Bookboost vs Runnr.ai
The facts side by side, what each one costs tier by tier, and which of the two we'd pick. Both have been paid for and run at a working European hotel.
The short version
On our hands-on ratings, Bookboost takes it overall, 8/10 against 6/10.
Bookboost is built for privacy-conscious European hotels. Runnr.ai is built for hotels wanting WhatsApp-native guest communication with good integrations.
Which we'd pick
Bookboost if privacy review is the gate, Runnr.ai if WhatsApp and PMS write-back are.
Both are European and both take data seriously, but only one of them can prove it. Bookboost publishes a sub-processor list Anna calls shorter than any competitor's, keeps it current, handles WhatsApp consent correctly out of the box, and has the only DPA in the category she says answers her questions. Runnr is EU-hosted with a short list of its own, but the OpenAI entry on it is a notable asterisk, and it holds no SOC 2, no ISO 27001 and no published security credentials of any kind.
Runnr is the better pure messaging tool: WhatsApp-native from day one, messages that queue properly, and conversation summaries that flow back into PMS guest profiles. Bookboost is the better data layer, with guest profiles that build real context across repeat stays and an inbox that threads properly so messages stop getting missed. On cost, Bookboost's modular per-room model has a floor around €399 a month against Runnr's €100 plus per-conversation charges, so Runnr is much the cheaper entry.
Drawn from our individual hands-on reviews rather than a fresh head-to-head test. Where a finding belongs to one of us, we've said whose it is.
| Bookboost | Runnr.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | Modular per-room model: required Customer Data Platform ~€2.20/room/month plus optional modules (Journey ~€2.80, Broadcasts ~€1.80, Inbox ~€2.80 per room/month); ~€399/month minimum | Entry prices only, all stated as starting at: Pro from €100/month, Plus €200, Enterprise €400, with the per-unit rate unpublished; WhatsApp usage ~€0.75/room/month |
| Best for | Privacy-conscious European hotels | Hotels wanting WhatsApp-native guest communication with good integrations |
| HQ | Sweden | Netherlands (Utrecht) |
| Founded | 2016 | 2022 |
| Reviewed by | anna | thomas |
What each one costs
Bookboost pricing
- Customer Data Platform ~€2.20/room/month
- Compulsory. Every other module sits on top of it, so this is the floor rather than an option, and it's the right way round: the data layer is the part of Bookboost I rate most highly.
- Journey ~€2.80/room/month
- Automated guest messaging across the stay. Optional, and the module most properties add first.
- Inbox ~€2.80/room/month
- The unified inbox, including WhatsApp Business API. This is what turned Bookboost into a proper messaging platform rather than a CRM that also sends messages.
- Broadcasts ~€1.80/room/month
- One-to-many campaigns. The cheapest module, and the one whose value depends most on whether you actually run campaigns.
- Guest app €1.40/room/month
- New since our review. Requires the Journey module.
- AI agent €3.00/room/month
- New since our review. Requires the Inbox module, and is the priciest single module on the list.
- Insights platform €2.00/room/month, plus seats
- New since our review. Creator seats are €200 a month and viewer seats €50, which is where Anna's complaint about exporting a CSV and doing the arithmetic yourself now has a paid answer.
There's a minimum of around €399 a month, which is the number that decides whether this is for you. Below roughly 60 rooms the minimum, not the per-room rate, is what you're paying, so a small property subsidises a pricing model built for larger ones. Add the modules you need to the compulsory data platform before comparing: the CDP alone is not a messaging tool, and the realistic configuration is CDP plus Journey plus Inbox, not the headline €2.20.
Runnr.ai pricing
- Pro From €100/month
- The entry tier, and the same €100 floor our review recorded, now with a name and two tiers above it.
- Plus From €200/month
- Marked as the most popular option on the pricing page.
- Enterprise From €400/month
- Top published tier.
- Groups and chains Custom
- Above 10,000 units, priced by arrangement.
- WhatsApp usage ~€0.75/room/month average
- Charged on top of the platform fee and stated as an average across conversation volume and guest location. More useful for budgeting than the per-conversation framing we recorded.
Runnr.ai has gone further in the right direction since our review. The €100 monthly floor is unchanged, but where we recorded a single starting price there are now three named tiers with figures attached, an average WhatsApp cost of about €0.75 per room per month rather than a vague per-conversation note, and a thirty-day trial on annual plans with setup and support included. Billing is per unit, and Runnr counts rooms, beds, apartments, cottages or camping pitches, which suits properties that are not shaped like hotels. Thomas credited Runnr for publishing anything at all when most rivals would not; it now publishes more than most.
Prices as last verified during each review. Hotel software pricing moves, and per-room rates behave very differently at 20 rooms and at 200, so run the arithmetic at your own room count. Full detail on Bookboost pricing and Runnr.ai pricing.
Common questions
Which is better, Bookboost or Runnr.ai?
On our ratings Bookboost scores 8/10 against Runnr.ai at 6/10. But the better tool is the one that fits your property, so read both reviews before you decide.
How much do Bookboost and Runnr.ai cost?
Bookboost: Modular per-room model: required Customer Data Platform ~€2.20/room/month plus optional modules (Journey ~€2.80, Broadcasts ~€1.80, Inbox ~€2.80 per room/month); ~€399/month minimum
Runnr.ai: Entry prices only, all stated as starting at: Pro from €100/month, Plus €200, Enterprise €400, with the per-unit rate unpublished; WhatsApp usage ~€0.75/room/month
Read the full reviews
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Bookboost
I reviewed Bookboost previously and liked the data handling. Coming back to it, the privacy fundamentals haven't slipped, and the WhatsApp integration has turned it into a proper messaging platform.
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Runnr.ai
Runnr.ai built their product around WhatsApp from day one instead of adding it later. The difference is visible in the API design, the message flow, and the integration quality. It's what I wished Quicktext had done.