Features
The all-in-one system for experience businesses
More than 900 businesses use Understory to plan, promote, and manage their experiences. Get everything you need in one place - from bookings to payments to marketing.
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Cancel anytime
Switch in under a day
No credit card required
Cancel anytime
Switch in under a day
Features
The smarter way to sell experiences
Get guests from browsing to booked
Get a booking flow built to get more bookings – mobile-optimised, fast, and friction-free. Offer the ticket options your guests need. Pass booking fees to guests or build them into your price. Your call.
Let guests manage their own bookings
Guests can reschedule or cancel on their own. It's quick, easy, and it frees you up to focus on the experience, not your inbox.
Add-ons that increase revenue
Offer extras like equipment rental, photos, or refreshments. Guests add them at checkout, you earn more per booking.
Flexible ticket types and pricing structures
Adult, child, student, group rates – set up whatever makes sense for your business. Change prices by season or demand.
A booking page that's fully yours
Create an online store that reflects your brand, with custom colors, fonts, and images. Let guests browse in their language. Help them find the right experience with smart filters.
Website integration that matches your brand
Embed seamlessly into your existing site. Guests never feel like they've left your world.
Embedded calendar widget
Show upcoming availability directly on your site. Guests can see what's coming up and book without clicking away.
Multi-language support
Automatic translation so international guests can browse and book in their language.
Smart filtering by category
Help guests find exactly what they're looking for with categories. Better experience for them, more bookings for you.
Fill more seats with less effort
Use built-in tools that drive bookings minus the manual work. Set up automated ads in minutes, track performance automatically. Create discount codes for promotions. Connect to popular marketplaces.
Ads that improve while you host
Set your budget and let our system optimise continuously. Ads that learn and adapt to drive more bookings over time.
Custom discount codes and promotions
Create limited-time offers, early bird pricing, or loyalty discounts. Track redemption to see what drives sales.
Marketplace integrations (Truestory & more)
Get discovered on popular marketplaces. One system manages everything.
Know if your ads are working
See return on spend, revenue generated, reach, traffic, etc. Everything you need to know if your ads are working.
Boost revenue with gift card options
Sell digital gift cards and get paid instantly, building a financial buffer for your offseason. Manage everything from your dashboard: track redemptions, adjust balances, disable cards when needed.
Instant payment when cards sell
Money in your account immediately, even if the experience happens months later. Cash flow when you need it.
Adjust, track, or disable anytime
Adjust card values, track who's redeemed what, disable lost cards from your dashboard.
Get a clear view of gift card revenue
See gift card sales separate from bookings. Understand your different revenue streams at a glance.
Find and manage bookings in seconds
No more hunting through spreadsheets. Search by name, date, or booking number and find what you need instantly. Need to reschedule? Adjust ticket counts? Process a refund? Done in a few clicks.
Instant partial or full refunds
Process refunds immediately from the booking screen. Money back to guests without complicated processes.
Status filters to see what needs attention
View upcoming, completed, or cancelled bookings. Focus on what matters right now.
Bulk actions when you need them
Update multiple bookings at once. Send messages to a whole group. Handle admin in batches, not one by one.
One-click rescheduling and edits
Guest needs to change dates? Update ticket counts? Do it in seconds without starting from scratch
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Plan events without the headache
Schedule one-time events, recurring experiences, or private bookings – all from one calendar. Unlimited team access means everyone stays in sync, at no extra cost.
Flexible scheduling for any event type
One-off workshops, weekly tours, seasonal experiences – set them up once and manage them easily.
Automatically schedule recurring events
Run the same tour every Saturday? Set it once, it repeats automatically. Change one, update all, or adjust individual dates.
Provide QR code check-in
Guests show their code, you scan, they're checked in. Without paper lists, spelling mistakes, or confusion.
Team roles and permissions
Give staff access to what they need without handing over the keys to everything. Different roles for different responsibilities.
Connect your personal calendar
Connect Google or Apple Calendar. See your Understory bookings alongside personal appointments. Never double-book again.
Communication that keeps guests informed
Send confirmations, reminders, and updates in seconds. Automatic translations mean guests get information in their language – no extra work from you. Clear, timely communication without the admin burden.
Automated confirmations and reminders
Guests get instant booking confirmations. Reminders go out before their experience without any input from you.
Automatically translate to different languages
Write once in your language, guests receive it in theirs. Serve international customers without hiring translators.
Direct messaging when needed
Send updates about weather changes, meeting point adjustments, or special instructions. Reach everyone booked for a specific experience.
Collect guest details at booking
Ask for shoe sizes, allergies, dietary needs – whatever your experience requires. Get answers upfront and skip the follow-up emails.
Connect the tools you already use
Stop copying data between systems. Understory connects with your accounting software, syncs with your calendar, and integrates with popular marketplaces – so everything talks to each other.
Integrate seamlessly with Zapier
Create simple automations based on bookings, changes, or cancellations – no coding needed. It's fast to set up and flexible enough to support (almost) anything you want to automate.
Popular marketplaces
List your experiences where customers are already looking. Manage bookings from multiple channels in one place. Understory works with popular marketplaces like Truestory, Viator (coming soon) and GetYourGuide (coming soon).
