Best Dropzone/Skydive Operation Management Software for 2026

Choosing the right dropzone management software in 2026 isn't about which platform has the longest feature list—it's about revenue capture, operational efficiency, and whether you're paying module fees or actually growing your business. After testing dozens of dropzone booking flows and building EZ DZ from the ground up, I've seen what works and what doesn't.

Here's my honest ranking of the three main options for dropzone operators, based on real-world performance, total cost of ownership, and what actually matters for running a profitable operation in 2026.

I'm obviously biased since I built this, but let me show you exactly why EZ DZ exists and what problems it actually solves. When I was researching dropzone problems while building the platform, I kept seeing the same issues: clunky booking experiences losing customers, no cart recovery, staff tied to desk computers, and death by a thousand module fees.

EZ DZ was built around a simple principle: we only succeed when you grow. No module fees, no vendor lock-in, and an optional fee pass-through that can make the platform operate at zero net cost if you choose to pass fees to customers (just like concert tickets, vacation rentals, and nearly every other industry).

When we built EZ DZ, event tracking was one of the first systems I insisted on getting right. Every meaningful action on the booking page fires a tracked event, so we know exactly when someone abandons. Thirty minutes later, they get a friendly reminder email with a one-click link to complete their booking.

Why 30 minutes and not 5 or 2 hours? At 5 minutes, they're likely still dealing with whatever caused the interruption—your email feels pushy. At 2 hours, they've mentally moved on. Thirty minutes is the sweet spot where they've resolved the interruption but haven't context-switched away.

The real math: Based on industry benchmarks, 12-15% recovery rate on abandoned bookings could translate to an estimated $25,000-$40,000 per season for a typical dropzone. Day-before reminder emails can reduce no-shows by 15-25%, potentially adding another $20,000+ in saved revenue. These estimates are based on typical dropzone metrics and actual results vary.

Your manifest team shouldn't be running back and forth to an office computer. They should be building loads from the hangar floor. Jumpers shouldn't wait in line to check in—they should check themselves in from the parking lot. Updates should sync in real-time across every device automatically, not require manual refreshes.

This isn't about having a mobile app as an afterthought. It's about the entire platform being built mobile-first because that's how operations actually work in 2026.

Here's what makes EZ DZ different: you can choose to pass platform fees to customers at checkout. Just like buying concert tickets, booking a vacation rental, or any other online purchase in 2026, customers can cover the small platform fee as part of their booking.

What does this mean in practice? On the Starter plan with fee pass-through enabled, your out-of-pocket platform cost can be zero—you'll still pay standard card processing fees (around 2.9% + 30¢) like all platforms, but no additional platform fees. On the Pro plan, it gets even better: you only pay 3% transaction fees, but you can still pass through the full 6% to customers. This means you actually net back the entire Stripe processing fee and then some, keeping almost your full booking value—all features included with optional fee pass-through. You control whether to absorb fees to keep your advertised price simple, or pass them through.

This isn't hidden or sneaky—it's transparently labeled at checkout and you have full control over how it's presented. But it fundamentally changes the economics: instead of platform costs eating into your margins, they can be covered by customers who expect to pay booking fees in 2026.

The booking flow supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, and saves progress if customers get interrupted. It's fully mobile-optimized because 60-70% of your traffic is browsing on phones. Trust signals are built in. The checkout is clean and fast, not buried in legacy UI from 2010.

These details matter. The difference between 5% and 7% conversion on your booking page is 40% more revenue from the same traffic.

EZ DZ integrates with Rybbit for complete event tracking from ad click to completed jump. You can see exactly where customers abandon, which packages convert, which marketing channels actually work, and calculate revenue per load. This isn't an add-on module you pay extra for—it's built in.

• **Starter Plan:** Per-transaction fee (can be passed to customers for zero net cost)
• **Pro Plan:** Flat monthly rate + lower transaction fees
• **No setup fees, no module fees, no contracts:** Cancel anytime
• **ALL features included:** Manifest, booking, payments, marketing automation, analytics—no matter which plan

The philosophy is simple: we make money when you make money. If you're not booking, we're not charging. And with fee pass-through, you can operate the platform at essentially zero platform cost (plus standard card processing fees) while potentially capturing $50,000+ in recovered revenue annually.

• Dropzones wanting modern technology without module fee nickel-and-diming
• Operations that need mobile-first workflows for staff and customers
• Owners who care about recovering abandoned bookings and reducing no-shows
• Businesses wanting aligned incentives (partner that profits when you grow, not from lock-in)
• Anyone who wants the option to pass platform fees to customers

EZ DZ is a newer platform compared to Burble, which means smaller existing user base and less time battle-testing edge cases. Some advanced features are still being developed. If you value having the largest possible user community or need specific legacy integrations, Burble's longer track record might matter to you.

