Comparison
Retreat registration with Google Forms and payment links: when to switch
A form plus Stripe or PayPal payment links works for a small first retreat with guests you know. It starts to break when you sell different rooms, offer payment plans or have more than a dozen guests: you end up matching payments to rows by hand, chasing installments and fixing double bookings. Booking software does that bookkeeping for you.
Facts about Google Forms and payment links checked on .
The short version
A form, payment links and a spreadsheet are fine for a first small retreat. They start costing you once you have room types, payment plans or more than about a dozen guests: every installment becomes a link to send, a payment to match and a reminder to chase.
Side by side
| Feature | MyRetreatDesk | Google Forms and payment links |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Starter free · Venue $97/mo (+ $297 setup) · Pro $199/mo | Free forms and spreadsheets; payment-provider fees |
| Room availability | Live; a bed can only be sold once | Manual: you update the sheet and the form |
| Deposits and installments | Deposit + up to 12 monthly installments, charged automatically | You send a link or invoice each time and check it was paid |
| Failed payments | Automatic retries, reminders, grace period, then the bed goes to your waitlist | You notice, email and follow up yourself |
| Waivers and guest details | Collected with the booking, per guest | Separate forms, matched by name |
| Profit | Live break-even and profit simulator on every plan | Your own spreadsheet formulas |
Which should you choose?
Google Forms and payment links is the better choice if…
- It's your first retreat, with a handful of guests you know personally.
- Everyone pays in full once, and there's only one room type.
MyRetreatDesk is the better choice if…
- You offer payment plans and don't want to send and track every installment.
- You sell several room types and need to know what's left at any moment.
- You've double-booked a bed or lost track of who paid.
Where the time goes
Count the manual steps for one retreat of 16 guests, each paying a deposit and three installments:
- 64 payments to request, check and match to the right row
- 48 reminders to send before installments
- Room availability to update by hand after every booking
- Waivers, diets and flights collected in separate forms and copied into one sheet
- Each declined payment noticed, emailed and followed up by you
None of this is hard. It's just a lot of small tasks that fall on the weeks you'd rather spend on the retreat itself.
Where it goes wrong
- Double bookings: two people book the last private room before you update the sheet.
- Missed payments: an installment slips because nobody noticed it was due.
- Lost details: a dietary need or a flight change sits in an email nobody copied over.
- Disputes: no record that the guest accepted the cancellation policy.
A gentle way to switch
Keep your current retreat on the spreadsheet until it runs, and open the next one on MyRetreatDesk. Start free on Starter: the template gives you rooms, payment plans, emails and a waiver to edit, and the booking page replaces the form. Price it first with the free pricing calculator.
Questions
Can I take retreat deposits with Google Forms?
Not directly. Google Forms doesn't take payments, so organizers add a Stripe or PayPal payment link and match payments to responses by hand.
Other comparisons
BookRetreats
BookRetreats lists retreats for free and takes a 15% commission on the booking.
WeTravel
WeTravel is payments and booking software for group trips with payment plans and many currencies.
Retreat Guru
Retreat Guru runs a curated retreat marketplace with a 14% commission and separate software for retreat centers.
Open bookings for your next retreat this week
Start from our template, set your rooms and prices, and share your booking page. Free on Starter, no card required.