per the Guidesly Pro pricing page

  • Fee structure

    VrixPlay
    Flat 3% per booking, published publicly
    Guidesly
    Published as 3% for direct phone or in-person bookings through the Guidesly POS, 10% through the website Guidesly builds, and 15% through the Guidesly marketplace

  • Fee on bookings from your own website

    VrixPlay
    3%, the same as every other booking
    Guidesly
    10% per booking on a Guidesly-built site per the current pricing page. Older Guidesly help center material lists 8%, so confirm your own rate card

  • Marketplace commission

    VrixPlay
    Not applicable. VrixPlay has no consumer marketplace
    Guidesly
    15% per booking, described as a flat rate that is the same for every guide rather than pay-to-rank

  • Card processing

    VrixPlay
    Stripe's standard card rates, billed by Stripe on your own account
    Guidesly
    The 3% direct rate is described as a card processing fee through the Guidesly POS. Confirm how processing is charged on website and marketplace bookings

  • When you get your money

    VrixPlay
    Stripe pays out to your bank on your Stripe schedule, typically within a couple of business days
    Guidesly
    Guidesly Pro markets instant deposits and flexible payment options. Confirm the payout schedule for your account

  • Who holds the merchant account

    VrixPlay
    Your own Stripe account, connected directly, in your business name
    Guidesly
    Payments are processed through Guidesly's platform and POS, not your own merchant account

  • Customer discovery

    VrixPlay
    No consumer marketplace. VrixPlay drives bookings from your own site, ads, and repeat customers
    Guidesly
    This is a core strength: anglers and hunters browsing trips by destination and activity

  • Your website

    VrixPlay
    Hosted booking page plus an embeddable widget for your own site. We also build and host a booking website free of charge while you are on VrixPlay; the site remains VrixPlay property and may not be transferred
    Guidesly
    Free custom website with hosting, domain, and setup included, with built-in SEO and instant booking

  • Website and domain ownership

    VrixPlay
    Booking pages are hosted by VrixPlay while you are on the platform, and the terms are published on our free website page. Your customer data is yours to export at any time
    Guidesly
    Guidesly's own FAQ raises whether the Guidesly Pro website is yours to own. Get website and domain ownership terms in writing before you move your domain

  • Who owns the customer relationship

    VrixPlay
    Your customer list is yours, exportable at any time
    Guidesly
    Confirm what customer records you can export and market to, for both website and marketplace bookings

  • Half day, full day, custom trips

    VrixPlay
    Half day, three quarter day, full day, overnight, and custom trip lengths with per-trip pricing and add-ons
    Guidesly
    Rate cards where you set your trips, durations, prices, and availability

  • Private and shared charters

    VrixPlay
    Private whole-boat charters and shared per-seat trips on the same boat calendar
    Guidesly
    Group size is set per trip. Confirm per-seat shared trip sales for a head boat

  • Deposits and balances

    VrixPlay
    Deposits at booking with the balance collected by payment link or on the dock
    Guidesly
    Deposits are supported, with standard amounts of 15% or 20% and per-rate-card customization, plus an optional customer service fee to offset commission

  • Boat availability and fleet scheduling

    VrixPlay
    Boat-by-boat availability, turnaround gaps, and fleet-wide day view
    Guidesly
    Business suite tools to manage multiple guides and vehicles, and one central calendar to avoid double booking. Confirm per-hull turnaround and fleet day views

  • Captain and crew assignments

    VrixPlay
    Assign captain and mates per trip and see who is running what
    Guidesly
    Multi-guide management is included. Confirm how mates and non-guide crew are assigned per trip

  • Passenger capacity

    VrixPlay
    Per-boat passenger capacity with live seat counts and USCG-style manifests
    Guidesly
    Group size per trip. Confirm per-boat capacity limits and live seat counts

  • Digital waivers

    VrixPlay
    Digital waivers included, signed on any phone before departure
    Guidesly
    Digital waiver collection and storage are built into the Guidesly Pro website

  • Passenger manifests

    VrixPlay
    Trip manifests your crew pulls up on a phone at the dock
    Guidesly
    Confirm USCG-style dock manifest output for your account

  • Trip reminders and customer messaging

    VrixPlay
    Automated email and SMS confirmations, reminders, and dock instructions
    Guidesly
    Automated customer communications and email marketing, with SEO, social, and trip reports through their Jack AI tooling. Confirm transactional SMS

