CampLife vs PitchCamp: Campground Software Comparison¶

Quick answer: CampLife and PitchCamp are both campground-management and reservation platforms. CampLife is a long-established US-based provider offering multiple pricing plans, advanced accounting, extensive reporting, POS, metering, gates, kiosks and Canadian payment processing. PitchCamp is a Canadian-built platform with published CAD pricing, Canadian tax configuration and operational tools designed for independently operated campgrounds. The better choice depends on required features, reservation volume, billing currency, add-ons and support preferences.

Disclosure: This comparison was prepared by the PitchCamp team. PitchCamp is a CampLife competitor. We have linked to current first-party information from both companies and recommend requesting written proposals based on your campground's specific requirements. Information was last verified on August 23, 2026. Pricing, features, add-ons, payment-processing rates and terms may change, so confirm current details directly with each provider before deciding.

CampLife Overview¶

CampLife has been building campground reservation software since 2006. It states that "hundreds of campgrounds from massive to modest, from corporation to family-owned" work with its team, and that it is trusted by more than 1,000 RV parks and campgrounds. CampLife serves campgrounds ranging from modest family-operated parks to large resorts, public parks and multi-property organizations, and its multiple plans let campgrounds choose between tailored monthly subscriptions and per-reservation pricing.

CampLife also operates a guest-facing marketplace. Its own materials state plainly: "there are no hidden fees and no commission for reservations booked on our marketplace."

PitchCamp Overview¶

PitchCamp is a Canadian-built campground management and reservation platform. It publishes its pricing in Canadian dollars and is built around Canadian provincial tax requirements, direct guest relationships and day-to-day campground operations, including reservations, payments, POS, utility metering, gate access, waitlists and digital waivers.

Published Pricing Comparison¶

CampLife uses several pricing options rather than a single plan. Its current pricing page publishes:

All Features: $3 per reservation, $99 monthly minimum, phone (staff-entered) reservations free, no commission on marketplace reservations
Standard: starting at $99 per month, $3.50 per online reservation, phone reservations free
Premium: starting at $249 per month, $3.50 per online reservation, phone reservations free
Unlimited: custom quote; the public comparison table shows no online reservation fee for this tier, but the exact phone-reservation and recurring-invoice terms were not consistently shown, so confirm them directly with CampLife

CampLife also offers fixed-subscription options without additional per-reservation fees for some larger or public parks, and individual plan configurations and add-ons vary. None of CampLife's published plans charge a percentage of the reservation's dollar value; they are all fixed-dollar subscription and per-reservation charges. CampLife's pricing page does not explicitly label its dollar figures as USD, so Canadian campgrounds should confirm billing currency in writing.

Platform and plan	Subscription or minimum	Per reservation	Percentage of reservation value?
CampLife All Features	$99 monthly minimum	$3	No
CampLife Standard	Starting at $99 monthly	$3.50 for online reservations	No
CampLife Premium	Starting at $249 monthly	$3.50 for online reservations	No
CampLife Unlimited	Custom quote	No online fee currently shown	No
PitchCamp Free	$0 CAD	$4 CAD	No
PitchCamp Standard	$49 CAD monthly or $499 CAD annually	$3 CAD	No
PitchCamp Premium	$99 CAD monthly or $999 CAD annually	$2 CAD	No

CampLife and PitchCamp both use fixed-dollar pricing rather than taking a percentage of the reservation value. The meaningful differences involve billing currency, monthly minimums or subscriptions, which reservations are chargeable, included features, optional add-ons and payment-processing costs. See PitchCamp's current pricing page for full plan details.

Illustrative examples (All Features plan, excluding taxes, payment processing, hardware and third-party services):

At 40 chargeable reservations in one month: 40 x $3 = $120. Because this is above the $99 monthly minimum, the monthly platform charge would be $120.
At 20 chargeable reservations in one month: 20 x $3 = $60. Because this is below the $99 monthly minimum, the campground would pay the $99 minimum.

