Comparison
RentalFlow vs Cowlendar
Cowlendar is a booking app. It takes appointments, classes, hotel stays and rentals, and turns a product's Add to cart button into Book now. RentalFlow does one job: rentals you deliver and pick up yourself. I build RentalFlow, and I checked every Cowlendar detail here against its Shopify App Store listing and its own website on November 2, 2026. For the wider field, see the best Shopify rental apps.
Bottom line
Choose Cowlendar if you rent by the hour, take deposits, or sell appointments and classes next to your rentals, and your booking revenue is small enough for its cheaper plans. Choose RentalFlow if you drive rentals out and collect them, and you want deliveries, pickups and returns tracked for a flat $39 a month.
Which is better, RentalFlow or Cowlendar?
It depends on how the rental reaches your customer. Pick Cowlendar if customers collect from you or book a time slot, you need hourly rentals or deposits, or you also sell appointments. It starts free for 5 bookings a month. Pick RentalFlow if you deliver and collect, need a service area check and a daily delivery list, and want one price of $39 a month however much you book.
Updated · Cowlendar prices and features checked on its Shopify App Store listing and website that day.
Side by side
| Feature | RentalFlow | Cowlendar |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $39/mo | Free for 5 bookings a month, then from $13.99/mo |
| How the price is set | One flat plan | By booking revenue per month |
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days on paid plans |
| Rentals between two dates | Yes | Yes, with minimum and maximum days |
| Hourly or time-slot bookings | No | Yes |
| Appointments, classes and events | No | Yes |
| Deposits | No | Deposits and prepayment |
| Stock tracking | One count per product, or shared stock pools | By quantity, or each item with its own ID |
| Turnaround days between rentals | Yes | Not listed |
| Drop-off and pickup addresses on the form | Yes | Not listed |
| Service area check | US ZIP and Canadian postal codes | Not listed |
| Daily delivery and pickup dashboard | Yes | Not listed |
| Damaged, lost and late flags | Yes | Not listed |
| Calendar | Feed for Google, Apple, Outlook | Google, Apple, Outlook |
| Email reminders | No | Yes, SMS at extra cost |
| Languages | English | English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal) |
Checked November 2, 2026.
What each one costs as your bookings grow
Cowlendar's price depends on how much you take in bookings each month. RentalFlow's does not. Using the plans on Cowlendar's App Store listing:
| Rental revenue in a month | Cowlendar plan | RentalFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 bookings | Free, $0 | $39 |
| $800 | Starter, $13.99 | $39 |
| $2,500 | Basic, $29.99 | $39 |
| $6,000 | Growth, $59.99 | $39 |
| Over $10,000 | A higher plan, up to $299.99 | $39 |
Cowlendar plans from its Shopify App Store listing, checked November 2, 2026.
Under about $3,000 a month, Cowlendar costs less. Above it, RentalFlow does. The two prices also buy different things: Cowlendar's covers hourly slots, deposits and reminders, and RentalFlow's covers delivery, pickup and return tracking.
Where RentalFlow wins
Built for the van. The booking form asks for a drop-off address, a pickup address, a delivery date and a pickup date. The dashboard shows today's deliveries, pickups and returns. Cowlendar's pages do not list delivery scheduling.
Service area check. RentalFlow checks the customer's US ZIP or Canadian postal code against the area you deliver to before they book.
Returns you confirm. When items come back, you enter how many returned and flag any that are damaged, lost or late. You can keep items booked until you confirm the return, and set turnaround days for cleaning between rentals.
Flat price. $39 a month or $390 a year. A busy month costs the same as a slow one.
Where Cowlendar wins
Hourly and time-slot rentals. Cowlendar offers timed bookings next to full-day and multi-day ones, with a minimum and maximum number of days. RentalFlow books whole dates only.
Deposits and prepayment. Cowlendar can take part of the rental price up front. RentalFlow takes no deposits; our rental deposit guide covers the Shopify workarounds.
More than rentals. Appointments, classes, events and online meetings with Zoom or Google Meet all run from the same app.
Reminders and languages. Cowlendar sends email reminders, with text messages at extra cost, and its listing covers six languages, with two versions of Portuguese. RentalFlow sends no reminders and is in English.
Cheap to start, and widely reviewed. The free plan covers 5 bookings a month. Its listing shows 4.9 stars from 2,258 reviews and the Built for Shopify badge.
Who should choose which?
Choose RentalFlow if you rent moving boxes, party gear or equipment in one area, you deliver and collect with your own vehicle, and you take more than about $3,000 a month in rentals.
Choose Cowlendar if customers pick up from you or book by the hour, you need deposits or reminders, or you sell appointments and classes as well as rentals.
Switching from Cowlendar
RentalFlow works on the Shopify products you already sell. Your prices stay what you set in Shopify, and RentalFlow keeps its own rental stock count, so your Shopify stock numbers never change.
Start with one product. Install RentalFlow, add the booking form to one product page, set its stock and your service area, and place a test booking.
Move the rest over. Add the booking form to your other rental products. RentalFlow can hide your theme's own Add to cart button on rental products, so customers only see the booking form.
Let open bookings finish. Bookings already taken in Cowlendar stay in Cowlendar. Keep it installed until those rentals have gone out and come back, then remove it.
Questions
Try RentalFlow free for 14 days
Every feature included and no rental limits. Billed through Shopify at $39 a month after the trial.