Olladay vs BrightCore.
No monthly subscription. Built only for saunas.
BrightCore is studio software with a free plan and a Core plan at €83 a month. Olladay has no monthly fee: by default guests pay a 2% booking fee and your sauna pays card processing, so a quiet month costs you very little. Both have memberships, session packs, gift vouchers, waitlists and win-back emails.
BrightCore facts checked against brightcore.ie on 21 October 2026. Sources linked below.
Head to head
| Olladay | BrightCore | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | None | Free plan; Core €83 a month or €499 every six months, excluding VAT; Ultimate on request (source) |
| Per-payment fee | By default guests pay 2% and your sauna pays card processing. Your sauna can cover the whole fee instead. | Not listed |
| Memberships and session packs | Yes: memberships renewing every month or 28 days, packs and a rollover club | Yes: recurring billing, passes and token packs (source) |
| Gift vouchers | Yes, online or hand-issued, with a gift store | Yes, digital gift cards (source) |
| Waitlists | Yes: a freed seat is booked automatically | Yes, automated waitlists (source) |
| Emails that bring past guests back | Yes: automatic win-back emails at 3 and 8 weeks | Yes, win-back messages (source) |
| Private hire | On the same timetable as shared sessions: booking private hire closes the seats, and selling seats hides private hire | Yes (source) |
| Storm closures with refund, move or credit | Included, in one go from the diary | Not listed |
| Split-pay group bookings | Yes: the organiser pays their share and sends the group a link | Not listed |
| Apple Pay and Google Pay | Yes, in the browser, with no app or account | Not listed |
| A Book instantly button in the Olladay sauna directory | Included | Not offered |
| See your booking page before signing up | Yes: paste your sauna name or current booking link | Not listed |
| Built for | Saunas and cold plunges | Studios and wellness businesses, with a sauna page (source) |
“Not listed” means we couldn’t find it on BrightCore’s public pages, not that it doesn’t exist. If you spot something out of date, Email us and we’ll fix it.
Everything that’s included
Selling
- Sauna sessions and private hire on one timetable, with availability kept in sync
- Session packs and memberships that renew every month or 28 days
- A rollover club whose unused dips carry over
- A gift store with printable gift vouchers and gift links
- Split-pay private hire: each friend pays their share from a WhatsApp link
- Add-ons such as towels and robes, paid in the same checkout
- Last-minute offers for guests who have opted in
- Discount codes, off-peak prices, and busy and quiet pricing
- Waitlists that offer a freed seat automatically
Running the sauna
- Heater control on request for compatible HUUM and Shelly setups, after testing
- Booking codes for compatible locks through Seam or igloohome, after connection and testing
- Wood-fire reminders before the first booking of the day
- Storm warnings in your diary, and closures with refunds, rebooking or credit
- A minimum number of bookings before a session goes ahead, checked at the time you set
- Crew mode and the rota for your attendant and fire-lighter
- Health terms agreed by every guest, with a record of what they agreed to
Guests
- Apple Pay and Google Pay in the browser, with no app or password
- Confirmation, reminder and win-back emails
- Texts for confirmations, reminders and waitlist offers, at 10 cent per text part (6p in the UK) once you switch them on
- Add to Apple Wallet
- High tide, sunset and sunrise badges on your times
Money and partners
- Payouts straight to your own Stripe account
- A card reader for the counter
- Xero and QuickBooks API sync, subject to account setup and verification
- Viator and GetYourGuide connections require partner certification and venue approval
- Reports, exports and an occupancy heat map
Getting found
- A listing with a Book instantly button in the Olladay sauna directory
- Google: link your booking page to your Business profile
- Your own web address, a Book now box for your website, a QR code and story images
Help
- Link import of public session details, with missing prices and times marked for review
- Free help preparing a CSV import for your existing passes
- Email support or book a call
Hardware and account connections need separate setup and verification. Ask us to confirm readiness for your venue before relying on them. Travel marketplace connections also need partner certification and venue approval.
Olladay or BrightCore: questions.
What does BrightCore cost?
BrightCore has a free plan. Its Core plan is €83 a month, or €499 every six months, excluding VAT, and its Ultimate plan is priced on request (BrightCore pricing, checked 21 October 2026). We couldn’t find its card or transaction fees on its public pages.