Illustrative PitchCamp example: A campground on the annual Standard plan processing 700 chargeable reservations in a season would pay $499 plus $2,100 in reservation fees ($3 x 700), for a platform total of $2,599 CAD before applicable taxes, payment processing, hardware and optional services.

Not every CampLife customer uses the All Features plan, and not every PitchCamp feature is on every plan; confirm the specific plan being quoted before comparing totals.

Included Features and Paid Add-ons¶

Several CampLife capabilities carry separate, publicly listed pricing rather than being bundled into every plan. Distinguishing what is included from what costs extra matters for an accurate total-cost comparison.

Add-on	CampLife	PitchCamp
Digital forms and signatures (Sign+Store)	Starting at $5 per park per month, pricing increases with site count, plus a stated $29 setup fee on tailored plans; included in the All Features plan	Available; verify current pricing
Gate integration	$199 per month plus a $1,500 implementation fee on tailored plans; included in the All Features plan; hardware not included	Available; verify hardware and implementation requirements
Reservation kiosk	$3.50 per kiosk-created reservation; check-ins on an existing reservation are free; hardware not included	Available; verify hardware requirements
SMS texting	$0.05 per text with a $5 monthly minimum, plus a setup fee on some plans; the All Features plan includes up to 1,000 texts per day	Available via SMS opt-in messaging; verify current pricing

Confirm current amounts directly with each provider, since add-on pricing changes independently of the base plan price.

Reservations, Maps and Guest Experience¶

CampLife's published feature list includes online reservations, interactive campground maps, Site Guarantee, dynamic pricing, custom business rules, mobile check-in, reservation add-ons, guest credit and a mobile-friendly guest portal.

Capability	CampLife	PitchCamp
Online reservations	Included	Included
Guest-facing marketplace	Included, no marketplace commission	Not offered (PitchCamp uses OTA calendar sync instead)
Interactive site map	Included	Available; verify PitchCamp map setup and pricing
Dynamic pricing and custom business rules	Included	Available
Mobile check-in	Included	Verify with PitchCamp
OTA or channel connectivity	Airbnb integration publicly listed on CampLife's plan comparison; confirm cost and synchronization method	iCalendar-based two-way calendar sync with Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia (export and import URLs, hourly or on-demand sync); blocks dates to prevent double-booking, not a full API channel-manager integration

Do not treat an iCalendar feed and a full API integration as equivalent for either platform; confirm the exact synchronization method with each provider.

POS, Accounting and Reporting¶

CampLife publicly lists point-of-sale, custom retail packages, inventory tracking, cash and accrual accounting, advanced accounting, detailed reporting, work orders and multi-park management as part of its platform.

Capability	CampLife	PitchCamp
Point of sale	Included	Available
Inventory tracking	Included	Verify with PitchCamp
Cash and accrual accounting	Included	Yes (Daily Financial Close report supports both an "All charges" accrual view and a "Collected only" cash view)
Detailed reporting	CampLife's own materials describe extensive published reporting	Available; verify report depth with PitchCamp
Work orders	Included	Verify with PitchCamp
Multi-park management	Included	Verify current PitchCamp capability

Do not assume feature depth is equivalent between the two platforms in this category without a direct, tested comparison; where PitchCamp's exact capability was not confirmed against production documentation, it is marked "verify" above rather than "yes" or "no."

Metering, Gate Access and Kiosk¶

CampLife's remote meter reading feature is specifically described as electric metering: it "pulls live usage data into CampLife so you can monitor meters and bill guests without walking the park." CampLife's public documentation does not describe support for water or gas metering, and also lists mass meter entry as a related capability.