But for most dropzones in 2026, the trade-off is clear: modern technology that helps you capture revenue vs. familiar software built for 2010 that can't see or recover abandoned bookings.

Burble is the industry incumbent for a reason. They've been around for years, they're familiar to many manifest staff, and they have a comprehensive feature set. But 'familiar' doesn't always mean 'profitable.' Let me explain what you're actually getting—and what you're paying for.

Burble has manifest management, online booking (as a separate module), load management, gear tracking, and financial reporting. They've built features over many years and have served hundreds of dropzones. That track record means they've seen lots of edge cases and built solutions for them.

The platform is desktop-focused, which works fine if your workflow is built around office computers. If you have dedicated manifest staff who sit at a desk, Burble's interface will feel familiar.

Here's where things get expensive. Burble uses a module-based pricing model. You pay for the base platform, then add modules for booking, payment processing, analytics, and other features. Each module comes with its own fee.

What looks like a reasonable base price quickly stacks up: base fee + booking module + payment processing module + analytics add-ons. Many dropzones find themselves paying more per month than EZ DZ's all-inclusive pricing, and they still don't get modern features like automated cart recovery or mobile-optimized booking.

Long-term contracts are common, which means switching costs aren't just technical—they're contractual.

Burble was built when desktop computers were standard. Mobile access exists, but it's a bolt-on experience, not the core design. This means manifest staff often need to be near the office computer to build loads or make changes.

In 2026, when your staff should be working from the hangar floor and jumpers should be checking in from their phones, this desktop-first architecture creates operational friction.

Most Burble implementations don't track abandonment events effectively, which means no automated cart recovery. You're blind to the 60-80% of potential customers who start booking but don't complete payment. That's $50,000-$100,000+ per season in revenue you can't recover because the system doesn't even know those customers existed.

Interfaces built in the early 2010s feel dated in 2026. New staff take days or weeks to learn Burble, not hours. The UI patterns don't match what people expect from modern software, which increases mistakes and slows operations.

• Large dropzones already deeply invested in the Burble ecosystem
• Operations with dedicated manifest office staff who work from desktop computers
• Dropzones prioritizing feature depth and long track record over modern UX
• Businesses comfortable with module-based pricing and long-term contracts

• Module fees cutting into margins every month
• Staff frustration with dated interface and desktop-only workflows
• Lost bookings from poor mobile experience and no cart recovery
• Wanting software that helps them grow instead of profiting from lock-in

Burble isn't bad software—it's just software built for 2010 that hasn't evolved fast enough for 2026 customer expectations (mobile-first, instant confirmations, conversion optimization) or operational needs (hangar floor access, real-time sync).

If you're only focused on booking tandems and don't need manifest or operational features, general booking platforms like FareHarbor, Peek, or Rezdy can work. But you'll sacrifice skydiving-specific capabilities and create operational fragmentation.

General-purpose booking and reservation platforms used across tour operators, activity providers, rental businesses, and experiences. They're designed to handle many industries, which means strong booking functionality but zero skydiving-specific features.

These platforms do online booking well. Modern checkout experiences, mobile-friendly flows, calendar management, payment processing. If all you need is to take tandem bookings online, they'll handle that part effectively.

• **No manifest system:** You'll need separate software to build loads and manage manifest
• **No load building tools:** Can't assign jumpers to aircraft or manage capacity
• **No skydiving-specific workflows:** Everything is generic, not tailored to jump operations
• **Generic email templates:** Not written for skydiving customers or jump day logistics
• **No integrated operations:** Booking and manifest live in separate systems requiring manual sync

Here's the real issue: if you use FareHarbor for bookings, you still need manifest software. Now you're paying for two platforms, manually syncing data between them, dealing with integration headaches, and training staff on multiple systems.

When a tandem books online through FareHarbor, someone has to manually add them to the manifest. When weather moves a jump, you're updating both systems. When you want to see revenue by load or track no-shows, you're exporting data from two places and trying to reconcile.

This fragmentation creates operational overhead that all-in-one platforms (EZ DZ or Burble) avoid entirely.

Generally per-booking fees similar to EZ DZ's structure, or monthly plans. No skydiving-specific features means you're paying for generic tools, then paying again for separate manifest software.