  • Weather cancellations and rescheduling

    VrixPlay
    Reschedule or cancel a trip and notify the whole group in one action, with credits or refunds through Stripe
    Guidesly
    Calendar and booking management are included. Confirm group-wide reschedule and refund handling

  • Payment links and tips

    VrixPlay
    Payment links for balances, add-ons, and last-minute upsells Post-trip tip pages so anglers can tip the crew by card
    Guidesly
    POS accepts card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Confirm balance payment links and crew tip collection

  • Review requests

    VrixPlay
    Automated review requests after the trip, including through HighLevel
    Guidesly
    Reviews are collected on the Guidesly marketplace profile. Confirm review requests sent in your own name

  • CRM and HighLevel

    VrixPlay
    Native HighLevel integration for contacts, automations, and review requests. VrixHub white-label CRM is available for an added fee
    Guidesly
    Built-in CRM and calendar management. Confirm HighLevel integration or data export for your account

  • Reporting

    VrixPlay
    Revenue, bookings, deposits outstanding, and per-boat performance in one dashboard
    Guidesly
    Booking, payment, and customer management in the Guidesly Pro app. Confirm per-boat revenue reporting

  • Mobile

    VrixPlay
    Installable mobile PWA for captains, mates, and office staff
    Guidesly
    Guidesly Pro app for bookings, payments, calendar, marketing, and customers

  • Support

    VrixPlay
    US-based team in Destin, Florida by phone and email, with guided onboarding
    Guidesly
    24/7 support plus a Guide Success team and help center

  • Setup

    VrixPlay
    Self-service signup in about 15 minutes, or send us your trips and we do the setup
    Guidesly
    Free signup with profile approval, and setup marketed within 24 hours, no contracts, cancel anytime

  • Who it is built for

    VrixPlay
    Fishing charters, head boats, and multi-boat fleets
    Guidesly
    Guides across fishing, hunting, diving, rafting, and other outdoor activities

Guidesly details come from Guidesly's own pages, reviewed in August 2026: the guidesly.com marketplace, the become-a-guide page, the Guidesly Pro pricing page, and the Guide Success help center. The 3%, 10%, and 15% figures are Guidesly's own published rates on its current pricing page. One older Guidesly help center article lists 8% for Guidesly-powered websites and 15% for the marketplace with processing included, so rates may vary by account and by when you signed up. Rows marked confirm are unverified from public materials, not features we claim Guidesly lacks.

Pricing and fees

What each platform costs you.

Both platforms start at $0 per month, so the whole comparison is what each booking costs and where the money lands. VrixPlay charges 3% on every booking, whether it came from your website, a phone call, a referral, or a repeat angler. Guidesly's published rate depends on the channel: 3% for a direct booking through their POS, 10% through the site they build you, and 15% through their marketplace. On a $1,200 full-day charter that is $36 with VrixPlay, and with Guidesly $36 taken by phone, $120 through your Guidesly site, or $180 through the marketplace, before card processing. The honest reading is that Guidesly's higher rates buy demand and marketing you did not have to create, and a boat with empty dates may come out ahead paying 15% for a trip it would not otherwise have sold.

VrixPlay

  • $0 per month for the software, no per-user fee and no minimums
  • Flat 3% per booking, published publicly
  • Card processing is billed separately by Stripe at Stripe's standard rates
  • No setup fee. We migrate your trips, pricing, and availability for you
  • No contract and no long sales cycle

Guidesly

  • No monthly fee, no annual fee, and no setup fee per the Guidesly Pro pricing page
  • 3% per booking taken directly by phone or in person through the Guidesly POS
  • 10% per booking through the custom website Guidesly builds and hosts
  • 15% per booking sourced through the Guidesly marketplace, the same rate for every guide
  • Free website, hosting, domain, waiver storage, POS, AI marketing, and 24/7 support are included in those rates
  • An older Guidesly help center article lists 8% for websites and 15% for the marketplace with processing included, so confirm your own rate card in writing

Card processing is stated separately for VrixPlay because Stripe bills it on your own account. Guidesly describes its 3% direct rate as a processing fee through its POS and does not publish how processing is handled inside the 10% and 15% rates, so ask before you compare the two totals line for line.

Charter workflow

From the booking request to the tip request.