Capability	CampLife	PitchCamp
Utility metering	Remote (electric) meter integration and mass meter entry available	Native electric, water and gas meter readings, entered individually or in bulk
Gate integration	Available, see pricing above; hardware not included	Available; verify plan, hardware and implementation requirements
Reservation kiosk	Available, see pricing above; hardware not included	Available; verify hardware requirements
Gate-based self check-in from a guest's phone	Not confirmed in public documentation	Available: GEO check-in lets a guest open the gate from within the campground's geofence

Do not describe CampLife's metering as covering water and gas unless CampLife documentation confirms those utility types.

Canadian Payments and Taxes¶

CampLife Pay publishes specific Canadian processing rates: 2.7% for card-present transactions, 2.9% for card-not-present transactions, a $0.15 authorization fee per transaction, and a $0.30 debit-card fee in both the US and Canada, plus applicable pass-through and chargeback fees. CampLife Pay also states there are no long-term commitments and that a campground can change processors at any time.

CampLife is a US-based campground-management provider that supports payment processing in both Canada and the United States. Its public materials do not clearly document every province-specific GST, HST and PST workflow. Canadian campgrounds should ask CampLife to demonstrate the exact tax configuration, invoice presentation, reporting and payment-processing workflow required in their province.

PitchCamp is built around Canadian provincial tax requirements. PitchCamp uses Stripe for payment processing; current Canadian Stripe rates, terminal costs and any additional PitchCamp charges should be verified separately and compared against CampLife Pay's published rates using all fixed fees, pass-through charges, terminal costs, refund fees and chargeback fees, not the headline percentage alone.

PitchCamp is operated by a Canadian company and publishes a privacy policy describing how customer data is handled.

Onboarding, Support and Cancellation¶

CampLife's current pricing page describes a one-time onboarding deposit based on campground size (1 to 49 sites: $100; 50 to 99 sites: $175; 100 or more sites: $250), credited back to the campground's account after go-live, and states that the deposit is non-refundable if onboarding is not completed. CampLife's FAQ separately describes a "setup fee" covering the interactive park map, credit card account setup, initial database work and user-account creation, which may reflect older or plan-specific pricing information. If these two pages conflict for your plan, ask CampLife in writing which charge applies and how it is credited or refunded.

CampLife's FAQ recommends allowing two to six weeks for setup, depending on customization and payment-processing approval, and states that onboarding coaches build maps, rates and custom rules, and that CampLife can import existing reservations and guest information (additional migration costs may apply depending on complexity).

Each new CampLife park signs an End User Agreement, but CampLife's pricing page states "there aren't any penalties if you need to find a better fit." That is different from a fixed-term contract with an early-termination penalty.

CampLife lists phone, live chat and email support, with published phone hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. US Central time, Monday through Friday.

PitchCamp states that many smaller parks are live and taking online bookings within a couple of business days of starting setup, though timing depends on campground size, data quality and configuration needs, and its team assists with migrating data from another platform. PitchCamp differentiates itself through direct access to a Canadian team.

	CampLife	PitchCamp
Onboarding deposit / setup fee	Onboarding deposit required, credited to the account after go-live; non-refundable if onboarding is not completed; confirm against the separate FAQ "setup fee" description	No setup fee stated
Typical onboarding	CampLife recommends allowing two to six weeks	Timing depends on property size, data quality and configuration
Data migration	CampLife offers migration; additional costs may apply depending on complexity	Migration assistance available; confirm scope, cost and timeline
Long-term commitment	End User Agreement required; CampLife states no penalties for leaving	States no long-term commitment; verify current terms
Support	Phone, chat and email, published hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. US Central, Monday through Friday	Support through a Canadian team; confirm seasonal, weekend and emergency coverage

Operators should compare actual seasonal, weekend and emergency-support coverage between providers rather than assuming that company location alone determines response time.

