What’s the Difference Between a Category and a Stream?

In this article, we’ll explain the difference between categories and streams – and why both are essential for every experience.

✅ Always assign at least one category and one stream to each experience to ensure your content is correctly displayed, sorted, and published across all channels.

  1. Categories - for Structure & Google
  2. Streams - for Display on Website & App

🗂️ Categories – for Structure & Google

Why do I need a category?

Categories are important for:

  • Displaying similar experiences automatically in the experience detail view

  • Correct classification in the printed weekly program

  • Optimizing your experience for Google and search engines (SEO)

💡 As soon as two or more experiences share the same category, they will be listed as “Similar Experiences” in the detail view (unless this feature is deactivated).

👉 For a full explanation, see:
Why are categories important in an experience – and why do you need them?


📚 Streams – for Display on Website & App

Why do I need a stream?

Streams are required so that experiences can:

  • Be shown in your Experience WebApp

  • Be integrated via widgets (e.g. on your website, in your email templates, or digital info systems)

  • Be grouped thematically and meaningfully for your guests (e.g. “Wellness & Spa”, “Kids”, “Nature & Activities”)

💡 Without a stream, an experience will not be visible to your guests in the ExperienceApp or your integrated widgets – even if it’s set up correctly in the CMS.

👉 Learn more here:
How do streams work – and why are some invisible yet still “visible”?


✅ Summary

Category Stream
Provides internal structure & SEO Controls display & grouping
Powers similar experience suggestions Essential for website, app & widget display
Needed for printed weekly programs Needed for guest visibility

📌 In short:
Categories structure your contentStreams control where it appears.

📩 Not sure if your experiences are set up correctly?
Our support team is always happy to help!