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PHPTRAVELS vs Trawex: a product you own or a portal built for you
A fair comparison of PHPTRAVELS and Trawex on what decides it: who runs the servers, whether you get the source code, how pricing works, B2B agent tools and GDS and supplier integrations.
- Source code included
- Self-hosted
- One-time licence
- Checked against their own site
The short version
License a finished product, or commission a build
Pick PHPTRAVELS if you want to own the platform: self-hosted, source code included, licensed once. Pick Trawex if you would rather a development house built and ran a portal for you. Trawex positions itself as a travel software development company, with hotel, flight, car rental and tour operator software among its products. Both serve B2C and B2B, so the real question is whether you buy an asset you operate or a service you commission.
- Write down the products, suppliers and markets you sell
- Decide between a finished product and a custom build
- Price three years on both sides, integrations and support included
- Put both through the same demo script with your own routes
- Get code ownership and data export terms in writing
- Hosting
- My own server, my domain
- Source code
- Required, to audit and change
- Sales channels
- B2C site and B2B agent portal
- Products
- Flights, hotels, car rental, tours
- Starting point
- Working product, not a blank project
Where they differ
Six factors that decide PHPTRAVELS vs Trawex
Our position on each can be checked on our own site. For Trawex we state only what it publishes about itself and turn the rest into a question for them.
- PHPTRAVELSSelf-hosted · Startup plan · B2C and B2BOne-time licenceone-time
- TrawexVendor-managed · B2C and B2B · price on request
- Build in-houseYour engineers · every GDS and supplier API from scratch
Who runs the servers
PHPTRAVELS installs on your own hosting, under your domain, with your own database. Trawex is vendor-managed, so the vendor typically runs the platform for you.
Who owns the code
PHPTRAVELS ships the full source under a commercial licence. Trawex does not publish whether a client receives source code, even for a custom build, so ask and get it in writing.
Three-year cost
PHPTRAVELS is a one-time licence that does not rise with bookings. Trawex does not publish prices; you request a demo and receive a quote.
B2B agent tooling
Sub-agents, per-agent markups and wallets ship with PHPTRAVELS. Trawex also lists B2B and B2C; ask which agent features are standard and which are billed.
GDS and supplier coverage
Trawex describes GDS and supplier integrations. We list ours by name on the integrations page. Check both against the exact suppliers you sell today.
Changes after launch
With PHPTRAVELS your developers change the code directly. Trawex offers development services; ask how change requests are scoped, priced and scheduled.
Same demo script
Test both with identical steps
A custom-build pitch is easy to compare with a brochure and hard to compare with a product. Ask Trawex to show a working system, then run PHPTRAVELS and Trawex through these same steps.
Search a real route
Use a route and dates you actually sell, and note how long results take to appear.
Book and pay
Complete a booking through a payment gateway, then locate it in the admin panel.
Add a sub-agent
Give a new agent a markup and check that the price they see differs from yours.
Cancel or amend
Follow the booking through to the supplier and see how the refund is handled.
Request a change
Ask for a small change, such as a label or currency format, and see who makes it and when.
Ask for an export
Request a database export while you are still a prospect. The reply shows how leaving would go.
If you are switching
Moving from a built-for-you portal
Leaving a custom portal has one extra risk compared with leaving a product: some of your setup may only exist in the vendor's code. Plan the move before you sign anything.
Agree the export first
Bookings, customers, agents, markups and supplier settings in a readable format, confirmed in writing before you commit.
Reissue GDS and supplier credentials
Supplier and GDS agreements are usually in your name, but access credentials often need reissuing. Start early; it is the slowest step.
Run both side by side
Keep the old portal taking bookings while PHPTRAVELS takes test traffic on a subdomain, redirect old URLs one to one, and move payment gateways last.
Before you sign
Six questions to put to Trawex
Our answer to each is on this page. These are the questions for Trawex, because we will not answer on its behalf.
Where will it run?
Is the portal hosted by you or by me, and can it move to infrastructure I control later?
Who owns the code you write?
If you build or customise the portal, do I receive that source code and the right to modify it?
What is the three-year total?
Build or licence fee, every GDS and supplier integration, gateways, hosting, support and upgrades, added up.
What does the agent portal include?
Sub-agents, per-agent markups and wallets: standard, a paid module, or part of the custom scope?
Which suppliers are live today?
Name each GDS and supplier I need and confirm it is live now, not planned. A list is an answer; a count is not.
Can I take my data with me?
Bookings, customers and supplier settings in a machine-readable format, on request and without a fee.
At a glance
PHPTRAVELS vs Trawex, side by side
The Trawex column reflects what the vendor published on its own site when we checked in September 2026. Where nothing is published we say so; confirm every point with Trawex directly.
| Criteria | Trawex | PHPTRAVELS |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | TrawexVendor-managed; the vendor typically runs the platform | PHPTRAVELSSelf-hosted on your own server, under your domain |
| Source code | TrawexNot published; verify with the vendor | PHPTRAVELSIncluded under a commercial licence |
| Pricing model | TrawexNot published; quoted after a demo request | PHPTRAVELSOne-time licence |
| Suppliers and APIs | TrawexDescribes GDS and supplier integrations | PHPTRAVELSIntegrations listed by name on our integrations page |
| Customisation | TrawexDevelopment services offered; terms not published | PHPTRAVELSFull: your developers can change any part of the code |
| Best fit | TrawexBuyers commissioning a built-for-you portal | PHPTRAVELSTeams that want to own, host and change the platform |
The decision
Which one fits how you work
Choose PHPTRAVELS if you want to own it
You want a working product on day one, the source code and a licence paid once, B2C and B2B from one install, and someone who can run a PHP and MySQL server.
Choose Trawex if you want it built for you
You would rather hand a specification to a development house, have no plans to employ engineers, and are comfortable with the vendor hosting and changing the portal.
Still undecided
Read our self-hosted vs SaaS guide, then run both through the demo script above with your own routes, dates and agents.
Why PHPTRAVELS
What you hold on day one
Full source code
Included with every plan under a commercial licence, so you can audit it before trusting it with payments.
Self-hosted
Runs on standard PHP and MySQL hosting that you control, under your own domain.
One-time licence
Startup, Agency or Enterprise, paid once rather than monthly.
Live demo
Try the booking site, admin and agent portal with your own routes before you buy.
FAQ
PHPTRAVELS vs Trawex: common questions
Straight answers on ownership, pricing and switching. Anything about Trawex beyond what it publishes is a question for Trawex.
Talk to salesIt is if what you want is a finished product you own: self-hosted, source code included and licensed once. If you specifically want a development house to build a portal to your specification and run it for you, a services vendor such as Trawex is closer to that model.
PHPTRAVELS is travel booking software you install on your own server and can modify. Trawex presents itself as a travel software development company whose platform is vendor-managed. Most other differences follow: who makes changes, what they cost and what happens if you leave.
Trawex does not publish an answer on its site, so ask directly and get it in writing, especially for any custom development you pay for. With PHPTRAVELS the source code is included under a commercial licence.
Trawex does not publish prices; you request a demo for a quote. PHPTRAVELS is a one-time licence: Startup, Agency or Enterprise. Compare three-year totals including every GDS and supplier integration, payment gateway, hosting and support.
Usually, and the limiting factor is the data export. Ask for bookings, customers, agents and supplier settings in a machine-readable format before committing. Supplier and GDS agreements usually stay with you, credentials often need reissuing, and old URLs should redirect one to one.
You need someone to look after a PHP and MySQL server: updates, backups and certificates, which a managed vendor would handle. Daily use needs no developer, but one helps you get full value from having the source code.
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