What does Olladay cost compared with BrightCore?
Olladay has no monthly fee and no plans. By default guests pay a 2% booking fee and your sauna pays card processing. On a €20 session your sauna keeps €19.44. In a quiet winter month you pay only on the payments you take, never a subscription.
Does Olladay have memberships, waitlists and gift vouchers like BrightCore?
Yes. Olladay sells memberships that renew every month or 28 days, session packs and gift vouchers. It has waitlists that book a freed seat automatically, and win-back emails at 3 and 8 weeks for guests who haven’t been back.
Can I move from BrightCore to Olladay?
Use CSV import for recognised customer and pass-balance columns, then check the preview and totals before importing. Email us your export for help preparing it. Enter sessions, prices and times yourself.
Which is better for saunas?
BrightCore suits a studio that wants one subscription system across many kinds of classes and memberships. Olladay is built only for saunas and cold plunges: sauna sessions and private hire on one timetable, storm closures with refunds or credit in one go, split-pay private hire and a Book instantly button in the Olladay sauna directory, with no monthly fee.
See your sauna on Olladay first.
No monthly fee in the quiet months.
1. Type your sauna’s name or paste your booking link. 2. See your booking page, with your seats, prices and opening days. 3. Connect Stripe when you’re ready to take payments.
Preview your pageTry the demo saunaBook a 15-minute call
Setting up is free and needs no card. Switching from another system? Email us and we’ll move you over.
Booking and card processing in one fee
3.5% + €0.25 Per payment with a standard EEA card.
Card processing and every Olladay feature included. No monthly fee.
By default guests pay 2%; you can cover it instead. Your sauna pays the rest (1.5% + €0.25 on a standard EEA card).
On a €20.00 session, the guest pays €20.40. You receive €19.44 after the fee.
Prefer to keep guest prices as entered? Your sauna covers the full fee instead. The fee includes card processing. It comes out of each payment before it reaches you.
Directory bookings and optional texts
First eligible directory booking: 16.5% + €0.25 with a standard EEA card. Guests pay no 2% on directory first bookings. Directory fee details.
Optional texts: €0.10 per text part when switched on. Long texts may use several parts. Messaging costs.
Compare the whole payment
One €20.00 listed session, one actual payment, standard EEA card, local settlement. Total fee includes the platform component and card processing; guest-funded rows include the 2% guest fee in the first displayed price.
| Platform and who pays | Guest pays | Total fee | Sauna receives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session | €20.00 | €0.65 | €19.35 |
| Wunderbook | €20.40 | €0.96 | €19.44 |
| Olladay · sauna pays | €20.00 | €0.95 | €19.05 |
| Olladay · guests pay 2% | €20.40 | €0.96 | €19.44 |
Session charges 0.5%, capped at €90 monthly, plus Stripe. Wunderbook charges guests 2%, plus Stripe paid by the sauna. Stripe’s standard EEA rate is 1.5% + €0.25. Sources checked 14 October 2026: Session pricing, Wunderbook support, Stripe pricing.
Periode’s debit/credit and country categories do not establish a matched standard/premium card basket. Acuity’s subscription depends on the plan and exchange rate. Compare those plans against your own actual payment mix; no lowest-cost claim is made.
Choose Olladay for sauna sessions and private hire on one timetable, group payments, storm closures, and optional hardware connections that need setup and testing.
Common questions
What does Olladay cost?
3.5% + €0.25 per payment with a standard EEA card. Card processing and every Olladay feature included. No monthly fee.
Do I pay Stripe separately?
The fee includes card processing. It comes out of each payment before it reaches you.
What happens when I refund a payment?
Your guest gets their whole payment back. Stripe keeps its card processing cost on a refund, so Olladay returns its fee less Stripe’s standard rate of 1.5% + €0.25 on the original payment. A partial refund shares both in proportion. Anything more Stripe keeps on premium or international cards is on us. Offer account credit instead and it costs you nothing. Payments made before this change still return the whole fee.
Can I refund a pass or voucher?
Unused passes and vouchers can be refunded in full. Partial prepaid refunds require a review of the remaining value.
What happens to a payment made to move a booking?
If cancellation returns money, a completed move payment comes back as account credit. Credit keeps its value for another booking and does not reverse the payment fee.