• Very small dropzones doing only tandems with minimal volume
• Operations that already have separate manifest solution they're happy with
• Businesses prioritizing booking functionality over operational depth

Why it ranks #3: Lacks the operational depth that actual dropzone management requires. You'll end up needing additional tools, creating fragmentation, higher total costs, and manual data sync headaches.

Most dropzones don't realize how much revenue they're losing to software limitations. It's not always obvious—it shows up as bookings that never happened, customers who no-showed, or loads that could have been fuller. These are invisible losses because they're events your system never tracked in the first place.

Here's the thing about event tracking: if your platform doesn't track abandonment events, it literally can't recover those bookings. It's blind until a payment completes. Everything before that moment doesn't exist as far as the system is concerned. So when someone gets all the way to checkout, enters their information, and then their phone rings or they want to check with their partner first—that potential booking just disappears into the void.

Let's do some math on a typical dropzone doing 50 tandems per week. E-commerce research shows 60-80% of online purchases are abandoned before completion. Let's use 60% to be conservative. If you're completing 50 bookings, that means 75 people started but didn't finish. At $300 average booking value, that's $22,500 per week in abandoned bookings.

Without cart recovery: you get $0 of that back. With automated cart recovery sending emails 30 minutes after abandonment: industry standard is 10-15% recovery. Let's say you hit 12%. That's 9 additional bookings per week, or $2,700 weekly. Over a 20-week season, that's an estimated $54,000 in recovered revenue that requires zero additional ad spend because these customers already found you.

Now layer in better mobile UX. If your booking page is clunky on mobile and you're converting at 5% instead of 7%, that's two percentage points you're leaving on the table. On 1,000 weekly visitors, that's potentially 20 additional bookings per week at $300 each—$6,000 weekly or an estimated $120,000 per season.

The compounding effect of bad UX + no cart recovery + manual follow-up adds up to six figures in lost revenue annually for most dropzones. That's why your software choice matters—not because of monthly subscription costs, but because of what it enables or prevents you from capturing.

Before we dive deeper into comparisons, let's establish what actually matters. Not every dropzone needs every feature, but there are seven core capabilities that separate modern operations from ones stuck in 2010.

Can your platform track events across the entire booking funnel, not just completed payments? Does it automatically recover abandoned bookings with timed follow-up emails? Is the checkout flow optimized for mobile (where most customers actually book)? These aren't nice-to-have features—they're revenue infrastructure.

Can your manifest team work from the hangar floor or are they tethered to an office computer? Do updates sync in real-time across devices or do staff need to manually refresh? Can jumpers check themselves in from the parking lot? Modern operations happen on mobile devices, not desktop screens.

Are confirmation emails sent instantly or manually? Do day-before reminders go out automatically at the right time (reducing no-shows by 15-25%)? Can you request reviews when emotions are still fresh? Automation here isn't about being lazy—it's about consistency that manual processes can't match.

Can you see the full funnel from ad click to completed jump? Do you know which marketing channels actually convert? Can you track revenue per load and identify high-value packages? Most dropzone software treats analytics as an afterthought. The best platforms make it foundational.

Are costs clear and predictable or do module fees stack up as you add features? Can you pass platform fees to customers if you choose? Are there long-term contracts locking you in? Transparent pricing means you know exactly what you're paying and why.

Is the interface fast and responsive or does it feel sluggish? Does it work seamlessly on mobile devices or is mobile an afterthought? Do updates happen in real-time or require manual refreshes? Technology built in the last few years feels fundamentally different than software patched together since 2010.

Can new staff learn the system in hours instead of days? Is the UI intuitive or does it require extensive training? Can they work from their phones or tablets? The difference between software that takes minutes to learn versus weeks to master is real money in training time and operational mistakes.

Let's do the real math on total cost of ownership over 12 months. This isn't just subscription fees—it's direct costs plus hidden revenue loss plus operational efficiency.

Software cost: $0 with fee pass-through (customers cover platform fee) OR monthly plan rate if you prefer to absorb fees. Either way, all features included—no module fees.

Estimated revenue impact: Cart recovery (12% of abandonment) = approximately $54,000/season. No-show reduction (15% improvement) = approximately $21,000/season. Better conversion (2 percentage points) = approximately $120,000/season. Actual results vary by dropzone.

Estimated net impact: Potential of +$195,000 in recovered revenue at minimal or zero platform cost (you still pay standard card processing fees like all platforms). The platform can more than pay for itself when you capture revenue that was previously lost.

Software cost: Base fee + booking module + payment processing module + analytics add-ons = often higher than EZ DZ's all-inclusive pricing. Long-term contracts create switching friction.

