Succeeding in today’s vacation rental industry demands efficiency and guest satisfaction (okay, and a few other things, but you really do need to offer superior service and optimize your internal workflows). Thankfully, vacation rental software has transformed property management, offering a one-stop solution for everything from booking to payment processing.
The best vacation rental software simplifies managing multiple properties, streamlining operations from guest communication to financials through a single dashboard.
This, in turn, leads to increased bookings and higher satisfaction rates among guests.
Ready to sign up for the best vacation rental software on the market? Not so fast. With so many options available, it’s important to weigh features, user reviews, and pricing to ensure you make the right choice. To speed up the process for you, we’ve compared seven leading vacation rental software options for 2024.
1. Lodgify
Lodgify is an all-in-one software solution designed for ease of use and efficiency. As a platform serving short-term rental business owners worldwide, it provides property managers and companies with a sleek user interface and an array of robust features.
Users can seamlessly manage reservations through a comprehensive dashboard, for example, and elevate their online presence with Lodgify’s top-tier website builder, which supports the inclusion of videos, maps, and custom coding.
Aside from offering industry-leading integrations and advanced property management modules, Lodgify is also well-rated for its exceptional customer service, free personalized onboarding, and extensive resources.
From vacation rental guides to free courses and more, Lodgify works hard to ensure users have everything they need to optimize their property management operations.
Key features
One of Lodgify’s standout features is its award-winning channel manager, which helps you seamlessly integrate with top vacation rental channels like:
- Airbnb
- Vrbo
- Booking.com
- Google Vacation Rentals
- Expedia
Vacation rental software offering channel management features ensures the efficient synchronization of calendars, rates, and listings in real time. This ensures that all stakeholders, whether they’re your guests or staff, are always armed with the most current data.
What else sets Lodgify apart is its unified inbox, simplifying communication by bringing messages from all channels into one place. Additionally, the AI Assistant enhances guest experiences through smart, automated messaging, allowing for timely and personalized communication.
The task management and automation features further streamline operations, enabling hosts and property managers to focus on delivering exceptional service rather than getting bogged down in day-to-day tasks.
Other standout features include:
- Lodgify Dynamic Pricing, a proprietary dynamic pricing tool
- Customizable website templates
- Embeddable booking widget compatible with platforms like WordPress and Squarespace
Whether you’re managing a single property or overseeing a diverse portfolio, Lodgify provides the tools you need to maximize efficiency, guest satisfaction, and profitability.
Pricing
Lodgify’s flexible subscription plans cater to diverse needs, from a solo host to an established property manager with dozens of properties. Choose from three subscription plans depending on your needs (Starter, Professional, Ultimate) and number of rentals—the most affordable plan starts at just $15/month.
2. Hostfully
Hostfully is another vacation rental and property management software that provides a suite of tools that streamline the complexities of managing vacation rentals.
While it offers features like customizable guidebooks (which follow a per-guidebook pricing model) and guest communication options, Hostfully’s pricing structure is less flexible and cost-effective than other software options on this list, especially for hosts managing a smaller number of properties.
Despite this, its cloud-based system is built to help alleviate some of the stress and tasks of manually running a vacation rental business. Like Lodgify and other top vacation rental software options, it has unique integrations and automation capabilities.
Key features
As mentioned, Hostfully’s standout feature is its digital guidebooks, something that also Lodgify (but few others in the industry) offers. You can use their guidebooks to offer personalized information to guests to enhance their experience.
Additionally, its channel manager connects with leading OTAs, such as:
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
- Vrbo
It doesn’t appear that Hostfully connects to other leading platforms like Expedia. However, the platform does offer standard integration capabilities that help you connect tools to optimize everything from home automation to digital signature services through HelloSign.
Pricing
Hostfully offers three subscription options (Starter, Pro & Pro Plus, and Premium), with the initial tier, Starter, priced at $119 a month for a single property. As mentioned, this places it among one of the most expensive vacation rental software on this list when comparing plans feature by feature.
