Comparisons
6 min read
Updated June 2026

RentalBeam vs BNBForms: booking form widget, compared

RentalBeam and BNBForms are both commission-free and both embed on your own website, so on paper they look alike. Look closer and they aim at different things. BNBForms is a booking form: its whole product is the widget guests fill in to reserve, on a flat fee with no free tier. RentalBeam sells the availability calendar as a free widget on its own, then adds the booking form and a location map on top. If all you want is a booking form, BNBForms is focused on exactly that; if you want a free calendar first and a wider widget set, RentalBeam fits better.

How RentalBeam compares to BNBForms

RentalBeam next to BNBForms - publicly available information as of 2026.

What it is

RentalBeam

(Us)

Availability calendar, booking form, and map widgets

BNBForms

A booking form widget

Pricing model

RentalBeam

(Us)

Free plan + flat rental tiers

BNBForms

Flat fee, no permanent free tier

Commission on your direct bookings

RentalBeam

(Us)

None

BNBForms

None

Permanent free plan

RentalBeam

(Us)

Included

BNBForms

Not included

Standalone availability calendar widget

RentalBeam

(Us)

Included

BNBForms

Calendar shown inside the booking form

Direct booking form and guest payments

RentalBeam

(Us)

Yes, on Pro

BNBForms

Included

Guest payment processors

RentalBeam

(Us)

Stripe

BNBForms

Several, including PayPal and Stripe

Location map widget

RentalBeam

(Us)

Included

BNBForms

Not included

iCal availability sync

RentalBeam

(Us)

Included

BNBForms

Included

Website builder support

RentalBeam

(Us)

Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, Webflow, any HTML

BNBForms

Very broad, including Shopify and GoDaddy

Best suited for

RentalBeam

(Us)

A free calendar plus bookings and a map

BNBForms

A focused paid booking form
Yes No Varies|Pricing and features accurate as of 2026

RentalBeam or BNBForms?

BNBForms is a flat-fee, commission-free booking form widget you embed on a rental website. Here is the honest split.

Pick BNBForms

Choose BNBForms if what you want is a focused booking form on a flat fee, and you value its breadth elsewhere: it supports a long list of payment processors (including PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, and others) and embeds on an unusually wide range of site builders, from WordPress and Wix to Shopify, GoDaddy, and Joomla. For a straightforward paid booking widget, it does the job.

Pick RentalBeam

Choose RentalBeam if you want to start free. Its availability calendar is a free widget in its own right, so you can show open dates on your site before paying for anything, then add the booking form and guest payments on Pro. RentalBeam also ships a single-property location map widget that BNBForms does not, and shows several of your rentals together with Collections.

Where RentalBeam differs

A free availability calendar

RentalBeam has a permanent free plan for the availability calendar on its own. BNBForms has no permanent free tier; it is a paid flat-fee product after a trial.

A widget suite, not just a form

RentalBeam offers an availability calendar, a booking form, and a location map as separate widgets. BNBForms centers on the booking form, with the calendar shown inside it.

A location map widget

RentalBeam ships a single-property map widget with privacy modes. BNBForms does not offer one.

Want the number for your own listings? Calculate what OTA commissions cost you per year.

BNBForms is a trademark of its respective owner and is not affiliated with RentalBeam. This comparison reflects publicly available information as of 2026.

Comparison questions

Is BNBForms commission-free like RentalBeam?

Yes. Both are commission-free: neither takes a cut of your bookings. BNBForms charges a flat subscription fee regardless of how many properties you manage, and RentalBeam charges by plan with a permanent free tier. On both, guest card payments carry only the payment processor's own fee, not a fee to the booking tool.

Does BNBForms have a free plan?

No. BNBForms is a paid, flat-fee product with a time-limited free trial but no permanent free tier. RentalBeam has a permanent free plan for a synced availability calendar with one iCal source, so you can put availability on your site at no cost and upgrade only when you want the booking form or payments.

What is the main difference between RentalBeam and BNBForms?

Scope. BNBForms is a booking form widget; the calendar lives inside that form. RentalBeam treats the availability calendar as its own free widget, then adds a booking form and a location map as separate embeds. So RentalBeam covers availability display and location as well as bookings, while BNBForms concentrates on the booking form itself.

Which payment options does each support?

BNBForms supports a broad set of processors, including PayPal and Stripe among others, plus manual options like bank transfer and pay on arrival. RentalBeam processes guest card payments through Stripe on Pro, with Apple Pay and Google Pay where Stripe supports them, and also offers inquiry-only and pay-later flows with no card at booking.

Start with a free calendar, add bookings when ready

Put a free availability calendar on your site today, then add a commission-free booking form and a location map on Pro. No card to start.

No credit card required - Free forever - Setup in 2 minutes