# Hiveway vs Bandwango

> Bandwango sells and tracks destination passes; Hiveway is the visitor website and listings. What each does, how they charge, and why many DMOs could use both.

[Compare](https://hiveway.org/compare) · Destination software

Bandwango runs mobile passes for destinations (food trails, attraction passes, event tickets) that track visitor check-ins and pay local businesses, in 450+ active communities.

Honest comparison · Checked October 2026 · 4 sources

## Choose Bandwango if

You want to sell or give away passes and trails, and measure visits to local businesses with real check-ins.

- You want a passport program, a food trail or a restaurant week that people carry on their phones.
- You want check-in numbers to show what tourism brings to local businesses.
- You'd like a product that can earn revenue back to the DMO.

## Choose Hiveway if

You need the visitor website, events and listings rebuilt and run for one flat price ($999 a month).

- You need the visitor website, not a pass.
- You want every place and event on your own domain, readable by search engines and AI.
- You want one flat price for the site, events, listings and newsletter.

**The short version:** Hiveway for Destinations is $999 a month, flat, month to month. (the big tourism platforms bill support, every import and every article separately, every year) [About Hiveway for Destinations](https://hiveway.org/destinations)

Bandwango does one thing well: mobile passes. A DMO builds a brewery trail, a restaurant week or a multi-attraction pass, visitors buy or claim it on their phones, and each check-in is tracked, which gives the DMO a number it can show its council. Bandwango says it's paid out $16M+ to local businesses across 450+ active communities.

Hiveway doesn't sell passes. It's the visitor website, events calendar, partner listings and newsletter. The two do different jobs, and a pass program would sit alongside a site like ours.

## Seven things, checked.

| What | Bandwango | Hiveway |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | A mobile pass platform: trails, passes and event tickets with check-in tracking | The visitor website and the system of record behind it |
| Pricing model | A license with no published price; some plans include ad space you can sell to offset it, and passes can earn the DMO margins and breakage | $999 a month, flat, everything included |
| Passes and ticketing | Its core job | Not offered |
| Website | Not a website platform | Included: your visitor website, rebuilt by us in the first months, hosted and kept up |
| Measuring visits | Check-ins at participating businesses, reported as visitor activity and economic impact | Plain reports a council can read: visits, and clicks through to businesses and hotels |
| Listings and events | Businesses appear as pass stops | Every place worth visiting has a page; partners update their own listings. A visitor events calendar with public submissions you approve |
| Works with | Integrates with Simpleview | Standard links and embeds on your site |

## The honest math.

Bandwango doesn't publish license prices. Its own articles describe clients paying the license with ad sponsorships built into some plans, and passes priced so the DMO keeps a margin.

Hiveway for Destinations is $999 a month, about $12,000 a year, and doesn't include passes or ticketing for visitors.

## We rebuild it for you.

No build fee, and no charge per import.

**One honest note** Hiveway is in its founding season. We're building it now with our first chamber, so it isn't something you can sign up for off the shelf today.

[Apply as a Destination](https://hiveway.org/apply?type=destination)

1. Your visitor website, rebuilt by us in the first months
2. Your listings and events, moved over from Bandwango
3. Your old addresses, redirected so nothing breaks
4. Hosting and help by email, in the one price

## Questions, answered plainly.

### Is Bandwango a website platform?

No. Bandwango runs mobile passes and trails; your website links to them.

### How much does Bandwango cost?

Bandwango doesn't publish prices. It sells a license, and its articles say some plans include ad space you can sell to cover it.

### Does Hiveway measure economic impact?

No. Hiveway reports visits and clicks through to businesses and hotels. Economic impact modeling is not something we do.

## Sources, checked October 2026

1. [Bandwango, home page](https://www.bandwango.com/) · 450+ active communities, $16M+ paid out to local businesses
2. [Bandwango, using Bandwango to generate new DMO revenue streams](https://www.bandwango.com/resources/using-bandwango-to-generate-new-dmo-revenue-streams)
3. [Bandwango, paying for your Bandwango license through ad space and sponsorships](https://bandwango.com/resources/a-creative-way-to-pay-for-your-bandwango-license-through-ad-space-and-sponsorships)
4. [Simpleview, Bandwango partnership](https://www.simpleviewinc.com/company/partners/bandwango/)

More: [Hiveway vs Simpleview](https://hiveway.org/compare/simpleview) · [Hiveway vs Tempest](https://hiveway.org/compare/tempest) · [Hiveway vs Visit Widget](https://hiveway.org/compare/visit-widget) · [Hiveway vs CrowdRiff](https://hiveway.org/compare/crowdriff) · [Simpleview alternatives](https://hiveway.org/compare/simpleview-alternatives) · [All comparisons](https://hiveway.org/compare#destinations)

## Get your whole town found.

Tell us about your town and what your visitor site needs to do. One of us reads every application and writes back by email.

[Apply as a Destination](https://hiveway.org/apply?type=destination)

Source: https://hiveway.org/compare/bandwango