How each platform handles the day a charter business actually runs.

Where the angler finds you

VrixPlay

Your own site, ads, Google listing, referrals, and repeat customers. VrixPlay does not create discovery traffic.

Guidesly

The Guidesly marketplace, or the SEO-built website Guidesly makes for you, or your own phone.

What the booking costs you

VrixPlay

3%, every time, from any source.

Guidesly

3% by phone through their POS, 10% on your Guidesly site, 15% through the marketplace.

Selling a half day, full day, or custom trip

VrixPlay

Charter-native trip lengths with per-trip pricing and add-ons.

Guidesly

Rate cards you configure with your own trips, durations, prices, and availability.

Whole boat versus per seat

VrixPlay

Private charters and shared per-seat trips on the same boat calendar.

Guidesly

Group size per trip. Confirm per-seat head boat sales for your account.

Deposits and the balance

VrixPlay

Deposit at booking into your Stripe account, balance by payment link or at the dock.

Guidesly

Standard 15% or 20% deposits with per-rate-card customization, plus an optional customer service fee to offset commission.

Running the fleet

VrixPlay

Boat-by-boat availability, turnaround gaps, and a fleet-wide day view.

Guidesly

One central calendar plus business suite tools for multiple guides and vehicles.

Crew and capacity

VrixPlay

Assign captain and mates per trip, with live seat counts against each hull's capacity.

Guidesly

Multi-guide management. Confirm mate assignment and per-boat capacity handling.

Waivers at the dock

VrixPlay

Digital waivers signed on any phone before departure.

Guidesly

Digital waiver collection and storage built into the Guidesly Pro website.

The dock manifest

VrixPlay

USCG-style manifest your crew pulls up on a phone.

Guidesly

Confirm manifest output for your account.

Weather calls

VrixPlay

Reschedule or cancel and notify the whole group in one action, with credits or refunds through Stripe.

Guidesly

Managed through the Guidesly calendar and its cancellation handling. Confirm group-wide notifications.

Tips and reviews

VrixPlay

Post-trip tip pages for the crew and automated review requests in your name.

Guidesly

POS payments including Apple and Google Pay, with reviews accruing to your marketplace profile.

Getting them back next season

VrixPlay

Contact synced to HighLevel, rebooking offer sent directly, still 3%.

Guidesly

Guidesly charges its booking fee on returning customers too, at the rate for the channel they use. Booking by phone puts them at the 3% tier.

Getting paid

VrixPlay

Stripe pays your bank on your own schedule from your own account.

Guidesly

Instant deposits and flexible payment options are marketed. Confirm the schedule for your account.

Guidesly bundles the demand and the software. VrixPlay sells only the software.

Guidesly's model is honest about what it is: they build the website, run the marketplace, do the marketing, and take a larger cut when their channel produced the customer. If you have no site, no audience, and no time, that is a real offer, and the 15% marketplace rate being the same for every guide is a genuine advantage over marketplaces where higher commission buys better ranking.

VrixPlay makes no marketplace claim. We do not send you anglers. What we do is charge one published 3% on every booking, put the deposit in your own Stripe account in your business name, and give you the charter operations layer: hulls, turnaround, crew, live capacity, waivers, USCG-style manifests, reminders, tips, and HighLevel sync.

The practical question is where your bookings will come from in three years. If most of them will come from a marketplace, pay the marketplace. If most of them will come from your own name, your dock, your referrals, and your repeat anglers, then paying 10% for a website booking on a site you may not own is the expensive part of the bundle, and a flat 3% on your own infrastructure is the cheaper long-term position. Plenty of operators do both: list where the demand is and keep their own bookings direct.

Honest fit

Pick the platform that matches your operation.

