MRBS Alternative: MIDAS Room Booking Software
Using MRBS (Meeting Room Booking System) and starting to outgrow it? MIDAS runs on your own server just like MRBS does - but adds commercial support, mobile-friendly booking, invoicing, equipment scheduling, and 20 years of continuous professional development. One-time license, no subscription required.
Let's be upfront: MRBS is good free software. It's open source, actively maintained, and it does what it says. If a straightforward room grid is all your organization needs, MRBS may serve you well for years. But many organizations reach a point where "free" starts costing real time - and that's usually when they find MIDAS.
Why Organizations Move On From MRBS
MIDAS was built for the same self-hosted, keep-control-of-your-data philosophy that draws people to MRBS in the first place. The difference is what surrounds the calendar:
- When something breaks, who do you call? MRBS support means searching the forums or raising a GitHub issue and waiting for a volunteer to respond. MIDAS comes with dedicated priority email support with typical responses within 1 hour, regardless of the day of the week - see our current response times.
- Bookings are only the start. MRBS books rooms (and generic resources). MIDAS schedules rooms plus equipment, consumables, and staff - and can generate invoices for external lettings, take card payments via Stripe or PayPal, and chase what's outstanding.
- Your users expect a modern experience. MIDAS features a responsive interface designed for desktop, tablet, and mobile alike, with powerful notifications, public booking request forms for your website, and over 30 individually assignable user permissions.
- Documentation your staff can actually hand to a new user. Complete online documentation, printable PDF manuals, over 70 video tutorials, and an extensive Knowledge Base.
- A hosted option if you're tired of server maintenance. Keep self-hosting with MIDAS if that's your preference - or let us host it for you and never patch a PHP installation again. MRBS offers no hosted edition.
MRBS vs MIDAS: An Honest Comparison
| Feature |  |  |
| Cost | Free (open source, GPL) | One-time self-hosted license, or cloud-hosted subscription - published pricing, no quotes needed |
| Deployment | Self-install on your own server (PHP + MySQL/PostgreSQL) | Your choice: self-hosted on your own server, or cloud-hosted by us - and you can switch between editions later |
| Support | Community support via GitHub issues and forums; no guaranteed response times | Dedicated priority email support, typical response within 1 hour any day of the week - see live response times |
| Development | Volunteer-maintained open source project, in development since the early 2000s | Professionally and continuously developed since 2006 by its original developer - celebrating 20 years in 2026 |
| What you can schedule | Rooms and generic resources | Rooms, equipment, consumables, and staff - together, in the same booking |
| Invoicing & payments | Not included | Native invoicing with Stripe & PayPal online payments - ideal for external lettings |
| Booking options | Book by time or by period | Per-user configurable: discrete start/finish times, start plus duration, predefined periods (ideal for schools), or nightly (ideal for accommodation) |
| User permissions | Read-only / user / admin levels | Over 30 individually assignable permissions per user account |
| Notifications | Email notification of bookings to room administrators | Email notifications plus configurable "Watches" - be alerted when specific resources are booked, bookings change, or consumables run low |
| Reporting | Reporting option with export | Extensive graphical reports and statistics, with data export to Excel, CSV, and more for use in third-party applications |
| Single Sign-On | Integrates with existing authentication sources (e.g. LDAP) | Seamless SSO via SAML or Active Directory / LDAP 1 |
| Documentation | Online documentation | Complete online docs, printable PDF manuals, 70+ video tutorials, and a searchable Knowledge Base |
| Migration path | - | Import your existing MRBS bookings into MIDAS in seconds - full instructions provided |
The Real Cost of Free Booking Software
MRBS costs nothing to download - but running any self-hosted system has a real cost: the hours your IT staff or volunteers spend installing, patching, troubleshooting, and answering "how do I..." questions with no vendor to turn to. For a small organization, that's often fine. As bookings become business-critical - lettings income, timetabling, compliance - unsupported software becomes a risk sitting on one person's shoulders.
A self-hosted MIDAS license is a one-time purchase at a published price, with an optional annual Support Subscription for updates and priority support. No per-booking fees, no per-seat surprises, and your license never expires. For most organizations, that's a modest one-time cost for software someone stands behind - our median customer has been with us for over 9 years.
Keep Your Server. Keep Your Data.
If you chose MRBS because you wanted your booking data on your own infrastructure, you don't have to give that up. A self-hosted MIDAS system installs on your own web server, behind your own firewall, under your own backup regime. Your data never leaves your building. For schools, government bodies, and organizations with data protection policies that rule out third-party SaaS, this is often the deciding factor - and it's a path most modern booking platforms simply don't offer.
Switching From MRBS to MIDAS Is Easy
You can export data from your existing MRBS system and import it into MIDAS in seconds - and we provide full step-by-step instructions. A typical switch looks like this:
- Start a free 30-day MIDAS trial - no credit card required, no obligation.
- Import your MRBS bookings using our import tools and instructions.
- Configure your venues, users, and permissions - our documentation and video tutorials walk you through it.
- Go live - and if you purchase, we can migrate your trial data straight into your new system.
Frequently Asked Questions About MRBS Alternatives
Is MRBS still maintained?
Yes - MRBS remains an active open source project with ongoing releases. Organizations typically look for an MRBS alternative not because MRBS is abandoned, but because they need things a volunteer-run project doesn't provide: guaranteed commercial support, invoicing and payment processing, equipment and staff scheduling, a hosted option, and professional documentation and training materials.
Can I import my MRBS bookings into MIDAS?
Yes. You can export data from MRBS and import it into MIDAS in seconds. Full step-by-step instructions are provided in our Knowledge Base article on importing from MRBS.
Does MIDAS run on my own server like MRBS?
Yes. Self-hosted MIDAS installs and runs on your own web server, keeping your booking data entirely on your own infrastructure - see the server requirements. A cloud-hosted edition is also available if you'd rather we handle the hosting, and you can switch between editions later.
Is MIDAS open source?
No - MIDAS is commercial software, professionally developed and supported since 2006. Self-hosted licenses are perpetual: a one-time purchase that never expires, with an optional annual Support Subscription for software updates and priority support. All pricing is openly published on our website.
How much does MIDAS cost compared to free MRBS?
A self-hosted MIDAS license is a one-time purchase priced by the number of venues and users you need, with all prices published upfront in five currencies. There are no per-booking fees and the license never expires. What you're paying for compared to free software is professional support with typical 1-hour responses, continuous updates, complete documentation and video tutorials, and features MRBS doesn't include such as invoicing, online payments, and equipment scheduling.
Does MIDAS support Single Sign-On?
Yes - MIDAS supports seamless Single Sign-On via SAML 2.0 (compatible with providers like Microsoft Entra ID and Google Workspace) or via Active Directory / LDAP in self-hosted editions. SSO integration is available in MIDAS systems licensed for Unlimited users.
Try MIDAS Alongside Your MRBS System
You don't have to take our word for any of this. Try our free online demo right now, or run a free 30-day trial with your real rooms alongside your existing MRBS system and let your users compare. No credit card, no obligation - and if you switch, your MRBS data comes with you.
Start your free 30-day trial - or ready to make the move? View pricing and purchase online.
Comparing Room Booking Systems?
See how MIDAS compares with other room and resource scheduling software:
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1 SSO integration is available in MIDAS systems licensed for Unlimited users. Active Directory integration is additionally only available in self-hosted editions.
Information on MRBS features obtained from the official MRBS website and project pages, and correct at time of publication. MRBS is a free, open source (GPL) project and is not affiliated with MIDAS.