3. Hospitable
Hospitable is an accessible option for solo property owners and smaller rental agencies focused on the short-term rental market.
While it may not boast the extensive feature set found in more expansive platforms such as Lodgify, Hospitable offers a streamlined approach to vacation rental management that can be particularly appealing for users seeking simplicity and efficiency.
Despite being one of the best vacation rental software for that audience, its uniform pricing is a potential drawback for those requiring more flexibility.
Key features
Like other software, Hospitable integrates AI tools into its platform. These types of features (something to look out for when comparing the best vacation rental software) enable automated responses to common guest inquiries, streamlining communication and enhancing efficiency.
Additionally, its unified inbox feature allows you to synchronize messages from various OTAS, although it’s unclear if direct booking website messages can be integrated.
For those looking to boost direct bookings, Hospitable provides options to either create a new website or incorporate their widget into an existing site. However, it’s important to note that, unlike some competitors, Hospitable’s premium payment integrations are not available for hosts outside the U.S., Australia, or the U.K.
Pricing
Hospitable’s pricing starts at €29 per month for one property and scales as you add more. There are no tiered plans like Lodgify or Hostfully, and you have to request (and pay for) a direct booking add-on for direct booking capabilities.
4. Guesty
Guesty offers several advanced vacation rental software features, but its complexity, especially in user experience, may not make it the most accessible option for those seeking simplicity in property management.
Unlike some of its competitors, Guesty’s entry-level plan falls short of offering essential features like a free domain, a direct booking website, and additional marketplace apps, which are only included in the more expensive Guesty Pro tier.
For those new to vacation rental management, Guesty might also be limiting, as it does not provide free onboarding support with its starter plan, a service often included at no additional cost by other software providers.
Key features
Like other vacation rental software, Guesty’s dashboard allows you to easily manage channels, oversee bookings, tweak prices, and apply date-specific rules (although the dashboard itself requires manual configuration, which might be tedious for those managing multiple properties).
Additionally, it offers a unified inbox and other standard features, like direct bookings through integration with your own vacation rental website. You can also use its specialized website builder, although these features are only available to Pro and Enterprise subscribers at additional costs.
If you have the budget for one of Guesty’s higher-tier plans, you can access premium features like multi-unit categorization to group similar properties for easier management.
Pricing
The most affordable plan is Guesty Lite, which is $16 per month for U.S. hosts with one to three listings (pricing varies according to geographical region, so double-check pricing depending on where you’re located).
Pricing for Pro and Enterprise plans isn’t public. Customers have commented online that Guesty requires a one-time onboarding fee and charges between 2% and 5% on all bookings.
5. Smoobu
While Smoobu offers robust tools for enhancing vacation rental management, it’s important to note that access to its most advanced features requires a subscription to the Team plan.
Additionally, while Smoobu provides free bookable websites, customization options are somewhat limited, and notably, it does not include integration with Google Vacation Rentals.
Geared primarily towards the European market, Smoobu might not fully align with the specific needs or expectations of US-based hosts, particularly those seeking region-specific support and services.
Key features
Smoobu offers standard vacation rental software features similar to other top contenders like Lodgify, Guesty, and Hospitable, including channel synchronization and a booking management dashboard.
Smoobu also supports direct booking integration, enabling reservations through its booking engine on third-party websites, though full customization is reserved only for users on the Team plan.
A unified messaging system can help you consolidate guest communication, while Smoobu’s integration capabilities allow for smooth cooperation with other short-term rental tools like Chekin, Charge Automation, and RemoteLock.
Pricing
Smoobu’s free plan includes a basic reservation system and website, but it does not include a channel manager. Smoobu also provides a 14-day trial but lacks a demo account feature.
The Professional plan costs $28.16 per month when billed annually. If you need advanced features such as full system customization, you have to upgrade to the Teams plan, which is $193.24 monthly for one property.
Note that prices are in Euros, which may make plans for US customers more expensive due to conversion rates.