Choose VrixPlay if:

  • You want one published rate, 3%, regardless of booking source
  • You want deposits and balances in your own Stripe account, in your business name
  • You want your own domain and customer list, with a free VrixPlay booking website while you're on the platform
  • You run more than one hull and need turnaround, crew, and capacity handled properly
  • You need USCG-style manifests and waivers as part of the daily routine
  • You already have demand from referrals, repeat anglers, and your own marketing
  • You want HighLevel automations for reminders, review requests, and rebooking
Start free with VrixPlay

Choose Guidesly if:

  • You need new customers more than you need operations tooling
  • You have no website and want hosting, a domain, and SEO handled for free
  • You guide more than fishing, such as hunting, diving, rafting, or ATV trips
  • You take a lot of walk-up and dockside payments and want a POS with Apple and Google Pay
  • You want AI-assisted social posts, emails, and trip reports without hiring a marketer
  • You prefer 24/7 support and are comfortable with rates that vary by channel
  • You are fine with Guidesly holding the payment relationship and the website

Moving from Guidesly, or running both

You do not have to give up marketplace exposure to stop paying 10% on your own website traffic. A common setup is to keep the Guidesly listing for discovery and move your direct bookings to VrixPlay: your booking page, your Stripe account, your customer list, flat 3%. Before you move, ask Guidesly in writing who owns the domain and the site, and get your customer records exported. Our team in Destin, Florida will rebuild your trips, pricing, deposit rules, boats, and availability, and we can build you a booking website while you are on VrixPlay so nothing goes dark during the season.

Talk to us about switching Start free
FAQ

VrixPlay vs Guidesly, answered straight.

How much does Guidesly cost a charter operator?

Guidesly Pro publishes no monthly fee, no annual fee, and no setup fee. Instead it charges per booking based on the channel: 3% for direct phone or in-person bookings taken through its POS, 10% for bookings through the website Guidesly builds you, and 15% for bookings sourced from the Guidesly marketplace. One older Guidesly help center article lists different website and marketplace figures, so confirm your own rate card in writing.

Is VrixPlay cheaper than Guidesly?

It depends where your bookings come from. Both are $0 per month. On a booking you generated yourself, VrixPlay is 3% and Guidesly's website rate is 10%, so VrixPlay is cheaper on that trip. On a booking Guidesly's marketplace found for you, the comparison is not really about the fee: VrixPlay would not have produced that customer at all. Judge the marketplace rate on net revenue per trip you would not otherwise have sold.

Is Guidesly a marketplace or booking software?

Both. guidesly.com is a consumer marketplace where anglers and hunters shop guided trips, and Guidesly Pro is the operator side: bookings, payments, POS, CRM, calendar, a free website, and AI marketing tools. That hybrid is why its fee changes with the booking source.

Does VrixPlay give me marketplace exposure like Guidesly?

No, and we will not imply otherwise. VrixPlay has no consumer marketplace. It powers bookings from your own website, ads, phone calls, referrals, and repeat anglers, and we can build you a booking-ready website if you do not have one.

Do I own the free website Guidesly builds?

Guidesly's own FAQ raises the question of whether the Guidesly Pro website is yours to own, and its public pages do not spell out the answer, so get website and domain ownership in writing before you point your domain at it. VrixPlay's terms are published on our free website page: the booking site is provided free while you are on VrixPlay, and your customer data is yours to export at any time.

Does Guidesly handle passenger manifests and crew assignments?

Guidesly publishes business suite tools for managing multiple guides and vehicles, one central calendar, and digital waiver collection and storage. Its public materials do not confirm USCG-style dock manifests, per-boat capacity counts, or mate assignment per trip, so confirm those for your account. VrixPlay includes all three.

Does Guidesly integrate with HighLevel or my own Stripe account?

Guidesly includes its own CRM and processes payments through its platform and POS, and its public materials do not confirm a HighLevel integration or a direct Stripe Connect relationship in your business name. Confirm both for your account. VrixPlay connects your own Stripe account and syncs contacts to HighLevel natively.

How much does VrixPlay cost?

$0 per month with a flat 3% per booking from any source. Stripe bills card processing separately on your own account. No setup fee, no contract, and our US-based team configures your trips, boats, pricing, and availability for you.

Keep reading

More on how VrixPlay runs charters.

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Trips, deposits, waivers, manifests, reminders, and tip requests in one place. We handle the setup, you go fishing.

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Free software. Flat 3% per booking. Setup in about 15 minutes.

Sources and review date

Last reviewed: August 2026. Guidesly information is based on Guidesly's own public pages reviewed in August 2026, including the Guidesly Pro pricing page, the become-a-guide page, and the Guide Success help center, and terms can change. Guidesly's own documentation is not fully consistent on website and marketplace rates, so operators should confirm their rate card directly. Platform fees and card-processing fees are stated separately wherever Guidesly publishes them. All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. VrixPlay is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any company named on this page.