Connecting my booking system to accounting software via API — who does this and how much does it cost?

Definitely insist on a webhooks-based architecture. Instead of your booking engine constantly polling the accounting system, it should fire an instant event the moment a transaction clears. Drop a small serverless cloud function or a cheap VPS in the middle to decouple the two platforms. That way, when one updates, the whole pipeline doesn't break—you just tweak the data mapping in the middleware.

We had a similar tour booking integration built last year for 5,500 AED. Worked like a charm for the first 6 months. Then the accounting software pushed a major version update that changed their auth protocol, and we couldn't issue invoices for 2 days. Ended up paying the dev 300 AED an hour to fix it in half a day. Definitely keep a maintenance cushion tucked away.

Before paying for custom code, check if both platforms already have pre-built connectors on popular automation and integration tools. If they're both supported, you could easily set the whole workflow up yourself in a couple of hours for around 100–150 AED a month, without writing a single line of code.

How are you planning to handle cancellations and refunds? Will the system automatically trigger a credit note / reverse entry on the accounting end, or will that stay manual? It’s usually these edge cases that end up doubling your integration quote.

had the same headache at our clinic hired a freelancer and it went great at first then the guy quit and moved back to his hometown and we were left stranded and tbh agencies are pricier sure but at least someone picks up the phone, stick to an established firm imo.

The certified integration partners tied to these accounting platforms usually quote insane money for what boils down to a basic data pipe. Don't fall for the whole 'it has to be an approved partner' scare. As long as the API docs are public, any decent backend dev who writes clean code can handle this without breaking a sweat.

So is an API basically just a common language two apps use to talk to each other? Couldn't we just call support for our accounting tool and ask them nicely to hook it up for free?

Bottom line: You need a developer who actually understands accounting basics to avoid VAT and refund chaos. Expect to pay somewhere between 4,000 - 9,000 AED; no-code automation platforms are a viable alternative to custom dev, but either way, budget for ongoing maintenance when APIs update.

We need to take it step by step. Code without setup documentation isn't yours, even if you have it.

People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there. If you post the result here, it will help others too.

Quick summary for newcomers: Mistakes made on the api integration side are usually reversible but expensive.

Youre right, Ive been down that road too. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth. That's all sorry if I went on too long.

Good call starting this thread. Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.

Proven by experience.

Let me share my experience. The cheapest quote is usually the least thought-out one.

i cant fully agree with this and btw the biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say.

corrrect me if I'm wrong.

Correct in theory, but it doesn't work that way in practice. Everyone rushing into api integration gets stuck at the same point.

If I were you, I'd go this route.

Great work. The harder it is to reverse a decision the slower you should make it.

Youre right.

The answer above hits the nail on the head. Any unwritten clause becomes a point of disagreement later, as both sides remember it differently.