The short answer
Both charge the venue a subscription with revenue share, so there is no free-versus-paid argument either way. Lost and Found Software has a wide international reach, with many languages, payment methods and a cross-venue network. Boomerang goes deeper on matching, guest communication and analytics, adds KeepSafe for prohibited items, and ships new features every week. Boomerang offers multiple revenue-share opportunities, and partners on average earn back upwards of 25% of their annual contract value every year.
Boomerang may suit you if
- You run airports, stadiums, theme parks, hotels or casinos in the US or UK
- You want guests updated at every step, with an AI support agent answering for you
- You also want to handle prohibited items with KeepSafe in the same portal
At a glance
| Feature | Value | Boomerang | Lost and Found Software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business model | ValuePartner | BoomerangAnnual venue subscription with multiple revenue-share opportunities | Lost and Found SoftwareAnnual venue subscription with revenue share |
| AI item intake | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangAI turns a simple description and a photo into a logged item | Lost and Found SoftwareImage recognition, including text on IDs, with DIY safebag barcodes |
| Matching | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangAI matching on photos, descriptions, dates, locations and venue context, confirmed by staff and then by the guest | Lost and Found SoftwareSmart matching with a likelihood percentage |
| Guest updates | ValueGuest | BoomerangCo-branded emails at every step, a guest account and Boo, an AI support agent, 24/7 | Lost and Found SoftwareEmail, chat and SMS from within the software |
| Dedicated guest account | ValueGuest | BoomerangA dedicated guest account where guests sign in, manage their claim, take actions and see details. We have invested in it, and we keep investing | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
| Dedicated guest app | ValueGuest | BoomerangComing soon | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
| Friendly, modern UI/UX | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangA friendly, modern interface for busy venue teams and for guests | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
| Apple Find MyBoomerang exclusive | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangTrue Apple Find My integration, approved by Apple | Lost and Found SoftwareNot available |
Claim fraud protectionMore about this featureScammers sometimes file fake claims for valuables. Boomerang keeps inventory private, verifies the guest email before a claim is accepted, and checks every match twice: staff first, then the guest. Every decision is logged. | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangStaff and guest double verification, a verified guest email, and private inventory | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
| Activity feed and audit log | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangActivity history and audit trail on every item and claim, with who and when for every edit, move and decision | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
| Internal notes | ValuePartner | BoomerangInternal notes with rich text, attachments and pinning on every item | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
| In-built guest messaging | ValueGuest | BoomerangInfo requests from the portal, co-branded emails, and Boo, an AI support agent, 24/7 | Lost and Found SoftwareEmail, chat and SMS from within the software |
| Inventory privacy | ValuePlatform wide | BoomerangPrivate inventory. Guests describe what they lost, and staff and the guest verify before anything is released | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
| Revenue for the venue | ValuePartner | BoomerangMultiple revenue-share opportunities. Partners on average earn back upwards of 25% of annual contract value every year | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
| Analytics | ValuePartner | BoomerangLost and found, KeepSafe and per-employee analytics, exports with images | Lost and Found SoftwareSuccess metrics across the account |
| Prohibited items | ValuePartner | BoomerangKeepSafe, its own product in the same portal | Lost and Found SoftwareNot listed |
Job by job
Matching and verification
Both products match automatically. Boomerang adds the venue's own context (seat, section, room and flight numbers) and follow-up answers, and keeps people in control twice: staff confirm the match, then the guest compares what your team logged with what they described before anything ships.
The guest experience
Guests file from your branded link with no app and no account, then get an account with live status, payment, tracking and pickup details. Boo, our AI support agent, answers their questions around the clock so your team does not have to. Guests with an AirTag can share its location through a true Apple Find My integration, approved by Apple. No other platform we compared has one.
Lost and found is uniquely different from the rest of guest or team operations. A guest who is desperate to get something back might email every day for weeks, and that can turn into 30 or more emails plus daily calls from one person, which leaves a bad taste. Boomerang handles all of that for you: automated updates at every step, a guest account, an AI support agent, and claim status without staff chasing it.
Running the team
Custom roles, location-level access and shared desk accounts that ask who is acting. Per-employee analytics show who logged, matched and returned what, and every change is on the item's activity history.
Switching to Boomerang
We bulk import your open inventory, run a 30-minute kick-off and add your claim link to the website. Most of the setup is your locations, storage areas, roles and unclaimed rules, which we configure with you.
What partners see
- On average, Boomerang triples a partner's return rate
- 3x
- On average, Boomerang triples a partner's return rate
- saved a month for the average organization
- 40+ hrs
- saved a month for the average organization
- of annual contract value that partners on average earn back every year through revenue share
- 25%+
- of annual contract value that partners on average earn back every year through revenue share
“Following the Boomerang demo, we were blown away... it had everything that we didn't know we needed.”
Questions
We already have a subscription tool. Is switching worth it?
Venues that were already doing well still improve: one airport raised a 40% return rate by another 20%+. You get matching your team trusts, guests updated without staff effort, and analytics you can act on.
Can we bring our existing inventory over?
Yes. We bulk import your open inventory as part of go-live, so the whole back room is searchable on day one and nobody has to log it twice.
How do you stop the wrong person from getting an item?
Two checks. Your team reviews every match side by side and can ask the guest a question from the claim. Then the guest sees the same details your team logged, like photos and where it was found, next to what they described, and approves or declines before anything ships. Every decision is logged.
Is Boomerang secure enough for our IT review?
SSO over SAML or OIDC, custom roles with granular permissions, access limited by location, idle session timeouts and a full activity history on every item and claim. We regularly complete vendor security reviews. Ask us for our security documentation.
How is Boomerang priced?
An annual platform subscription sized to your venues and volume, with every new feature included as it ships. Guests pay fair shipping. Boomerang offers multiple revenue-share opportunities, and partners on average earn back upwards of 25% of their annual contract value every year. Book a demo and we will scope it with you.
About this comparison
Details come from public pages and listings as of November 2026. Products change, so check with each provider for the latest. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].