Revenue recovered: Minimal. Limited event tracking means no automated cart recovery. Desktop-focused interface loses mobile conversions.

Operational drag: Desktop-only workflows mean staff tied to office, slower operations.

Net impact: Direct monthly costs + opportunity cost of $50,000-$100,000+ in unrecovered abandonment annually.

Software cost: Booking platform fees + separate manifest software subscription = paying for two systems.

Revenue recovered: Better than Burble (modern booking flow), worse than EZ DZ (no manifest integration, manual data sync).

Integration complexity: Manual syncing between booking platform and manifest creates operational overhead and mistakes.

Net impact: Moderate total cost, fragmented experience, manual work bridging two systems.

1. **Direct software costs:** Monthly or per-booking fees you can see
2. **Hidden revenue loss:** Abandoned bookings, no-shows, poor conversion (often 10x larger than subscription fees)
3. **Operational efficiency:** Time saved or wasted, training costs, mistakes from complex systems
4. **Conversion rate impact:** Mobile optimization and UX quality affecting how many visitors become customers

The biggest cost isn't your monthly subscription. It's the $100,000+ in revenue you're not capturing because your software can't track or recover abandoned bookings, can't send timed reminder emails, and converts at 5% instead of 7% because the mobile experience is clunky.

The biggest barrier to switching software isn't technical complexity—it's the emotional weight of change. I get it. You've invested time learning your current system. Your staff knows how it works. The idea of switching feels risky even when you know your current platform is costing you money.

So let's talk about what actually matters when making a switch.

Can you export your customer and jumper data from your current platform? Most platforms allow CSV exports. Our team helps with onboarding and getting your data organized for the new system.

How long until your staff is productive? With modern, intuitive UI (like EZ DZ), training takes hours, not days. With legacy interfaces (like Burble), training can take weeks. This difference is real money in lost productivity and operational mistakes.

• **Day 1-3:** Set up account, configure settings, and you can start taking new bookings immediately to benefit from higher conversion rates
• **Ongoing:** Continue using your old system for existing scheduled bookings until they're completed
• **Week 2+:** Full migration complete once all existing bookings from old system are fulfilled (typically 2 weeks depending on how far out you're booked)
• **Throughout:** Our team is here to help you onboard smoothly

You can be up and running with EZ DZ for new bookings within 1-3 days, with full migration typically complete within 2 weeks (depending on how far out you have bookings scheduled). And because there are no long-term contracts, the only risk is time—not contractual lock-in.

If you're currently losing an estimated $50,000 per season to abandoned bookings and no-shows that your current platform can't recover, the ROI of switching can appear in weeks, not months. Just 1-3 days to start capturing better conversion rates, and full migration within 2 weeks to unlock potentially $50,000-$100,000+ in annual recovered revenue is a trade most businesses would make instantly.

The real risk isn't switching. The real risk is staying with software that can't see or recover the revenue you're losing every single week.

Let's make this practical. Here's how to choose based on what you actually care about.

• You want modern, mobile-first workflows for staff and customers
• Recovering abandoned bookings and reducing no-shows matters to you
• You're tired of module fees nickel-and-diming your margins
• You value transparent, aligned incentives (partner that profits when you grow)
• Your staff needs to work from the hangar floor, not tethered to an office computer
• You want the option to pass platform fees to customers and operate at zero net cost
• You care about conversion optimization and complete analytics

• You're already deeply invested in the Burble ecosystem with years of data
• You have dedicated manifest office staff who work from desktop computers
• Feature depth and long track record matter more than modern UX
• You're comfortable with module-based pricing and long-term contracts
• Your operation is large enough to justify higher total costs

• You only do tandems with minimal volume (no fun jumpers, no complex operations)
• You already have a separate manifest solution you're happy with
• Booking functionality is your primary need and you're willing to manage multiple systems
• You're comfortable with manual data syncing between booking platform and manifest

For most dropzones in 2026, software that can't track and recover abandoned bookings is leaving too much money on the table. The difference between EZDZ (#1), Burble (#2), and general platforms (#3) comes down to this:

Do you want software built for 2026 customer expectations (mobile-first, instant confirmations, cart recovery, conversion optimization) or software built for 2010 that's been patched over time? Do you want aligned incentives where your platform partner profits when you grow, or profit extraction through module fees and vendor lock-in?

Your software choice should help you make more money with less stress. Module fees, abandoned bookings, no-shows, and clunky workflows all add up to thousands in lost revenue every season.