6. Little Hotelier
Little Hotelier, crafted by SiteMinder, is a platform geared towards businesses in the hospitality and lodging niche—think boutique hotels, cozy B&Bs, charming inns, motels, guesthouses, cabins, and even camping sites.
It’s specifically designed for establishments that operate more like hotels, offering up some pretty handy features like Google Hotel Ads to help with metasearch bookings and detailed housekeeping reports to keep everything running smoothly.
What makes Little Hotelier stand out as one of the best vacation rental software is its unique approach to booking and reservation management, making it a solid choice if you’re looking for a brand that understands the ins and outs of running a smaller lodging business.
Key features
At the heart of Little Hotelier’s suite is the “Front Desk,” a reservation management system that simplifies operations with its user-friendly drag-and-drop calendar, customizable emails for guests, and housekeeping reports, among other features.
The platform is also well-ranked for customer support, placing it on par with platforms like Lodgify by offering comprehensive help and educational materials (though this does come at an additional cost).
Additionally, as mentioned, Little Hotelier includes integration with Google Hotel Ads as part of its monthly subscription, allowing for direct bookings that boost visibility on Google search results (note that extra fees might be involved).
Plus, its channel manager facilitates real-time updates to room-specific availability and rates. This makes Little Hotelier a strong option for anybody managing individual room rentals.
Pricing
Like other vacation rental software, Little Hotelier’s pricing is based on the number of properties you manage via the platform. For hosts with one to five properties, the cost of a plan is currently €109/month, while those with six to ten properties pay €119/month.
Note that there may also be setup fees (as stated on the pricing page).
7. Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds is another hotel-focused vacation rental software. As what they call a “hotel management suite,” Cloudbeds is full of features like a property management system, booking engine, channel manager, and revenue management.
Most notably, the platform’s reservation system integrates with various channels, including OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia, social media platforms such as Facebook, as well as direct walk-in customers.
With features like a drag-and-drop calendar, automatic inventory syncing across booking engines and OTAs, multi-language and currency support, and customizable taxes, fees, and policies, Cloudbeds is a user-friendly tool for managing hotels or individual accommodations.
Key features
As a hotel-focused vacation rental management software, Cloudbeds allows you to broadcast your property across more than 300 global online reservation platforms, ensuring visibility on leading sites like Airbnb, Vrbo, TripAdvisor, and Booking.com.
Beyond channel management, Cloudbeds offers a suite of other features that include a property management system tailored to streamline operations from check-in to check-out, a booking engine, and housekeeping tools to keep track of room status and maintenance needs efficiently.
Pricing
Unfortunately, Cloudbeds doesn’t publish its pricing online. Instead, you have to request a quote. However, there are no set-up fees, and you can try Cloudbeds for free for 14 days.
How to choose the best property management system for your short-term rental business
As you can see, you’ve got quite a few options when choosing the best vacation rental software for your short-term rental business (with several more not on this shortlist).
While the comparisons above are helpful at a high level, it’s important to really think about the
features that will elevate your operation—which means figuring out what your short-term rental business needs to automate processes, optimize workflows, and ultimately improve efficiency.
This will look different from one business to the next. Perhaps you’d benefit most from a robust website builder, or maybe personalized versus queue-based support appeals to you. Pinpoint the features that will have the most impact, and then consider your budget for those must-have tools.
Identifying what truly matters to your business will help you make a better decision. If you can’t decide, explore the best vacation rental software on this list through free trials to see what suits your needs best.
Our top tip? Don’t rush this process! Time spent selecting the perfect property management system is an investment in your business’s future efficiency and success.
Try vacation rental software for free
When looking for the best vacation rental software, remember that the best choice should align with your unique needs and business goals.
Every feature, from seamless booking management to dynamic pricing strategies, plays a role in crafting the perfect guest experience and streamlining your operations. If you’re ready to explore one of the best vacation rental software options on the market, start by trying our comprehensive suite of tools designed for modern vacation rental businesses.
Start your free 7-day trial to experience firsthand how Lodgify can transform your approach to how you manage and grow your vacation rental business.