Kanarix vs hiring a web agency

When an owner decides to get their own website, the first idea is usually to hire an agency. An agency can build you a pretty page, sure, but the model has traps: it charges thousands upfront, typically delivers a “shopfront” site with no booking system or channel sync, and leaves maintenance and improvements on your side or billed separately by the hour. Kanarix isn’t just a website: it’s a complete direct-booking system, built custom, with ongoing support included and no huge upfront outlay.

Kanarix vs Web agency: quick comparison

How an agency works and what it costs

An agency works by project: you define what you want, they quote you (often several thousand euros) and deliver the site. The problem is what comes next: maintenance, updates, a text change or a new section are usually billed by the hour or on a retainer. And it almost never includes a booking engine with payments, calendar and channel manager, because that’s a product, not a one-off design job.

Where it falls short for owners

You end up with a pretty but “dead” site: it grabs attention, but the guest can’t book or pay online, there’s no sync with Booking and Airbnb (double-booking risk) and no guest portal. Every improvement depends on the agency’s availability and rate. You’ve paid a lot upfront for an asset you still have to wire to a booking system to make it actually work.

How Kanarix is different

Kanarix includes custom design with your brand and, on top of that, the whole system: calendar, seasonal pricing, online payments straight to your account, guest portal and iCal sync with the OTAs. Most importantly, support and improvements are included in the fee, not billed by the hour. You pay €49 per month plus €15 per property, with no setup fee.

Not just design — a system

Beyond design, you get a booking machine that works: the guest lands, sees real availability, books and pays, and you receive the money directly. All connected and maintained. An agency gives you the visual “what”; Kanarix gives you the “what” and the “how it works”.

Predictable cost

Instead of a big upfront bill and variable, unpredictable maintenance costs, you pay a monthly or yearly subscription that includes everything, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You know exactly what it costs each month, with no surprises for every change.

Who it’s for (and who it’s not)

Kanarix fits if you want a complete, custom, maintained booking system without a large upfront outlay or depending on an agency for every change. An agency can make sense if you need a very specific bespoke project outside vacation rentals, or you have the budget and team to maintain it. For VR direct bookings, Kanarix is built for exactly that.

How to switch without losing bookings

Switching models doesn’t mean turning off what already works overnight. The move happens in steps, in parallel, and is usually ready in about 2 weeks:

• ✓You share your properties, photos, seasonal pricing and rules. We build the custom site with your brand.
• ✓We connect calendars via iCal with Booking, Airbnb and any portals you already use, so dates block automatically and you never double-book.
• ✓We turn on online payments (card, Bizum, PayPal) straight to your account, with no portal holds.
• ✓We launch your site and you start taking direct bookings, keeping the portals as a discovery channel.
• ✓Over time, you reconvert guests who arrived via a portal into direct bookings on their next stays.

What Kanarix includes (and you don’t pay extra for)

• ✓Custom design with your brand — not a generic template.
• ✓Ongoing support included in the price, also after launch.
• ✓Calendar (iCal) sync with Booking and Airbnb to prevent double-bookings.
• ✓Secure online payments (card, Bizum, PayPal) straight to your account.
• ✓Multilingual site optimised for local SEO and AI search.

Pricing is transparent: €49 per month plus €15 per property, no setup fee and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Your system is live in about 2 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Won’t an agency build a more custom site?

Kanarix also designs custom with your brand; the difference is it also includes the booking system, payments, calendar and guest portal, plus ongoing support — all in a fixed fee instead of a big upfront payment.

How much does Kanarix cost versus an agency?

Kanarix costs €49 per month plus €15 per property, with no setup fee. An agency typically asks for several thousand euros upfront and bills maintenance separately.

Does an agency site include a booking system?

Usually not. It tends to be a shopfront site; the booking engine, payments and OTA sync are a separate product. Kanarix includes them as standard.

Who maintains the site afterwards?

With an agency, you or them by the hour. With Kanarix, support and improvements are included in the fee, also after launch.

Is there a lock-in contract?

No, and you get a 30-day money-back guarantee.