MotoPress Hotel Booking alternative: a free WordPress plugin compared

MotoPress Hotel Booking is one of the best-known hotel booking plugins for WordPress. If you're looking for a MotoPress Hotel Booking alternative, you've probably hit one of two walls: the features you need, such as Stripe payments or Airbnb sync, sit in the premium version, or the add-ons you'd need add up to more than you planned to spend. Pandao Booking, our free WordPress hotel booking plugin, was built for exactly that situation: an independent property that wants card payments, calendar sync and a real front desk without buying a licence first. Here's how the two compare.

MotoPress Hotel Booking vs Pandao Booking at a glance

What's included, and what costs extra

With MotoPress, the free Lite version takes bookings paid by PayPal, bank transfer or on arrival. Card payments through Stripe, calendar sync with the platforms and editing bookings from the dashboard come with the premium licence. Reviews, WooCommerce payments, invoices and other features are add-ons, each sold separately, so the bill depends on how many of them your property needs.

With Pandao Booking, the free plugin already covers Stripe, iCal sync, the booking editor and the booking calendar: a B&B or a small hotel can take paid bookings and stay in sync with Airbnb without spending anything. When you want more, Pandao Booking Pro adds six modules in one licence rather than six add-ons: PDF invoices, verified guest reviews, revenue reports, WooCommerce payments, multi-currency prices and bookable activities, from $99 a year for one site or $299 once for a lifetime licence. If you don't renew, every module keeps working.

Where Pandao Booking differs

• More in the free plugin. Stripe card payments, calendar sync with Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo, phone bookings and booking changes need no paid licence, no time limit and no cap on bookings.
• One Pro licence, every module. No add-ons to collect or renew one by one: the six Pro modules come together, and they're all on the live demo.
• Revenue reports in Pro. Occupancy, ADR and RevPAR by room type and booking source, inside your WordPress dashboard (see the reports).
• Built for independent owners. One property per site, with as many rooms, cottages or apartments as you need: every screen is about your rooms, your rates and your guests, from the first search to the booking calendar at the front desk.
• Your site, your data. No account to open with us, no monthly service in the loop: bookings and payments live in your WordPress site and your own Stripe or PayPal account.

Which Pandao product fits your situation

• One property on WordPress, taking bookings and payments: start with Pandao Booking, free. Rates, seasons, extras, Stripe and PayPal, calendar sync and the booking calendar are all there.
• You invoice guests, want reviews on your own site or need your numbers: add Pandao Booking Pro for PDF invoices, verified reviews, revenue reports, WooCommerce payments, multi-currency prices and activities.
• Several hotels, each with its own owner: see Panda Multi Resorts, our standalone PHP booking platform, where each property has its own rooms, rates and payment accounts.
• A new hotel website, not on WordPress: Panda Resort installs a complete site with its booking engine on standard PHP hosting.

Switching from MotoPress

Pandao Booking doesn't import MotoPress data. Try it on a staging copy of your site first, then set up your accommodation types, units and rates again and re-enter your upcoming bookings. On the guest side, Pandao Booking creates its own booking pages, with blocks and shortcodes you place where your old ones were. Our step-by-step WordPress tutorial takes you from the install to a first test booking.

Try it on your own site today

The quickest way to decide: install the free plugin on a staging site, paste your Stripe test keys and take a test booking with the card 4242 4242 4242 4242. In under an hour you'll have seen card payments, the rate calendar and the booking calendar working, without buying a licence. When you're ready for invoices, reviews and reports, Pro is one licence, from $99 a year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Or try every screen, free and Pro, on the live demo first.

Get Pro from $99/year Start free Try the live demo

Demo dashboard: username admin, password admin123.

Common questions

Is Pandao Booking really free?

Yes. The plugin is free under the GPL, with no time limit, no cap on bookings and no locked features. Pro is optional.

Does either plugin take a commission?

No. Both send guest payments straight to your own payment accounts.

Can I try Pandao Booking before switching?

Yes. The live demo runs the free plugin with Pro, admin panel included.

Sources for MotoPress: the Hotel Booking Lite page on WordPress.org (version 6.4.0, read on 13 October 2026), its documentation on reports and its add-on pages on motopress.com. Plugins change: check each vendor's site before you decide.