When CampLife May Be the Better Fit¶

Advanced accounting and reporting are priorities
Extensive published reporting is required
Remote (electric) meter reading is important
Gate integration and kiosk check-in are needed, with the associated add-on pricing acceptable
Multi-property management is required
The campground wants guided configuration of complex rates and business rules
The CampLife Marketplace and interactive map provide useful discovery, with no marketplace commission
CampLife Pay's Canadian payment-processing terms fit the operation
The campground's written CampLife quote, including any add-ons, is competitive

When PitchCamp May Be the Better Fit¶

Published CAD pricing is important
Canadian tax configuration is a priority
The campground wants a free starting plan
Direct access to a Canadian software team is valued
PitchCamp's native POS, till, metering, waiver and gate workflows (on the applicable plan) match the operation
The campground prefers PitchCamp's support model
The written total-cost comparison, including add-ons and payment processing, favours PitchCamp at the campground's actual reservation volume

Neither platform is automatically the better choice based on campground size alone; both serve a wide range of park sizes.

Questions to Ask During Each Demo¶

What exact fee applies to an online reservation, a staff-entered reservation and a marketplace reservation, in writing?
Which add-ons (gate integration, kiosk, Sign+Store, SMS) does our campground need, and what do they cost including hardware and implementation?
Is the initial charge an onboarding deposit that is credited back, a non-refundable setup fee, or both, and under what conditions?
What does the End User Agreement or terms of service actually say about cancellation and notice?
What are the all-in Canadian payment-processing costs, including percentage rate, authorization fee, debit fee and any pass-through or chargeback charges?
How is Canadian provincial tax (GST, HST, PST) configured, and who is responsible for confirming it is correct?
Is the OTA connection a full channel-manager integration or a calendar-only sync, and which channels does it cover?
What utility types does metering support, and is it native or through a third-party integration?

Frequently Asked Questions¶

Is CampLife available in Canada?

Yes. CampLife Pay publishes payment-processing rates for Canadian transactions, demonstrating support for Canadian campground operations. Canadian campgrounds should still ask CampLife to demonstrate their exact GST, HST, PST, invoice, reporting and billing-currency requirements.

How does CampLife pricing compare with PitchCamp?

Both platforms use fixed-dollar pricing rather than a percentage of reservation value. CampLife offers several plans, including an All Features option with a $99 monthly minimum and $3 per reservation. PitchCamp publishes CAD plans with per-reservation fees from $2 to $4, depending on plan. The lower-cost option depends on reservation volume, billing currency, included features, add-ons and payment-processing costs.

Does CampLife charge commission?

CampLife states that it does not charge commission on reservations booked through its marketplace. Its current software pricing uses monthly subscriptions, monthly minimums and fixed per-reservation fees depending on the selected plan.

Does CampLife require an annual contract?

CampLife requires an End User Agreement, but its current pricing page says there are no penalties if a campground needs to leave. Operators should review the current agreement and cancellation process before signing.

Does CampLife charge a setup fee?

CampLife currently describes its initial charge as an onboarding deposit. The deposit is credited to the campground's account after go-live but is non-refundable if onboarding is not completed. CampLife's FAQ separately references a setup fee covering map creation and account setup; confirm which description applies to your plan. Some optional features also have separate implementation or setup fees.

Does CampLife support Canadian payments?

Yes. CampLife Pay publishes specific rates for Canadian card-present and card-not-present transactions.

Which platform has more features?

Both platforms cover core reservation and campground-management workflows, but they are not identical. CampLife publicly offers advanced accounting, extensive reporting, work orders, multi-park management, remote electric metering and several paid operational add-ons. PitchCamp offers Canadian-focused configuration and native operational tools. Campgrounds should compare the exact workflows they require rather than relying on a simple feature count.

Can CampLife data be migrated to PitchCamp?

PitchCamp can assist with migration from exported CampLife data. The scope and timing depend on the fields available, data quality and configuration requirements. Confirm the CampLife export process and obtain a written PitchCamp migration plan before scheduling the transition.

Sources¶

Information was last verified on August 23, 2026. Pricing, features, add-ons, payment-processing rates and terms may change. Confirm current details directly with each provider.

Compare PitchCamp's published CAD pricing and Canadian campground workflows with a current CampLife proposal for your property.

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