Hi, I’m Kayla. I run a small bounce house and slide rental business on weekends. It started as a tiny side hustle. Then things got busy. I needed a real website. Fast.
So I tested a few builders. Not just quick pokes. I set up live pages, took bookings, and got paid. I tried:
- InflatableOffice (their website builder)
- Bouncy Castle Network (BCN)
- WordPress with Booqable (for more control)
- I also tried BookingKoala for a month on a small test site.
For the blow-by-blow numbers, I pulled everything together in a dedicated case study on building three bounce-house websites—full story here.
By the way, if you’re curious how these and other platforms stack up across the industry, the annual rankings on Website Builder Awards offer a quick, unbiased snapshot.
You know what? Each one can work. But they feel different. Let me explain, with real stuff I set up and what actually happened.
What I Needed, Plain and Simple
- Real-time inventory and a clean calendar
- Delivery zones with fees (gas costs are no joke)
- Deposits and easy payments (Stripe is my go-to)
- Mobile speed and big photo galleries
- Clear rules: grass vs. concrete, power, stairs, hills
- Waivers and simple emails or texts
Owners of cabins and Airbnbs wrestle with many of the same calendar and payment quirks; I compared the tools that handled nightly rates best in my guide to the best website builders for vacation rentals.
Spring and fall are my big seasons. Graduation week can be wild. If the site fails then, I’m toast.
1) InflatableOffice Website Builder — My Main Site
I built my current live site with InflatableOffice (people call it IO). Setup took me one long evening. If you’re curious how fellow operators feel about the software, the company keeps a page of real-world reviews you can skim.
What I set up:
- Items: “17×17 Rainbow Castle” at $189 per day, extra day 50%, overnight +$25
- Slides: “18' Lava Water Slide” at $275, weekends higher
- Upsells: Cotton candy (+$65), generator (+$85)
- Delivery zones: 0–10 miles free, 10–20 miles $25, over 20 miles $2 per mile
- Deposit: 20%
- Payments: Stripe, Apple Pay worked fine on my phone
- Waiver: IO’s e-sign contract; I added “no stairs” and “one 20-amp outlet” notes
A real booking that made me smile:
- A parent booked the Rainbow Castle for a Saturday, 2–6 pm.
- The site showed the time window, taxes, and delivery fee based on their address.
- They paid the 20% deposit right there.
- I got a text at 7:05 am on event day with the job details.
- IO blocked the unit for that time. No double book. No mess.
What I loved:
- Inventory rules are strong. If I set “1 available,” it sticks.
- Delivery zones saved me time. It auto-calculates fee by miles.
- Product pages show size (L x W x H), power needs, and fit checks. Less back-and-forth.
- Contract and emails are baked in. No extra tools needed.
What bugged me:
- Themes look a bit old unless you pay for custom work. I had to tweak fonts and spacing.
- Mobile speed was okay, not great. My first Lighthouse score was 68 on mobile. I compressed photos and got it to 78.
- The blog tool is basic. I still wrote “How to Measure Your Yard,” but it felt clunky.
Who should use it:
- If you want one system for booking, routes, and payments, this is the safest pick.
- Price wise, it’s about one small rental a month. Worth it for me.
- You can also read candid user experiences on Capterra before committing.
2) Bouncy Castle Network (BCN) — Great Flow, UK First
I built a demo site with BCN during a free trial for a school fun day. It’s polished. The booking flow feels smooth.
What I set up:
- “Jungle Combo 5-in-1” at $209, with a rain cover note
- Live calendar that shows the unit as “booked” or “free”
- Smart add-ons: mats, extra blower, sandbags for hard ground
- Postcode checker for service area (this part feels very UK)
A real test:
- I set the school’s postcode and watched the site apply the correct delivery fee.
- The diary view made my route planning easy. A clean map, clear times.
- Stripe worked fine, but some settings felt UK-first (like VAT logic).
What I loved:
- The booking diary is clean. My brain felt calm.
- The gallery pages look sharp, even with my average photos.
- The setup note field made my rules clear: “No slopes. Two outlets on separate breakers.”
What bugged me:
- Some terms and tax bits felt built for the UK. I had to tweak more in the US.
- Support hours didn’t always match my day. They were nice, though.
Who should use it:
- Works great if you’re in the UK. In the US, still solid, but expect extra setup time.
3) WordPress + Booqable — Full Control, More Work
I wanted full brand control for a second site. So I built a WordPress theme with Booqable for rentals. It looked great. It also took elbow grease.
My stack:
- Domain: Namecheap
- Hosting: SiteGround
- Theme: Astra
- Builder: Elementor (simple layout)
- Rentals: Booqable for inventory, calendar, and checkout
What I set up:
- “18' Blue Crush Slide” at $289, quantity 1
- “Classic Castle 13×13” at $169
- Deposit 30%
- Delivery fee as a checkbox add-on at first, then I moved to a custom fee field by zip code
A real weekend:
- During grad week, the site took 200+ visits and two bookings in one afternoon.
- Pages loaded fast. My WebP photos were 1600px wide and compressed.
- No double booking, since Booqable manages stock in real time.
What I loved:
- Full control of design. My colors, big buttons, bold headings. It felt like “me.”
- Blog and SEO were way better on WordPress.
- I could add a DIY FAQ like “Will the slide fit through my gate?” with a simple graphic.
What bugged me:
- More parts to maintain. Plugins update. Something breaks now and then.
- Delivery zones took custom work. Not hard, but not plug-and-play.
- Checkout flow wasn’t as smooth as IO without extra tweaks.
Who should use it:
- If you care about branding and speed, and you don’t mind a little tech, it’s great.
- If you want easy, skip this route.
I also put WordPress head-to-head with five other platforms for my housekeeping side gig—you can see what actually converted leads in the cleaning business website shoot-out.
Quick Note: BookingKoala Test
I ran a small test for a month.
What I set up:
- Categories: Bounce Houses, Slides, Party Extras
- “Toddler Barnyard 12×12” at $139 with a $25 deposit
- Coupons, zip code limits, and SMS reminders
What I liked:
- The site builder looks clean. The editor is human.
- SEO fields are simple. Titles and metas are right there.
- My test order got a nice text reminder.
What I didn’t:
- Day rentals worked, but overnight fees took a workaround.
- The upsell flow wasn’t very visual.
Who should use it:
- If you want simple and modern, and your rentals are short blocks, it’s a sweet pick.
Speed, Photos, and Little Touches That Helped
Small tweaks made a big difference for me:
- I resized photos to 1600px and saved them as WebP. I used ShortPixel to compress.
- I added a yard guide: “You need a 36-inch gate. Flat grass is best. No hills.”
- I used plain icons for power and space. People read pictures first.
- I added “Are you on grass or concrete?” on each product page.
- I set automatic emails: “Please turn sprinklers off 24 hours before.”
- I ask for one clear photo of the setup spot. It saves me time and drama.
If crisp lawn photos and before-and-after galleries matter to you, my breakdown of three landscaping websites dives into image sizing tricks that also apply to bounce houses.
Real Booking Examples from My Sites
- Rainbow Castle, Saturday 2–6 pm: Parent paid 20% deposit, chose grass, and added cotton candy. System charged $25 for 16