Is BookingNinja cheaper than ROLLER?
I cannot tell you, because ROLLER does not publish prices. Their pricing page lists four tiers and a 14-day trial and then asks you to book a call. What is documented is the shape of the bill: a subscription, usage fees billed in arrears on the 5th for the previous month, card processing on top, and onboarding sold as a paid add-on. Ours is a monthly figure on our pricing page with no usage fees behind it, plus standard card processing. Get their quote and put the two side by side.
We run soft play and a cafe. Which parts does ROLLER not cover?
The covers side. ROLLER's food and drink is POS driven: mobile ordering, guest tabs settled at the end of the visit, kitchen printing. It is not a reservation book, so there is no booking against table 12 at 11am and no floor plan of the room. If your kitchen is a real part of the business, that gap is the thing you feel on a Saturday.
Can we book play sessions and tables at the same time?
Yes, that is the whole point of the page. A session controls the capacity for the play frame, and the same booking sits on a table in the cafe with guest types and a deposit attached. Your staff see both on one plan instead of reconciling a ticketing screen against a paper diary.
Does BookingNinja do parties, memberships and gift cards?
Yes, and so does ROLLER. The difference is commercial rather than functional. Party bookings, memberships with recurring billing, gift cards and order at table are all switched on here regardless of what you pay, instead of sitting above you on a tier or attracting extra usage fees.
How long does setup take?
About a day, and we do it rather than handing you a checklist. Sessions, tables, guest types and pricing get built with you on a call. Reviewers on Capterra and Software Advice describe ROLLER's backend as complicated with multiple steps to set up a simple product, and ROLLER sells implementation as a paid add-on, so budget differently for that.
What does ROLLER do that BookingNinja does not?
Admissions hardware and waivers. Self-service kiosks, RFID and cashless wristbands, access control integrations and e-signature waiver capture are all theirs and none of them are ours. They also have multi-venue HQ management and reseller channel distribution. If those are on your list, we are not the answer and I would rather say so now.
Is there a free plan?
There is a Free Forever tier at nothing a month, with every feature switched on and 50 bookings a month that carry no payment. Past 50, a booking has to include a payment, and the customer pays a booking fee at checkout of 2 percent or 50p, whichever is higher. No card needed to start and nothing to sign.
Is BookingNinja UK-based?
Yes. Small UK company, founder led, and the person who replies to your email is the person who wrote the code. ROLLER has a London office and offers GBP, but it is an Australian-founded global business with a support layer between you and the product.