Understory - 2026 Pricing, Features, Reviews & Alternatives

Understory is an experience management platform built for businesses that sell tours, classes, activities, workshops, and event-based offerings. Understory combines scheduling, payment processing, marketing automation, and guest management in a single platform. The platform features a customizable online booking engine that allows guests to browse available experiences, check dates, and complete bookings through a streamlined checkout flow. Business owners can create one-time events, recurring schedules, or accept private event requests. The calendar system provides filtering capabilities. Guests can independently reschedule or cancel bookings based on configurable time restrictions, with automatic refund processing available.

Understory integrates with Stripe and Paypal to accept payments through multiple methods including standard payment cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, MobilePay, Swish, iDeal, and Vipps. Businesses receive a branded storefront that can be embedded on existing websites through multiple integration options. WordPress users can install a dedicated plugin for seamless integration. The storefront supports custom domain configuration, multi-language automatic translations, and branding customization including colors, fonts, and imagery. The system sends automated booking confirmations, reminders, and follow-up messages to guests. Email content is automatically translated based on guest language preferences. Communication templates can be customized to match brand voice and include relevant booking details.

Understory includes built-in marketing capabilities to drive bookings. Users can create and manage discount codes, run targeted advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram with dedicated budget management, send automated email campaigns, and track marketing performance through built-in analytics. The platform integrates with the Truestory marketplace to expand distribution channels. The analytics dashboard provides sales insights with filtering by experience type and time period. The reporting system tracks bookings, transactions, and gift card sales. Visma enables automatic transfer of payments and invoices. Calendar synchronization with personal calendars helps manage availability. A gift card feature allows businesses to sell and track gift certificates.

The platform allows management of bookings and guest communications from any device. An API is available for custom integrations. The system supports unlimited ticket sales without per-transaction fees beyond standard payment processing. Understory serves experience providers including tour operators, cooking class instructors, workshop facilitators, adventure activity companies, wellness and yoga studios, tasting experience hosts, and other businesses offering scheduled, bookable experiences.