Calendar sync (Google, Apple)
See Understory bookings alongside your personal appointments. Never double-book yourself again.
Manage equipment and spaces automatically
The system automatically monitors your equipment, spaces, and capacity – so you don't have to. Show up prepared without the constant mental checklist.
Equipment tracking
Automatically assign gear to specific bookings. Know exactly what's available and what's already booked out.
Team roles and permissions
Assign roles like Admin, Manager, or Guide. Everyone gets the right access and info to stay on track.
Space management
Track room or location capacity. Prevent overbooking venues or hitting safety limits.
Automatic overbooking prevention
The system stops overbookings before they happen. It automatically manages equipment and spaces so you don't have to worry about double-booking.
Payments that work for everyone
Get paid fast. Offer guests multiple payment options: credit cards, PayPal, MobilePay. Pass booking fees to guests if you want to maximise revenue.
Flexible booking fee structure
Pass fees to guests, absorb them, or build them into pricing. Adjust as your business model evolves.
Let guests pay their way
Credit cards, PayPal, MobilePay, and more. Offer the payment methods your guests already use and trust.
Get data to help you make decisions
Track sales, orders, and customer patterns in one dashboard – understand everything that matters most to your business.
A dashboard that keeps you in the loop
See today's bookings, this week's revenue. Know how your business is doing right now.
Sales and booking trends
Spot patterns over time. Which experiences sell best? When are your peak seasons? Plan smarter.
How Understory works
Up and running in one day
1
Set up your experiences
Add your experiences, set your prices, customise your booking page. Make it yours – colours, fonts, images that match your brand.
2
Open for bookings
Share your experience on your website, social channels, or anywhere your guests are. Guests can book instantly while you stay in control of your schedule.
3
Turn on marketing
Run automated ads, create discount codes, connect to marketplaces. Built-in tools that bring guests in without the manual work.
4
Get paid and grow
Process payments, track revenue, see what's working. Everything you need to run and grow your business in one place.
Try for free
Try Understory with all features unlocked. No card required.
Cancel anytime
Change your mind if it's not right for you.
Ready to try Understory?
Get your first 50 bookings for free and try Understory risk‑free.
Trusted by businesses across Europe
Wine tastings in Bordeaux, wilderness tours in Norway, surf schools in Portugal to cooking classes in Copenhagen – Understory powers bookings for hundreds of businesses creating moments to remember.
Join 900+ businesses who've made the switch
"Understory isn’t just a great system – it’s backed by a team that shares our passion for creating experiences. Understory saves us time and keeps our guests happier. It’s a win-win!"
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"We had an amazing experience using Understory and can recommend it to anyone thinking about selling classes, events, or experiences! The staff is also wonderful."
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"We are super happy to work with Understory. At Sightseeing RIDE we want to do things in a new way and offer our guests unique experiences on the water. Working with Understory gives us an innovative, fast, and user friendly operating system."
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FAQs
Here to help
What exactly does Understory do?
Over 900 experience businesses – from tour guides to tasting classes – use Understory to boost bookings and revenue, save hours on admin, and deliver seamless guest experiences.
Our all-in-one system handles bookings, payments, and marketing, so you can spend less time behind a screen and more time doing what you love – while growing your business.
How much does it cost?
You can get started for free. Our pricing’s built to fit experience businesses of all sizes, with flexible plans that grow with you. No hidden fees, no long-term commitments – just the tools you need to run your business.
Explore our pricing plans.
Which website systems does Understory work with?
Understory works with any website. You can add a booking link or a simple booking calendar to your site — no coding needed.
If you use WordPress, there’s an easy built-in way to connect Understory.
Will this help me get more bookings?
Definitely.
Businesses that use Understory get 20% more bookings on average within the first year thanks to the built-in marketing tools, a smooth booking flow, and automated guest communication – without extra work on your end.
How is Understory different from other booking systems?
Understory is more than just a booking tool – it’s your all-in-one solution to create, manage, and sell experiences.
Unlike other systems, it handles everything from bookings and secure payments to automated guest emails and built-in marketing tools – all in one easy-to-use system designed specifically for experience businesses.
No more switching between tools or manually following up with guests.
Plus, it’s simple for your guests to book and pay in just a few clicks, making their experience seamless from start to finish.
What payment solutions can I offer my guests?
Your guests can pay with standard payment cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, MobilePay, PayPal and iDeal.
How quickly can I get started with Understory?
Getting started with Understory is easy.
First, you have to create an experience. Second, pick the dates your experience is available. Third, you have to connect to Stripe to accept payments. Finally, share your booking link on your website, social media, or directly with customers.
All of this can be done in less than 1 day, and then you can start taking bookings right away.
Can I use Understory on my phone?
Yes!
Understory works smoothly on your phone, so you can manage bookings, update your calendar, and message guests from anywhere – whether you’re on the go, or right in the middle of an experience.
What if I find out that Understory is not the right fit?
No problem!
You can get started for free, and if Understory isn’t the right fit, you can cancel anytime – no long-term commitments, no cancellation fees.
We’re here to help you find what works best for your business.
