How Much Does a Tour Guide System Cost? A Way to Calculate It

Prices for tour guide systems are hard to compare, because each option is quoted differently: rentals per device per day, purchases per set, apps per participant. The only number that lets you compare them fairly is the cost per guest per tour day. Here is how to get it for each option.

Renting: start from the quote, then add what's missing

A rental quote usually gives a daily fee per receiver. To get your real cost, add the items that are often listed separately:

• the transmitter, if it is charged on its own line,
• delivery and return shipping, or your time and travel if you collect it,
• spare receivers, since you normally rent a few more than the expected headcount,
• loss and damage, the fee for each unit that doesn't come back.

Cost per guest per day = (all devices × daily fee + delivery + expected losses) ÷ guests who actually came

Notice the last part. You pay for the devices you ordered, not for the guests who showed up. If you order 30 receivers and 22 people come, the cost of 30 is spread over 22.

Buying: spread the price over real use

A purchased set looks free per tour, but it isn't. Take the purchase price and add what it costs to keep the set working:

• replacement earpieces or hygiene covers,
• batteries, or replacement units as the built-in ones age,
• lost and broken receivers.

Cost per guest per day = (purchase price + upkeep over its lifetime) ÷ (tours over its lifetime × average guests)

The honest inputs here are the number of tours you will really run and the years the set will really last. A set that pays for itself on paper in two busy seasons can take much longer if one of them turns out quiet.

App-based: the price is already per guest

App-based systems are the easy case, because they are quoted in the unit you need. With MyGuide Live, one credit covers one participant for one day. The base price is €1 per credit, so €1 per person per day. The more credits you buy at once, the bigger the discount, down to €0.85 per credit with the largest package. The current table is on the pricing page.

Two details change the calculation in your favour:

• You are charged for guests who actually joined. Credits are reserved for the planned headcount, and whatever isn't used goes back to your balance when you close the event.
• Credits don't expire. A quiet month costs nothing.

Cost per guest per day = the credit price of your package

A worked example: a 25-person walk costs at most 25 credits. At the base price that is €25 for the day, at the best price €21.25, and less if fewer people turn up.

The costs no quote includes

Whatever the invoice says, hardware-based systems also cost time:

• charging and checking the set before the tour,
• handing out receivers and explaining them at the meeting point,
• collecting and counting at the end, and chasing the missing one,
• cleaning before the next group.

Put a value on that time, even a rough one. For a guide running two tours a day, it adds up to hours every week.

App-based systems have their own non-invoice cost: you depend on mobile data. Guests use their own data allowance, and you should have a plan for weak-signal spots, such as on-site Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot.

Putting the three numbers next to each other

Work out the cost per guest per day for each option using your own figures: your real rental quote, a real purchase price, your typical group size and the number of tours you expect in a year. Then compare.

As a rough guide to what you'll find:

• Few tours a year: buying rarely pays off. The choice is between renting and an app.
• Group size changes a lot: per-device pricing punishes you for the spare units. Per-guest pricing doesn't.
• Very frequent tours at weak-signal sites: a purchased radio set can be the cheapest and the most reliable.

If you'd like to check the app side of the comparison with real numbers, signing up is free and the pricing page shows every package. For the non-financial differences, see the point-by-point comparison.