Surf Office Alternatives, Compared
Comparisons
7 min read
Oct 5, 2026
Surf Office is one of the best-known names in company retreats, and for many teams it's the right call. But it isn't the only option, and the right planner depends on your size, your region, how you want to be charged, and how much hand-holding you want.
Everything about the other companies comes from their own websites, read on 4 October 2026 (for Moniker, its budget calculator, which we read in September). Details change, so check each site before you decide.
Surf Office, in its own words
Surf Office describes itself as organising "1000+ Events" over "10 Years," across "200+ Locations," for groups of 15 to 600 people, in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. It lists startups, scale-ups, and large companies among its clients, and names well-known tech brands. Its process is request a quote, confirm details, let it handle logistics, then enjoy the event. Pricing isn't stated on the site we checked: it works through a quote form, and it offers a budget calculator.
If track record matters most to you, that's a strong profile. The reasons people look elsewhere are usually fit and cost: a smaller team, a specific region, a different pricing model, or a faster first proposal.
The alternatives, side by side
All details below are as each company states them on its homepage. "Not stated" means we didn't find it on the page we read.
Company | How it works | What it says about itself | Pricing as stated |
|---|---|---|---|
One planner, full-service | Flat per-attendee fee, no commission on anything it books, with you on site. | A flat fee per attendee | |
A marketplace for venues and vendors, plus full-service planning | Venues and vendors worldwide; 12+ US cities and 12+ international destinations; claims savings of "up to 50%" on retail rates in its marketplace; proposals within 48 hours | Full-service is a "flat, per-person rate"; the amount is not stated on the homepage | |
A platform for finding venues, with optional full planning | 1,000+ curated properties; recommendations within 1 business day; property quotes in under 24 hours; claims an average 10-30% accommodation discount and 5-10% event-cost savings | Not stated as a fee | |
Full-service planning ("one dedicated team") | "300 Retreats Organized"; Asia, Europe, the Americas, the UAE, and Australia; free estimate within 48 hours | Not stated; advertises 10% off early bookings | |
Full planning for remote teams | Europe only; "100+ Retreats organized," "5+ Years"; free ROI calculator, ebook, and templates | Not stated | |
Done-for-you offsite planning | "3-5 tailored proposals in 3 days"; teams of 15 to 500+; 3,500+ vetted venues; many free planning tools | A flat fee per attendee | |
Large-scale custom retreats | US-based; its own budget calculator says it won't take on projects under roughly $250,000 | Not stated on the pages we checked |
What the table tells you
Almost nobody publishes a price. That's normal for a custom service, but it means the first call matters.
Speed to a first proposal varies. Stated times range from under 24 hours for property quotes at TeamOut, to 48 hours at Offsite and Midstay, to 3 days for Bondeo, while Surf Office works through a quote form.
Size and region narrow the list fast. OnsiteHub is Europe-only. Moniker's minimum rules out most small teams. Bondeo and Surf Office accept groups from 15 up. If your team is in Asia or travelling there, check coverage first.
Model matters. A marketplace gives you control and discounts but more of the work. A full-service planner gives you less to do. A platform sits in between.
Questions to ask any planner
Whatever shortlist you land on, ask these. The answers tell you more than the homepage.
How are you paid? A flat fee, a commission from venues, a discount you keep, or a mix? None is automatically wrong, but you should know which.
Who will actually be my contact, and will they be the person on the ground?
What's your minimum, in group size and in budget?
Can I see the full budget, line by line, including your own fee?
What happens if a vendor cancels or a price jumps, and who absorbs it?
Have you handled a team travelling from as many countries as mine, and what do you do about visas?
How soon will I get a first proposal, and is it free?
Where Altavelo fits, and where it doesn't
We built Altavelo around a few choices. A flat per-attendee fee with no commission on anything we book, so the budget shows what things actually cost. One planner who owns the whole retreat. And being there in person while it runs.
We should be just as clear about what we haven't got. We're new, and we haven't delivered a retreat yet. If you want a planner with a decade of events behind them, Surf Office or another established company is the safer choice, and we'd say so.
What we offer instead: our first clients get a founding-client offer (a reduced rate and our full attention on one retreat) in exchange for an honest testimonial once it's done. If you're a team that values a flat fee, a single point of contact, and being heard, tell us about your team.
Sources (read on 4 October 2026, except Moniker's calculator, read in September): Surf Office, Offsite, TeamOut, Midstay, OnsiteHub, Bondeo Offsites, and Moniker's budget calculator. Claims are theirs, not independently verified.
