CompareAlternatives
Simpleview alternatives for small tourism offices.
Simpleview, now Granicus Destinations, is the default answer in DMO software, and for big destinations with convention sales teams it often is the right one. Small tourism offices look elsewhere for a simpler reason: the bill. Its own published price list bills support, hosting, per-user listings licenses and modules as separate yearly lines, with the build on top, and US contracts often run several years.
Why small DMOs look for a Simpleview alternative.
Some of the options below replace the website. Others (passes, apps, visual content) do one job well and sit beside whatever site you have. We've said which is which.
- Support for the people editing the site is billed as its own yearly line (£2,632 on the UK list), on top of the license.
- Items a small office needs, like a public event submission form or reports, are priced one by one.
- The build is a project fee: from £11,050 for a templated site to £34,060 and up for a bespoke one on the UK list.
- Multi-year terms are common, so leaving often waits for the renewal date.
- Public records show what it adds up to: Santa Fe paid $71,800 for one year, and a small Texas CVB's director told its board a roughly $27,000 website renewal was "simply not sustainable."
The alternatives, honestly compared
Seven options, and the catch with each.
Hiveway for Destinations We make this one
$999 a month (about $12,000 a year)
- Best for
- Small tourism offices, visitor bureaus and CVBs that need the visitor website, events with public submissions, partner listings, a newsletter and council-ready reports in one place.
- The catch
- Not open off the shelf yet: we're taking founding destinations now. No convention sales CRM, booking engine, ad marketplace, app or economic impact modeling. Two people, not an agency; writing your content is $599 a month on top.
- Verdict
- The pick if you want one flat price with the site build, hosting, support and email included, month to month, and every page readable by AI trip planners.
Tempest
Quote only
- Best for
- DMOs that want a custom-built destination website and a DMO CRM (iDSS, with Cvent RFP integration) from a company that works only with destinations.
- The catch
- No published prices; websites are built per project, so ask for the build, hosting, support and CRM as separate lines.
- Verdict
- The closest like-for-like alternative to Simpleview for a bureau that sells meetings as well as leisure.
An agency-built WordPress site
Varies by agency; a project fee plus hosting and maintenance
- Best for
- Offices with a trusted local agency and staff comfortable keeping a WordPress site up to date.
- The catch
- Listings, event submissions, partner updates and the newsletter usually mean plugins stitched together, and someone has to keep them working. Quality depends entirely on the agency.
- Verdict
- Can be the cheapest way to a good-looking site; ask who maintains it after launch, and what that costs every year.
Your city's own website platform
Often already paid for by the city
- Best for
- A tourism office that is a city department and only needs a few visitor pages.
- The catch
- Government website platforms are built for residents and city services, not for listings, itineraries and event calendars for visitors.
- Verdict
- Fine for a handful of pages; thin as a visitor website.
Visit Widget
Quote only; plans plus a one-time setup fee
- Best for
- DMOs that keep their website and want a trip planner, branded apps, kiosks, passports or an AI chatbot on top of it.
- The catch
- Not a website platform: it reads listings and events from the CMS or CRM you already have.
- Verdict
- An add-on, not a replacement. Pair it with whichever site you choose.
CrowdRiff
Quote only (Santa Fe estimated $22,000 a year in 2023)
- Best for
- Destinations that need a steady supply of licensed user-generated photos, creator video and a digital asset library.
- The catch
- Not a website platform; it supplies the visuals your site shows.
- Verdict
- A content tool that works beside a website, including Simpleview.
Bandwango
Quote only; a license some DMOs offset with built-in ad space
- Best for
- DMOs running passes, trails and restaurant weeks, with check-ins to show what visitors spend locally.
- The catch
- Not a website platform; it runs the passes your site links to.
- Verdict
- Worth it for a pass program, alongside any website.
Questions, answered plainly.
What is the best Simpleview alternative for a small DMO?
It depends on what you use. If you sell meetings and conventions, look at Tempest, which also offers a DMO CRM. If your website is the product and you're one or two people, a flat-priced platform like Hiveway or a well-maintained agency site may fit better.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Simpleview?
Usually, if you don't need a convention sales CRM. Simpleview's own UK list puts a small town's recurring lines at about £12,360 a year (roughly $16,100) before the build. Hiveway is one flat price with the build included.
Do CrowdRiff, Visit Widget or Bandwango replace Simpleview?
No. Each does one job (visual content, apps and trip planning, or passes) and works alongside a website platform. Simpleview integrates with Bandwango, for example.
How do we switch away from Simpleview without losing search traffic?
Time the move to your contract's renewal, export your listings and events, and redirect every old address to its new page. When you move to Hiveway, we rebuild the site and set up the redirects for you.
Sources, checked October 2026
- Simpleview, G-Cloud 14 pricing documentUK, 2024, GBP
- City of Santa Fe, Simpleview sole source request packet2022, $71,800 for one year
- Nacogdoches CVB board minutes, April 17 2019Simpleview website renewal about $27,000
- Tempest, home page260+ destination marketing clients
- iDSS Cyclone by Tempest170+ destinations
- Cvent, Tempest launches RFP integration with Cvent for iDSS CRMNov 2022
- Visit Widget, plans and FAQ250+ DMOs; setup fee depends on your CMS/CRM
- CrowdRiff, home page900+ destinations; UGC, creators, DAM, content planner
- City of Santa Fe, CrowdRiff sole source determination2023, estimated $22,000 a year, four-year term
- Bandwango, home page450+ active communities, $16M+ paid out to local businesses
- Bandwango, paying for your Bandwango license through ad space and sponsorships
- Simpleview, Bandwango partnership
More: Hiveway vs Simpleview · Simpleview pricing, explained · Simpleview vs Tempest · Hiveway vs Tempest · Hiveway vs Visit Widget · All comparisons