How Mallard Bay Stacks Up: A Better Fee Structure for Outfitters

Running an outfitter business is tough enough without giving away a big portion of your hard-earned revenue to fees. The right booking and management platform should make it easier to run your business, not harder. That’s why Mallard Bay’s fee structure is designed to be simple, flexible, and transparent — built for outfitters, not against them.

Let’s take a closer look at how Mallard Bay compares to two other common platforms — FareHarbor and AnyCreek — and why outfitters switching to Mallard Bay not only save money, but also gain flexibility and better tools to grow their business.

FareHarbor: 6% on Everything (Even Offline Bookings)

FareHarbor takes a flat 6% fee on every booking. It doesn’t matter if the customer found you through their platform or if it’s a loyal repeat client you added manually from your calendar — you’re paying the same 6%.

For outfitters that bring in a large percentage of bookings directly (repeat hunters, word-of-mouth referrals, or long-standing ranch clients), this quickly adds up. You’re essentially being charged for reservations you generated yourself. Even worse, you have no way to offset credit card fees — which means you’re locked into paying processing costs that eat further into your margin.

For example, a $10,000 booking through FareHarbor means you’re giving up $600 right off the top. Over the course of a year, this can total tens of thousands of dollars that could have stayed in your pocket.

AnyCreek: Fees That Stack Up Quickly

AnyCreek’s structure looks flexible at first glance, but when you dig in, it quickly gets expensive.

• 5% service fee on all bookings. This applies whether the booking comes from you or from AnyCreek’s marketplace.
• Lead generation fees that stack. If a booking comes from their marketing or marketplace, you’ll pay another 15% on top of the 5% service fee — that’s already 20% before processing fees.
• Mandatory credit card payments. You don’t have the ability to pass along processing fees, so you’ll pay another ~3% yourself.

When all is said and done, an outfitter can easily face effective rates of nearly 23% on bookings generated through AnyCreek’s marketplace. That means on a $5,000 hunt, more than $1,100 goes to AnyCreek, not you.

This fee stacking model penalizes outfitters twice — first by charging you for every booking (even ones you bring yourself), then by taking even more when they generate a lead. Source:

Mallard Bay: Flexibility That Saves You Money

Mallard Bay was built by outdoorsmen for outfitters, with a pricing model that prioritizes flexibility, transparency, and control. Here’s how we’re different:

• Pass credit card fees to customers. Outfitters can choose to have clients pay processing fees or give them the option to pay via ACH to eliminate fees entirely.
• Log and manage cash/check payments. Unlike FareHarbor or AnyCreek, Mallard Bay lets you record offline payments without forcing you to pay platform fees. You keep what you earn.
• QuickPay feature. Outfitters can easily charge for add-ons — rentals, extra guests, merchandise — with no booking fees attached.
• Lower, non-stacking service fees. Depending on your plan (Lite, Pro, or Elite), booking fees range from 3% down to 0%. Lead generation fees only apply when Mallard Bay drives the customer through our marketplace or marketing, and those fees range from 5–10%. Importantly, they don’t stack on top of other fees.

The end result? Most outfitters on Mallard Bay see significant annual savings compared to competitor platforms, while also benefiting from built-in sales and marketing tools that help drive more business.

The Bottom Line

FareHarbor and AnyCreek both have models that punish outfitters with unavoidable and often stacked fees. Mallard Bay’s approach is different — we give you flexibility to run your business how you want, tools to manage every type of payment, and a much lower cost structure.

At the end of the day, more of your revenue should stay where it belongs: with you, your guides, and your business.

👉 Ready to see how much you could save with Mallard Bay? Learn more here.